LibArts vs. Ivy League

NYMomof2
Wed, 05 Apr 2006 15:14:45 +0000

Hi, NJPitcher,

I’m not really searching for colleges for my 7th grader! But last fall, when he was 12, he asked me to find out what he could do between ages 12 and 18 to make sure he got into MIT. Searching around MIT’s website led to a weekend trip to Cambridge so that he could attend an annual weekend they have for MS and HS students, where he took courses on things like number theory and vector spaces all day Saturday and Sunday. This only confirmed his determination to go there. In the meantime, I searched for ways to make his MS and HS years more than a dark tunnel with MIT as the shining light at the end. This is how I found CC, which is the best source I’ve found for information and advice on resources and programs for academically inclined MS students. I also have friends with children in HS, and I am an advisor to our HS science program, so I am able to pass on what I learn here to people with more immediate needs. Another benefit: I learned that even if he does everything “right”, my son will have at best a 20% chance of admission to MIT. I would have thought that he would be admitted easily (assuming that he continues on his present path). I’ve let him in on this, and read with him a few articles I’ve found here. He now has a realistic sense of the situation and accepts it, and we have avoided a rude awakening 5 years down the line.

I should also add that I’m not at all sure that MIT would be the best place for him. He is very math- and science-oriiented, but is also intensely interested in the mock trial team, history, languages, and ethics. I’m intrigued by what I’m learning about Swarthmore. In any case, it will be his decision. I’m very grateful for the wisdom that all of you share so freely.