Can I just quit school before i even start?

[xcriteria]

I'd suggest taking the placement test anyway. See where you're at. If you decide not to go, you can always take steps to learn beyond school.

These days, the whole idea of "being in college" vs. "not being in college" doesn't need to have as much difference as people imagine it to... if you set your mind to learning equivalent things in other ways, and think about paths to earning a living.

A lot of what I want to do, personally, is help people do college-level learning regardless of being in college. I'm not sure what the others in your life would think about that, but it's something to keep in mind.

One thing to keep in mind (or learn about, if you didn't know) is that you can get college credit through CLEP exams at many colleges. This provides one way to learn outside of formal enrollment, but still make progress toward getting a degree. I found out about CLEP the first time I quit college mid-semester, and I actually took a few exams as part of a plan to make up for not finishing my classes.

I'd also look into whether you can start, and then withdraw without penalty by a given date. You might be able to do a couple of weeks of school, then quit... without affecting your record or future financial aid. If so, you might doing that, to at least get a feel for what it's like.

Anyway, for now, I'd say take the test, and then figure out what to do.

What classes are you signed up for so far (if any?) Do you know what you'd be studying, or is that one of the things you haven't figured out?