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I had the opportunity to go to college at 10 and again at 13. I’m very glad I went instead to a math and science boarding school (IMSA) instead. The networking

I had the opportunity to go to college at 10 and again at 13. I’m very glad I went instead to a math and science boarding school (IMSA) instead. The networking alone I was able to do there has been incredible for my adult life. Add on the ability to pursue independent research projects at a level equivalent to grad school and I was able to maximize my intellectual interests while still improving my personal skills and growth as a human being, not just an achievement machine. If I had gone to uni and graduated with a PhD before 18 I know exactly how I would have ended up. With few friends, low career prospects, and extremely low odds of improving that situation.

mixmastamyk 3y ago
Interesting, I’ve not heard about this alternate path for smart kids before. Looks like a magnet plus residential aspect.
- atdrummond 3y ago
  Yes, there are a few states (these schools tend to be public) with such programmes. North Carolina was the pioneer of this model.
blahedo 3y ago
Fellow IMSA alum here, also underage (skipped 3 grades). I'll cosign most of what atdrummond says here, but shift emphasis: to me and the majority of my friends (many of whom I'm still in regular contact with 30 years later), it was specifically being around other kids like us that was a godsend. The diversity was also broader than at most of our previous schools. The academics were an important part of it (not least to justify the state funding) but the unique value for a lot of us came from the nonacademic parts. Re the OP, I wonder what's next for him. I know that college was a little weird but manageable as a freshman at 15; a junior at 12 is going to have an even more different experience (and then... grad school at 14?) But if he's motivated and it's not just his parents driving this, he'll come up with something and do fine, I'm sure.

mixmastamyk 3y ago

Interesting, I’ve not heard about this alternate path for smart kids before. Looks like a magnet plus residential aspect.

atdrummond 3y ago
Yes, there are a few states (these schools tend to be public) with such programmes. North Carolina was the pioneer of this model.

blahedo 3y ago

Fellow IMSA alum here, also underage (skipped 3 grades). I'll cosign most of what atdrummond says here, but shift emphasis: to me and the majority of my friends (many of whom I'm still in regular contact with 30 years later), it was specifically being around other kids like us that was a godsend. The diversity was also broader than at most of our previous schools. The academics were an important part of it (not least to justify the state funding) but the unique value for a lot of us came from the nonacademic parts. Re the OP, I wonder what's next for him. I know that college was a little weird but manageable as a freshman at 15; a junior at 12 is going to have an even more different experience (and then... grad school at 14?) But if he's motivated and it's not just his parents driving this, he'll come up with something and do fine, I'm sure.