As we all know, there’s a rumor swirling that J.T. Daniels will graduate from Mater Dei HS a year and a half early and sign with USC as a member of the 2018 class.
J.T. Daniels’ father, Steve, denies that these rumors are true. J.T. denies these rumors are true. Mater Dei coaches, Mater Dei players and parents of Mater Dei players have all denied these rumors as well.
But the rumor just won’t go away. So I did some digging around the Mater Dei HS course catalog to see if graduating after two and a half years is mathematically possible at this high school.
But before I get into the math, here are a few thing worth remembering:
Mater Dei HS requires 2018 graduates to have completed 260 credits of school work and 2019 graduates to have completed 270 credits.
There are two semesters in a school year with a maximum of eight possible courses scheduled in a semester. It is impossible to take more than eight courses in a semester at Mater Dei as the bell schedule doesn’t allow it. Remember, those are maximums. For example, the maximum number of classes for freshmen is lower. Freshmen are required to take seven courses. Sophomores and juniors can take seven or eight courses. Seniors can take six to eight courses.
Courses offer 5 credits for passing students per semester.
There’s also summer school possibilities. Summer school courses are two semesters of material offering a maximum of 10 credits per summer (outside of trigonometry which is a one semester summer school course.)
With that being said, here’s my math:
Incoming Freshman summer school: 0-10 credits
Freshman semester one: 35 credits
Freshman semester two: 35 credits
Rising Sophomore summer school: 0-10 credits
Sophomore semester one: 35-40 credits
Sophomore semester two: 35-40 credits
Rising Junior summer school: 0-10 credits
Junior year semester one: 35-40 credits
When JT Daniels is rumored to sign and enroll with USC
Minimum total credits: 175
Maximum total credits: 220
Mater Dei requires 260 credits to graduate in 2018 (also four years of english and religious studies, not to mention an extra year of community service and a reflection essay on such service.)
Junior year semester two: 35-40 credits (260 maximum is possible here but the end of his second semester is after the 2018 class signing period, which ends April 1. The english, religious studies and community hurdle is worth noting again.)
Rising Senior summer school: 10 credits
Senior year semester one: 30-40 credits
When JT Daniels has said he wants to enroll at USC
Minimum total credits: 240
Maximum total credits: 310
Mater Dei requires 270 credits to graduate in 2019
Senior year semester two: 30-40 credits
Standard Graduation
Minimum total credits: 270
Maximum total credits: 350
Mater Dei requires 270 credits to graduate in 2019
It appears it would be impossible for Daniels to enroll at USC in time to be on the roster for the 2018 season. But maybe, just maybe, there is a way to cram eight extra classes into your first two and a half years of high school while fulfilling four years of english, religious studies and community service requirements.
So I also spoke to an academic guidance counselor at Mater Dei HS about what it would take to graduate in two and a half years.
When I ask if it was possible, she responded with “not particularly.”
When asked if she had ever heard of a Mater Dei student graduating in two and a half years, she said she had not.
"No, we have students that have graduated a semester early but not necessarily in two and a half years," the counselor said.
When asked if she had seen someone graduate after only three years, she responded with "I've never seen that either.”
Add an academic counselor at Mater Dei to the list of skeptics we listed above. But maybe it is a conspiracy, the rumors are true and Daniels will be a member of the 2018 class. I’ll let you all decide for yourselves.
Here’s a link to Mater Dei’s course catalog for those that want to look and decide for themselves: http://www.materdei.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=66330&type=d&pREC_ID=107020
J.T. Daniels’ father, Steve, denies that these rumors are true. J.T. denies these rumors are true. Mater Dei coaches, Mater Dei players and parents of Mater Dei players have all denied these rumors as well.
But the rumor just won’t go away. So I did some digging around the Mater Dei HS course catalog to see if graduating after two and a half years is mathematically possible at this high school.
But before I get into the math, here are a few thing worth remembering:
Mater Dei HS requires 2018 graduates to have completed 260 credits of school work and 2019 graduates to have completed 270 credits.
There are two semesters in a school year with a maximum of eight possible courses scheduled in a semester. It is impossible to take more than eight courses in a semester at Mater Dei as the bell schedule doesn’t allow it. Remember, those are maximums. For example, the maximum number of classes for freshmen is lower. Freshmen are required to take seven courses. Sophomores and juniors can take seven or eight courses. Seniors can take six to eight courses.
Courses offer 5 credits for passing students per semester.
There’s also summer school possibilities. Summer school courses are two semesters of material offering a maximum of 10 credits per summer (outside of trigonometry which is a one semester summer school course.)
With that being said, here’s my math:
Incoming Freshman summer school: 0-10 credits
Freshman semester one: 35 credits
Freshman semester two: 35 credits
Rising Sophomore summer school: 0-10 credits
Sophomore semester one: 35-40 credits
Sophomore semester two: 35-40 credits
Rising Junior summer school: 0-10 credits
Junior year semester one: 35-40 credits
When JT Daniels is rumored to sign and enroll with USC
Minimum total credits: 175
Maximum total credits: 220
Mater Dei requires 260 credits to graduate in 2018 (also four years of english and religious studies, not to mention an extra year of community service and a reflection essay on such service.)
Junior year semester two: 35-40 credits (260 maximum is possible here but the end of his second semester is after the 2018 class signing period, which ends April 1. The english, religious studies and community hurdle is worth noting again.)
Rising Senior summer school: 10 credits
Senior year semester one: 30-40 credits
When JT Daniels has said he wants to enroll at USC
Minimum total credits: 240
Maximum total credits: 310
Mater Dei requires 270 credits to graduate in 2019
Senior year semester two: 30-40 credits
Standard Graduation
Minimum total credits: 270
Maximum total credits: 350
Mater Dei requires 270 credits to graduate in 2019
It appears it would be impossible for Daniels to enroll at USC in time to be on the roster for the 2018 season. But maybe, just maybe, there is a way to cram eight extra classes into your first two and a half years of high school while fulfilling four years of english, religious studies and community service requirements.
So I also spoke to an academic guidance counselor at Mater Dei HS about what it would take to graduate in two and a half years.
When I ask if it was possible, she responded with “not particularly.”
When asked if she had ever heard of a Mater Dei student graduating in two and a half years, she said she had not.
"No, we have students that have graduated a semester early but not necessarily in two and a half years," the counselor said.
When asked if she had seen someone graduate after only three years, she responded with "I've never seen that either.”
Add an academic counselor at Mater Dei to the list of skeptics we listed above. But maybe it is a conspiracy, the rumors are true and Daniels will be a member of the 2018 class. I’ll let you all decide for yourselves.
Here’s a link to Mater Dei’s course catalog for those that want to look and decide for themselves: http://www.materdei.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=66330&type=d&pREC_ID=107020
