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How would taking the AP exam in high school be appropriate in this case? That would be the equivalent of taking an AP exam in math 5 years after graduating EE i

How would taking the AP exam in high school be appropriate in this case? That would be the equivalent of taking an AP exam in math 5 years after graduating EE in college. People are going to have different opinions on whether or not it's worth a 13 year sentence of boredom in order to socialize with age peers, but I really question whether the default high school experience is, for most people, a good thing. Activities like sports and music seem like a vastly better return on effort for advanced kids, with more positive values in the milieu than the typical high school popularity contest. Ultimately, the world is defined by a vast diversity in ages, backgrounds, and capabilities. If you want to do something in that world, and you're really young, you'll first have to get used to being the youngest person in the room. Throw all of this argument out the window if the student actually enjoys school, of course.

lacker 7y ago
Taking the AP exam in high school is just a tactic. A situation like: Student: Man I don't want to take this boring mandatory calculus class. Teacher: You have to. Student: But I already know all this stuff! Teacher: Mmmmm, well that's just like your opinion, man. Student: What if I ace the AP exam? Teacher: OK, then I would believe you. In my experience it's pretty rare for all of high school to be boring. You probably haven't read the particular works they're discussing in English class, you probably haven't read about the particular time period they're discussing in history. And even if you have, there's plenty more you can learn about those things. The most common area to be bored by is math, because you can pick that all up yourself relatively easily.
- DaniFong 7y ago
  I suppose it depends on when this all kicks in. In my case, in kindergarden I was tested into 11th grade; in response I was placed into 1st grade. Which was fine, honestly, I spent a lot of time drawing and so forth, but things got really unpleasant and pointless in 7th grade, so I dropped out, and dropped into college. I'm reading a lot of people complaining about the damage to one's social prospects, and surprisingly few calling out what I experienced: school was minimally useful, the social environment was pretty toxic, and in my case, the teacher was tyrannical. University was so much better! For highly motivated and gifted students, early university can be a great option. It is important to place it on a larger arc of one's own journey of learning, development, and self discovery, however, that must continue for as long as one keeps growing. As an important aside, girls and boys have approximately equal interests in science math and technology earlier on; for girls this changes pretty severely in middle school and high school. I'm sure there a very large social component to this, parents would do well to inoculate against it by finding alternative environments, and university is certainly one.

lacker 7y ago

Taking the AP exam in high school is just a tactic. A situation like: Student: Man I don't want to take this boring mandatory calculus class. Teacher: You have to. Student: But I already know all this stuff! Teacher: Mmmmm, well that's just like your opinion, man. Student: What if I ace the AP exam? Teacher: OK, then I would believe you. In my experience it's pretty rare for all of high school to be boring. You probably haven't read the particular works they're discussing in English class, you probably haven't read about the particular time period they're discussing in history. And even if you have, there's plenty more you can learn about those things. The most common area to be bored by is math, because you can pick that all up yourself relatively easily.

DaniFong 7y ago
I suppose it depends on when this all kicks in. In my case, in kindergarden I was tested into 11th grade; in response I was placed into 1st grade. Which was fine, honestly, I spent a lot of time drawing and so forth, but things got really unpleasant and pointless in 7th grade, so I dropped out, and dropped into college. I'm reading a lot of people complaining about the damage to one's social prospects, and surprisingly few calling out what I experienced: school was minimally useful, the social environment was pretty toxic, and in my case, the teacher was tyrannical. University was so much better! For highly motivated and gifted students, early university can be a great option. It is important to place it on a larger arc of one's own journey of learning, development, and self discovery, however, that must continue for as long as one keeps growing. As an important aside, girls and boys have approximately equal interests in science math and technology earlier on; for girls this changes pretty severely in middle school and high school. I'm sure there a very large social component to this, parents would do well to inoculate against it by finding alternative environments, and university is certainly one.