<p>Any suggestions for New England private schools that could provide extensive opportunities in science and math? Many of the schools we’ve looked at online have very few, if any, courses beyond the basic science curriculum (bio, chem, physics, maybe an AP or two) and calculus. If a student has already taken college courses in these areas, what schools are likely to work with them to provide new material in independent study or alternate high level courses? </p>
<p>tia!</p>
<p>In my opinion, Andover and Exeter have a very nice science buildings/facilities/faculties for science and math. Both schools also have a lot smart students that you can work with independent projects.
However, if you are a talent student way beyond high school levels and really want to focus on science, you might think about private/public school close to research universities where you can have a flexible schedule and find a professor who can coach you in the field you’re interested.</p>
<p>I believe that L’ville has arrangements with Princeton for kids who out grow their offerings and I seem to remember that Milton has some kind of arrangement with Harvard, possibly with MIT. </p>
<p>But as bluegene noted, your best bet is probably to look for proximity to a university.</p>
<p>There was an interesting discussion on a homeschool board about this recently, and experienced parents said that science undergrads who want to do research do much better at small colleges with a professor who does the research they are interested in than at large research universities, where assistantships on the undergraduate level are more likely to amount to sweeping the lab floors. I imagine this would be even more true for hs students. Univs with graduate students tend to put their focus there. On the other hand, at the small community college where I work, students get lots of opportunity for research and hands-on application of the science they are learning. So I’d say a small college or CC might be another good option, especially if it has faculty or programming in the student’s field of interest.</p>
<p>Choate has many advanced science and math students, and some of them do research at Yale. There’s a whole research independent study program that is described on their website. The year before last, there were four semifinalists in one of those prestigious national scholarship contests. If you do a search through Boarding School review you should be able to come up with more schools.</p>
<p>Here’s another one for you: [Loomis</a> Chaffee Students Conduct Medical Research at UPenn](<a href=“Loomis Chaffee Students Conduct Medical Research at UPenn”>Loomis Chaffee Students Conduct Medical Research at UPenn)</p>
<p>Loomis Chaffee students do research at Univ. Pennsylvania</p>
<p>And the Choate Science Research Program:</p>
<p>[Choate</a> Rosemary Hall: Academics » Special Academic Opportunities » The Science Research Program](<a href=“http://www.choate.edu/academics/special_thescienceresearch.aspx]Choate”>http://www.choate.edu/academics/special_thescienceresearch.aspx)</p>
<p>Choate is also working on a new Environmental Science facility on a more remote part of their campus (in the woods somewhere)…which will apparently even include dorms.</p>
<p>St. Paul’s is in the middle of building, for lack of a more genteel way of saying it, a truly kick-ass science facility that is scheduled to be completed Fall 2011.</p>
<p>These are both merely facilities, but I’m assuming they have programs/teachers/students to warrant such investments.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the feedback. We’re still trying to narrow the field.</p>
<p>I go to Andover, and I can say that Andover has classes beyond the AP level in biology, chemistry, physics, and math.</p>
<p>There’s only so much science a kid can take, given all the other graduation requirements. Most of the schools discussed on this forum can provide top notch science, as long as they have appropriate options (e.g., allowing a kid to take AP Chemistry as his first Chem class, etc.). I’ve been impressed with the science teachers I’ve met at Andover (PhDs who have other options but choose to teach), and I expect that many schools have strong teachers given the talent pool especially here in New England, don’t know about everywhere else. </p>
<p>As a scientist myself, I think that the best training includes really strong humanities classes including writing skills, as a science major student may get less of that in college. The world (including business and academic sectors) needs scientists who can communicate.</p>
<p>Great point, lemonade. That’s why my son is most likely headed to private high school and not full time college. He’s not as advanced in humanities, though he loves history and is doing fantastic with his 2nd language. I worry that if he went straight to FT college, he’d miss out on the chance to really develop that side of himself. </p>
<p>I am just looking for a school that will allow him to work in his areas of passion without repeating too much info from his previous coursework, while also providing a strong liberal arts education.</p>
<p>Rellielou…great point of high school vs college. My d scored well enough in 6th grade to go directly to college, and schools were actively perusing . I was not interested in her going to college at 12 or even 16 as my mom did. I did not allow any “grade” advancement because I wanted her to be around her “age-appropriate” peers. I wanted her to have high school experiences. We left the public high school setting and are happy there is bs to meet her needs, both academically and socially.</p>
<p>As a mom of identified profoundly gifted d at at 4.5yr old, it has always been my first and foremost mission to meet her social and emotional needs, even more so than academics. She can always take a class and learn stuff, but she will only be " " (insert any age) once. I need to make sure she is ok…in all aspects of her life and development.</p>
<p>Sorry to stray from topic…:-(.</p>
<p>We all have smart kids who could easily start college. What I like best about my son and all his new classmates that we’ve met this week is their humility. No one’s bragging that they’re a star. They are all on their own unique individual paths to meet their greatest potential. It seems its only the parents who have a need to brag about a “gifted” child.</p>
<p>They’re all “gifted.”</p>