GED, SAT, High School!?!?

Question

I am 13 years old and homeschooled. I haven't been homeschooled for very long. I started homeschooling the last semester of 7th grade. Then went to another school for 8th grade, and they put me in 9th grade. I left that school because it was just not a good school (thats another story!). So I have always been very advanced. And I really do not want to do homeschooling forever, and am not sure about getting a GED. My question is can I take the SATs now? I would definetely do all the study prep stuff, and maybe get a tutor for a little while! I will be 14 at the beginning pf April (any age requirements for the SATs?). If I indeed could take the SATs, I would be issued a high school degree, correct? And if I got a high school degree, colleges/universities would not be any prb;em, correct? Then I figure I could just go to a community college. If anything I am saying is totally wrong, please inform me! Or maybe you have other solutions! \

Thanks :)

Answer 1

The SAT can be taken at any age, but has nothing to do with whether you get a HS diploma.  You usually need to be 16 to get your GED.  You can attend your community college in many areas if you can handle the schoolwork and are a homeschooled student.  You must, of course, be prepared for the accelerated work load and be prepared to do the work on your own without parental help in writing fairly sophisticated papers.  

I would stick with a homeschooling program for now, or go to a good school that will prepare you for the rigorous work of college.  Preparing and studying for the SAT is fine at any age.

Answer 2

No. You don't get a diploma for taking the SAT or ACT tests. You CAN take them now, yes, and if you feel you are ready it would probably be a good idea. The worst that could happen is you don't do well, but you can take them as many times as you want to. When you have your SAT scores and a well-written transcript, you can apply to college, but a full time college will probably not consider you if you haven't covered subjects like Chemistry/Biology/Physical science with labs, U.S. and World History, highschool level English, and (probably the most difficult hurdle) Algebra 1, 2, and Geometry AT LEAST. There's also the foreign language requirement. As a homeschooler, there is nothing stopping you from looking into it, contacting different colleges, and seeing if you have a shot at anything, but probably the best thing you can do would be to duel enroll at a college for several subjects, and homeschool the rest of the time. Call your local community college to find out what you need to do to duel enroll as a home schooler.

Answer 3

1) SAT's do not give you a diploma.

2) You do not need a diploma nor a GED to get into college. You'll need your SAT (some require ACT) scores and likely a portfolio showing extra-curricular activities, interests, etc.

3) Since it doesn't sound like you've necessarily followed a high school curriculum, you may want to consider doing a practice exam somewhere before attempting the real thing.

4) Are you aware of the many SAT exams available? Before you go preparing yourself for SATs, get an idea of what you would want to do in community college and then find out specifically what you would neet. There is the general SAT (SAT 1) and then subject-specific SATs http://www.collegeboard.com/student/test... .

5) You may be able to homeschool AND attend community college at the same time--it's called dual enrolment. Talk to your community college about the possibility of that. You wouldn't have to do the SAT's at all, I don't think.

Answer 4

Yes, by all means go ahead review the SAT now and take the test when you feel comfortable.   It will give you good practice and begin to get you name out there for colleges.  However, it is not a high school diploma.  

Many areas allow you to take courses at the community college at 16 while completing high school, but not before.  Take the courses you need to prepare yourself for that environment.  Two years being homeschooled and a year or two of dual enrollment at home and at the community college is very respectable.

Do remember that school is not the only thing going for you.  Participate in community activities as much as possible.  You want to exemplify that you are very bright, well-rounded young lady on college and schlorlaship applications.