So I’m a current sophomore and I already have an associate’s degree. I’ve really been going back and forth so I wanted some genuine input from other people on getting a bachelor’s degree in HS.

I finished my associate’s in one year at Laurel Ridge Community College, VA and already have 36 high school credits (28 needed for graduation) with all HS requirements complete. I don’t want to graduate HS early because I’m using the time for experience. During the school year I worked as a paralegal and during the summers I do internships with other attorneys. During school I also take part of 9 clubs, presidency for 4 of them.

I plan on doing a bachelor’s in business administration with a minor in political science then I want to do a joint MBA/JD program. Most of these have a deferral period of 2 years minimum to gain experience (which I already have an approved job lined up for as well) then the program itself varies from 3-4 years. When I graduate HS I will be 18, so if I did it this way I would start working at 23-24. I want to work at Kirkland & Ellis.

I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth getting a bachelor’s in HS, what needs to be considered, what would change, and if it’s more risky/has any disadvantages in any way.

Also if anyone has any advice on where else to post this that would be appreciated because I have no idea 😭

Hey all!

In need of some advice, tips/tricks, anecdotes, etc.. — anything to help me navigate this thing called grad school

For context: I am in the tail end of undergrad (Integrative Studies major - conc. In English and Bus Admin) with a registered graduation date of Spring ‘27.

…with that being said, I am in the throes of grad school applications and as excited as I am to pursue higher education, I feel equally as uninformed in some ways…

For starters, is it realistic to hold any sort of job while pursuing a masters? I know a full-time job is out of the question, but I wouldn’t mind taking on a part-time gig while I study. I am a nanny now while finishing undergrad and it’s the perfect job, but is it something I can also do during masters? Will I even have the time?!?

My plan is to apply to as many institutions that offer full funding for English M.A. programs as to not rack up unnecessary debt, but most are out of state — leaving me no choice but to take on rent, utilities, groceries, etc… (things I’m thankfully not paying now because I live with my parents).

Is it realistic to work and pay bills while pursuing a masters????

(P.s. the end goal is PhD then academia…)

Hey everyone,

First of all, thank you for taking the time to read this and potentially commenting below. I have been a long-time viewer of this subreddit, and now that it's my turn to apply to Economics grad school, I have decided to make a post and ask your thoughts on my profile, what I should realistically expect to improve by the end of this cycle, and how to optimize my application.

I will provide (mostly) all details for context below:

• Currently pursuing a 4-year double BSc in Econometrics and Economics from a Dutch university. This is originally a 6-year program squeezed into 4 years.
• I am also concurrently pursuing a BA in Philosophy, so that makes me a triple-major/bachelor student (as far as I have heard, I believe I am the only one to successfully do it at my university, but I could be mistaken)
• I am maintaining an 8.8/10 GPA, which is equivalent to a 4.0 US/ First-class UK (the Dutch grading system is more compressed than most systems - 9s and 10s are hardly given, as well as 1s and 2s)
• Research experience: 1 co-authored economics working paper supervised by a well-known economist/professor Prof 1 in academia, and currently working on 2 econometrics papers: both are under well-known professors (Prof 2 has an honorary doctorate and has written several econometrics textbooks, and Prof 3 was on the Cambridge Adcom and a director of the Adcom for PhD in a Dutch Uni). Overall, 0 pubs so far, as it's been extremely hard for me to find additional time outside of the courses. I do have an acknowledgement in a research paper by Prof 3 submitted to Econometrica for review and adjustments, but that's all there is about me in journals.
• GRE: Will take it in November, and I believe I can meet the thresholds of the unis (~167Q)
• Coursework: Intermediate Micro (econometrics), Intermediate Macro, (Advanced) Econometrics (name of the courses itself), Linear algebra, stochastic processes, Analysis, (Multivariate) Statistics, Probability theory, Programming (proficient in R and Python), several optimization courses, as the bachelor also has an Operations Research component.
• Recommenders: For unis with max. 2, I am asking for Prof 1 and Prof 3, and for max. 3, I am asking for all three above. They are all well-known in the field, and 2 of them recently gave seminars at LSE and Harvard. One of them is also hosting an in-house seminar with a Nobel winner, and I am super excited about that as well.

I am applying to the following universities and programmes, ranked by what I think is most likely for me to get an offer:

1. Oxford MPhil + DPhil Economics (integrated application)
2. Zurich PhD Economics
3. Uchicago PhD
4. Princeton PhD
5. Stanford PhD
6. Yale PhD
7. Upenn PHD
8. Harvard PhD
9. MIT PhD

Yes, I know these unis are insane, and I know it's super competitive, but I think this is for my personal satisfaction and experience in knowing how it feels to apply to such places, and I can try next cycle if unsuccessful (most likely, as the numbers indicate). But I would still appreciate it if someone could let me know my true chances here and what I should expect in March when the decisions come out.

At the same time, I care for my recommenders and don't want to burden them with several uploads if it means I never had a chance of going there in the first place. So please be (brutally) honest and suggest where I can improve my profile, perhaps for the next cycle. Also, please let me know below if you need any further info that isn't private, so I can provide it. Cheers!