<p>[Jack</a> and David Cahn’s Mission to Conquer Stuyvesant High School – New York Magazine](<a href=“http://nymag.com/news/features/jack-david-cahn-stuyvesant-high-school/]Jack”>Jack and David Cahn’s Mission to Conquer Stuyvesant High School -- New York Magazine - Nymag)</p>
<p>17 year-old-twins from Stuyvesant High who are already famous for their daunting schedules:
And now they’re a feature story in New York magazine. They make me a little nervous.</p>
<p>Anytime a story like this shows up in November when early applications are submitted, someone somewhere has enough influence and are trying to get some positive outcomes. Think of highly paid college counselors, very influential parents, a group of advisors dedicated to the cause of getting these two to their favorite colleges.</p>
<p>I am sure there are another hundred as good or better at Stuyvsant whose accomplishments no one is trumpeting.</p>
<p>Kind of amazing that they assigned someone to follow them for a week.</p>
<p>I see kids with similar achievements. I used to interview them for Yale … and most still didn’t get in. </p>
<p>One my own kids in high school became functionally fluent in Mandarin - spent a term in Xian - set up and distributed locally a “zine”, was guitarist and song writer in a rock band, won a prize for torah study at Hebrew College, took BC track calculus (really good at integration!), etc., etc. </p>
<p>So what? Some of these people want to make money. Others want to make a thing. Others want to find their happiness. And so on. That hyper-active kid is now trying to find a way to chill a little better, not to be less driven but to do more of what makes her happy. AND GOOD FOR HER!</p>
<p>I can’t decide if I should be impressed or feel sorry for them. I think the latter! Have some fun - watch some tv - hang out with friends!!! Yeesh!</p>
<p>Would a magazine article be as effective as a [url=<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Battle-Hymn-Tiger-Mother-Chua/dp/0143120581]book[/url”>http://www.amazon.com/Battle-Hymn-Tiger-Mother-Chua/dp/0143120581]book[/url</a>] was?</p>
<p>Two Stuy media personalities…meet a major MSM media personality.</p>
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<p>To some extent, they remind me of a younger upper-east sider classmate whose obsession with graduating #1 was such a stress-related ulcer resulted at 14-15. </p>
<p>Incidentally, there’s an old saying among Stuy students which goes like “Academics, friends, sleep…pick two.”</p>
<p>^^^Yeah, I was wondering if they ever sleep. There are only so many hours in a day, even for wunderkinds like these.</p>
<p>I got tired just reading about them.</p>
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<p>Sleep tends to fall by the wayside for nearly all Stuy students unless:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>They’re real genuine genius G & T types. Knew a few who left the rest of us awestruck in amazement.</p></li>
<li><p>More likely/often, slackers. I happen to be one of them…especially in 9th and part of 10th grade. That didn’t mean we didn’t work hard…just nowhere near as hard as most in the top 50%-60% of our graduating class. :D</p></li>
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<p>Agreed. Granted, most are too busy with academics/life to care. Also, if they were like most Stuy classmates I knew when I attended, this sort of publicity seeking/promotion was regarded as a great way to destroy what little “Nerd cred” one had. </p>
<p>The mentality’s similar to how engineering/CS classmates/colleagues I’ve met tend to regard sales/marketing positions as places for “non-Nerds” or engineering/CS majors who didn’t demonstrate enough “Nerd/techie cred” to the satisfaction of older engineering/CS supervisors. </p>
<p>Not to say I necessarily agree with it. Just describing a mentality I’ve had much exposure to in HS and at former workplaces.</p>
<p>Holy crap. </p>
<p>They’re intense.</p>
<p>Or packaged to look really cool for them Ivies.</p>
<p>Gifted students in Seattle apply to the early entrance program at the UW. The oldest you can apply is 15, most are a few years younger.
<a href=“https://robinsoncenter.uw.edu/programs/early-entrance-program/[/url]”>https://robinsoncenter.uw.edu/programs/early-entrance-program/</a>
Don’t they have programs like that on the east coast?</p>
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<p>Simon’s Rock of Bard which is geared for students preferring to start college in lieu of their last two years of high school:</p>
<p>[Bard</a> College at Simon’s Rock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bard_College_at_Simon’s_Rock]Bard”>Bard College at Simon's Rock - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>Knew one college classmate who transferred from there at 15 and started at my LAC as a 16 year old junior.</p>
<p>Knew one college classmate who transferred from there at 15 and started at my LAC as a 16 year old junior.
That does remind me of the running start program at local community colleges.
A friend of Ds did that in high school and was able to transfer to UChicago as a junior even though he wasn’t yet 18.
But what about students who are ready to skip high school altogether?
I found a few other programs.
[Early</a> College Entrance Programs | Hoagies’ Gifted](<a href=“http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/early_college.htm]Early”>Early Entrance College Programs | Hoagies' Gifted)</p>
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<p>I knew one classmate 2 years ahead of me who skipped high school altogether and went straight into undergrad. Graduated from our LAC with honors at 17. </p>
<p>Granted, the way he carried himself like the other high school aged college classmates was such you wouldn’t know their true age unless they trusted you enough to tell you/show their ID.</p>
<p>I am familiar with the boys and have driven them with my son to JSA events. They are bright and driven, but so are most of the kids at Sty. They are applying to Ivy’s and will do fine. Also note they are shabbat observant which takes friday night til saturday night away from working or traveling.</p>
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<p>They do, e.g., Simon’s Rock at Bard College. But I think most folks who live in major cities think it’s better to have kids live at home and go to one of the academic powerhouse high schools, public or private. </p>
<p>Most allow you to take college courses if you exceed the high school’s offerings. Some students may complete all of the course work they need to major in the subject at a college. But they go to high school and take phys ed, health, and (almost always) subjects like US history and English lit. They play high school sports. They play in a high school orchestra–even those who go on to Julliard. They work on the school’s publications and get to be things like the editor in chief of the newspaper or the high school literary magazine. They do mock trial, debate, model UN, Fed Challenge with other high school students. They make friends their own age. </p>
<p>IMO, it’s healthier. YMMV.</p>