I Broke the School System (Genius Strategy)

I discovered a shortcut to college and graduated one (1) year out of high school. Driven by my concerns of rising student debt, and an unconventional path, I’ll share my journey on how I accomplished this goal.
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- Transferology - www.transferology.com/index.htm
- Modern States - modernstates.org/
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TIMESTAMPS:
[00:00] Introduction
[00:51] Discovering College Credits in High School
[01:47] AP Self-Study
[02:01] Other Self-Study Exams: CLEP and DSST
[02:42] PSEO - Dual Enrollment
[03:14] Transferology
[03:51] Game Plan for Graduating Early
[05:22] How long does it take to study?
[05:53] How do I schedule an exam?
[06:07] Modern States
[06:27] Scheduling AP exams your school doesn't offer
[06:48] Efficient Learning Approach
[08:02] Earn Credits, Satisfy High School Requirements
[08:42] Outcome of my journey
[09:31] Rethinking the Education System

[@johnzhengyt]

Hey, John here! :) Thanks for watching my 2nd-ever YT video - any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Also, I've started a free newsletter on how to reclaim time and unlock more freedom. Through my personal case studies and ways I’ve been able to accelerate productivity through certain protocols. Check it out at: linktr.ee/thejohnzheng.

[@TemujinRKhan]

You should probably slow down on the heavy editted videos Early in for a channel yt cares about watch and retention, trying to see if you are promising. Having 2 videos only and spending so much time in between with editing will make it worse I’d just pump out videos with still some but less intensive and easier editing, then once you actually HAVE an audience edit to the style you like

[@CherryMary.]

I'm so glad this video got recommended to me. The editing was well done, the explanations were simple and easy to understand - kept my attention for sure. Can't wait to see future uploads from you :) !

[@DanielLikesEggs]

Remember me when you're famous

[@dabaka7719]

i needed this 3 years ago 😭😭😭😭

[@kaihodge9479]

Love the video, John. It would be nice to see a video in the near future where you elaborate on the alternatives to going to college.

[@gaiamorgosi7181]

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.

[@johnzhengyt]

Wow. Really awesome comment. Thank you. I really do hope this will help as many students, either pursuing college or think through the right paths in life. You only have so much time… let’s make the most out of it

[@christopherlormant8083]

most people know about ap classes XD

[@gaiamorgosi7181]

@@christopherlormant8083 That's alright, but I didn't for example, a lot of people know how to do a lot of stuff that you can find online, that doesn't mean that it cannot be useful for the ones who don't.

[@OrelaPompos]

@@christopherlormant8083 they don't know how the school system works lol. this comment isn't gonna help while the entire school system is built the worst way possible

[@anoeticangel]

2 of my kids are in AP for all their classes. It is not a program for the average child and tends to have high requirements of grades to enter

[@lifekindasucksrn6442]

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.

[@johnzhengyt]

Thanks for your in-depth comment! Mindset is everything

[@Whatismusic123]

@@xahst it isn't humble, and he wasn't merely bragging, but telling the truth.

[@ziancsyt9909]

@@xahst6:46 “Im not a genius either” he put that in the title just to say it 😂😭

[@MarcosChavezRamirezJ]

The strategy itself was genius, that is not saying anything about himself. He was only able to complete HIS strategy through his own hard work and determination. @@xahst

[@LaNguyenBTong]

Yeah, don't let hard-core Asian parents watch this video, they will start comparing their kids to this guy. Then, it becomes competitive all over again. Look at Steven He's dad.

[@markbrown585]

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!

[@plastictouch6796]

It is more a matter of motivation than intelligence. If you are motivated then you can focus much harder for a longer period of time and get more information into your brain. Most people are smart enough, circumstances and priorities just get in the way and distract us.

[@zengjanezhu]

I thought AP is easy. My youngest son did not take any AP classes, nor he paid any attention to college board curriculums, he just got books and read them. He got 5 in all his AP exams. That happened to my two older sons as well.

[@Mawyman2316]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@plastictouch6796 I think you may have been sheltered in academia a bit if you think even 50% can pass a single AP test, let alone “most” Add to that that only a very small percentage of people would have thought of the strategy, a smaller percentage willing to try, a smaller percentage of that to achieve any level of success in it. I’d say that category you gave of “priorities” hides the majority of the problem in that even when people don’t have any reason not to be devoted to education, they won’t be. “Sex, drugs, and rock and roll” and all that Not to say people shouldn’t try, but it’s not within reach for many.

[@lila2986]

I did self study of physics for high school to retake comprehensive physics exam and did so successfully.

[@rorschach775]

​@@plastictouch6796 A big part of it is geographical. Not every school is going to have all these cheap / quick alternatives and motivation isn't enough to get you to move to a new city, establish yourself financially and continue your education.

[@LukeJonesLWJ]

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.

[@johnzhengyt]

Dude that's awesome! Congrats on everything you're doing. Self-studying + online learning is definitely more efficient than what's going on now

[@wherethequietbeingsgo]

With your local dual enrollment, did you have to provide SAT scores? This was the only thing that was unfortunately stopping me.

[@Ricerrs]

@@wherethequietbeingsgo some people did it without taking the act/sat. Just depends on your state

[@kungfoochicken08]

@@wherethequietbeingsgo If you can't get into dual enrollment, at least do CLEP. Most associates programs will take up to 30 credit hours of CLEP. Knock out an associates and then transfer into a university as a Junior. Most universities will also take CLEP, but they typically have lower limits on the number of credits they'll accept.

[@axingsword54]

@@wherethequietbeingsgoit depends on the college (if from Georgia), iirc 2 year colleges usually don’t require SAT/ACT scores but 4 year colleges do

[@user-cg6wo2fw7k]

Crazy video quality for it being your second video

[@johnzhengyt]

Thanks!! I really appreciate that

[@simonpauly9177]

He is Speed running yt as well. Haha

[@johnzhengyt]

@@simonpauly9177 👀

[@Nicomonnn]

Well clearly he’s a fucking genius so go figure

[@pablovaldes2397]

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

[@johnzhengyt]

Definitely an option. I didn't know it was either until I submitted my test scores to my HS. They approved it and I got out of classes. However, people still need to double check with their school on this. But... if there's a scenario where I can test out of calculus and the school still makes you take calculus - they got their sh*t backwards haha

[@uganda_mn397]

good for you smart guys

[@kevinstfort]

I wish I knew that as well.

[@StripedJacket]

@@uganda_mn397 😂

[@LEKSANDER01]

Very cool smart guy

[@kevinstfort]

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.

[@cpK054L]

I didn't even hear about CLEP until I just finished my second deployment. I was so pissed

[@92spice18]

Same here. We had the internet but didn’t even know we could look up this information. However, if I remember correctly, taking the actual class is a GPA booster.

[@Mrs.Silversmith]

@@92spice18 Yes, in my state AP courses are weighted in your GPA. So an A is more than a 4.0 for those courses. I think our valedictorian had like a 4.4 GPA for this reason.

[@powerofk]

Right? Where I grew up and went to High School during the Internet’s infancy (requiring dial-up connections and time online was limited to the school library’s three computers), I never even heard about AP or CLEP. Dual enrollment was a thing, but the closest community college was over half an hour away, and the classes you could take by dual enrollment were limited. I didn’t hear about AP until I was at the university itself, and didn’t hear about CLEP until many years after I graduated from there.

[@Rebeccal450]

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.

[@hoaptnk1215]

Depending on the college, the most valuable AP can be different. AP Stats only gets you out of 1 class at my college but Calc BC and Physics each gets you out of 2-3 classes at my school (depending on your major).

[@johnzhengyt]

This is an incredible comment. Thanks for sharing your experience and take on things. I didn’t know you could appeal dual-enrollment classes- that’s good to know!

[@alyssahopkins1799]

Summer classes are more expensive as you are paying per credit. I’m a transfer student and needed to take 3 summer classes to graduate in the spring. Spring and fall tuition is around $6k and the summer classes came out to just over $5k which is crazy and wasn’t covered my my scholarship I have as it doesn’t cover summer.

[@anarmchairlinguist805]

AP Stats was the only AP that got me nothing lmaooo

[@hsy2448]

AP chem is huge for anyone going into a similar field, covers a whole year of chem in college. AP Physics not so much usually since calculus based is more important, same for AP Stats since it’s not very rigorous compared to college level statistics.

[@rhejamphi]

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!

[@johnzhengyt]

Thats awesome! Glad you had someone to help guide you through the inner workings of how it all worked. Yes… I agree. 4+ years at a university is definitely too many. Things have completely changed in education now (tech + resource side). Unfortunately, the school system is slow (or opposes) to adapt

[@chocolateearrings]

There's actually a reason it's 4+ years. I read a while ago that it was designed to delay mass graduation of people into the workforce minimizing unemployment of educated people. According to NCES, 15.8 million student were enrolled in undegrad (of that 14 million in 4-year) in Fall 2021 and 2 million students were awarded degrees in 2021 (17.1 million enrolled in Fall 2017, of that 11million in 4-year) Imagine if 15 million people could graduate in 1 year, this isn't enough time to allow: internal workforce movement where people advance into roles leaving entry level positions open, or not enough time for people to retire, or not enough time for companies to grow and add new positions etc nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372

[@chocolateearrings]

In summary, I don't think EVERY student should be taught this path. College provides the opportunity to grow, meet life long friends, builds tenacity and time management skills. The goal should be reducing college costs and barrier for entry. And, imagine what the housing and rental crisis would be if everyone 15-20million 19-year olds graduated. Or the 15 million kids needing cars for their jobs cause the city can't sustain this growth at once increasing traffic and pollution. I think there's a valid reason why 100+ countries adopt this 3-5year curriculum. It's important to consider the ripple effects as a whole. Just a thought

[@rhejamphi]

​@@chocolateearrings You don't think every U.S. high school student should be made aware there are fast paths to a college degree? Most of the real personal growth happens during the first two years of away-from-home college. An early grad will most likely still live in a college town because they want friends and dates and half of them already have cars. A faster undergrad allows students to pursue a graduate degree much sooner, making them more valuable to the world at less cost. The fast path through college basically allows you to skip most of the liberal arts classes that don't apply to your major. European schools have already been doing this; they learn more in 4 years than we do because of this because they focus on the desired vocation first. Saying you want to slow a kids progress because otherwise they'll want a house and car seems backwards.

[@plastictouch6796]

Universities make money from tuition they want to keep you there as long as possible.

[@elchinoguerito8915]

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

[@johnzhengyt]

I appreciate that, thank you 🙏

[@tigerblood1274]

Thanks

[@Demopans5990]

The struggle with being a first gen college student is the informational disparity. Can't do A when you don't even know A exists

[@airgunningyup]

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.

[@johnzhengyt]

That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing your story

[@johnmb69]

Great job! I did this back in 2010 and at about the same age finished my degree. Math was what had held me back for years and in my case, ALEKS helped me overcome my mathphobia. Not sure what folks can do now but there's got to be a lot more options today.

[@HPFireYT]

I graduated a bit early from my college by doing some of these things. It sucks that they didn’t really promote dual-credit classes in my school, but AP and dual-credit took out all my required electives and pretty much all my gen-ed credits. It saved me a good two quarters of classes to take, which is a lot of money.

[@johnzhengyt]

That's awesome, good on you for saving on some classes. And yeah... My counselor/teachers were so confused on what I was doing- thought I was throwing my future away

[@chr0ne692]

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!

[@johnzhengyt]

Thank you so much! And great question. Yes, the social aspect of it does come into play… didn’t help with covid as well. But, it’s still worth it. Definitely make as many friends the first year. The other thing is, I was in the mindset of just going all-out haha… lots of great memories there. And you can always come back to campus and crash w/ friends and enjoy night life on the weekends. That’s what I did. If you’re really thinking it through, the other thing is just getting an apartment, or literally renting the same space with people you met the first year. No ones going to stop you 😂 The social aspect doesn’t end at college. I’m in many private groups, clubs, and networking events - you just have to make an effort to find places/groups to socialize. College just makes it easier. Hope that helps :)

[@Somethingiswrong2035]

I can because I’m literally a fucking loner

[@KIRKSHINTATURNIPSEED]

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

[@dogguy8603]

Problem with CLEP is that not all schools recognize them, including many public schools (such as the UC system in California)

[@DarknessFalls29]

CLEP has been widely accepted at Virginia public universities. Not sure about the private ones.

[@ethanhedden1874]

Uga took all of my 3s, 4s and 5s

[@jilow]

Really depends on your goals, as he said in the video whether you need a 3,4, or 5. I'd just check in advance that what you're about to do will count for what you need it to. Sometimes the 3 gen ed is all you need. I'm glad he decided to go to graduate school and get the worldly experience benefits of college. Good luck young man. Try things!

[@dunstvangeet1500]

@@ethanhedden1874 You may want to look again. I took a look at Georgia's AP credit equivilance, and usually you get a lot more for 5s than you do for 3s. For instance, in Art (Art History, Art: Drawing, Art: 2D Design, Art: 3D Design), Computer Science, Politics (US), US History, European History, World History, Physics C (Electricity), Calculus AB, they won't even grant you a 3. In Music Theory, they won't grant you credit for a 3 or a 4 (though it does count as having completed the class). In other ones, you get higher credits for better scores. For instance, in Chemistry, you get CHEM 1110 (+LAB) for a 3, for a 4, you get CHEM 1211 (+LAB), and for a 5, you get CHEM 1211 (+LAB) and CHEM 1212 (+LAB).

[@Play-On7]

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.

[@johnzhengyt]

Yeah… GE is a lot. In my opinion, colleges overdo it… and they have incentive to do so since it’s a huge revenue source

[@Brigadorsky]

Useless classes to pad their pockets.

[@stephenkolostyak4087]

@@Brigadorsky not all GE are useless - courses in writing and communications are fairly important for everyone, but the amount of GE and what it emphasizes... eh... yeah a lot of it is just there to screw you out of cash.

[@flyingfoxes.]

GEs are a con. Colleges use them to squeeze more money out of parents

[@chadsmith8353]

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

[@johnzhengyt]

Thank you! Glad it was helpful :)

[@brody9752]

I'm currently on track to get my Computer Science degree in only one year as well. The college WGU is basically completely consisting of self study courses so my average completion time for a course is only about a week. Tuition is also only $4000 per term so much cheaper than alternatives

[@johnzhengyt]

Incredible!

[@L0GANRS3]

⁠@@Sora_NaiI’d like to see proof of where WGU is a “scam.” My brother went to WGU for a Masters in CS and got a Data Science job (wgu degree + a couple certs.) Def don’t think it’s a scam, but if you’re legitimately claiming it is and not being satire i’m genuinely curious in what you have to say or show

[@stephenkolostyak4087]

@@L0GANRS3 I can't speak about WGU but I can say UMUC's cybersecurity program is a joke where they repackage third party content made for certs and use it for the entire course's content.

[@ArceusX300]

I graduated high school at 15 because I skipped 2 grades in elementary (Class of 2015) and turned 16 in the following July. In university, I ended up taking 30 credits per semester, and the real issue with this is that prerequisites and course sequences make it significantly more difficult to finish in 2 years. But yeah, your advice was a lot better. A professor told me that an alternative at the university was that you could opt to test out of the course, where you self study the whole year and take the final exam, and that would be your final grade. Congrats on Harvard, by the way. A lot of these T5 universities love accepting people that are young high school or college graduates, it seems more impressive and it definitely played a factor in your acceptance. Apologies for my grammar, I am on my iPhone. Cheers from Palo Alto!

[@johnzhengyt]

That’s incredible for graduating at 15!! 30 credits a semester?! Wow! And I agree, credit stacking & course sequencing is important to make this work

[@hsy2448]

What godsend of a counselor let you take 30 a semester? My college barely lets anyone take 24!

[@rachelsmith3230]

This is incredible. Thank you for taking such thoughtful, careful consideration in your making of this video.

[@avayu2289]

Congrats! Thank you. Continued success!🎉

[@cocolove9916]

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 🎉

[@johnzhengyt]

Thank you! Glad you also figured out an expedited path

[@khoado1999]

I wish I had seen your video years ago. There’s just so much about the school system that isn’t explain and trips a lot of people over. I felt so stuck in a rigged system designed to complicate people, especially those with less unfortunate circumstances. I felt like I spent so much effort into wasted works. I’m so glad you made this and you addressed everything so clear in details.

[@johnzhengyt]

Thank you so much. And yes… there are so many things wrong with this school system

[@emileepini2311]

Wow!! I’m so impressed! Kudos to you for figuring all of this out and congrats as well. Also, thanks for sharing with all of us!!!

[@spyro7249]

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.

[@johnzhengyt]

Thank you!!

[@KayGee_yt]

My school offered and I took enough AP's to enter college a year ahead. That plus overloading my schedule plus a scholarship saved me student debt and despite transferring and changing majors (so, losing credits) I still got out early. Didn't know you could self study AP exams, and didn't know about any of these other methods either! If only schools would teach what's actually important...

[@johnzhengyt]

That's awesome! Glad you were still able to graduate early. Yes... if only schools would. That's why there's KZbin University haha

[@ARandomDonut]

As someone with a passion for individualism and carving one's own path, I loved this video. I graduated with a bachelor's degree in 3 years (without the extensive planning lol) because of a bunch of systems you mentioned in the video. I took the summer off to travel and am starting a job in a week from now, and this whole time I've been thinking how I could still be stuck in college.

[@johnzhengyt]

That’s awesome! I absolutely relate. Individualism and autonomy over my time is at the core of who I am. I’m happy you got the chance to travel over the summer! One of the best things to do while you’re young. Best wishes at your new job :)

[@MeaganElizabethYCoSay]

THIS IS ACTUALLY SO VALID UR SO CRACKED

[@iamwoman.hearmeroar.6146]

Omg 🤯 This is what I needed back when I was in school. I’ll use this info for my kiddos. Thanks 🥰🙏🏼

[@coinbowl]

The education system is inefficient

[@johnzhengyt]

Yes

[@jimsonjohnson3761]

The education system is inefficient and their goal is to get more enrollment regardless of if they will provide a valuable education at the end. They will be paid regardless.

[@glenmacdonald3477]

Very mature approach from an inspiring young man and very generous for sharing it. Thanks for being a good role model, even to those of us twice your age :) Wishing you all the best for your future.

[@cyberqueen7784]

A Minnesotan myself and PSEO was how I was able to save myself time and money in college. I managed to graduate early thanks to PSEO and a couple AP courses. So I'm very glad you mentioned PSEO in your video! My younger sister went to Harvard and just graduated this year, and she took a lot of AP courses and did full time PSEO in junior and senior year of high school. The coursework didn't transfer over as credits, but it did help her later with having the knowledge she needed to do well in her classes at Harvard.

[@johnzhengyt]

Incredible stuff! Yes, PSEO is amazing

[@cyberqueen7784]

@@johnzhengyt It sure is. I always recommend PSEO or APs to anyone in high school.

[@MamoswineMain]

This is actually incredibly creative and a brilliant strategy. I mentor lots of middle school to high school age boys, so this is great for me to know to better help them. Thanks for sharing!

[@alicew2894]

I'm currently a senior. 😭 I'm getting more and more nervous about college. Your video is really helpful tho, hope there'd be more viewers for your channel!!

[@johnzhengyt]

You can do it! And thank you!

[@FlairRound]

the editing quality is amazing for it being your second upload! you're definitely helping a lot of people save time and money with this video.

[@johnzhengyt]

I appreciate that! Thank you!

[@kurootsuki3326]

Agree with your conclusions and openness. Congratulations on your hard work.

[@vvalasek]

Thank you for sharing -great tips

[@benwxng]

this is so fire thanks for sharing your journey

[@johnzhengyt]

Absolutely!! Thanks for watching

[@catherinecortes3666]

I'm so happy you made this video! It reminded me that I also want to help younger students take a path they might not consider because they don't know about it. Look forward to future videos!

[@johnzhengyt]

Thanks for subscribing 🔥 And glad it touched you in a way to want to give back!

[@SixPackDan]

Absolutely Brilliant!

[@memesculture]

This was actually way better than i thought props to you man 👏🏾

[@randomryan1752]

This is awesome! I graduated high school a semester early and am on track to graduate with a B.S in Neuroscience in 2.5 years. I could attend grad school as much as 2-3 years earlier through early grad.

[@johnzhengyt]

That is awesome!

[@carolday3381]

This is beyond incredible. I didnt know this was possible and i wanted as an adult later in life to take some college and change careers. I have been trying to find self study options to be able to be accepted but i was daunted at having to quit work and go full time as a school kid again. I was trying to find after hours self study internet college options. This is fascinating for every step of the way. I dont want to waste time and money on in class room fluff. This is awesome! Please make more in depth videos about the steps you did. You outlined a great framework but details please!!!

[@pop5577]

your journey inspires me a lot and i do luv how you edited this video 👍🏼

[@travishaasch]

This is a great guide!!!! It’s hard to explain such concepts and nice to see you articulate it so well.

[@ClosewithKeri]

My mom always pushed me to CLEP out on my general ed courses for college whilst in high school, I never did...but now, 13 years later, I'm homeschooling my own children and when they get in high school, I'm going to make sure they do it this way (if CLEP is still around)

[@rossumanzor2738]

I came to this same conclusion when I was in my first year of college, however, I was not completely sure how the education system worked in the US while in high school. Looking back at this, I regret so much not doing enough research on my own or finding out about AP classes or dual enrollment way sooner.

[@user-fo5ej2tg5k]

in the same boat too :, )

[@alexw3003]

by far the most informational video I've watched related to high school/college thank you!

[@vibinvina4309]

You truly inspire me to be brave and go after my big dreams❤

[@heres_2cents]

Love how concise this video was! Look forward to more 👍

[@johnzhengyt]

Thank you!!

[@tigerblood1274]

Thank you for sharing this video with us. I’m going into high school, but I’m around 4 years ahead in certain subjects, so this helps a lot with me trying to prepare for collage in a earlier grade.

[@johnzhengyt]

Awesome! Best of luck to you 👍

[@littleraeofsunshine]

Congratulations on your success and good luck with your future! This is a brilliant breakdown I hope all US high school students see.

[@zacminterwin]

Great job. I am very impressed with this foresight and action! Great job - your future is bright!

[@darkforcesjedi]

This is very similar to what I did. Using CLEP tests and dual enrollment, I completed almost all the requirements for my engineering degree except the actual engineering classes (i.e. math, chemistry, physics, English, and almost all of my electives were complete) before enrolling at a university. I finished undergrad at 20 (couldn't do it any faster because of how the prerequisites were structured), took a semester off, then did grad school in another 3 semesters. You can accomplish a lot if you apply yourself in high school.

[@johnzhengyt]

That’s awesome!! Thank you for sharing your perspective and journey. Best of luck on everything

[@beverly9486]

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.

[@johnzhengyt]

Incredible! Good for her!

[@saldarriagafam]

One smart cookie! I wish i had done this when I was in high school. Sent this vid to all my kids. Inspirational. I want to see how far you will go, you obviously think outside the box. Great job!!!

[@NathanHarrison7]

Excellent video. Content, cadence, visuals. He could probably make a good living teaching this model to other families. Like a College Entry Consultant. Subscribed.

[@FrazerKirkman]

Thanks John. This is a great goal I'll suggest to my kids, to aim for getting as many of these credits by the time they finish high school. Great inspiration

[@johnzhengyt]

That’s awesome! Best wishes to them

[@sethsorensen6431]

This video is gold. I’ve had multiple small businesses and am successful at my current tech sales job, but dropped out of college early on because nothing frustrated me more than how much of a stupid waste of time and money school was. The lack of a degree hasn’t hurt me yet due to having many other valuable skills in the workplace but I’m still young (23), and seeing my girlfriend get back into school has gotten me thinking about it. I’m definitely going to look into the CLEP and DSST stuff because I’m confident I can regurgitate a few weeks of studying well enough to pass a test, and the option to skip a lot of the BS of our college system is very appealing to me. Thank you for taking an ambitious risk and sharing what you learned!

[@johnzhengyt]

I’d say look further into pursuing the entrepreneurial path, it seems like you’re pretty ambitious and already have the experience from sales/smb! Unless, you’re planning on moving up from current job?

[@robertwallace5498]

very cool strategy, thank you for sharing

[@andrewkoch716]

Nice. Good job! That’s how I did my undergrad degree too. I didn’t do any AP courses though-just CLEPs and DSSTs. I ended up only having to take I think four actual classes. It was wonderful. I haven’t tried to go to Harvard for grad school yet though, so kudos to you!

[@septemberamyx]

Very smart with transferology. The thing I learned getting my degrees, is employers never care about your grade point average and they rarely care about where you got your degree, only that you have one.

[@laurenm.6320]

This definitely depends on the employer/industry. I did recruiting, and we definitely had (high) GPA minimums, major requirements by university, and university-tier requirements.

[@gorath0007]

Well done John, loved your approach to game the system. While possible, it takes focus and dedication to pull it off. And yes, you pay for the network you build, not the education 😊.

[@johnzhengyt]

Well said! It’s definitely what you make of it.

[@truthserum1271]

Thank you for sharing. This is helpful for me as a parent to be supportive of my soon to be highschool daughter.

[@McsMark1]

From your lips to the World, independent of age! Way to go John!

[@gungun5845]

Bro waited 8 months and dropped the most helpful informative video 🙏 Your production quality and the usefulness of the information are what makes this video. I guarantee if you give this all you got you'll make it big.

[@johnzhengyt]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that!

[@potterspride1]

I hope this can help my children. Even if the tests cost a $100, this likely will save at least a $1000 of debt. Thank you sir.

[@johnzhengyt]

Glad you found this helpful. Best wishes to your children :)

[@mutedforever]

Great video and plan. I relate to this to a certain degree. I completed a four year program in two years, from zero. Saved a ton of money, time and it worked out well in the end.

[@my_owl_615]

This came out when I was worrying about college tuition. Thank you!

[@Panj__1317]

you inspired me to travel and know more about this route, thank you.

[@johnzhengyt]

Absolutely! Travel nourishes the soul. You get new perspectives and exposure to life/cultures that shatter conditioned thinking. Definitely explore it :)

[@danielshrekoderbanner]

This is a great video dude. Cant wait to see more 🙏

[@johnzhengyt]

More to come! Appreciate it 🙏

[@endroniclol]

Wow that's amazing!! Good job

[@johnzhengyt]

Thank you!

[@Yvn1]

You're gonna blow up! The videos are really well made 🙌

[@johnzhengyt]

Thank you so much!! I really appreciate that :)

[@aprilschen]

Great video! I took a similar path to you and I am really enjoying how self-paced and independent it is! I started dual enrollment in grade 10 and tested out of High School to attend community college at 16, and I'm currently applying for transfer to some state universities. If everything goes well, I should be able to get my bachelors before 18. I really like how you emphasized the research and double checking aspect of your plan! It's certainly a hassle juggling coursework from so many different institutions/places. Another thing people who might want to go on this path may want to watch out for: Once you've maxed out on general education and lower division (first and second year) coursework from community college/AP/CLEP, you can try to enroll as a visiting student at local state universities to get rid of upper division (junior/senior) requirements. Since community colleges in California (my home state) only offers lower division coursework, I attended a local UC and CSUs to clear upper my upper division requirements. Not sure how this would work for other states, but I'm sure similar "exploits" exist if you look hard enough for them.

[@johnzhengyt]

Wow, that's incredible! Thank's for sharing your experience. Bachelor's before 18?! You might have to make your own video when you're done. Stay in touch 👍

[@dreamofmaizie]

Kuraberarekko kuraberarekko

[@Jaronut]

Holy crap i just watched both of your videos and immediately subscribed. Such genuine content, especially as someone like me who is a self taught software engineer. Looking forward to upcoming vids

[@johnzhengyt]

Wow! Thank you so much :)

[@Enochuout]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Organizational management sounds like it suits you quite well.

[@jay-fk1wb]

Hey John, I found this video very interesting! I did the same thing last year but am currently on track to graduate in 2 years. I did the IB program and took 13 AP tests along with the 6 from IB and people called me crazy but seeing other people do it too is interesting. Very interesting loophole that a lot of people neglect. Great video!

[@johnzhengyt]

That’s awesome! My school also had IB. I didn’t mention it in the video because of the time commitment vs other options. Looks great for college admissions though - at least from what I’ve seen

[@GrahamAllaway]

Amazing video, great information This needs more views.

[@johnzhengyt]

Much appreciated! Thank you!

[@douglasoctet5366]

Congrats on achieving your goal; your system makes sense if the goal of study is the degree. I feel that the goal of study is to explore an interesting aspect of life. For me college and grad school were about that, with the exams and degree mere confirmation. I acquired two years worth of general credits by examination when I entered college, and used that freed up time to take more interesting (and more difficult) courses. I did have pretty much a full ride, so debt wasn't an issue, but I paid for grad school, and got a masters in a subject (philosophical aesthetics) that has never gotten me a job, but has continued to enrich my life ever since.

[@alexandace9550]

Even though this video is a few months old, I cannot thank you enough. I've yet to enter college, but, maybe I could get into a better one with these techniques. Thank you very much!

[@navalshah5999]

As a high schooler, this is really helpful! Thanks!

[@johnzhengyt]

Thanks for watching, and glad it was helpful!

[@mishuru5773]

Here before this channel blows up! Great video!

[@johnzhengyt]

Excited to have you along for the ride! :)

[@margaretbaldwin4416]

truly wish i’d done this in high school - i think all the time about how much my AP classes could have sped up my journey if i’d taken them more seriously. thank you for sharing!!

[@goldman7896]

Great video! Crazy you have less than a thousand subscribers, glad this popped up in my feed.

[@johnzhengyt]

Wow, thanks!

[@funnyclowns6112]

Underrated channel 🤧Great editing!

[@johnzhengyt]

Ah thank you! 🥺

[@kyleessex6301]

As someone who double dipped classes in college to shorten my time, I greatly appreciate the work you've done, and it is incredibly intelligent. That being said, it is incredibly intelligent. While you may or may not be "a genius" to a traditional definition, you are definitely at an intelligence level higher than the vast majority of the population, with capabilities to memorize at a much faster rate. Also knowing what you want a degree in (or acknowledging that for most jobs the actual degree doesn't matter). This strategy is not a viable option for 90 percent of students out there, either for personal or scholastic limitations. I think it is important to acknowledge that as well. That being said, it is incredibly impressive, and certainly there are a number of students who can take bits and pieces from this to cut down on time in school if so desired. I think that is the ultimate message, it isn't a one size fits all model.

[@johnzhengyt]

Thank you so much! Great comment. Having a direction early on is essential for this to work. Again, this path isn't meant for everyone. One option of many if college is the path they're pursuing and the intention is to reduce time/costs

[@gamb]

hey man great video! i’m a highschool senior going into neuroscience next year and i really wish i knew all this in 10th/11th grade. great job on your second video, keep up the great work!

[@johnzhengyt]

Thank you! Best of luck on everything :)

[@edalarconreal]

Awesome story John! Congrats on your journey. As an international student during the non-internet days, I studied for applied math and calculus at home, bought the books and calc, then got the syllabus from the university and did all the exercises. I took the classes during summer and it was a breeze, A’s in both and was able to graduate faster. Also took 6 classes per semester, many from my finance major, which was hectic but a lot fun. Unfortunately at the time I could not take any more classes per semester because they were not offered.

[@CherryMary.]

New subscriber! Such a fascinating video. Although I'm doing the British system, I found this video helpful in terms of what Canadian and American universities are like and what they're looking for. Thanks!

[@johnzhengyt]

Thank you so much!! So glad you enjoyed it :) See you around in future videos!

[@garrettord]

Much respect! Well put together video! I never even considered this a possibility in high school, though it definitely would have been. I respect the forward thinking and wish there were more people/mentors that would introduce these ideas to kids who may be willing to do the work and get schooling done earlier and more efficiently. Very interesting story!

[@johnzhengyt]

Thanks man! I appreciate those kind words 🙏

[@theswordsman7772]

good job, this is actually amazing, I'm quit impress, keep on doing the good work.

[@johnzhengyt]

Thank you so much!

[@minnybiker4505]

Very impressive! Well done!

[@cloey_b]

You are a GENIUS. The true kind of GENIUS (according to my standards). Your mind is on another level. I'm always thinking abut how unnecessary and stupid some things are, how humans complicate things for them selves and for others, when there's TONS of possible ways to do achieve the same thing/results but easier and even BETTER. Your explanation was really articulated and detailed.. I don't know you, but I feel very proud of you.

[@johnzhengyt]

Wow thank you so much!! These kind words mean a lot 🙏

[@somerandomperson834]

Wow, amazing, I'm going to start doing this now!

[@johnzhengyt]

You can do it!

[@Y4LUCID]

Awesome video quality and ideas keep it up 👍

[@johnzhengyt]

Thank you!!

[@emilyboller7588]

I remember when I discovered CLEP tests in college and felt like I'd unlocked a cheat code. For me, it was just about freeing up time in my schedule and lightening my course load, not finishing early, but it was still an amazing option. I now have a child headed into high school in a year and we're already beginning to talk about the financial implications of college, if it's right for her, and ways to cut the cost of a degree. I'm amazed at how many ways there are to collect college credits! Thanks for this video!

[@halwaffles]

I graduated undergrad in 3 years because I took a lot of AP classes in high school. (Didn’t even think I’d be able to until I learned of that option the spring of my second year lol). I honestly think it’s amazing what you did and a great way to save yourself so much money with how expensive college is. Would’ve been so cool to graduate in one year (although with the business program at my school I probably would’ve been stuck doing 2 years of school for undergrad at least). Thanks for sharing these tips with people! You may very well save people hundreds of thousands in debt!

[@johnzhengyt]

Thanks for sharing your experience!! Glad you were able to finish early- still quite the $/time savings

[@scorpionzz885]

Love this video. Would like to here more about your perspective on the education system or a video on how to go through college fast if your already in it.

[@johnzhengyt]

Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll add it to my list :)

[@sarahkyle6379]

I’m currently in college but I want to transfer to university and this video inspired me to do some research to see how I can cut back some university class time. Thank you for posting this!

[@johnzhengyt]

You can do it!

[@Widlomaa]

You're both genius as you are hard-working. Can't wait where that will bring you in life.

[@johnzhengyt]

Thank you 🙏