I know two people who left high school without a diploma for Ivy league schools. One finished college at 17 and got a PhD at 21. The other was taking college classes in math in middle school. I have to agree with @LKnomad that the OP does not appear to fit this profile of exceptionally advanced academics which really couldn’t be met in a high school.
And I still say…unless the OP has visited Simons Rock, she shoild not consider applying there. This school is right for some students and very wrong for others. It’s not a place you apply to and attend, without first visiting, in my opinion.
We don’t live far from the school. We know more than a handful of kids who,started college early there. Not one of them finished there. One returned to her public high school after one semester. Two thought the place would be better than it was.
In all cases, the kids socially felt left out in their high schools…and this didn’t change once they got to Simons Rock. They were still socially not part of the mix.
Two eventually graduated from other colleges. I have no idea whether the others did or not…but they didn’t graduate from Simons Rock.
If the OP were a freshman or sophomore, who had tested “off the charts”, I would be more inclined to agree that something out of the box, maybe St.Simon’s Rock, may be the solution. I’m not so sure what’s going on in this case except the OP is at a new high school as a junior. Maybe this was an attempt for a change? It doesn’t matter if she goes to St Simon’s Rock or The Clarkson School, switching to a third program may not accomplish what she wants.
@LKnomad, but my point was more that unconventional people can often be unconventional because conventional wisdom doesn’t apply to them. The OP is the one who would know best whether that label applies to her. Who are we to sit in judgement?
a high school Jr with no test scores and no plans for applying prior to the end of Nov are hurdles, especially when applying as an international student. Deadlines for honors and competive programs have passed or are looming. Applying this yr will limit options long term, not open up more.
The OP ASKED for opinions.
Good catch! I didn’t notice this student was in Canada. To the OP…are you a U.S. Citizen in Canada, or are you a Canadian citizen?
OP is not a US citizen (see post #3)
Also maybe look at some opportunities: http://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/futurestudents/academics/hsprograms and meet some other kids who may have similar interests.
I’d love to hear what you thought of your visit to Simon’s Rock. We plan to visit later this month. If you decide that early college is not for you, you can investigate Stanford Online High School -http://ohs.stanford.edu. It’s very rigorous with bright motivated kids (not for us, but we know many who love it). Completely online, classes are live video so you can see the teacher and your classmates and vice versa, so your mother wouldn’t have to be involved in your homeschooling. Students are from around the world and there is a very good social connection from what I’ve heard, with many in real life meet ups as well. Might be worth a look as well. Good luck!
I do not have an opinion in your case, OP. However, I have a strong opinion about “escapist mentality”. it does not work. got to make it work at any place! Again, this may be opposite of your mentality. You also have to pursue whatever deem correct to your personally. Always remember to trust yourself and respect your own opinions and decisions much higher than anybody around you, forget us here on CC, complete and total strangers.
Hi there, I went to Simon’s Rock and I can answer any questions that people have about it.
My advice for OP would be to visit the campus and think about whether you’d be happy spending 2 years there (as most people do before transferring). It’s not for everyone, and in my experience the people who thrive there tend to be the people who didn’t just go there because they were desperate to escape high school.
That being said, I think you would find it intellectually challenging and the classroom experience is truly second to none. If you go there and do well, you will have excellent options. My friends who transferred went on to places like Brown, UPenn, Vanderbilt, NYU, and Claremont McKenna, to name a few.
The school’s reputation for being socially awkward is not entirely unearned, but is blown way out of proportion IMO. If you have any social skills yourself, making friends will not be difficult.
Whatever you decide, you’re clearly very bright and I’m sure you’ll end up somewhere great. Good luck!
Why are u waiting until Dec? Isn’t the next int’l sitting of the SAT in May?
@GMTplus7 , I beleive this thread was started back in November.
@ObliviousPanda , what have you decided? Clearly you are intelligent, but intelligence doesn’t magically make you as mature as you would like to be. My D’s best friend in primary school was much younger than all the other kids in her grade and struggled to fit in, for years. She finally repeated the year and was comfortable with her peers. There are life experiences to be had that you can’t take a test for. You have plenty of time to become an adult. If you can’t deal with the annoying, cliquey kids at your school, make friends with the loner kids you mentioned, or get involved in groups outside of school. Don’t let your intellectualism become a dividing line that no one else can cross. There is a lot to be said for learning about the world outside of books and education. Everyone has something to teach you. Maybe you are hyper-intelligent and find nothing challenging, but how much do you know about people?