He seems to have tremendous breadth of curiosity, it will be interesting to see what he ultimately ends up specializing in. MIT is a big place, and trying to "major in everything" will almost certainly not turn out well.
Homeschooled with MIT courses at 5, accepted to MIT at 15
81–90 of 223 posts
Re: Homeschooled with MIT courses at 5, accepted to MIT at 15
#82Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Are you sure? Well, of course, all of us deal with pride and so part of my motivation to type up the story is that I'm proud of what I've accomplished, yeah. > Being a smart fellow, you must know that your experience is not evidence that this young man was not "pushed" too much and that he will "be fine." Of course my experience is not evidence of someone else's experience. However, I have experience being homescho…
I won't speculate on your motives, I'd just like to point out that the story you've related simply doesn't provide a counterpoint to the idea that rapid academic advancement might lead to developmental problems or result from undue pressure. All of the accomplishments you cite could be expected of a precocious student, and could go hand in hand with adjustment issues (and seem to have done so in your case as a colleg…
Hm. I feel that I've written poorly, because I don't understand why you're making your argument from my writing. I feel like you're just restating my argument without the personal experience.
My point in writing was entirely to say that I've been through a similar journey, as have others in my family, and (while I didn't mention this originally), I have friends who have done the same thing. Thus, I have observed this situation from several different perspectives.
Based on what little evidence I have from this article, Ahaan Rungta's family is taking the course of action that has the best probability of a positive outcome. However, as my own story and that of my family illustrates, some kids will do fine and others won't, coming out of essentially the same circumstances.
Will Ahaan Rungta be fine? Depends on what you mean by fine. I mean that he's likely to graduate from school no more messed up than any other college student, and that his family seems to have positioned themselves to do that the best.
Re: Homeschooled with MIT courses at 5, accepted to MIT at 15
#83And then people wonder why there's a teenager suicide epidemic in Palo Alto and Silicon Valley in general...
The problem is mostly that parents and teachers have expectations for students beyond what most of them are intellectually capable of. There is also an excessive emphasis on empty credentialism. Both problems could be tempered via a recognition that people are not blank slates, some people like Ahaan are simply smarter than others, and the average high schooler should not be compared against him.
Re: Homeschooled with MIT courses at 5, accepted to MIT at 15
#84Earlier quoted context omitted.
It isn't cause for despair. In the grand scheme of things, none of us is so important and the desire to "achieve" more than we have is, in some sense, a wish to bless ourselves. There's nothing to prevent you from studying those things today, within the constraints of your spare time. If you find the study intrinsically gratifying, I see no reason you should enjoy it any less because it probably won't result in a pro…
It's not so much despair but longing for something that never could have been. My parents knew what was wrong with me but couldn't understand it themselves. They thought it would be best to hold me back so that I learned how to socialize. It was a rough education. When I do have spare time you bet you'll find me working on a problem, reading a paper, or studying. It's almost like regret knowing that I won't be able t…
>>It's not so much despair but longing for something that never could have been.
Providing an amazing environment for my children has erased all regret for my own childhood. I can see a new hope filled future with new eyes.
Re: Homeschooled with MIT courses at 5, accepted to MIT at 15
#85I just don't understand how a 5 year old can comprehend a college level course. How does he know enough math to follow along any scientific course? How can he be well enough versed in literature to follow along a liberal arts course, or history to comprehend a sociology course?
The math will be a prerequisite so the university will handle making sure he has taken a high enough math. Honestly the hard part about college courses is motivation to study and do assignments not comprehension, so if he is motivated enough he'll do well.
Re: Homeschooled with MIT courses at 5, accepted to MIT at 15
#86Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's not so much despair but longing for something that never could have been. My parents knew what was wrong with me but couldn't understand it themselves. They thought it would be best to hold me back so that I learned how to socialize. It was a rough education. When I do have spare time you bet you'll find me working on a problem, reading a paper, or studying. It's almost like regret knowing that I won't be able t…
I don't know your personal circumstances, but I do know that there are roles for mathematicians to play in many areas outside of academia, and that your age wouldn't preclude these possibilities. If you haven't already, there would be no shame in beginning a PhD at your age (even some successful academics have done so). We are all lucky and unlucky relative to someone else. I think time used on regret or "longing for…
I was lucky in my own ways too!
Life is nothing but an inevitable race to the end. I try to take it slow and steady. Having some regrets is unavoidable! But it makes stories like this all the more sweet. Not all of us had the same chances but someone made it through and that brings a smile to my face.
Re: Homeschooled with MIT courses at 5, accepted to MIT at 15
#87Earlier quoted context omitted.
>pushing your kid like that I dunno about this... we're not intimate with his family so it seems a little unfair to characterize his parents as "pushing him". For all we know, the opposite may have happened and his parents were "holding him back" and trying to prevent a precocious teen from rushing into MIT at age 14 instead of 15. As far as the article's text reveals, it says his parents were responsive and not push…
Yeah for sure... I attended a school for gifted kids. Those who where a lot younger than the rest of us where always pushed by their parents and their parents always told they where not pushing. And that is a first hand experience watching 42 gifted smart young children pushed in our education system and over their interessents on behalf of their parents. I attended this school for 6 years. It was a pain, and as if s…
"I am a hundred percent sure every kid can study MIT classes at every age." Every kid can {Watch a lecture: sure, Study: perhaps, understand: Nope}. Humans have varying levels of intelligence and Ahaan is far more intelligent than most. Disregarding his capacities does both a disservice to him and to everyone else.
Re: Homeschooled with MIT courses at 5, accepted to MIT at 15
#88I consider 4 years of my highschool a complete waste of time and would have loved to jump straight into a university right after elementary school. It would have been great to have OCW available at that time and not having to do everything myself including finding relevant books/sources. Good for Ahaan he escaped it and I wish him the very best of luck @ MIT!
Out of curiousity, why did you find it such a waste?
Re: Homeschooled with MIT courses at 5, accepted to MIT at 15
#89I applaud this family, and am glad for Ahaan's sake that he isn't just shipping himself off to college, but is going to still have his support structure. I was homeschooled, along with my two sisters, my entire educational career until college. We all started taking college classes early, my older sister correspondence at 14, my twin and I correspondence at 15. All of us took classes at local colleges before starting…
With all due respect, and while you might very well be smart, your story is pretty normal. The MIT alumni I've meet (for which selection bias surely is a factor) has been quite beyond that and very much overachievers (in a positive way).
That said, going to college early usually isn't a good idea. People are quite "age sensitive" in that age so you're missing out on a lot of the social stuff. Regardless how good MIT is the rest is still "only" knowledge. I can of course imagine worse things though.
Re: Homeschooled with MIT courses at 5, accepted to MIT at 15
#90Earlier quoted context omitted.
I still mix my small B and small D, and my left and right. Five year old me would've loved a higher level of education though. School was incredibly boring.
We had a new teacher for maths in eighth grade. I remember how enthusiastic he was about set theory. He was so excited to talk about it and reminisced that the first time he saw set theory was in the second year of college. Granted our stuff was just introductory stuff but I doubt I'd care the slightest between AND and OR and associate them with intersection and union if it wasn't for the teachers. Now my professor i…
I was bored, not because of the teachers, but because I didn't have to do much work to comprehend the material.
I never thought of telling anyone that I was working through the rest of the textbook just to keep myself occupied in class. I just kept my head down and did my best to un-bore myself.
Which bit me in the rear end when I got to University and started taking classes that required studying.