Q: (Initially posted on January 13, 2003) FROM MENTEE HUI-YU Y. in WA
I'm currently taking running start classes in college. I want to know
whether I should keep taking classes at college and stop going to high
school, or take classes at both college and high school.

January 15, 2003
A: FROM MENTOR CAROL TOMAN IN IL
You'll get a variety of opinions on this, and the right answer for
someone else might not be right for you. I'll tell you what I tell my
17-year-old daughter: life is a one-way trip. Don't hurry through it
because you can never go back. Enjoy what you are doing at this stage
of your life and get out of it everything that you can. I do not
generally approve of graduating early from high school. It won't
guarantee you a better future and it certainly won't guarantee you a
happier future. Get involved in the school play or musical, work on the
yearbook, join a bunch of clubs, go to prom. School isn't only about
classes and academics -- it's also about getting to know yourself and
other people. So keep taking college classes if you need the variety or
the challenge, but don't close the door on being in high school.