Really wanted a parent's perspective on this, as my parents have both told me that they feel unqualified to discuss this with me.
I currently attend a nationally ranked private school in Canada with superb teachers and some fantastic students as a new junior this year. Though I love the staff at this school, I am really dissatisfied with the social atmosphere, which is extremely cliquey and classist -- cliques are split not by interest, but by race and social class. As an upper-middle-class Asian girl, I often feel like a second-class citizen because I don't possess the $50 Chanel lipstick everyone else is talking about. Moreover, the student body by and large seems more concerned with the shape of their bodies, the attractiveness of their boyfriends, and whether they wield a superiority to other girls in these regards. Obviously this doesn't apply to every social group, but in cases where it doesn't, students are already a part of the "loner" crowd.
As I've mentioned, the teachers are phenomenal and have done lots to encourage the cultivation of my talents in many areas. However, I do not ever feel as if I am challenged intellectually in school. It's not as if the class material is inherently boring -- to the contrary, teachers deliver them quite well -- but I feel as though teachers put more of an emphasis on development of foundational skills than on the content area itself. This is very progressive for secondary education (and I commend this ideology!), but I feel that I am ready for something more. I have attended college classes offered at some of the most prestigious universities in the US and have received phenomenal recommendations from all of my professors. I have established intellectual interests -- economics, literature, and political science -- and wish desperately to explore them in school with other students who are equally passionate about them as I am, but these options aren't available at my high school.
I also feel as though staying in high school will not benefit me, STEM-wise. My school's STEM education puts a very large emphasis on regurgitating procedures for certain types of problems without building an intuitive understanding of advanced concepts in algebra and calculus. I feel as though I am missing out by not pursuing a college education.
However, I am held back by certain things. I've emailed multiple established colleges that do not require high school diplomas and am told that though it is possible for me to apply, the chances of me getting in are low as I will be measured against seniors. My guidance counsellor told me that I am terribly unprepared for fall 2016 admissions (I won't be taking the SAT until December and haven't taken any SAT IIs), but that if I finish my senior year, I will be an incredibly strong applicant to some of the best universities in the US. The best bet I have for this year is Simon's Rock, which I'm sure I will be admitted to given their high admit rate, but I'm scared that it will not provide me with the intellectual vitality and rigour I am yearning for. Furthermore (I don't know if this is true or not), it has a reputation for being a 'socially awkward' school, and as someone who is reasonably sociable/popular I'm scared that I will be unable to fit in socially, which is something I'm hoping to escape from my current school. Additionally, if I attend Simon's Rock, I will most likely be transferring to another institution after my first/second year, and I'm afraid of not being able to build the right connections there -- that's a primary reason why I want to attend a well-established institution!
Freshman admissions , however, almost seems like a rat's race of who can get into the most prestigious summer programs, the most internships, or the best GPA. I've been in this rat race for 2 years and counting, and I'm so tired of it. I feel as though life won't truly start for me until college begins, which is a terrible attitude to have, but it really does seem as if everything I've been doing up until now is to just prepare me for that common application.
Essentially, either I put the brakes on my personal development to go to some place better for all 4 years of university, or take a chance, drop out of high school, and go to college early. I feel like I am emotionally and intellectually prepared. I just don't know if I am making the correct choice or if I am approaching the problem from an escapist mentality.
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