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<p>I <em>had</em> a broad math/science education in high school. I took bio, physics, two years of chem, anatomy & physiology, stats, math through Calc BC, psychology, four years of computers & computer science (yes, I was in a magnet program). And I studied rudimentary astronomy and geology, and more focused cell biology, through my independent study class period and extracurriculars. But I also took a lot of random stuff - US & comparative government, music theory, art history, creative writing, European history, and medieval French literature, for example (in addition to the more mundane subjects that I still think were important, like US history or English composition). I would have been unhappy with a system that chopped off that broadness, or a system that actually expected me to make a career choice, even a vague one, in high school.</p>
<p>You had a much, much, much more expansive math/science/the like education than I did in high school. I don’t think half those math/science things you mentioned were offered at my high school. If all of us had gone to your high school, my point would be a moot one. </p>
<p>Almost all the math I knew came from tons of out of school reading, even though my calculus and physics teachers were good – the trouble was, it stopped there, and there was nothing else to take. While the stuff I was eventually to major in was very natural for me to pick up and study, I’d have appreciated more offerings in other departments. And it’s not like my school wasn’t a good one, it was the kind with lots of good teachers and plenty of students going to great schools. </p>
<p>That’s why, between an overly broad high school experience that required me to do much of what I cared a lot about alone, and the foreign system I mentioned earlier, I’d have to pick the latter. After all, I had the one art class I ever took, and plenty of English and history by the end of sophomore year, and I think that’d be a great point to move on.</p>
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<p>You’re in good company I’m sure, though that is slightly extreme even for my standards…:)</p>