4 ms·

Well, you can look at it this way, he would have never been well-served by the traditional society-determined path anyway. A project like this has the tendency

Well, you can look at it this way, he would have never been well-served by the traditional society-determined path anyway. A project like this has the tendency to just blow away all other considerations. If you were hiring for a physics position, would you take the guy who got straight A's on his physics coursework, or the guy who built an effing nuclear reactor in his bedroom?

nickff 10y ago
The sad thing is that if you were faculty, looking for a graduate student to supervise, you'd probably pick the one with straight A's and no hobbies, because you could get them to do whatever you wanted, without risk of them getting their own ideas or leaving.
- vinceguidry 10y ago
  Like I said, he never would have been served by the traditional path. With that kind of talent and drive, you don't need the academy, the academy needs you. They'll find a spot for him.
- delazeur 10y ago
  That's probably not true. I have run into very few faculty who want to have robots working for them, and I know quite a few faculty who are suspicious of perfect transcripts from potential grad students because it often means they avoided difficult courses or outside projects.
  - wallace_f 10y ago
    >quite a few faculty who are suspicious of perfect transcripts In an undergrad department meeting, the topic was brought up on "why your parents should not call or arrive at the school seeking to talk to professors about their student's grades." It's an open secret at some schools, Harvard being one of the most famous, that if you're rich or well-connected enough, you get in and coast with a B average, with relative ease--a C average at the worst.
- brians 10y ago
  That's bio, this is physics.
- Ar-Curunir 10y ago
  Lol what. Grad school values independent research much, much more than grades.
- ori_b 10y ago
  I can't think of a single professor that this holds true for.
- nether 10y ago
  If this were true, letters of recommendation wouldn't carry nearly the weight that they do.
- nashashmi 10y ago
  Almost there, but you lost it in the end. The straight A student would win not because he is less proactive but because he is more versatile to handle any task. Someone who is deeply invested in a technology from an early age will have seen lesser challenges and diversifications than someone who takes all courses all around.
  - Mvandenbergh 10y ago
    >The straight A student would win not because he is less proactive but because he is more versatile to handle any task. The straight-A student is certainly able to put their minds to whatever they are told to, at least enough to get an A in each subject (and possibly no more).
- Fomite 10y ago
  I am faculty, and I wouldn't.
- JorgeGT 10y ago
  Adding to what others have say, in my department the choice would have been a no-brainer for the guy that has proved he can self-teach and do independent research. There's nothing faculty loves more than motivated people that can do a lot by themselves with just little directions from them!
Retra 10y ago
There is very little about a university education that requires it to be "the traditional society-determined path." It's daily lectures and some work. There is plenty of time to be creative.
JacksonGariety 10y ago
There's more to life than applying for jobs.
- googletazer 10y ago
  Underrated comment.
argonaut 10y ago
This dichotomy isn't the actual choice, though. You'd hire the person with straight A/A-'s (read: nobody cares about perfect grades) from Stanford/Berkeley/MIT/Caltech who also worked directly with some well-known professors, publishing papers that advanced the field, albeit incrementally, either building experiments or developing theoretical results. In other words, the person who has demonstrated solid abstract knowledge (breadth/versatility) and actual ability to do research (depth/hands-on).
mbesto 10y ago
I could be wrong, but isn't this a situation where a university like CalTech would take a student like this?
- messick 10y ago
  CalTech takes in 200 total freshman a year (well back in 1999 it was 200) from the entire world, so they'd just choose the kid who built his own reactor AND had straight A's.

nickff 10y ago

The sad thing is that if you were faculty, looking for a graduate student to supervise, you'd probably pick the one with straight A's and no hobbies, because you could get them to do whatever you wanted, without risk of them getting their own ideas or leaving.

vinceguidry 10y ago
Like I said, he never would have been served by the traditional path. With that kind of talent and drive, you don't need the academy, the academy needs you. They'll find a spot for him.
delazeur 10y ago
That's probably not true. I have run into very few faculty who want to have robots working for them, and I know quite a few faculty who are suspicious of perfect transcripts from potential grad students because it often means they avoided difficult courses or outside projects.
- wallace_f 10y ago
  >quite a few faculty who are suspicious of perfect transcripts In an undergrad department meeting, the topic was brought up on "why your parents should not call or arrive at the school seeking to talk to professors about their student's grades." It's an open secret at some schools, Harvard being one of the most famous, that if you're rich or well-connected enough, you get in and coast with a B average, with relative ease--a C average at the worst.
brians 10y ago
That's bio, this is physics.
Ar-Curunir 10y ago
Lol what. Grad school values independent research much, much more than grades.
ori_b 10y ago
I can't think of a single professor that this holds true for.
nether 10y ago
If this were true, letters of recommendation wouldn't carry nearly the weight that they do.
nashashmi 10y ago
Almost there, but you lost it in the end. The straight A student would win not because he is less proactive but because he is more versatile to handle any task. Someone who is deeply invested in a technology from an early age will have seen lesser challenges and diversifications than someone who takes all courses all around.
- Mvandenbergh 10y ago
  >The straight A student would win not because he is less proactive but because he is more versatile to handle any task. The straight-A student is certainly able to put their minds to whatever they are told to, at least enough to get an A in each subject (and possibly no more).
Fomite 10y ago
I am faculty, and I wouldn't.
JorgeGT 10y ago
Adding to what others have say, in my department the choice would have been a no-brainer for the guy that has proved he can self-teach and do independent research. There's nothing faculty loves more than motivated people that can do a lot by themselves with just little directions from them!

Retra 10y ago

There is very little about a university education that requires it to be "the traditional society-determined path." It's daily lectures and some work. There is plenty of time to be creative.

JacksonGariety 10y ago

There's more to life than applying for jobs.

googletazer 10y ago
Underrated comment.

argonaut 10y ago

This dichotomy isn't the actual choice, though. You'd hire the person with straight A/A-'s (read: nobody cares about perfect grades) from Stanford/Berkeley/MIT/Caltech who also worked directly with some well-known professors, publishing papers that advanced the field, albeit incrementally, either building experiments or developing theoretical results. In other words, the person who has demonstrated solid abstract knowledge (breadth/versatility) and actual ability to do research (depth/hands-on).

mbesto 10y ago

I could be wrong, but isn't this a situation where a university like CalTech would take a student like this?

messick 10y ago
CalTech takes in 200 total freshman a year (well back in 1999 it was 200) from the entire world, so they'd just choose the kid who built his own reactor AND had straight A's.