What's a good way to graduate highschool early?

[Samuel Millard]

When I started 8th grade I was just a normal student enrolled in Algebra 1 and in all honors classes. I didn't study that much, and when I did it wasn't that big of a thing. In the second quarter I started to love math and science a lot. I knew I needed to have a great mathematics background to understand physics and the mathematics behind computer science. So I taught myself algebra 1 to precalculus in about 1.5 months not all of it but what i needed for college math. Know I'm about to star multi variable calculus and it's my third quarter in 8th grade. I already have all these mit ocw courses to learn advanced mathematics and science. However, I want to go to college early like 14 or 15 but Shelton (where i live) does not have very many opportunities for me not even algebra in 7th grade. before 8th grade i was a solid B student and did not try at anything. Is there any way for me to skip high school math classes like geometry and possibly graduate at 14 or 15. What should I do?

P:S I'm not that great at English so there is probably a lot of missing punctuation (not that I don't find English important)

 

[Dr. Courtney]

Home schooling would be the way to do it in most of the US. In a lot of states, graduation from home school is completely up to the parents AND there are also paths to begin taking college courses early in high school at greatly reduced costs (or free). Many public schools have paths to take college courses also, but it is much harder to work out transportation and scheduling challenges of blended high school and college course schedules.

My own teens are home schooled and average 3 college classes each semester in 11th and 12th grades. They'll graduate from high school about a year before their peers. We chose not to accelerate it more because we think three college classes at a time at ages 15-16 is enough. A true full college course load (5 or so classes, 15+ credit hours) is lot of a 15-16 year old and does not leave time for all the sports and extracurriculars we (and they) think teens should be doing in high school.

 

[IGU]

I knew I needed to have a great mathematics background to understand physics and the mathematics behind computer science. So I taught myself algebra 1 to precalculus in about 1.5 months not all of it but what i needed for college math.

Congratulations on taking control of your education! That's a big deal.

Know I'm about to star multi variable calculus and it's my third quarter in 8th grade. I already have all these mit ocw courses to learn advanced mathematics and science.

Those are pretty good for taking real college courses. However you might want to look at Art of Problem Solving too as a good way to get a solid start on number theory, probability, and combinatorics. You see to have ignored the math you need for CS.

However, I want to go to college early like 14 or 15 but Shelton (where i live) does not have very many opportunities for me not even algebra in 7th grade.

No place will have high school opportunities for somebody to push ahead as fast as you want. You'll have to craft your own. Much depends on where you live as different places have different rules.

Also, you are a bit young to make decisions about college. Young people change significantly, which you certainly are illustrating by explaining how different you are from a year ago. Pushing ahead with studying things that interest you is a great thing to do. Pick a few possible colleges and examine their web sites to understand what is required for admission -- it is likely you will have to graduate from high school, and it is also likely that there a variety of standardized tests they would like to see scores from. That means you need to figure out how to learn what is needed to do well on the standardized tests. Alternatively, in some places it is not too hard to start taking classes at community colleges at quite a young age, often for free using what's generally called "dual enrollment". That can get you enough credits (and credibility) to be able to transfer to a four year school.

There are many possibilities. Since you seem motivated to take control of your education you have a large number of choices.

 

[Meir Achuz]

If you think you can skip high school geometry, you're heading for an iceberg.
I think you need more maturity before skipping so much. Now you are a big fish in a small pond, but there are sharks in the deeper water. I think you need more preparation in all subjects before heading for college. Try to connect for now with a high school math or physics teacher who can guide you advanced work, but don't kill your career by speeding too fast.

 

[TJGilb]

Is there any way for me to skip high school math classes like geometry

I agree with Meir Achuz. I know Geometry seems like the unimportant class at this early stage in your education, but it is incredibly important in the long run especially if you want to go into Physics, Engineering, or a variety of other STEM disciplines. Don't skip it, and make sure you have a firm grasp of it!

 

[symbolipoint]

I agree with Meir Achuz. I know Geometry seems like the unimportant class at this early stage in your education, but it is incredibly important in the long run especially if you want to go into Physics, Engineering, or a variety of other STEM disciplines. Don't skip it, and make sure you have a firm grasp of it!

Please, PLEASE EXPLAIN that more. Although I do not disagree with what you say, I have not really used much of Geometry other than some basic common stuff that most people would know from their 9th or 10th grade education and what little Geometry came with Algebra 1 and Algebra 2.

 

[Andreol263]

Tell me that you isn't trying to learn from MIT OCW courses without picking any book on calculus and doing any exercises? if you are doing this, you are not learning anything, really, these courses serves as a SUPLEMENT to a textbook, for understanding some concept or execise you can't get, but the real learning comes from the textbook and doing exercises.

 

[symbolipoint]

?

Tell me that you isn't trying to learn from MIT OCW courses without picking any book on calculus and doing any exercises? if you are doing this, you are not learning anything, really, these courses serves as a SUPLEMENT to a textbook, for understanding some concept or execise you can't get, but the real learning comes from the textbook and doing exercises.

?

Samuel Millard

Do not skip anything. Algebra 1, Algebra 2, "Geometry", Trigonometry, some more algebra maybe called College Algebra, Calculus & Analytic Geometry 1, 2, 3, ... whatever else comes around this level.
The sequence between Geometry and Algebra 2 is not firm, so they can be done in either order.
High schools might give a slightly more advanced combination course maybe called "Mathematical Analysis" or "Pre-Calculus" or something algebra with Trigonometry. In a real college or university, what would replace this is either College Algebra, or College Algebra with Trigonometry, or Pre-Calculus, or Elementary Functions.

Do not try to avoid Geometry just based on my recent comment of not having used much from the course. Studying Geometry as in high school or the equivalent course helps you in learning Mathematics. You want to find what is known and been developed before ignoring it, since you do not know yet what from it YOU will need and want to know in the future.

 

[TJGilb]

Please, PLEASE EXPLAIN that more.

I'm studying physics. Geometry comes up all the time when solving and/or visualizing problems. I'm not sure how to elaborate further other than say it's common in several areas of physics. Keep in mind, high school geometry is a 10th grade class.

I have not really used much of Geometry other than some basic common stuff that most people would know from their 9th or 10th grade education and what little Geometry came with Algebra 1 and Algebra 2.

Keep in mind, Geometry is typically 10th grade level class so that makes sense. Everything else you can pick up as needed (though I kind of wish I had taken more advanced Geometry classes looking back).

 

[symbolipoint]

I'm studying physics. Geometry comes up all the time when solving and/or visualizing problems. I'm not sure how to elaborate further other than say it's common in several areas of physics. Keep in mind, high school geometry is a 10th grade class.
Keep in mind, Geometry is typically 10th grade level class so that makes sense. Everything else you can pick up as needed (though I kind of wish I had taken more advanced Geometry classes looking back).

You may be discussing or indicating the two different kinds - the College PREPARATORY Geometry given in high school which is a remedial course when done at a college; and the "Analytical Geometry" as well as Trigonometry which comes in the courses of Calculus 1, 2, 3 at the college and university level.

 

[TJGilb]

You may be discussing or indicating the two different kinds - the College PREPARATORY Geometry given in high school which is a remedial course when done at a college; and the "Analytical Geometry" as well as Trigonometry which comes in the courses of Calculus 1, 2, 3 at the college and university level.

Yes, I was referring specifically to high school level geometry because unless I'm mistaken the OP is only just finishing Middle School and was asking about which high school courses they could skip. The way it went for me was 8th (Algebra), 9th (Geometry), 10th (Trigonometry), 11th (Pre-Calculus), 12th (Calculus). I personally don't think the OP should skip any of these except maybe Calculus because in my experience high school did a poor job in teaching it effectively. Each one will serve as an important foundation for later on.

 

[symbolipoint]

Yes, I was referring specifically to high school level geometry because unless I'm mistaken the OP is only just finishing Middle School and was asking about which high school courses they could skip. The way it went for me was 8th (Algebra), 9th (Geometry), 10th (Trigonometry), 11th (Pre-Calculus), 12th (Calculus). I personally don't think the OP should skip any of these except maybe Calculus because in my experience high school did a poor job in teaching it effectively. Each one will serve as an important foundation for later on.

Samuel can go that route, IF he is really good at "Algebra 1", and already has good sense in drawing figures, of the geometrical common sort as would be needed for Algebra 1. What is taught and needed in the high school Geometry course is much more detailed and advanced compared to common consumer-level Geometry.