Should I drop out and get a GED, or stay in school?

Question

Hello,

I am a sixteen year old student who has a less than perfect GPA. For the next school year (07/08) I will be a Junior.

My Question is: Should I stay in school, or drop out and eventually get a GED. But before you go with the first answer, please bare in mind that I have a very unstable family life, and my living situation isn't the best. So, I am not sure if I will have reliable transportation within the next year.

The aforementioned condition is one of the main reasons for my less than perfect grade point average.


About the GED: How long would it take to complete a GED course, and which would be the best route to get a GED if I did decide the latter option.

I believe I have adequete knowledge to hold many different positions, but I do know I should finish school. What types of position would I be able to apply for with only a GED?



Thank You in advanced for all of your help.

Answer 1

stay in school

Answer 2

I can't answer your question about the GED but I can answer your first half.

You have a big decision to make. But don't let other people be the reason you drop out. It's no one's responsibility at your age but your own to complete your education. Don't say you missed class because your driver bailed on you. You missed class because you didn't get there. You didn't get up and walk or ride a bike or take a bus.

This decision is going to affect the rest of your life. Yes, a GED is an option but if you decide to bail on that then you've gained nothing. In this society you aren't going to make anything of yourself on a 10/11th grade education. McDonald's ... fast food ... restaurant .. great. Is that the life you want? You're smart enough to ask for help, smart enough to believe you can pass a GED test. Great. You're letting your home life control YOUR life. Don't get caught up in that viscious cycle.

Imagine if you do drop out. Where are you going to be in 5 years? What if you have a child and a husband or no husband? Where will you be leaving? Is that the environment you want your child to be in? Is that how you want to live? Do you want to be your parents? Because that is what will most likely happen.

Life isn't a fairytale, it's not a movie. You're more likely to get struck by lightning than you are to find this big break.

But you stay in school instead. You get your high school diploma and then go on to a 2 or 4 year college. You can get a good deal of federal and state aid. And what else there is can be taken out in student loans or obtained through scholarships.

Talk to your school counselor, talk to a teacher you trust, talk to someone you know who dropped out. Really think this through because you are at a point where the rest of your life can go down one of two roads. And most likely one is going to be right down the street from where you are now.

Answer 3

It really depends on what you want to do with the rest of your life. Almost every job requires a high school diploma or the equivalent (GED) and a lot of them require a bachelor's degree. If you want to go to college, I'd suggest sticking with high school for the diploma since a lot of colleges don't accept GEDs or at least look at them as less than desirable. Reliable transportation should not be an issue; your school district should provide buses to your school.

I know it can be hard to grow up with an unstable home life, but that shouldn't stop you from completing your education. You have two more years of high school left; enough to bring up your GPA if you work at it. If your home life is really a problem, perhaps you could move in with a friend or at least stay with them after school so you can get your work done in peace.

Answer 4

I am 60 years old and know that the correct answer to this question is ALWAYS - stay in school.

I admire those who get a GED, but those with a high school diploma do better in life than those without for the most part. Just as those with a college diploma make more money than those without. Doesn't always mean their smarter, but they have an edge.

Give yourself an edge and stay in school..

You can apply for any position with a diploma or a GED, but when the person doing the hiring sees GED vs diploma, he/she will most likely choose the diploma all other things being equal.

Good luck whichever way you go.

Answer 5

I am 41 years old and for the 1st time in my life I find myself unemployed. I have over 20 years of medical experience and a H.S diploma, well something that I have a rude awakening too is that having a high school diploma means almost nothing when looking for a job. Not only do you need a HS diploma you need college also. They are people with bachelor degrees and stuff that are barley making above minimum wage. My advice is stay in school, I understand that it will be tough given you family situation but you will thank me. A GED is worthless in the job market. Good luck to you and remember without hard times we would never appreciate and enjoy the good times.

Answer 6

Maybe you should speak to a counsler about your living situation. is there not a bus you can take. possibly think about living with another relative so you can concentrate on school. I have been in your shoes before I have had unstable home life and know how you must feel. tell an adult they will help you. yes you can get jobs with a ged. but things you learn in hs are invaluable and sometimes the stepping stones needed to get to college. I say good luck to you and try your best to finish hs. you already went 11years. dont give up now.

Answer 7

I would suggest trying to stay in school. If things happen and you don't get the grades you need then I would suggest getting the GED. Education is something that never goes bad. Maybe you can discuss your situation with one of your teachers for some extra credit to raise your grades. Good Luck.

Answer 8

I used to counsel students like you all of the time, and your situation is unfortunately not uncommon. My first recommendation would be for you to finish regular high school, because you will have opportunities for transportation with a school bus, free/reduced lunch, etc. In Florida, we had policies and laws to help 'homeless' students, which were students that were not living with a custodial parent or gaurdian.

Before you decide anything, you need to sit down with your guidance counselor at your high school and find out how far behind you really are. The students like you who I worked with were typically not just struggling with a low GPA, but were behind in credits. Depending on how your school system is set up, it may not be that hard for you to graduate on time by staying in regular school. In Florida, I found that students who were more than a semester behind in credits typically had a hard time catching up. The amount of work that they needed to make up was really overwhelming and their unstable home situation made it impossible to catch up.

If this is where you find yourself (too overwhelmingly behind to catch up on time), then you should consider taking your GED exam and earning your high school diploma. Did you notice that I said 'take your GED exam', not 'get your GED'? The GED exam is a standardized test to measure high school benchmarks and it is used by every state as an alternative way to earn a diploma. Each state sets a minimum score to determine what meets their state's benchmarks.

When you pass youre GED exam, you earn your high school diploma. You seem to write fairly well, so I am hoping that you are on or above grade-level and don't need much remediation to pass the exam or need to take a class for very long. If you truly are ready, and don't really need a class, that can be determined in a matter of two weeks if their program is set up that way. ALSO: Make sure you call your local GED testing chief examiner for the county you live in and see if they allow students under the age of 18 to take the GED exam. It varies all across the country.

If you do decide to take your GED exam, please, please do not put it off. If you are going to be forced into a situation where you must support yourself, your time for school will be limited.

If you get kicked out of your house, it is better to spend your energy and free time on something that is more advanced than high school, such as college or vocational school. You can still go to community college by passing your GED exam, and then when you earn your AA degree, go on to the university. There are many professionals who graduated in the non-traditional way by passing their GED exam (Bill Cosby, for example). Taking your GED exam has no bearing on how you will turn out in this life, so don't let anyone shame you because you didn't graduate from a traditional high school.

I hope that you go further than high school and consider learning a trade or going to college, as this is the most energy you will ever have in your life to work full time AND go to school. Education is always a sacrifice, even if your parents are paying for everything. But don't do anything before you have discussed this with your high school guidance counselor.

p.s. E-mail me if you have any more questions

Answer 9

wow honey...as hard as it sounds you should stay in school...these days no one wants to see the ged anymore. they want to see that you stuck out all four years. when i went into my junior year i had 1.89 gpa but i still stuck it out and i graduated maybe not with my class but i still got my deploma.
but like you said your family life isn't a happy one and if you feel getting your ged would be better then go for it hun.

Answer 10

Well, i think you shouldn't drop out of school. At least finish 12 grade and then drop out. Because every where you go to ask for a job they will ask you if you finished high school or not. Do what your heart tell you to do and with what you feel more comfortable with.
Good luck.

Answer 11

stay in school and finish it out. You will appreciate the decision more in the future when you look back at it. Just keep your head focused on school and you will do fine. Good luck.