GED vs HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA | should I drop out of high school in 2020?

Does it make sense to drop out of high school in 2020 to take the GED exams? How hard are the GED exams? How long will it take to get a GED? Is it worth it? We weigh the pros and cons of the GED vs. a high school diploma in 2020.

Let me know what questions you have about the high school equivalency process! It's important to have all the information so that you can make the best decision for you.

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My name is Michelle, and I'm an educator with a Master of Education in curriculum and teaching and a decade of experience in education, including teaching math to students in grades 6-9 as well as supporting students in high school, community college, and GED preparation to learn the skills they need to achieve their goals. I particularly love to help students tackle pre-algebra and algebra skills, especially when they haven't felt successful with those skills in the past! Outside of school I love to read fantasy and scifi novels and to try new craft projects.

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[michellerevisited]

Thanks for watching! Let me know what questions you have about the GED and the high school equivalency process 😊

[spoolspool]

My son has gotten straight As in school and now as a junior half way through the year, he has anxiety going to a school of 2000 kids when he just wants to learn. He is physically sick in the morning at just the thought of going to school. As a parent, I can’t sit back and say “suck it up”. These are the warning signs even though he says everything is fine, I know that it isn’t. I won’t force my kid to go somewhere that causes mental distress. I ordered the practice tests online for him to take. If he passes them, then he can leave and start college in the fall, if he doesn’t then I will enroll him in online school. Don’t ignore your child’s warning signs that school may be too much. This is how we get suicides and/or worse.

[MrTasYT]

I highly recommend going for the GED, if you can force yourself to study the material, the GED isn't THAT hard. I hadn't gone to school since the age of 13, and I was able to pass it after a couple months of studying the material.

[meluo]

I just turned 16 and hs left me no other choice but to unfortunately dropout. I’m not gonna go to deep in topic but they lied to me handful of times (not academically speaking but with credit and going to the next grade) and honestly i’m tired of it. Highschool made me depressed and always filled me with negative thoughts, no matter how many times i’ve tried to stay positive, it stopped me from being improving myself and just made me lazy and tired. I do believe getting your highschool diploma is the right choice, but i’ve been given too many signs that school just isn’t for me. Hopefully i’ll see where this GED takes me.

Looking back at this comment i’ve realized how foolish I was. I took some reflection from my time off and they never lied at all, in fact I don’t even know what I was even saying or thinking about. I guess this is what happens when your too stressed to even think properly from certain situations. I just don’t know man, I can’t believe I stopped going to school due to poor mental health and being constantly stressed all the time. I was also thinking about taking my own life so I guess that played apart to me not thinking rationally.

[blazethespacewizard]

I just want to get my ged so I can get out of school I dont belong in school i want to get into the work force.

[joymae]

My friend got her GED at 16 and got in Berkeley at 18! Highly recommend!

[imfeelinghungry]

i have chronic kidney failure, adhd, depression, and anxiety. i cant focus in online classes at all. my dad recommended getting a GED for me.

[rice_only]

Tbh I just don’t wanna get held back and waste even more time with my life, I wanna pursue what I want to do full time with not having to worry about school and them always calling my moms phone, and other bs. I just wanna learn about cars and master it, because that’s the only thing that I want to do in life

[ghuttsmckenzie]

I got my GED in 2019 and safe to say that was the best choice I have ever made.

[emmachristine]

thank you for making this video, i’m actually in the process of getting my GED (i’m 16) my counselor has been super supportive and has helped me along the way, if your anywhere above average you will be fine i made a 160+ on all 4 of the practice tests and am scheduling to take my real test

[daboonies]

I quit highschool and got my GED also. Best choice ever!

[devanalmond]

I’m failing out of high school I really struggle with this online stuff and so I’m not going to graduate so I was hoping I can get my GED so my mom isn’t as mad as me but I guess it’s just as hard 😪 idk what I’m going to do anymore 😭

[jtc]

Great video! I dropped out of high school as soon as covid hit. Had no motivation for school mainly cause I surrounded myself around bad influences, while having no motivation for any career. But fast forward to a few years later, I just got approved to work at safeway, with no drug test and no diploma! But I came across this video since I am planning on getting my GED. I’ve come a long way since freshman year of high school, i’m 18 now. Anything is possible y’all don’t give up! I had no social skills and not much people to help me the power of the mind is bigger than you can imagine. Do anything you set your mind to!! I hope I can successfully get my GED while working at safeway… but i’m up for a challenge!

[TheBlueLightChannel]

Between all of the virtual classes we are stuck with now- I’m seriously considering getting a GED and getting started with college.
Side note: You are incredibly beautiful!! I literally couldn’t focus on the video because- wow. 😆

[zuchotheghost]

I have a GED, but hear my story
I was a very smart kid from elementary to middle school, good grade easily top 2, me and my ex girlfriend were always the best. But in 7th grade I decided to skip a grade and go straight up to ninth grade, and that was one of the best and worst decisions because I went to a new school and didn't have any friends, by trying to fit in I kind of missed most of classes and the kids still didn't like me or wanted me to be in the school, I almost got kicked out twice because of bad grade, bad behaviors, so I decided to focus at the end of 10th grade in the last semester everyone was waiting for me to fail but I surprised them by passing and in 11th grade I became a beast, I was back to my normal self good grade and they started respecting me, until 12 grade I was the youngest I was 16 and I had to move to another country (the U.S) and I wasn't able to complete school so I had to drop out and took a ged at 18 went to a tech school and now I am a university student and I am a junior in engineering. So sometimes life can be hard but don't give up and work hard for your dreams

[terraelizabeth]

When I was about to start high school I was really exited, but once it started I started getting bullied and developed anxiety and depression and would have panic attacks every day. My friends even turned their backs to bully me. I could never get myself out of bed knowing I’d have to go to a school where teachers and counselors didn’t care about the bullying in the school. Half-way through my first year I started getting physical symptoms in my body that everyone still told me was anxiety. These symptoms were physically exhausting. I knew it wasn’t my anxiety and that it was something much different. I then was staying home because of anxiety AND these symptoms that caused me to not be able to move around without getting dizzy or losing balance. Every doctor, every teacher, every therapist tried to tell me it was my anxiety. This last year (my junior year) I decided to homeschool to take care of my health and focus more on me. My mantas health improved a lot and I was able to find a doctor to test me and got an official diagnosis and treatment!! Now I am considering just getting my GED and moving on with my life, and leaving high school (a very traumatic time) behind me for good. I have big goals and dreams in my life and want to spend 100% of my time healing from my illness and creating my dream life!!

[thelatterdayarbiter]

Being autistic with too much trauma from the sociology of the religion of academia, I simply quit when I was 17, and I wish I could've done it earlier. Take the GED, because the school will ALWAYS fail you in life, and unless you want to be a doctor, lawyer, or you actually enough 'spare change' to want to learn more about different topics academically, DON'T GO to college!!! there are way more opportunities to learn trades, to develop talents you want to achieve in life, to express yourself (Bytheway, if you're an artist, DON'T assume that the only places to make it big are in New York City or Los Angeles). Who knows, it might prevent future school violence, just a thought #Academiaisantiautistic

[nari.oh.]

Im 15 (turning 16 in 3 days) and i really want to dropout school but my parents aren't supportive. Im doing online school and it just isnt for me and neither is going to real school. I always fell sad and never really positive when i go. The environment seems toxic. I also have extreme anxiety and never feel motivated or comfortable at school and i just cant anymore. And that fact that this has been going for over 7 years now just makes things worse. Having to cope with loneliness and bullying at such a young age just messed me up bad as a little kid. My parents just say i don't need friends and just try to read a book which i did but ruined me as a whole and messed with my mentality which ended up scaring me for life. It made feel terrible about myself and i some times wished i wasnt here. And that its all my fault that no one likes me. Its just a constant cycle that i cant get out of. I just really want to drop everything and take care of myself more without worrying and stressing to the point i might pass out. Anyways great video and cant wait for more.:)

[mikimayer]

I'm 17 and for my entire life I wanted to go to Dartmouth, I had plans to go there with my best friend at the time. In 7th grade I developed major depression and was eventually diagnosed officially after some push to get help. When I got to high school i had so many expectations and intentions for myself to do really well so i could graduate and leave. I ended up flunking civics and getting a couple pretty low grades, which is weird bc history is one of my favourite subjects. my second year... was the worst year of my life and it's still kinda going on. my entire life flipped upside down and I almost didn't make it to 17. my mom decided to move us to NC which is closer to my sister but we used to live in a small town up in New England so it was a huge move and huge change. I had panic attacks multiple times a day. and a few weeks into the new school I just stopped going. idk why i just couldn't get myself to even open my computer without my heart racing and getting anxiety. teachers started calling about truancy and I wanted to move back so bad. It caused a huge argument. my mental health was getting better I had a really good therapist and I was getting to a good place and then my life just changed like that all over. I've missed so much school I'll never be able to catch up. this happened last year and I barely passed classes last year. my mom gave me the option on my birthday a week ago to move up with my grandparents. I wont be able to go to the same school and it'll be just like when we moved here except I'd be living with my grandparents. My transcript is not a reflection of my academic abilities and I want to go to college so bad. I'd be the first in my family to go. Getting my GED seems like the only way for me. but I'm so scared bc my mom told me that if I get my ged I have to be an adult, so i need to start paying rent and bills and everything. I'm so scared of growing up. I'm so lost. sorry I just kinda word vomited on this post I just needed to get it out

[nasirmohammed]

At this time, a lot more students are pursuing GED because the COVID-19 Pandemic has affected students high school education by taking online classes which affects students health.