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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My kid loves it - physics and math. Went to a Maryland public. As others have said, it is not cut-throat, competitive, [b]but is for kids that want an intellectual environment and enjoy it.[/b]

We visited Northwestern, and my kid was turned off by the student tour guide and student presentation that emphasized how to get out of hard work by taking a course on chocolate, for example.

Yes, trips to different parts of Chicago happen pretty often, my kid tutors, is a member of several clubs and has some good friends groups. They go to museums, Chinatown, Wicker Park, Lincoln Park, little Russia, comedy and concerts.[/quote]

Can you elaborate by what you mean by this?
My daughter wants to study physics or math.  She attends a rigorous DC private and does very well in the hardest math and science classes.  She's used to studying very hard and rising to whatever the academic as is--her school's work-load is 3+ hours of homework nightly and she just plods away at it.

However, she's not an intellectual.  She's not reading math or physics journals for fun.  She barely keeps up with current events. She spends an inordinate amount of time on social media and watching the latest Netflix show.

Would she find her people? [/quote]

This is most ambitious kids (who aren't even necessarily sure what they are ambitious for etc) including my own two DCs. My thought for myself was to keep my DCs out of intellectually demanding places for college (Chicago being one of them). Let them grow up a bit. If they want a real intellectual challenge, they can find int in grad school.[/quote]

This is my quandary. Do they need intense and super rigorous for undergraduate? It’s been good my kid got enriched instruction for stem classes for sure, (magnet) so does that mean “regular” college level stuff won’t be stimulating enough? I think it would be fine,  but don’t want to steer him some place that won’t give him what he needs.

I think I’m grappling with what the point of college is. I remember growing up in college- socially and emotionally- and finally figuring out what I really loved, academically. Grad school then is where I got all the rigor and intensity. But maybe my kid is different.[b] Since he was 7 or so he has been focused on physics and reads about it and thinks about it all the time. [/b]So maybe unlike me he could just go straight to a super intellectual place without burning out.

Do magnet or other highly able kids NEED a place like MIT or Chicago? If they don’t get somewhere that really challenges them, is it the end of the world? [/quote]

Interesting.  My daughter excels at physics C and post-Calculus math with near perfect grades but has never thought about any of this outside of school.  She's mostly on Tiktok and Netflix and hanging out with friends. I wonder how she would do at Chicago.  
Our kids are very different.  I would say that yours would be a good fit whereas mine should probably head to an honors program at a strong state school.  [/quote]

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