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The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, a public live-in high school

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Re: The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, a public live-in high school

#21

Post by ilyanep »

ksml wrote: post #17
qiqing wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most IMSA kids I knew went home to their parents on the weekends, every weekend. Most boarding school kids I knew only went 'home' for summer, winter holidays, spring break, etc.

This certainly isn't universal. I graduated from IMSA and many (likely the majority of) kids stayed on most weekends, including myself

Are you older than me? I was class of '09 and already the kids who lived closer by went home on a fair number of weekends. I've heard the trend has gotten even more pronounced over time.

Re: The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, a public live-in high school

#22

Post by simmons »

the7nd wrote: post #13

The reason you see so many entrepreneurs come out of IMSA is that the students realize they can learn anything. You see the guy across from you ace a test or finish an assignment faster than you thought was possible. You know you are as good as your peers so you push yourself to reach that level. Once you accomplish everything the school gives you, you want more. You think of new ideas and no longer constrain yoursel…

This rings true. Many of us start out with very limiting notions of what's possible, and there's nothing like surrounding yourself with bright people to expand the envelope of what seems to be possible.

I attended a school very similar school to IMSA in the early 90's (the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science), and it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me at that age. I had a pen pal at IMSA who, like me, was sys-admining the school's UNIX server, so it was fun to trade notes. I had plenty of other experiences later in life that expanded my notion of the possible, but attending that school certainly got me on the right path.

Re: The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, a public live-in high school

#23

Post by subsaboteur »

This is an old article and I feel like it fails to shine light on some of the issues with this system. As a recent graduate of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy I have seen that in recent years, much of the innovative sprit and lust for learning has shrunk. With a model like IMSA's there tends to be an ever increasing amount of bureaucracy. I have heard teachers mention grade quota’s, dealt with an over zealous marketing team who clamped down on student creativity, and the general Silicon Valley “fluff“ that I know plenty of us disliked. However, that being said, the people I met there were awesome. The rigor the school applied on us made us better in the long run, even if it did injure some of our GPA’s. Overall, you go to IMSA for the environment and for the like minded audience over the strict and stubborn academics.

Also as proof I went there: Chickadee dee dee

Re: The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, a public live-in high school

#24

Post by jianshen »

ksml wrote: post #19

Wow, my high school is on HN! IMSA was an amazing place. There are so many smart people with so much motivation and it feels like anything is possible there. There is a dark side, though, not often mentioned publicly. Mental health issues are quite common, as could be expected when you put 14-18 year olds in a highly stressful, high-pressure environment, and people generally aren't very physically healthy, either (4.…

Mental and Social development is a huge thing to consider here (for all you parents considering your kids for a school like this). You're introduced to college level independence at a ridiculously young age (don't forget the shmen...) and while the academics is top notch, campus life can be challenging to anyone at that age, even if you get to go home on weekends. That said, you'll likely make some pretty remarkable friends for life there...

Re: The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, a public live-in high school

#25

Post by jqm »

acjohnson55 wrote: post #14
thrownaway2424 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's an interesting question. Is it even worth the effort to try to achieve academic gains in below-average students? What's the typical improvement we should expect there? For that matter, do special schools like IMSA achieve any gains in their students, or do they merely select and observe them?

I'd flip that question around: can we afford not to? The consequences of a failing education system are underemployment, unemployment, antisocial behavior, civil unrest, and criminal activity. Even worse, the impact is felt across generations, as children born to parents the system has failed get less enrichment at home than children born to well-educated parents. Case in point, the US's massive educational achieveme…

They do have schools for at risk kids. Military schools for instance.

While I don't disagree we should do more for at risk kids, not allowing the brightest kids the best possible opportunity in an environment free from "at risk kids" hurts us all in loss of societies potential productivity.

Re: The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, a public live-in high school

#26

Post by _gwlb »

aappleby wrote: post #9

See also "Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science" :)

These schools are all over the place! I graduated from the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts. Math and science schools are truly fantastic places for advanced high school students to get a quality education.

Re: The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, a public live-in high school

#27

Post by adenverd »

gypsy_heretic wrote: post #10
thrownaway2424 wrote: post #2

Hey look, a rare opportunity to complain about my home state on HN on two consecutive days! There is a similar school in Oklahoma called the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics. The legislature founded the school in 1990 and has been systematically trying to defund it ever since[1]. IMSA and OSSM were founded around the same time, are of similar size, history, and philosophy. They are also both members of amaz…

There's also an Alabama School of Math and Science (asms.net). It's a veritable sanctuary in Alabama for intellectuals.

Arkansas has the same: Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts (asmsa.org).

Re: The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, a public live-in high school

#29

Post by ridicter »

_gwlb wrote: post #26
aappleby wrote: post #9

See also "Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science" :)

These schools are all over the place! I graduated from the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts. Math and science schools are truly fantastic places for advanced high school students to get a quality education.

Arkansas alum here too! Still some of my fondest years!

I think schools like this are _especially_ useful in rural/poor states like our own, where cultural and educational norms are a bit behind. Imagine going from a school where the highest level of math is trig and there are no comp sci courses to one where you can take differential equations, astrophysics, or robotics.

For me personally, it was validating to find a like-minded community where nerdiness is a virtue instead of a scourge.

Re: The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, a public live-in high school

#30

Post by ih »

arjunbanker wrote: post #18
aappleby wrote: post #9

See also "Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science" :)

i am thankful for the opportunity to attend TAMS :)

Hey Arjun this is Irvin, Chacko's friend from UT, cool seeing your comment here. To be somewhat on topic :-) I went to LSMSA the Louisiana equivalent and am also appreciative of the school and the community it created. It definitely introduced me to computer science much earlier than I would have otherwise...
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