<p>I put a postscript apologizing for this but I suppose I should do it at the beginning: Sorry for the long post!!!</p>
<p>Very wise words, Endicott. I have to agree with your logic. However, I think that both of us can conclude that I know myself better than you. While I’ve made many good friends at my college, sometimes I wish I had my age tattooed on my forehead to partially excuse how awkward I am in certain social situations. (And yes, I need to inform my classmates because I’m told I don’t give the impression of someone younger. [I’ve gotten guesses of my age ranging from 15 to 25.])</p>
<p>“…there is a lot of maturing that happens between ages 15 and 18” So this can’t happen in college? If the typical college age stretched from 15-19, would you be saying that a lot of maturing happens between 12-15? I kid. 
From what I gather, you’re referring to college prep time, right? Generally, the pre-university time is when a person has to go through the process of flying away from home (which I say meaning both family and a social network of friends, most likely from school) both physically and mentally, yes? We could argue about this, but I would say this is the process I’m undertaking right now. I completely understand that there are years that I cannot make up physically, but mentally, at least recently, I feel like my maturity has the ability to speed up. </p>
<p>Take for example my experience going into 10th grade. The first day, I slinked in my first period class, trying not to catch the attention of the big kids, which was hard because I was tardy. I felt like a fish out of water - all of the other kids had been in high school before. They knew what it was like and how to navigate through its halls while I was struggling to learn how to use a locker. On top of it all, everyone else already had friends. The first few conversations ended with me awkwardly staring at my tennis shoes while my new acquaitence found someone new to talk to. Through the months, I came out of my shell and actually started conversations. I knew what to say and how to make people laugh. I made a posse of friends, a mixture of sophomores, juniors, seniors, and college students, some of whom knew my age. Eventually more people found out and no one really cared. Some “found out” my age more than once. (The shocked face never gets old.) I became a, for lack of a better word, regular high school/college student. </p>
<p>The point of that rather wordy anecdote was that I believe that I do have the capacity to assimilate to a sub-society of 18 year olds. Remember, by the time I transfer somewhere, I’ll be 16, which is in your group of the more experienced. </p>
<p>“At a top level school your fellow students certainly would not be overly impressed with your brilliance–they’re brilliant, too, so you’d lose that “special” edge that you evidently feel you have now.” I don’t feel that I should be treated specially for my age. I’m trying to use it as a hook on my applications, but the whole purpose of accelerating myself is to really find a place I belong in. You’re right on the dot about my “special” edge. I spend 6 hours in high school every weekday with some very intelligent students but the majority of my classes are made up of the…slow types. Honestly, I’d just like to remove myself from an environment where burping the alphabet backwards is considered brilliant. I don’t care whether I’m the runt of the lot later as long as I’m in an academically challenging place.</p>
<p>Like I said before, I would be perfectly satisfied with UCB or UCLA or any of the non-HYS on my list - Princeton doesn’t accept transfers. Harvard and Stanford happen to be my dream schools so my applications to them are pretty much “what the heck, I might as well while I’m at it!”. My logic behind using them as an example in my OP is this quote: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” I’m fairly aware of the percentage of applicants admitted. I’m also very aware of how talented and brilliant the large majority of the rejected are. I’m doubly aware that I come off as very stuck up, especially when you can only see words that I type. Please try not to hold against me. :)</p>
<p>It’s probably not in my best interest to apply as a freshman. I’m not entirely sure how it works but I think my lack of high school classes and involvement will very much count against me. Plus, H doesn’t accept any transfered units from freshmen and S only accepts ~1 year of them. They’re very expensive schools and my family can’t afford more than 2 years w/o loans. My mother’s unemployed and my father’s disabled so the responsibility falls to me to take care of them financially, which might be hard if I’m paying off a loan as I go. </p>
<p>“If i had to guess, I assume that you have loving but somewhat naive parents who have an extremely high opinion of your brilliance and have lost track of the fact that you are a kid, who like other kids needs time to grow up.”</p>
<p>Two words: Asian parents. If I had a third, it would be stereotypical. </p>
<p>All in all, I really appreciate your input in my situation. I don’t think it could be said enough that your posts have a lot of value to me. In fact, I think I’m going to print a copy of them to take around with me this summer while I’m at Harvard SSP and exploring the world of college away from home. However, I think you have to understand more of where I’m coming from. (Abridged: Spring at age 12, I was suicidal. School was bringing me down and I hated my classmates in a way no 12 year old should be able to hate. I looked at the knife and I was too cowardly to take the coward’s way out. Summer at age 12, I discovered the world of higher education. I fell in love. I’m still on this earth in winter at age 13, body undamaged.) College makes me happy in a way nothing else does. Even just stepping on campus perks my sprits up. I hate that I’m required to spend part of my day in secondary school and I just want to plunge right into a 4-year university, my ideal personal paradise. Why do tomorrow what you can do today? </p>
<p>(P.S. You sound like someone I know. Just curious, is your last name Glass and do you subscribe to National Geographic? In your responses to my posts, do you speak from experience? You sound like you’ve seen it all 100 times before.</p>
<p>Also, sorry for typing such a monstrosity of a post. I put it in MS Word and it equals the length of the paper I was supposed to be typing for English. I guess it’s just that my first week of a wacky spring semester’s ended and I’m in the mood for a conversation.)</p>