regentrude Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 As the parent of gifted students, I can easily see why some children need to go away to college at a much earlier age. I love Jenny's way of phrasing it as her DD "wilting" without the intellectual stimulation. I have been thinking about this and am wondering: what happens to these students after college? If you have a brilliant 12 y/o who NEEDS college for the intellectual challenge and environment, what happens when they have graduated at age 16? Hardly any other environment provides the same level of intellectual stimulation as college. So, how do these young people do when they have their degree as teens and leave school? I assume that their need for intellectual challenge does not suddenly go away - but unless they go into academia, do early grad school, early post doc etc, how is that need satisfied? I am very curious about this and would love for BTDT parents to share their experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnIslandGirl Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 For us, this is looking like a reality. Our dd9 wants to be an obstetrician though, so med school will likely follow and she'll just be a younger doctor than some (for a few short years). We have always dealt with her wanting/ needing "more" of everything. She longs for harder work and craves deep conversations on each and every topic. I have a feeling she will be the type of person who is always taking courses throughout her life, just to know more. I honestly can't see her in a spot that she would ever feel comfortable coasting along in life. It is exhausting trying to keep up with her, but really, she's just not content unless there is always a problem/ solution to figure out or debate about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I haven't BTDT - yet - but one thing I've seen is the kid stays in undergrad for a 2nd BA/BS. In the case I'm thinking of it gave the girl enough time to reach 18, and she got a job that challenged her and worked a few years before going back for grad school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted March 28, 2013 Author Share Posted March 28, 2013 For us, this is looking like a reality. Our dd9 wants to be an obstetrician though, so med school will likely follow and she'll just be a younger doctor than some (for a few short years). But this field is an excellent example for the difficulties a very young graduate faces - can a medical school legally allow a 16 y/o to work on patients??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retiredHSmom Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 My daughter will graduate from college at 18. She is adamant that she does not want to go straight to grad school. A big factor in allowing her to move away to college was maturity and I have no doubt that she will be able to handle herself in a job atmosphere. Right now she wants to work for a three-letter agency in cryptography or cryptology and she is actively working toward that goal. I do not doubt that she will end up going to grad school but i suspect that she will take a few years to work and live in the real world first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retiredHSmom Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 But this field is an excellent example for the difficulties a very young graduate faces - can a medical school legally allow a 16 y/o to work on patients??? Our daughter probably could have gone to college a year earlier than she did and she definitely could have graduated in three years. We encouraged her to pick up 2 minors to slow her down a little so that she wouldn't graduate before 18 for this very reason. I do not want to have to sign her lease for her apartment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 A boy who entered the university I went to at 13 went on to do his PhD in math. So he graduated with a PhD and worked at either the university or research institute. It was more than a decade ago. He did say that his classmates were busy dating while he was busy researching but they were nice to him. No one was intimidated by having a 13year old in their class. Staying in dorm is optional so he stayed with his parents at a rental near the university. ETA: A few others who entered at early teens went on to postdoctoral either in the same university or other unversities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 My niece went off to university early, not 12, but 15. There are equal numbers of pros and cons when I look at what she experienced. I only wanted to post b/c she wants to go to medical school. Her jr yr, she was 18. When talking to medical schools, they told her that they did NOT want her applying to medical school directly after undergrad due to her age. They told her to look into master grad programs for a bridge yr between her undergrad and medical school. She just found out last night that she was accepted into one of Johns Hopkins programs. http://www.jhsph.edu/academics/degree-programs/masters-programs/ Just thought I would share her experience b/c age was a factor with the medical schools she spoke with. However, she is on cloud 9 for what she will be doing next yr and sees it as opening the door wide for her future opportunities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I think Jenny's daughter finished at 16, came home, and went back to acting with local theatre groups, something she had been doing before she left. She and her parents wanted her to have some family time before she went off to college again, since she'd missed some of that by leaving at 12, and there was no reason why she had to work full time, considering she was still only 16. (I hope she doesn't mind me speaking for her. She's here sometimes and not here sometimes. Hopefully she'll find this thread and chime in.) Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathwonk Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 Our son went to the Duke TIP program with the young man whose bio sketch is linked below, Lenny Ng. It was a useful if rare experience for our gifted 12 year son to be in a math class with a stronger 9 year old. Lenny began taking classes at UNC Chapel Hill at 12, waited until 16 to enroll at Harvard, and seems to be very happy well adjusted and productive. I have known a few other extremely brilliant kids who lived at home during high school age but took classes at university. One of them afterwards enrolled at MIT and was a star, having already aced graduate level math while in high school, the other just went straight to grad school after graduating simultaneously from high school and college. I thought that last kid missed the fun of college life though, but I presume it was partly a financial consideration for his parents. By the way, schools like MIT, Stanford, Chicago, and Harvard are so advanced that even a student who has successfully mastered college and even graduate level courses before enrolling, at least in math, is still challenged and well served. This may sound odd, but I myself, a retired and still practicing professional mathematician with a PhD, know I would be challenged by the sophomore level honors advanced calculus (math 55) at Harvard. In fact in my opinion, those schools have reached the point where they are actually targeted at students who have already done college level work. Thus a degree from an above average college is actually about the right preparation for an elite college in America today. This makes it tricky for those of us who are measuring our child's progress by what goes on in our local school system. http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Lenhard_Ng Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 One of my sorority sisters did the Mary Baldwin PEG program and started her PhD. at 18. She joined our sorority because she wanted more interaction with kids her own age and we were happy to have her. She ended up leaving the university with just a master's, worked for a while, and then went back in her mid-20's for a PhD. in a different field at a different school. She's now a professor, married, and dong well. She has actually advised me against early college for my kids and rather doing something like EPGY Online High School, which was not available at the time when she went off to PEG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 not qute as advanced, but my husband started college at 16. he double majored at one school and went on and got a third bachelors, then three masters . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 ... In fact in my opinion, those schools have reached the point where they are actually targeted at students who have already done college level work. Thus a degree from an above average college is actually about the right preparation for an elite college in America today. This makes it tricky for those of us who are measuring our child's progress by what goes on in our local school system. After having investigated engineering programs this fall, I am guessing that this is how colleges like Olin, a small engineering school with an extreme project-oriented approach, are able to structure their programs so differently. They screen their students very carefully and only accept those who already have much of what is taught in a more ordinary engineering school, so they don't have to do that part and have time for alternative stuff. Not the place for my more ordinary son lol. On the other hand, we didn't want to send him someplace that would consider him a transfer student because of all his community college credits, either. Fortunately, there are lots and lots of colleges out there, something for everyone. Paying for it is usually the problem, not finding a good fit. I know nothing about how to place pg students but we just went through the college app process and differing beginning points is one of the things I noticed. Reading the accomplishments of the incoming students for a college is a very good way of seeing if your child would fit lol. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 (cross sub-post) Linking two other related discussions for future reference. How can a child got o college early? S/O of Early College-How do you decide when your DS is ready for higher classes OP, is it possible to add a "going to college early" and an "early college" tag to your post title? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted March 28, 2013 Author Share Posted March 28, 2013 OP, is it possible to add a "going to college early" and an "early college" tag to your post title? It is done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 Thank you regentrude! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara H Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I agree it is important to look ahead when making this decision. There are many ways to make this decision and college doesn't have to be an all or nothing proposal. Some students opt for some part time courses and working with mentors as a means to extend college a bit. Earning a double major or dual degree can also make it take longer. Graduating at age 18 may allow for a different set of options than graduating at 15. Some options: Get a second bachelors degree (downside - it can be expensive) Start graduate school at a younger age Volunteer or travel abroad Work for a few years before grad school (work isn't typically an accessible option at 12 but it can be at 17 or 18) Earn an additional graduate degree. So, for a student interested in medicine an MD/PHD may be of interest. That's a very long path so it can be helpful to start early. Develop strength in another related area of interest - so the student interested in biology might also earn a master's degree in computer science. People who can gain a high degree of competence in more than one field can sometimes make really valuable contributions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilaclady Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I think I will find it hard to send a 12 yr old to college these days when there are just so much more options. Kids can take college level classes at home to get more depth. Wen I look at what some kids on the Intel ISEf etec are doing, am just amazed. I hint there is a vast difference between having a child in college at 16 versus at 12. Some 16 yrs old are able to handle it well and succeed but I am not sure of a 12 yr old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathwonk Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Apparently there are colleges that are aimed at younger kids, like Simons Rock. One of my colleagues had a son go there very happily. But also probably at more like age 15 or 16 than 12. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garddwr Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 I know two young men who graduated with BS degrees at 18 or 19, one in mathematics and the other in molecular biology. Both were LDS, so they took the next two years to serve as missionaries overseas. I think that worked out fabulously--they were challenged by the mission experience and learning a new language (Mandarin and Japanese, respectively), got a lot more life experience under their belt, and were ready to jump into graduate school when they came back at age 21, just slightly ahead of their peer group. Both had graduate school acceptances before they left. I wonder if a similarly experience-intense gap period could work out for other young college graduates? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alira Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Apparently there are colleges that are aimed at younger kids, like Simons Rock. One of my colleagues had a son go there very happily. But also probably at more like age 15 or 16 than 12. One of my husband's colleagues attended Simon's Rock, at the same time Ronan Farrow was there. Farrow's path after graduating college at 15 is worth reading. Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 One of my husband's colleagues attended Simon's Rock, at the same time Ronan Farrow was there. Farrow's path after graduating college at 15 is worth reading. Anne Wow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilaclady Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 That is quite commendable. Very good work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathwonk Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Holy smoke. That young man seems to be quite a good ambassador for a Simon's Rock education. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca VA Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 What an amazing young man. I totally respect his decision to speak out against Woody Allen's philandering. Wow. Nan, the brother of my daughter's close friend from school just got accepted into Olin! He had to participate in the hands-on entrance competition almost immediately after arriving in Boston from halfway across the world. He was dead-tired and yet still managed to nail the competition. His whole family is so excited for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Rebecca - That's great! Good for him! Jet-lagged and all! It sounds like a really interesting program. I hope he has a wonderful time. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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