Should I Drop Out Of School?

Doc Johnson:

What other options do you have? Is there some kind of GED program? That might be a better way to go, to get some kind of terminal credential first. Otherwise, you may be happy, but surely will be poor.

Madness:

Maybe you could try to pass with minimum grades.

Kirby:

That nagging feeling is probably right. Is is very hard to succeed without finishing high school. Succeeding without finishing high school is possible if you have friends and family to help you and more importantly, if you have determination.

SoulRiser:

don't drop out unless you have a backup plan, like getting a GED or something. technically, you don't need to do that right away, so in theory you could drop out now and then sort that out later, but i'm sure you can guess people will give you a hard time about it if you don't have a Plan B right from the start...

xcriteria:

I dropped out of school halfway 11th grade. I was miserable in school, I had terrible grades, and I didn't really participate in any meaningful way. I learned about the GED from a friend, and I presented a plan to my parents where I'd drop out, take the GED and SAT tests, and enroll in a local college the next fall. They agreed, and I got the GED and enrolled in college -- a full year earlier than I would have if I'd graduated on time.

I'm very glad I dropped out, and I wish I'd known about the GED and dropped out earlier. But you should definitely have a plan.

What state are you in? The rules for getting a GED vary by state, but in almost every state you should be able to take it at your age. The GED, if you're not familiar with it, is a diploma that is in many ways, including by employers and colleges, considered equivalent to a high school diploma. See this page.

I took the GED without studying, and got high scores, and I know several people who also passed with little or no studying. You could get a GED study book, with sample versions of the test, and take one to see how you do. There are classes you can take to prepare you for the test, or you could develop your own self-study plan.

Have you thought about college? Do you know what you might study? Or do you know what kind of work you'd like to do? A lot of questions like these are basically the same whether you drop out or graduate, so it's a good idea to think about them anyway. One advantage of dropping out is getting free time to explore your interests, learn on your own, maybe work some, and figure things out.

A major question, too, is what your parents are like, what they think of dropping out, etc. Their support would help a lot. Also, you might want to talk to your guidance counselor at school, who is probably the person who would help you initiate the dropping-out process anyway.

In my case, my parents were supportive once I presented a solid plan. And I did follow through on the plan, and I did well in college the first year. Then, I transferred and eventually droped out. Subsequently I've enrolled in and dropped out of college several times. College was way nicer for me than high school, and you might find that you can stand it. I eventually became less satisfied with the structure.

xcriteria:

The GED is just in North America. I don't know if there's a similar option in Europe.

One other option is to do homeschooling. This is a legal option (at least in the US) where parents typically teach their kids at home. However, it doesn't have to be the parents doing the teaching. In most U.S. states, parents just have to file a notice with the school, and the "student" might have to take some standardized tests yearly or something.

However, I don't think this is generally done in Europe. Check out this page for info on the Netherlands... it looks like it's almost impossible. But it does say "Part-time attendance allowed for 16 to 18 year olds (an approved combination of study and employment)."

(HSLDA is a good resource for info on homeschooling laws in general.)

Another option is talk to your teachers and explain your problem. It might be possible to do more advanced work sooner, and maybe graduate sooner. I don't know anything about how schools work in Europe, but sometimes in the U.S. people can have an "Individualized Education Plan" where it's somewhat customized.

Mom

What do you like to do? What activities do you take part in that bring you a sense of pleasure ? What are your hobbies? Art, music, computers, etc...?

It's not uncommon, actually it's quite common, that those in public education lose desire, motivation, the ability to make decisions for themselves. You've been told what to think, how to think, how long to think about it, and what to do for so long that you become blank. It's all part of the master plan of compulsory education, to take away your ability and/or desire to think for yourself so that you will take your "worker" place unquestioningly in society. Sit back and ask yourself what do I really enjoy? START THERE. You may need time to deprogram/unschool yourself before you make any moves.

Ayliana

You have to do what is best for you. If you're truly miserable in school then you should talk to a counselor about maybe taking night classes or just getting the GED. You can still go and get a college education through community colleges. Life doesn't just end if you drop out of school. The only reason I stayed was because a friend of mine wanted me to. She gave me the emotional support I needed, and didn't judge me because I wanted to drop out.

Or you can also talk to your counselor about what electives they're offering next year. I'm sure they have a couple shop or art classes that you would be interested in and would take your mind off wanting to drop out. Again, this is your decision, and there really is no wrong choice, so long as you follow through with everything.

David B.

I don't want to play devils advocate here, but if you're absolutely not prepared to establish a source of income after finishing/quitting school, then this isn't going to come easy for you. Dropping out of school is not the end of responsibility, it is the privilege of REAL responsibility (for once). If you're going to drop out of school, you have to have a plan of action, some form of financial activity, and a way establish independence so that you can design your ideal lifestyle from there. Schools provide a one size fits all option for that stuff but people tend to forget that it WAS an option nonetheless and needs detailed replacement. Get a job - pay your landlord (your mom) - at 6.50USD an hour for four hours every four days a week you'll have $416 at the end of the month at any minimum wage job.

Tara

I was always one of the highest grades in my class, loved learning and therefore put up with school. But in the 9th grade when I was being taught things I literally learned in 2nd grade and was told to "deal with it", I started skipping class. I was bored, the people were shallow, the teachers disrespectful and I had too much respect for myself to subject myself to that.

I missed so many days that I was failing most of my classes (except the few that I found interesting enough to attend). My mom made an appointment with the dean to discuss my "catching up". He didn't even know I wasn't attending! Once it was brought to his attention, he then said he "had to" expel me for the rest of the year. Darn.

Well we decided to unschool from there. I got my GED but it was a waste of time as I have never needed to show it for anything I've ever done. When I was almost 19 I decided to go to massage school and went from there into working for myself as a therapist, making my own schedule, seting my own fees, etc. From there I went on to open my own massage business, hiring others to work for me, learning accounting, bookkeeping, contracts, scheduling, licensing, promotionals, etc without every taking a biz course or class or cracking a book.

I sold my business to be a stay-at-home mom and unschool my 8 year old son.

I'm telling you all of this to prove that all you need to be successful is self-motivation and a passion for something. Oh and a little common sense, which you won't learn in school! (School's tell you what to think; they don't teach you how to think!)

The best advice I could give anyone is to ignore the BS, do your best to get out of it if you can and if not, remember that once you're out, you never have to look back. Find something you love and ignore the people who try to rain on your parade. Focus on what you want, not what you don't want, and work towards *your* goals, not someone else's.

I am of somewhat high intelligence, and people (parents/teachers) think that for me to get the most out of it I need to be in fulltime school. Advice?

Kirby

You say that you are intelligent, which makes it of greater importance for you to get out of school. Pretty much all school counselors and youth psychologists agree that smart children and teenagers benefit very much from working on their own or with a loose group of people, rather than being forced to learn from a curriculum. There are a few people that thrive in the school environment but most people, not just those with higher intelligence, do best learning outside of the traditional school environment. From your comments it is clear that school is not helping you. In other words, whoever said you need to be in school to learn best is totally incorrect.

Life is too short to be stuck in school for 15% of your life. We need to get out and learn from the world and each other instead of sitting on uncomfortable chairs in small rooms for five days a week.

Can you still get into good universities if you have a GED? (North America only)

Captain Ahab

Yes! You have to work hard, but there are plenty of people with GED's who can get into great universities (notably Unschoolers.)

Generally speaking, its best to go to community college than transfer to a school. It's much cheaper as well to go that route, and you can go to community college any time. However, if you work hard and get good reccomendations you can go to plenty of good schools.

Ayliana

Yes, but you'll be better off starting out at a community college for the first two years. For starters its loads cheaper. My tuition is half as much per year than what I would pay at a state university, which is only a third as much as I would pay at a private university. You'll get better quality instruction due to the fact that class sizes are smaller, and teachers will be able to involve you more. Also, professors at community colleges are usually adjuncts, meaning they have real world experience in what they're teaching, as opposed to grad students working towards thier PHDs with little to no experience otherwise.

The education in the first two years of college is the same no matter where you go. Its all general education requirements that for the most part have nothing to do with your major or your goals in life (Highschool: Part II). Its only in your junior year of college that you really start an in depth study of your field.

Oh, and don't let anyone look down at you for going to a community college. I get really pissed off when I hear people knocking my school just because it only gives out two year degrees. Half of all college students go to community college, and some of them are better than traditional colleges. My schools nursing program is second only to Yale University in the state of Connecticut. Which means our math and science department is state of the art. You need straight A's coming out of highschool just to ensure a good spot on the waiting list. My sister has to take a shit load of remedial classes just to prepare.

Kirby

I know in Canada the GED is as good as a high school diploma for college or university. The good thing is that colleges here aren't looked down upon as much as in the US.

Note: In Canadian parlance, "college" refers only to community college and "university" refers only to schools that gives out three/four year degrees.