What's the big hurry? If one has such a burning desire to get involved in college-level courses, and high-school level courses are just so much tripe, one shouldn't have any trouble enrolling in a college class while in high school and keeping up. But ultimately, I guess I just don't get what the big hurry is. College will still be there, trudging through an uninteresting year or so of high school will be good training for trudging through boring work, etc. Besides...in politics you'll have to work with a TON of morons and kiss a LOT of butt...might as well practice in high school. And while the advice against hanging with loafers is very good, don't forget to make some friends for life who can support you if everything goes to hell (as happens every now and then.)