is sticking out hs the right course of action??

[courtjestr19]

<p>sorry if this starts a war, but i sort of want to make this a thread as its a sort of interesting topic. im a rising senior, my age correlates with my grade, ill be 18 next summer, but i wonder sometimes, what would have happened had i skipped a grade. i went to a private school and was accelerated in all subjects, and once i hit high school, i went through a sort of “review” or “remedial” period where i repeated course material for the duration of sophomore year. now im a full ib diploma candidate, and i really like the program, but i also know that i had to sort of sacrifice moving on for a year to take it, as you cant be a sophomore and seat for an ib test. i also had to take first year physics over again, and even though i pulled a 100 average easily, i sort of feel bad for not taxing myself too much in doing so. i was wondering what everyone feels about this topic, like would you accelerate or stick it out, what you would do in my situation, if you want more specifics i can explain. </p>

<p>its just that i like my high school years, and im not sure for my academic life i would sacrifice my social growth, and vice versa. instead i just decided to try and do as much as i can with my spare time that im not doing physics homework in, for instance. its not like im a slacker by any means, but i think theres that somewhat funny feeling like “i can do more” or “i want to start soemthing new” that i feel like i put off. theres a certain foundation building that i keep convincing myself took place during those “review” periods that i might not have fully gotten if i had just skipped a grade and ran through into college…</p>

<p>again, if anyone has ideas, please by all means put 'em up, i was sort of inspired because i read the blog by matt mcgann posted on another recent thread…</p>

[hazmat]

<p>~~~~~~~~~~~

January 27, 2005
Purdue engineering graduate now studies at Stanford at age 17
<a href=“http://www.purdueexponent.org%5B/url%5D”>www.purdueexponent.org</a>
By Julie Glaser
At the age of one, Chris McNett asked if he could read a bedtime story to his father.
“He took the book from us and he read it without any mistakes,” said John McNett. “They call it spontaneous reading.”
This moment was when John realized his son was different.
“That was a clue,” he joked.
He could not imagine, however, the astounding academic achievements his son would accomplish before the age of 18.
In December 2003, Chris became Purdue’s youngest engineering graduate at the age of 16, graduating with a 3.97 in computer engineering. Now 17, he is a master’s student in computer science at Stanford University.
The decision for Chris to come to Purdue at the age of 13 was entirely his own, as was his decision to attend Stanford. After he completed eighth grade at the Sycamore School in Indianapolis, a school for academically gifted students, there was nothing in a high school curriculum that he hadn’t already done. Chris, who is from Indianapolis, decided to look at Purdue as his next option because he thought the material would be more challenging. Purdue also offered him a full ride for his top-10 placement in a statewide math competition.
Chris said he doesn’t know if he missed out by skipping high school.
“A lot of people tell me I missed the high school social scene. Given that’s what everybody tells me I missed, it makes me think that high school would have been a bit of a waste.”
John said his son has always wanted to stay challenged and make it through his education as quickly as possible in order to move on to bigger things.
That’s why, at the age of 12, Chris spent a two-week spring break studying a chemistry textbook so he could test out of first-semester chemistry at Purdue. He did so easily and without ever having had a high school chemistry course.
“Some of the things he can do are just breathtaking,” said John.
Like the time a Purdue professor told him about his freshman engineering project. Chris asked the professor if any other students had tried to do the project by using Fourier analysis, a mathematical strategy created by a French mathematician.
Surprised, his professor responded no. The other freshman engineering students had not studied that yet, the professor said. But yes, that would be the best way to complete the project.
“I don’t know where he learned about Fourier analysis,” said John.
Just like he doesn’t know how McNett learned to speak, read or write code.
When other kids his age were learning the alphabet, Chris was fixing a computer that belonged to a friend’s parent by writing new code for a critical Microsoft system file.
“He’s been able to write advanced code since the age of 6,” said John.
Computers have always been Chris’s primary interest.
“Most of what I do for fun involves computers or amateur radio or those kinds of things. I’m very fortunate that what I do for fun is also what I do for work,” Chris said.
He has already taken his computer knowledge from school and into the working world. When he was 13, he met with representatives from Microsoft at a Purdue job fair. They were impressed and offered to fly Chris and a parent to Redmond, Wash., to talk about an internship opportunity. This led Chris to a four-summer-long software development engineering internship with the company during which he worked on various projects, such as writing software for Windows XP.
Last summer, when Chris was 17, he drove himself out to Washington. He was driving out and living on his own for the first time in an apartment with roommates he met through Microsoft. He drove for about 30 hours and stopped in Billings, Mont., to get a motel room for the night.
He then realized that motels do not rent rooms to people less than 18 years old.
“It was sort of an interesting wrinkle,” said John. “Here he is in Billings, Mont., he’s been driving for 30 hours and his mother had to call around Billings to find a hotel that would take him based on her say so.”
Forty minutes later, Chris’s mother, Susan McNett, found a Holiday Inn where he could stay.
Chris is now living on his own at Stanford in an apartment that is part of the school’s graduate student housing.
Chris hasn’t met any other students at Stanford his age. He said his age usually isn’t an issue with other students, though. At Purdue, he spent a good amount of time helping senior electrical engineering students with their senior design projects even though he wasn’t enrolled in the course.
Barrett Robinson, a senior research engineer for computer and electrical engineering at Purdue, said all the students wanted Chris on their team.
“He usually challenged them,” said Robinson. “Some he had to virtually re-educate. He tried to get them to the point they could do their own design.”
When Chris graduates from the master’s program at Stanford in 2006, he isn’t yet sure what he is going to do, but he knows it will involve computers. He is considering getting his PhD if he finds research that interests him. If not, he might look for a job he likes or start his own business.
When asked how he can describe the pride he and his wife feel toward their son’s academic giftedness, John is quick to say it isn’t really pride.
“Any parent is as proud of their child for graduation no more so and no less so than we are,” he said. “Any parent would be proud of their son for graduating with a 3.97 GPA. We’re proud of his accomplishments. It’s totally irrelevant that he did it at a particular age. If you take age out of the equation, it’s the merit of what he’s done that matters. It doesn’t matter that he graduated early; what matters is that he makes good contributions to society.”
His parents have been careful to guard him from too much media exposure to help his teen years be as uncomplicated as possible. They once even turned down an interview with Dan Rather.
As much as Chris’s diploma from Purdue at 16 and his acceptance to Stanford, John remembers and is proud of each spelling bee, science fair and concert — he plays the marimba — that his son has ever participated in.
"You get in trouble if you try to reward doing things at a young age. It is sort of a hollow thing that goes away when you get older, but if you are proud of accomplishments for their own merit, that sticks with you.
“Whether you get a perfect SAT score in math at the age of 12 or 18 doesn’t matter. What matters is that he had a remarkable score.”
Purdue engineering graduate now studies at Stanford at age 17

</p>

[courtjestr19]

<p>to quote the article, “His parents have been careful to guard him from too much media exposure to help his teen years be as uncomplicated as possible. They once even turned down an interview with Dan Rather.”</p>

<p>my “teen years” would definately not be the same had i experienced them in college. i know i had to go through the moat of junior high just like so many others, though i was in a private school so it was different, not better mind you, but different. college has lots of aspects of life that i dont think i would have been ready for had i decided to just skip high school. and also, is high school just about classes? i thought an integral part of it, which was referred to as “the social scene” in this article was learning from peers, intellectual level equal or not. its sort of like how people say “you learn life’s lessons in kindergarten”. are you skipping out on some things that have to be done, not necessarily partying and whatnot, im not part of that, but little things, subtleties of life i might have missed had i not gone to high school.</p>

[yanners]

<p>So I’m not as awesome as that Chris kid, but I did skip one grade. Combined with a late birthday, that usually puts me 1.5 to 2 years younger than everyone else. I personally cannot see why a lot of parents don’t want their kids to skip grades. I felt it was the best thing to ever happen to me, and if I could go back in time, I’d probably skip another grade…or two. </p>

<p>Staying 12 years in the school system isn’t right for everyone, just like college isn’t right for everyone. </p>

<p>Then again, I’m more of a supporter for skipping grades earlier on, as opposed to the later high school years.</p>

[hazmat]

<p>My personal opinion is that the US High School system is too long. Not enough opportunity early for acceleration and if so many are taking APs why then not matriculate college early.</p>

[courtjestr19]

<p>to clarify, i am talking more about later high school years than earlier years. i agree its not a bad decision to have a kid skip a grade when fundamentals can be easily picked up, but having a kid accelerate through three or four grades can have not just academic effects on a kid. and also, not saying i dont agree with your decision, it definately worked out, but if i wanted to skip a bunch of grades i wouldnt realize what other effects on me it woudl have. if i was 13 and a senior, i dont think i would compeltely fit in, regardless of my maturity or aptitude for learning or whatever category you want to include. i mean of course its less for someone only 1 or 2 years younger, but can someone accelerate the amount of years they go through academically at the same rate as the rate at which they go through that crazy hormonal thing that i know at least i did for a year or so…</p>

[gigog]

<p>I’m going to MIT in the fall after 3 years of high school, and so I can see both perspectives on this: one the one hand, there would be absolutely nothing left for me to do at my school, I already ran out of math last year and now I would be out of science too (unless I wanted to go and take earth sci w/ the freshmen) if I stayed, and english and social studies since I doubled up on those in order to get out early. I think getting into MIT is one of the best things that ever happened to me, and I’ve been looking forward to going for a long time, but…</p>

<p>well, all my friends are my age and going into their senior year together, and i’m not going to be here. I knew this would happen, but it becomes more obvious and painful every day. I wouldn’t give up MIT for the world (well, maybe for the world… but you get the point), but I still don’t want to leave everybody else behind.</p>