<p>sorry mathmom, i was confused, the colleges i glanced at wanted more than the 2 credits not as i said... 2 languages<br>
My eldest took the advanced diploma courses and because he had taken pre-algebra in middle school ran out of math courses he could take in hs in his senior year. They were going to let him take calculus at a local community college but then he would have missed the spanish course he needed (needed the 2 credits and it was only offered one class/one semester each year) and he hadnt fit in his 2nd credit), they ended up having him take a "practical math" course for 9th graders in his senior year.
a side note: also one of my pet peeves... all students are lumped together for class rank.. regular diploma/advanced diploma/special ed. that may be the way its done everywhere but i have never considered that to be fair.</p>
<p>msmdad, yep that's the one. we did go visit.. very impressed. have spoken to grads and their parents....all rave reviews. Current students were mixed.. most said they were bored at their previous schools (not my son's situation at all) spoke with the teachers and the admissions personnel. Our understanding is that some of the IL schools actually go THERE and interview applicants</p>
<p>i just want to say how much i appreciate everyone's input and will keep reading and posting as long as you'll let me LOL. Thanks so much for all the links and info, finding things i had no idea were out there thanks to all of you...so much better than sitting spinning my wheels with this decision. so glad i found this forum</p>
<p>Though I am not one of them--LOL--there are many many CC parents with gifted math and science students--particularily Math students. marite and mathmom are two. All of them are an infinite source of knowledge and resources. If you find your thread dying --just bump it up with a post.</p>
<p>Or if you have quesitons about other Math resources--start another thread on CC.</p>
<p>thanks cheers! wish i had a crystal ball! i've been reading other threads, wealth of info here. your child may not be math or science but congrats on his animation project!</p>
<p>We're struggling with similar issues. Our 8th -grade son is talented in math and science, and also intensely interested in history, politics, and languages. Our local HS is considered excellent. It made that meaningless Newsweek top-100 HS list, and graduates regularly go to Harvard and other top schools. But the school is small, and my S doesn't really have a peer group. We've made the decision to send him to the best independent HS possible, at great financial sacrifice, even though we believe that his chances of admission to any particular elite university will be lower from the academically elite school we are hoping for. At the local HS, he would be the outstanding student; at the selective independent school, he will be one of the crowd. He is much happier being one of the crowd of similar students, and he desperately needs to be with similarly capable and motivated kids.</p>
<p>We consider the next four years crucial. Our situation is different than yours in a couple of ways. Our S is not happy in his current situation, and we do not have to consider sending him away. I would not send him to boarding school under any circumstances because I consider the years we have with him to be precious and too few as it is. I can't imagine separating him and his younger brother.</p>
<p>DS was in the same position during high school. He graduated last May. We are also in the south with a great math/science boarding school in our state as well that he was well qualified for. We also are in a very small, rural town with a community high school, serves several small surrounding towns. We had moved from the west coast at the beginning of his sophomore year and he was in culture shock. Of his eight AP classes the school only offered 2.</p>
<p>He made it work.</p>
<p>The opportunity to attend NCSM was suggested by the principal/dean quickly and thought it would fit him academically, and it would have. However, he felt strongly about maintaining local community relationships, including friends, community volunteer relationships, varsity sports not offered at boarding school and most importantly realizing he had the opportunity to really make a difference at his local high school.</p>
<p>He graduated val, spent 3 summers doing cancer research at 2 different local med schools, started a fab peer tutoring program and dragged a floundering varsity team kicking and screaming to regionals/state. He made lifelong friends that he will forever cherish and not just fellow students, but teachers, coaches, neighbors, community leaders, and administrators. </p>
<p>He was admitted EA to MIT, Chicago, USNA, USMA, USAFA, and RD to Penn's M&T, Pton,CalTech, Duke, Dartmouth, Cornell and others. He did qualify for merit and outside scholarships. He had plenty of choices. But more importantly he had a high school experience he will remember forever very fondly.</p>
<p>Was he bored academically? Oh I am sure. But the school tried to accomodate, Def Eq, independent research, hired extra AP teachers...bent over backwards because they knew what he was bringing to the school. And he reciprocated with giving back every day as much as he could.</p>
<p>But school for him wasn't about the classes, he does that while he is ATTENDING school. He loves the college he's at, fits him to a T. Gives him lots of flexibility and room to grow. I don't even know if the professors actually "teach" teach... more like facilitate from the sounds of it.</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>That's wonderful about your son's project, cheers! I hope the venture capital funding comes through.</p>
<p>I forgot about kat--with her five amazing 'kittens'! She's another great resource, parent56.</p>
<p>parent56--do you know about the PM feature.? It is at the top right hand corener. Beside having a public chat about your situation, you can send speicific messages to specific parents though that private email system.</p>
<p>Our situation was unique in that my younger son was not the smartest person in his math class. The top students in his junior calculus class went on to a university course in senior year. He didn't want to do that. The top Math student in his school went to the Math Olympiad--and no--he didn't do much school homework either. He did such high level Math and Physics in high school and the local university--he was allowed to start the university engineering program in Year 2--at age 16. He completed two engineering degrees in three years and applied to Cal Tech for grad school--as a 19 year old. </p>
<p>He and his family had lived all over the world--including a stint in the US. After her experience in US private high schools, she was as baffled as I was about the high performance coming out of the tutorial classroom.</p>
<p>My point was that it is amazing what some students can accomplish in an hour in a tutorial vs a 'discussion-based' Harker-table classroom--and what amazing things they can do with their 'spare' time.</p>
<p>Thanks NYmom. My DH met the VC in Starbucks and heard that they are planning to fund son--as a sleeper--without taking a majority stake. Their main contribution besides cash will be setting up meetings in London with top film and game companies. I get the feeling they are sweet-talking him with this cash in order to get a shot at future rounds of investment.</p>
<p>It's unheard of in the funding game. One of their major issues? How is he going to run the company when he is a student at university? Ummmmm...the same way he started it when he was a 17 year old high school student? </p>
<p>My trick will be keeping him in university if the game takes off. I keep telling him there is so much time to make money in adult life--and not enough time to read history and literature.</p>
<p>I would think that there is a way to enhance the local school. Obviously it is a big choice you have to make for your child, arguably one of those "life changing choices". Our community has many enhancement opportunities & if the child is willing to do that, it makes sense to me. Sending a HS freshman away to boarding school transfers a lot of parental/family things to someone else. There are so many ways to enhance education at home but away there is a big loss of family/parenting which I don't know how it can be enhanced elsewhere. I understand the local GC isn't helpful, but there are options to enhance that too. This is an adult decision to be made - even though it deals with your non-adult son. I can't think of many hs freshman with the maturity and experience to really make this decision - so, it falls on the parents to think of the pros/cons. Perhaps you can find a graduate of the school (or several) to talk to. Would they send their kids to that school? What other usual HS activities are available to help "round out" your son? Alot of colleges are looking at more than just grades, they want to see the whole person / what other things the child does to round out the student. So many activities other than schoolwork go into admissions decisions, can your son participate in such things at the boarding school, would he have time? I don't know - I may be the least qualified to help because it's something I never even considered for my kids! My oldest graduated from a similar hs to your sons current, as valedictorian. She took several courses (in the evening) at the local cc. She also did several EC's through the school (one varsity sport, clubs) & she did several EC's through the community (food kitchen, tutoring, etc., a variety of things that I don't even remember now). She applied to Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Johns Hopkins etc... and got accepted to every school she applied to. She has now graduated (June 06!!!) and has a great job and done well (except she doesn't live anywhere near us!) Her hs GC wasn't good - she didn't even know she had a shot at a big name college until the last day of school prior to Christmas vacation senior year. She came home from school & told us she had to spend Christmas break getting her apps together & rushing everything to get applied to colleges. Her counselor did her a HUGE disservice - one teacher pulled her aside & talked to her, shocked when he found that she wasn't even aware of her potential - he agreed to help over Christmas break & in 2 weeks time, with his help, she got applied to many schools all over the US & our State Univ was a "safety" (she had already applied to the State U which we thought was her "reach" with the cc as the school she expected she'd go to - she/we misunderstood her potential BIG-TIME!) Thankfully a thoughtful teacher realized her potential & gave up much time with his family over the holiday for her. Your son has much more going for him - he is a freshman & already knows he could have the potential to reach beyond to something big. We had no idea (yes, maybe we were naive!). Going away to the school also takes away from the fun when coming home from college for holidays - you know the great experience of visiting the old stomping grounds & teachers/school/friends etc. Of course, the downside of that is that my d has no friends left from hs. She outgrew them by very early freshman year & when she comes home she has no friends to visit - they still live nearby but she outgrew them. Of course, going to a boarding school won't help that - either way when they come home they don't really have close friends to share college expereinces with - my d was the only kid in her group of friends to go to college. Now, 5 yrs later we know a lot more for kid #2!!</p>
<p>if this school was in our town or an hour away, there would be NO question which school we would want him to attend because of the quality of the programs and teachers . Its the boarding issue that creates the problem... so... am i hesitant due to my own problems with him living away ... that is the dilemna! would i be denying him an incredible educational experience?</p>
<p>What a great story I'mAMom2! Welcome to CC--</p>
<p>I really shouldn't be posting, as my kids are much older. My younger one is currently in law school.</p>
<p>My kids went to NYC public magnets, beginning at the age of 5. The bottom line: what college your kid is admitted to is not the most important issue. My own kids were very smart, but not at the top of the class. Especially in my D's case, the truth is that if either ranked, she'd probably be ranked with almost the same number in her HYPSMC college as in her high school class (which was much smaller). </p>
<p>It's my observation that the kids who end up in the top third at a top public magnet do better than they would have if they had gone to "Nowhereville H.S". Below that, they'd probably be better off --strictly in terms of college admission--being a <em>star</em> at Nowhereville. </p>
<p>But a lot of this is about personality. I'm not engaging in false modesty when I tell you my kids are smarter than I am. I HATED being an academic star in high school. My kids had a FAR better high school experience, especially socially, because they went to high schools where being a brain was not the least weird. </p>
<p>Do what's best for your kid now--not 4 years from now.</p>
<p>imamom2.. we have spoken to a couple of grads and they highly recommend the school. they said it was hard to make the decision to go but think it was the best decision they ever made.<br>
know what you mean about going away to college, my eldest went to NYC to a dramatic academy and has since moved to California. Only one other person from his hs left the state. He has a few hs friends he keeps in touch with but they all still live here in town and cant understand why he would ever want to leave.</p>
<p>jonri: my son had a hard time in grade 7 and 8 being identified as "the smart kid" and a nerd. Fortunately he seems to have adjusted to the names and takes pride in his acheivements in school now, or at least he says it doesnt bother him anymore. the flip side of that would now be... he's used to being the smartest.. what happens if he's one of many, with others much smarter LOL you cant win!</p>
<p>I haven't read through every post, but I've skimmed most of them. In my opinion (as a student), if your son can get A+s in every class without putting in much effort, then he needs a more challenging environment. He should not spend the next 3.5 years of high school not learning. Also, if he's not challenged your son may slack off, and he may find himself not living up to what he could. Even if he keeps up A+s, he may not develop the time management skills, writing technique, or many other things necessary for a successful transition into a top university.</p>
<p>I know boarding school is a hard decision, I was only a boarding student my last year in high school, but I have to admit I really enjoyed it and realized belatedly how much I'd missed by being a day student the first year. I agree that there is a lot to be said for making the right educational decision now. After all if he hates the boarding school, he can always come back home. Time management in my experience may actually be easier at boarding school.</p>
<p>It's a tough call. I can't imagine sending one of my kids away. It was so difficult when kid #1 left for college & was gone. At least kid #2 was still at home (she is a Sr. in HS now so this time next year, I am an empty nester! - and I only JUST NOW found this sight - where were you years ago when I needed it so badly with kid #1?!!). </p>
<p>Anyway, it sounds like the real issue is boarding school. So, find out what the school provides in the dorm enviornment that is quasi-familial. Sending a kid that age away is a big deal. I always said my kids needed me more in HS than earlier. I worked at an office in their early years but when kid #1 was mid way through freshman year in HS I began working at home & telecomuted - I realized that HS kids need easy access to "mom" much more than they would ever admit. Of course, I have 2 d's so I don't have any idea how a son would fit in the boarding school picture. I wouldn't trade the few minutes every day with my d's during hs for anything. I really believe my involvement in their lives during those formative hs years (in my opinion the most formative in the character of our youth) had a big impact on them. Of course, d #1 is gifted and I couldn't have done for her what the teacher did - but I was in her life everyday supporting her every step of the way. I remember when we got excited thinking she might even be able to go to her "reach" school of the State U! She and I laughed and dreamed accross the kitchen table of going to a "real university" knowing going to the cc was more than any of the other kids in her circle of friends were doing. When she came home talking Harvard husband and I had to find out what state Harvard was in! If she had been in a boarding school I would not have had that conversation (or many other converstations - you know the kind - boys, friends, hs tears and joys all wrapped into one week!). I wonder who would have had those conversations with my child, or would they have been by phone? I don't know - it just seems so much family is lost to boarding school. But, obviously, I am biased - I have no idea what sending a kid to boarding school is like never having even thought of it! </p>
<p>Incidentally, for kid #2 we did send her to a different hs. We moved in d #1 freshman year to a neighboring area and kept d#1 in the same old school. But, d #2 had the option to go to the school d #1 graduated from or go to another hs. We sent her to the other school - a good move - she isn't 1st in her class (like big sis) but she is in the top 10% & has had a great experience in HS & been challenged & has very good college options - stay tuned for where she ends up. </p>
<p>Can you opt to keep at the local hs for freshman/sophomore year and then maybe junior/senior at the other school? No idea if that is a good idea or not though - just a thought that crossed my mind. </p>
<p>So, that is my 2 cents worth! I will be interested to hear what you decide.</p>
<p>I had the same feeling mathmom. I could have left home when I was 15.</p>
<p>The school my son went to was 50/50 boarding. Organiztion is much easier in boarding school. My favorite summary was a from his best friend --who boarded ages 7 through 15. (He moved home --in town--for the last two years of school).</p>
<p>
[quote]
The best thing about boarding is also the worst thing about boarding. You get to spend so much time with your mates.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Is it an option for your family to move to Mobile?</p>