I Broke the School System (Genius Strategy)

Hey, John here! :) Thanks for watching my 2nd-ever YT video - any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Also resources are in the description, along with the free E-Book / Waitlist for the Fast Grad Academy can be found here: linktr.ee/thejohnzheng

Honestly he could have actually just helped someone who cannot afford three full years of payments, and he’s telling others how to do it even if he could have kept this for himself, cool guy.

what a refreshing mentality! Not condescending, not humble-bragging, simply explaining what he did and how. So hard to come by this mindset, especially with asian pressure making it more likely that people are just competitive.

This is awesome John! I am a retired AP Physics teacher and agree with what you presented. Two points to consider: 1. This is not for all students. You must be quite intelligent and have a strong work ethic to pull this off successfully. 2. Many students need the time in school with peers to develop social skills and emotional maturity. I would suggest a mentor, maybe a teacher you are close to, to consult with and guide you if you are considering this. Such a great way to beat the cost of higher Ed!

I’m also Minnesotan and can confirm that PSEO/Dual Enrollment is OP. It wasn’t until 2021 that I realized how much more efficient self-study and online learning is. While doing over 18 online credits every semester, I graduated with my associates in 2022, bachelor’s in 2023, and I’m currently in an accelerated, 10-month Masters of Data Science program that I’m scheduled to graduate in June of 2024. You’re a beast bro, thanks for sharing.

This is why I feel this generation is blessed to have the internet. All this information at your finger tips. When I was in HS I wanted to do something similar to this but as it was prior to the internet, the information was much more difficult to come by (such as the fact I didn’t need to take the AP class to take the test). Thank you for sharing this information.

My advice for graduating early (B.A. in 2.5 years): 1) AP Statistics is the most valuable AP course (in my opinion). I got 9 credit hours (3 classes worth) of college credit for it. It applies to multiple general education credits, and to extra credits within a variety of disciplines (e.g. STEM, sociology, business, etc.). If it does not apply specifically to a major, then it makes the “Research Methods in [Major]” course so much easier. 2) Public universities are significantly more likely to accept and award greater credit for AP classes than private universities. 3) Get out of the university language requirement. If the school requires a language: (a) if you are already fluent in a language, then take the test from the university itself (once committed) to place out, or (b) take a language in high school, and take the AP exam for it (and get a score to completely place out). 4) Appeal your dual-enrollment classes. I have found that the credit will be accepted, but placed within general education requirements. If it fits within a specific major requirement, then appeal for it to also apply there. 5) Take summer university courses. They are often online (so there is not a housing cost to it), and the cost per credit hour may be less than that of semester courses.

Crazy video quality for it being your second video

I wish I was this bright and investigative in HS, but thanks to you, maybe my children and nephews/nieces can learn from my mistakes and help to graduate sooner and cheaper than I did

I went back to school at 42 , studied for 24 hrs , took the college mathematics clep , easiest 6credits ive ever gotten. Cost 120 proctored at home.. Those 2 classes would have cost 3000 dollars locally. EVERY high school student should be taking all the cleps when possible.

Hey man, I never knew you could just skip the class straight to the test, this really helps us smart guys looking to take the faster path straight to our goals, thanks man

I discovered this on accident, I had a teacher who said “I don’t give A+’s, if you were that smart you would CLEP out” 🧐 that night I spent all night researching it. You can’t CLEP out of high school, but I dropped out at 16, got my GED and got into ASU before the next semester started. Thank you Mrs McDermott 😅

I myself did similar to this 20 years ago. Having my dad as a professor greased the system for me too. I could never figure out why anyone would want to spend 4+ years at a university. 1-2 years is plenty. Every student should be taught about this path, especially since resources are so much more widely and easily available. Great work!

I actually had this idea of finishing college really soon. I’m glad there someone out there willing to test the limits of our knowledge and how we acquire vs what school systems are capable of. Great video well done.

Some tips from a college admin for over 17 years Avoid AP credits unless you can guarantee a 5… it will usually only transfer as a general credit Take dual credit or clep instead Take the ACT instead of the SAT because you will do better on the act as its based more on logic

When I graduated high school I had completed 32 units of college credits. It still took me 5 years to graduate college due to excessive GE requirements.

This is so refreshingly accurate! It seems strange that not more people are noticing that the traditional school route/system isn't actually cost efficient or time efficient. I have thought about doing an accelerated program or something along those lines, but the only thing keeping me from doing it is the fear that I will miss out on making friendships and interacting with people. So my question is, did you find your social life was impacted by taking this non-traditional route? If not, why? Thanks man, great video!

The dual enrollment pathway is another way to earn college credit while in high school and even graduate with an associate degree at the same time as you graduate high school. The associate’s is transferable to the bachelor’s degree. It’s what my niece did. And got her bachelor’s in a year and a half.

Really smart I did the same thing in high school because my mom told me about taking extra classes in summer school to get ahead. Great advice ! Keep it up 🎉

so surprised this only has 130 views, this video was more helpful then almost any other, thankyou so much for creating this