biscarch* ;) "If you were that smart you would've just finished it next to all your other stuff." It's not about being that smart, it's about the best use of

biscarch* ;) "If you were that smart you would've just finished it next to all your other stuff." It's not about being that smart, it's about the best use of your time. You could be the smartest person in the world, but doing hundreds of single-variable derivatives isn't going to teach you as much as moving on to multivariate calc (if you're capable of moving on). School in the US locks you into a specific speed. If you learn more, you're punished with busywork below your current level, if you learn less, you get left behind. The quote I'd prefer to hear your friend say is "If you were that smart why didn't you test out?" or "If you were that smart why didn't you just finish everything in a couple months?" But these are impossibilities in the current system. The school system is akin to having a giant pile of rocks. Which is a better use of your time if you're capable of building a crane: A) You can either carry them one by one to where they need to go (finish hs) B) You can build a crane that moves them faster (drop out and pursue more).