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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]OP here - DS is a rising sophomore and increasingly interested in Science - the worst part about all of this is his aptitude for both science and math. His K-8 middle school downplayed his math placement as did his HS - but to a lessor degree. He is a standout in debate and writing and other leadership oriented extracurriculars, but in the past two years he has also won some science awards and has been encouraged by his 8th and 9th science teachers because they see his potential. Physics was his favorite class last year, and he recently started telling people that he wants to major in CS which is why I'm in a panic about this right now. I now see that I need to take a closer look at some of the schools and programs and their requirements and perhaps revisit his situation with the HS - what a mess.[/quote]

PP here, I would say that it's not worth panicking about.  Sure he won't get into MIT but there are plenty of other places he can go where he can get a fantastic science education.  At the SLAC I attended--which has a fantastic rep in the sciences in terms of sending people to doctoral programs in biology, chemistry, physics, and math I met a physics major who (due to a situation you are describing) took calculus for the first time his freshman year in college.  Now he has a national sciences foundation graduate fellowship!  My advice to you would be to apply to places that accept non-conventional students and/or have strong programs across the board.  If your son is interested in physics, might I suggest a small liberal arts school such as Reed or Carleton have very strong programs and are often overlooked by STEM oriented types but look at the whole student in admissions.  There are also other places like Carnegie Melon that have fantastic reputations for engineering and CS.[/quote]

Learning is a process -- some kids lock in to math and science later than their prodigy peers but end up just as strong. My experience is that colleges are way ahead of many parents on this one! They WANT kids who are growing intellectually and finding new challenges all the way through high school. I second the Carleton recommendation. Another option is Rice, which is strong in sciences, but not only sciences, and attracts an interesting mix of kids. [/quote]

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