<p>My son was also a late bloomer, although he is in the humanities instead of the technical area. He matured tremendously his freshman year in a solid public university on the East Coat although not a highly selective one. His grades were good enough (Dean's List for his first four semesters) to get him accepted to a top school, even though the school takes very few transfers annually. My advice is not to let your son take a gap year, because you want to take advantage of any spark that he now has to start working/achieving academically. He should go to the schools where he has been accepted, and then transfer, keeping in mind the requirements of the school where he wants to transfer. Schools like Penn and Chicago that have strong core requirements will have difficulty accepting a transfer who has not fulfilled their core. By directing himself towards a particular college, he increases immeasurably his chances of transferring to MIT, etc., etc.</p>
<p>Cheers, I didn't bring up the subject of these schools, he did. We had our list that we, as a family, had settled on, and that's the path that was pursued over the last six months. I would love to be done with this process. Frankly, I feel that it's become a bunch of kids with big egos and colleges with big egos playing the 'dating game'. If one more person asks me where he's applying (and doesn't get the hint when I say 'we've settled on a list of several good schools'). But that's a whole 'nother post.</p>
<p>I asked the initial question because the kid does seem to have interest, whatever the motivation. Sure, I'd like to think he's finally 'getting it'. I'm not looking to send him to a reach school where merit aid won't be available and I'll have to pay every last nickel. But if it fits and he wants it, I will accomodate. That's all.</p>
<p>I do believe in the 'better graduate school' approach and that was the approach that I took in my education. Not only that, but financially, I'd rather have someone else foot the bill for a more expensive school than me. (We've told him we're paying for 4 years, that's it.) But all the sudden this 'you can afford MIT' brochure showed up on my desk.</p>
<p>I am trying my best as a parent to shepherd him through this process. One thing about being the parent of an underachiever is that you learn to not live vicariously through your child.</p>
<p>Having both an overachiever and a comparative underachiever in my house, I believe you are dead on Apple.
[quote]
One thing about being the parent of an underachiever is that you learn to not live vicariously through your child.
[/quote]
Sounds like he is lucky to have you as a parent. I find I can, however, enjoy my comparative ua quite a lot....Actually, enormously:). Sometimes I thank the first one for getting it out of my system.</p>
<p>Meant as a good natured jibe, apple. Sorry if the comments offended. My experience--as a late bloomer, mother of late bloomers--is that it takes a few semesters to undo the bad habits of 'coasting' on charm and natural ability. The four semesters of Venado's S sound about right. Also, while this intense interest is certainly an indication of a new level of ambition (and worthy of praise and thanks), might it also represent a sort of Seller's Remorse? Imagine what could have been if I had been more disciplined? I certainly saw that in my S1, expect to see it with S2 and remember it myself when I was rejected from one of the schools I applied to and waitlisted at another (where I eventually got in--in August <em>cough</em>). </p>
<p>Diligent high school students turn up to university well prepared to be successful. Not-so-diligent students, especially those with heaps of natural ability, usually have a bit more work to do. There is both art and discipline to successful studies, skills that coasters have to learn. </p>
<p>I would be surprised if your son still wants to transfer after two semesters especially if he is happily engaged at a stellar university like RPI or UIUC. But if he does, I imagine he will line up the qualifications he needs.</p>
<p>In my experience, it doesn't matter when or where the lights switch to 'on'. The sky is the limit for ambitious students, especially bright ones.</p>
<p>I would NOT go as far as saying that 'he's lucky to have me as a parent'. We went through rough times where I threatened him with community college. When the first admission letter came this fall, he was all over me with 'see, they like me'. </p>
<p>Cheers, I think the 'sellers remorse' is an interesting concept. At first when I read your post, I thought that emotion wouldn't apply to him, he doesn't second guess himself too much. But certainly being a HS senior could be a pressure cooker. He comes home talking about the kids applying to 'top tier' schools. When he received his acceptance to UIUC, which I was thrilled with, the other kids had never heard of it (we're in a pretty east-coast locale where no one goes west of the Alleghenies.). So he didn't get a lot of support from his peers. I reviewed the literature about the school with him to reiterate that it's really a great place and we'll go before the end of the school year.</p>
<p>Having said that, I think someone suggested that these kids applying to these big name schools may not get in. It'll be interesting to see how he feels come May.</p>
<p>Cheers, I also agree that he'll need to 'learn to study'. He's taken classes where he never read the book and he's failed tests because he refused to write down work, just shows the answer. (He failed the first six weeks of a math class where it became a power struggle between him and his math teacher...the math teacher finally won.)</p>
<p>Thanks for all the insight.</p>
<p>apple17, I think a difficult combination is that of a very bright underachieving or late blooming child (usually son) paired with overachieving parents, which was the case in our family, don't know if it is with you. I finally learned nagging didn't work for him and to gently nudge when I felt it was appropriate (took a LOT of restraint); but I agree with you it is nonetheless a little tough to watch classmates get into more selective schools, esp when you and everyone know he is at least as bright or moreso than they are. But the maturity issue is huge, esp for a boy. And that's what seniors esp in AP classes talk about, where they are going next year, so it's natural he has developed some late interest in the whole thing.</p>
<p>They usually end up where they really should be. Your son's college list sounds like a well thought out one with a theme...excellent schools known for engineering, science, cs etc. Plus realistically you wouldn't expect eastern kids to know UIUC is such a good school, I'm sure I would not have in hs.</p>
<p>UIUC is a great school, and very selective for CS and engineering. Very well known for those departments in other parts of the country, even if not in your particular town/school. (don't know much about other depts.)</p>
<p>UIUC is a great school! My H was a post-doc many years ago. John Bardeen, the Nobel prize physicist, was still on the faculty. We know a stellar math student, graduated from MIT, who is at UIUC doing graduate work in CS. Texas probably knows of him, too, as he was an instructor at MathCamp for several summers.</p>
<p>Good luck, apple.</p>
<p>Testosterone is another factor in late blooming boys. The more testosterone, the higher the focus, intensity and ambition. </p>
<p>It is a trick to keep late bloomers on the rails so that when they get those testosterone hits, they will be in the proper place to take flight and not, you know, hanging out at McDonalds. </p>
<p>In that way, you have been a great parent to him. He's going to be in a great place. Well done. Someday you will give yourself a pat on the back for that one. Now here's one of my all-time favorite late bloomer stories.</p>
<p>I know a boy, now 26, who botched his hs career, including a C- in Fall of senior year which the the teacher said was really a D. The boy did not get any acceptances to any schools, only waitlists. Nevermind community college, his Irish father grabbed him by the collar, determined to deliver his son to the Army recruiting office.</p>
<p>His mother stalled the delivery by suggesting they go for coffee first. At the cafe, they ran into one of the boy's teachers and told him what was happening. The teacher got on the phone and contacted one of the waitlist schools (one of the ones on your S's accepted list). The teacher cajoled the adcom. He told the school that the kid was bright, well educated despite himself. He promised them the boy would do well.</p>
<p>The boy went to the univeristy and got straight As from the first semester. He told his parents he was gutted by the experience of not getting into a school when his classmates got into fantastic schools.</p>
<p>The boy got a great job as a management consultant afterwards. He then went on to a top 10 Business school. When he graduated from B-School, he had a plethora of job offers--all offering six figures ++. His old company offered to pay off his grad school debt on top of the six figures. He married his college sweetheart and is now working his dream job for a Fortune 200 company.</p>
<p>
[quote]
We know a stellar math student, graduated from MIT, who is at UIUC doing graduate work in CS. Texas probably knows of him, too, as he was an instructor at MathCamp for several summers
[/quote]
Oh, I know exactly who you mean. My son saw him at Splash! last month and mentioned that he seems pretty happy at UIUC (this is after getting an undergrad degree from MIT). Also, one of the long-time computing olympiad coaches was seriously interested in teaching at UIUC after getting his PhD from MIT a year or two ago, although he ended up elsewhere.</p>
<p>Cheers -
great story ... I guess coffee really is good for you!</p>
<p>Cheers, what a wonderfully encouraging tale! Thanks for sharing it.</p>