Early Graduation

Are you interested in graduating from high school early? Follow this student's personal experience with being on track for early-graduation, complete with detailed requirements!

an interview with an early-graduating gphs student

Interview Conducted by Deenie Bulyalert

Why Have You decided to graduate early?

I decided that I was going to graduate early, probably 7th or 8th grade year. My brother is a junior in high school and I really wanted to graduate with him. Not because I have this fascination towards my brother or I want to be better than him. Although I do love my brother, I would rather not spend a major event, like graduation, by his side and I’m sure he doesn’t want to spend his graduation with his little sister right there with him, but he’s going to have to deal with it. I decided to graduate early so it would be easier for my family to come see us take that step to becoming an adult. I don’t have very many family members who live in the area. Most of them live across the world and the ticket to come here would be roughly $1000 per person, which is quite a bit of money, so I decided I would make it easier for them by graduating early. By doing this, they only have to come to one graduation instead of two. This makes it easier on them and it’s way less expensive. My decision to graduate early wasn’t easy. It took a while of going back and forth of wanting to graduate early and not wanting to graduate early. Wondering if it was worth it, if it actually matters if my family comes to my graduation. Even now, with less than 2 years before I am supposed to graduate, I still question if I should do it. There is so much I will be missing out on by graduating early but, to me, family means more than anything and I am willing to give up a lot for them.

How has the process been for you so far?

It definitely has not been the easiest. There are a lot of late nights and days where I just don't want to get up even though I have so much homework to do but that might just be the high school experience. I have to give up a lot of my summer and time after school in order to do classes that I normally would do junior or senior year but because I don't have a senior year I have to do it whenever time permits it. It has for sure been unusual for lack of a better word but I do think it will be worth it in the end.

what are your plans after graduating?

I am really lucky. I have a lot more opportunity than most and I am actually able to take a year off and not stay in America. Like I talked about before, I have family that live all the way across the world and that is the reason I am graduating early. When I do graduate, I am going to spend a year with them and hopefully do my "senior year" of school over there. After that, I want to come back and go to university. I haven't decided what I want to do, but I think I'll figure it out.

Do you recommend people graduate early?

The short answer is no. If you have absolutely no need to graduate early, then don’t. Graduating early or not graduating early doesn’t make you better or worse than anyone else. It doesn’t help much getting jobs or scholarships and I think there are more disadvantages to graduating early than there are benefits. You miss out on a lot, like prom, or major scholarships, not much time to pass your SAT/ACT, and so much more. There are just a lot of things that you can take advantage of during your senior year if you don't graduate early. This is just my opinion. Do what you think is best for you. If graduating early is what you’ve dreamed of doing or you think it will create a better outcome for you, then go for it. Any reason is a good reason to do what is best for you.

How do you graduate early?

A lot goes into graduating early. It's hours of planning, a lot of sacrifices, its a ton of work, determination and communication but, if it's something that you feel will be beneficial to you, it will be rewarding and worth it. When we think of graduating early, we usually think of people who graduate a year early, but that's not always the case. There are also many students who graduate 6 months early. That is always an option. Do what is best for you and please discuss any early graduation plans with your counselor.

Disclaimer: There are other things that are required in order to graduate GPHS. It's not just classes. I have only included classes because they are the most prominent and important requirements to complete, but they are not the only tasks needed to be completed. If you are truly looking into graduating early, please contact your counselor and let them know that you are interested in doing so. Counselor Information Below.

Required Classes to Graduate at GPHS

(Credits Correspond to Class Right Across From It)

Art, CTE, Language, and General Elective will be distributed throughout your classes. There are lots of options.

Common 4 Year Schedule

My (kinda) Early Graduation Schedule

This is the plan that I have been following so far and it is the plan I will most likely stick with. Some classes might change here and there but, if you are going to graduate early, please do what is best for you. Don't let anyone tell you what is best for you, either. Only you know what is best for you.

I have also been trying to get as much "independent credit" as I am able to. Independent Credit is essentially when you get credit on your own person time instead of having it set into a school schedule. Some clubs give independent credit. You could also pay to attend a class through a college, and there are other opportunities to get credit. If you are interested in getting independent credit, then I suggest that you talk to a counselor. You do not have to be graduating early to get independent credit.

My Tips on How to Graduate ONE Year Early

If you have decided that you want to graduate early, then I do have some tips. Graduating one year early can be a bigger struggle than graduating a semester early or not early at all and these tips may be beneficial to anyone.

Start planning as soon as possible. I started planning my 8th grade year and I knew I wanted to since 7th. The earlier you start planning, the easier it will be, so I would suggest that you don't start later than freshman year or beginning of sophomore year.

Understand that there is nothing wrong with not graduating early. I feel as though a lot of movies or shows portray people who graduate early as cool or better than other people. Maybe this is just my perspective but, if you do decide to graduate early just to brag about it, then I suggest you rethink your reasoning on graduating early.

Start applying for scholarships as soon as you can. Believe it or not, you can actually start signing up for scholarships freshman year. If you are wanting to go to college or university, then I recommend you work on scholarships whenever you can.

Know how to advocate for yourself. Graduating early isn't an easy task and, if you know how to ask for help when you need it, then it will make it so much easier. Plus, you have to do a lot of communication with your counselor and, if you know what you want and what you need, it will make it a lot less tedious and stressful. Advocating for yourself is a useful task for everyone to know and understand. There is nothing wrong with asking for help.

Talk to your counselor. Your counselor will be your best friend throughout this process. They will help plan out your classes, fill out your early grad application, and answer any questions you may have. It's very important that you have good communication with them and don't worry about bothering them. Their job is to help you.

Get a good support team. School is going to be so much harder if you are hanging out with people who aren't great influences for you. It will probably stress you out more and you probably won't have the best time. Teachers are great people to look to when you need a good support team. Find a teacher that you connect with and they are probably willing to help you out. I always did so much better when I knew that a teacher believed in me.

All in all, make sure this is what you want to do and, if you need to contact me, then my email is on the home page. Do what is best for you. Don't stress yourself out too much and, if you do get overwhelmed, please take breaks.

Counselor Information:

Bill Sarver (bsarver@grantspass.k12.or.us)

Ben Coulter (bcoulter@grantspass.k12.or.us)

Shani Hulst (shulst@grantspass.k12.or.us)

Holly Hayes (hhayes@grantspass.k12.or.us)

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