Early graduation. Physics Major.

[lisabees]

DS16, a Sophomore, would really like to graduate early and be surrounded by like-minded souls - those who cannot get enough of math and physics. 

 

Maturity is most certainly not an issue.  And, age wise, he would be on target.

 

What concerns should I have?  I know he will be looked upon as equal to those who have had an extra year of school.  

 

This is a kid who would like MIT or Princeton or CalTech.  But he also sees the benefit of a liberal arts school for undergrad (as long as it has strengths in math and physics).

 

Here is a little bit about him.  Do you think this is enough for early graduation?  What would you recommend?

 

He has taken 5 APs.  Four 5's and One 4 (in Human Geography!).  He will take more; I'm not too concerned with the amount of APs.  Neither is he. 

 

DS is currently taking his second math course at Penn.  https://www.math.upenn.edu/ugrad/calc/m116/ He will continue with the next class in the spring.  He loves, loves, loves this course.  He used to like math because of its use in physics; now, he loves math because it is an absolute joy to him.  He credits Mathematician's Lament, which I gave him to read over the summer. :)

 

Next year, he will be taking math and physics courses at Penn.  Note that these are not for credit, as we are not paying.  My friend's father is a professor there and has allowed him to take classes and get graded.  He will also be able to get letters of recommendation.

 

Ds is also the world record holder in solving the Rubik's Cube.  In and of itself, that is not too interesting.  But the achievement has allowed for amazing experiences around the world - tv interviews, sponsored events in Japan and China and many other places.  He has a thriving youtube channel that he has had for years.

 

He also spent the summer in Japan on scholarship.  He speaks fluent Japanese.

 

He plans on applying to some math and physics camps this summer, as long as they don't conflict with the National Championships!  

 

I really don't want this to come off as a brag sheet.  But I want to make sure I don't lead him in the wrong direction, if it is not time to graduate him.

 

Yes, he is interesting.  But, are his academics enough to compare with others applying to the same kinds of schools?  Trust me - I understand that highly selective schools are a crapshoot.  

 

I hesitated posting here, even though he has asked for weeks. :)  I really didn't want to list everything he has done, but I need you experts out there to give me advice.  

 

I am really stressed over this decision.

 

 

 

 

[chiguirre]

 But, are his academics enough to compare with others applying to the same kinds of schools? 

IMHO, having LORs from Penn professors who've allowed him to audit their classes and seen his work makes him an excellent candidate. It takes the guess work out of admissions.

 

The Rubik's cube championship is a great hook! No admissions person is going to forget him, ever.

 

Penn's hardly ever a "safety", but I think his track record there probably makes it one for him. Would he be content to go there if it's his only yes? I doubt it will be, but that's the question he needs to ponder.

 

 

(I've never had a kid apply to college. But I did go to Penn and your son would have totally stood out of the crowd.)

 

How much more will he get out of another year of high school? If he's mainly auditing classes at Penn, he might as well move on.

[lisabees]

IMHO, having LORs from Penn professors who've allowed him to audit their classes and seen his work makes him an excellent candidate. It takes the guess work out of admissions.

 

The Rubik's cube championship is a great hook! No admissions person is going to forget him, ever.

 

Penn's hardly ever a "safety", but I think his track record there probably makes it one for him. Would he be content to go there if it's his only yes? I doubt it will be, but that's the question he needs to ponder.

 

 

(I've never had a kid apply to college. But I did go to Penn and your son would have totally stood out of the crowd.)

 

How much more will he get out of another year of high school? If he's mainly auditing classes at Penn, he might as well move on.

 

He asked me if there was a possibility of applying all over again the following year, if he doesn't get into the colleges of his choice.

 

I laughed when he asked, but realized that I actually have no idea!

 

I will ask him about Penn.  He does like the school.  He would just like to be farther than an hour away!

 

Thanks for helping me think this through!

Edited November 20, 2015 by lisabees

[daijobu]

I haven't read this article about a young homeschooled MIT student, but it looks like it may be of interest to you.  

[Luckymama]

Lisa, this is where we are with dd (though Arabic and social sciences, not physics/math). If if if if if she is accepted for nsli this coming summer, she will probably apply to college next fall. Her plan would be to defer a year if if if if if if she's able to get an academic-year nsli or yes program for that next year.

 

Dd is just at that point where another year of high school with university classes seems like spinning her wheels.

 

Dd's college list consists of landgrant universities with huge Arabic and international relations programs and two DC schools with very strong Arabic departments. She has decided not to apply to any super-selective schools for IR, saving those for grad school if necessary, so we don't have too much of the "what if I don't get in?" worry. She's been looking at schools from the affordability angle.

 

Dd doesn't have any special hooks like your ds :)

[lisabees]

Glad I am not alone!

 

I like the idea of waiting to see if ds is accepted to some of the camps to which he is applying.

 

He is going back and forth with the idea of graduating early.  I'd rather hold on to him for an extra year, as he is a kid who will never come back home, except for occasional visits! But I understand he is more than ready to be challenged and inspired by other people.  That is his main motivation to graduate early.

 

Keep me updated!

[JoanHomeEd]

Just an idea:

Your son could go ahead and get ready the applications for the 3 schools + maybe Harvard.

Wait for the early action mid-December decision notifications.

Then go on this forum, hs2coll@yahoogroups.com, and collegeconfidential.com to see the posted results and compare your son's stats with those who have been accepted, deferred or rejected (you might need to contact individuals directly to get the stats).

That might give you an idea of whether to submit the applications for the regular decision.

World record holder for Rubik's Cube is very cool, btw.

All the best!

[MarkT]

Looks like he is ready to me. Start researching possible colleges that would appeal to him.

[Corraleno]

I think you're talking about graduating him after 11th grade, not at the end of this year (10th) — is that correct? If so, then I would certainly go ahead and graduate him early. His stats and recommendations will make him a strong candidate for the colleges he's interested in, and he has an awesome hook that checks a lot of the boxes adcoms are looking for — it shows passion and self-direction; it's something "outside of school" but which also shows intelligence and problem-solving abilities; it shows that he's a really fun, interesting, well-rounded person, not just a nose-to-the-grindstone AP machine; and it's totally unique. It will definitely make him stand out in a sea of other high-stat kids, and I think the schools he's interested in will also be very interested in him. It doesn't seem like an extra year of auditing classes at Penn, without credit, would really add anything more to his application, and he would probably end up having to retake a lot of those classes for credit anyway, which would make his freshman year of college pretty boring!

 

 

[lisabees]

I think you're talking about graduating him after 11th grade, not at the end of this year (10th) — is that correct? If so, then I would certainly go ahead and graduate him early. His stats and recommendations will make him a strong candidate for the colleges he's interested in, and he has an awesome hook that checks a lot of the boxes adcoms are looking for — it shows passion and self-direction; it's something "outside of school" but which also shows intelligence and problem-solving abilities; it shows that he's a really fun, interesting, well-rounded person, not just a nose-to-the-grindstone AP machine; and it's totally unique. It will definitely make him stand out in a sea of other high-stat kids, and I think the schools he's interested in will also be very interested in him. It doesn't seem like an extra year of auditing classes at Penn, without credit, would really add anything more to his application, and he would probably end up having to retake a lot of those classes for credit anyway, which would make his freshman year of college pretty boring!

 

Never even thought about this.

 

Thank you, Jackie!

[Mike in SA]

Age is no problem. Math is the most important thing. Strength at calculus is a must, and comfort with rigorous proofs is beneficial. As long as calculus-based probability and statistics is covered in the first few semesters, he will be well prepared...