Seniors Rachel Nackers, Hayden Hunt and Jaden Schubert are in the process of trying to graduate early if they stay on track by earning the required credits needed to graduate. They could be graduating as early as March, but they can still walk with their class come May 2021.  

There are several ways to set a schedule up to be able to graduate early. Hunt explains what he believes the most efficient way to do it is. 

“I think the best way to go about graduating early is to talk to your school counselor and get your schedule set up so you will have enough credits by the end of the second trimester,” Hunt said.

Hunt used his own advice when creating his schedule by strategically planning out what classes he needed to earn in order to graduate. 

“I set my schedule up so I’d have all my credits before the end of second trimester my senior year. That way I wouldn’t have to go an extra trimester,” Hunt said. 

Schubert is continuing to work where he feels he has an opportunity for financial advancement. 

“I currently work as a CNC Operator at a machine shop in Oshkosh. I will continue this because there is a lot of opportunity to grow in terms of pay,” Schubert said. 

As for his long term goals, he hopes to create his own family and to be able to support it with his own business.  

“My long term goals are to become financially stable before starting a family down the road, and eventually going full time in my own business,” Schubert said. 

Nackers felt it was best fit for her to attend college at UW-Platteville. Graduating early took her a step closer to this goal because it gave her the chance to save her earnings for the future.

“I wanted to graduate early because it was the most beneficial option for me. It allows me to have more time to work and save up money before I start college,” Nackers said.

 After researching the options available at UW-Platteville, she decided to attend the school for its program she wants to major in.

“I chose UW-Platteville because of their forensics and criminal justice program.  The main thing that caught my eye was the fact that they not only had one of the only forensics programs, but they had plenty of criminal justice classes and an off campus location for crime scene investigation. Examples of what was unique to Platteville, they get a lot of hands-on experience because of their rural location,” Nackers said. 

Graduating early can be a life altering decision. Nacker recommends to be certain of this choice, and to be taken with a plan.

“To the future early graduates, I’d say that it’s not a decision to take lightly. If you decide that this is what’s right for you, it’s best to have a plan. Having an idea of what you’re going to do next will help guide your next steps after high school,” Nackers said.