As the end of first semester approaches, most seniors are stressing out about applying and getting accepted to college as well as studying for finals. Some students, however, have chosen to speed up the process by graduating early. Students who meet the required 25 credits by first semester of their senior year are eligible for early graduation and are still able to walk the stage in May. The majority of seniors still need second semester for graduation requirements, but for those that don’t early graduation can provide students an early start for college and other projects.
“I’ll start my college classes (at Lindenwood University) in January, studying their Pre-Engineering program.” senior Logan Nielsen said.
Early graduation also allows students to get an early start on military goals.
“I go to basic training in January,” senior Chantal Petterson said. “I’ve always wanted to do something in the military, but the Air Force came to me later.”
While the majority of students graduate in May, for those that are eligible, early graduation serves as an alternative option.
“I have a few friends that worked with me at Panera, and they were asking me about my future plans,” Nielsen said. “I honestly didn’t really know what I was doing. I asked them about what they did right out of high school and the majority of them said they graduated early. I took the idea home with me and talked about it with my parents, and they weren’t opposed to the idea. I meditated on it, considered some of the concerns that came along with it, like missing prom, and the possibility that I may not be able to walk at graduation, but I liked the idea of getting out of Rolla and starting my college career a semester early. It kicked off from there. I started asking my counselor and some of my favorite teachers about the idea, and they were all there to support me through it.”
Graduating early, however, does have its disadvantages. Students are unable to participate in second semester activities and lose dual-credit opportunities.
“I won’t be obtaining any of the college credits in AP Chemistry, Calculus or Project Lead The Way at RTI,” Nielsen said. “(I would need) to take the full year of those classes to get the credits. That was a major drawback for me, and I may come to regret graduating early for the very reason, but I’ll manage.”
Students who are considering early graduation can talk with school counselors to see if it is an appropriate option. Regardless of when varying dates or the event, graduation marks the beginning of a new life experience for seniors.
“A lot of people still need that other semester because the end of this semester slaps you in the face and then it’s over,” Petterson said. “Just enjoy the time you have in school because when you’re almost out, it’s scary that you’re almost alone.”