Non-conventional student going to college early?

<p>I know it's a long explanation, but please bear with me; I really need some advice.</p>

<p>First of all, I wanted to mention that I am by no means a traditional student. Ever since Kindergarten I've known exactly I want to study - Engineering. Now that I am a Junior in High School I know for a fact that I will be going into the fields of Photonics and Optoelectronics. Unfortunately I am no longer happy at my High School. I'm just not learning anything anymore, and the things I do learn are almost always utterly useless facts that we need to know only for the next test. I could probably attribute this to the fact that I have exhausted virtually every Engineering, Science, Math, and Technology course at my school a while ago- and for the STEM classes that I am currently enrolled in, I am usually more knowledgeable about the subject than the teacher is. Furthermore, only 2 of the 6 classes I am taking could even possibly relate to the field that I will be going into (have to take graduation requirement courses). Unfortunately, knowing about the subject doesn’t exactly translate into an auto-A in the class either. For example, today I received my graded AP Chemistry lab report only to find out that I was marked down 11 points out of 100 for not putting the 4 at the end of MgSO4 as a subscript. Of course, I have received 5 on all the AP exams I have taken and have almost perfect scores on the SAT subject tests, but even so that is probably standard among top-tier college applicants. </p>

<pre><code>The main factor that makes me so different from my peers is my outstanding engineering ability. I am currently being sponsored by companies such as Intel for my work. I have multiple patents on various game-changing devices that are the future of computing. I’ve broken at least 7 different world records relating to computer engineering and lasers. Without going into too much detail, a current project that I am working on involves the creation of an interactive “hologram” that could be integrated into a handheld device. I am also involved in finding a potential cure for Alzheimers through speeding up the process of protein folding. I have even been offered some high salary jobs, and many technology companies are also very interested in buying some of my patents. Unfortunately no one at my school recognizes my talent, and I am constantly being pushed back into the “regular” pile. Any talk about it usually ends up similar to: “Oh, that’s fascinating. Now get back to studying early cattle migration in New Zealand”. It’s just a dead end.

In all honesty I just don’t know what to do anymore. I am so much more mature than all of my peers and quite honestly I’m sick of being treated like a 5 year old at my High School. I even received a detention once for bringing my laptop to school for “Safety concerns”. What on earth is that supposed to mean? Anyway, the colleges that I am primarily interested in are Stanford, MIT, Berkeley, Brown, and CalTech. I also have to say that one of the most important factors in my college decision process is if they support intellectual freedom – as in the right for the student to choose what they want to learn, not the school! Eg. Liberal Arts education requirements… not a fan. That is why I am considering Brown as a potential option. Anyway, what I really want to know is if any of the colleges above are able to admit students early out of High School (I know at least MIT does), and if so, how would I be able to accomplish this? Will I have to apply by the standard application deadline? I am desperate at this point for advice on what to do.
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<p>PS. I live about an hour away from CalTech, and 5 minutes away from UC Irvine. Maybe taking courses at either of these colleges be a potential solution?</p>

<p>Yeah, as long as you’ve got all of your credits, your high school should definitely be willing to clear you to graduate early. Have a meeting with your guidance counselor to make sure you’ve completed all of your requirements, and they’ll probably be able to give you the particulars of your school’s policies. You will have to apply to colleges by the standard application deadline, though- if you’re cutting it too close, maybe consider taking a gap year next year to study abroad or something.</p>

<p>I know at Stanford you are required as an undergrad to take classes from all different subjects, often not at all related to your target field of study.</p>