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[x2yzh9]

Okay, this is a biggin'.

Private school. Today my mom took me to look at a private school-It's not like most. Tuition is only 6,500(Half of what you'd have in Dallas) and they have some of the best instructors for my grade level teaching there in the country. As a matter of fact,

Dr. Vaughn- Teaches Science, Rocket Scientist, designed the ejection system for the space shuttle. NASA dude.
Dr. Ricard-Doctorate in Math & Physics
SomedudethatIforgethisname-He was trained by the guy in Alaska that tought all the Olympic gold medalists. On Thursdays he comes to teach archery there.

And then,

Population of 8 people in middle/high school-Yea, it's apparently a really small private school.
'Graduation' at 10th grade-When I reach 11th grade there, I'll start taking Dual-Credit courses for college. That means when I get out I'll only need 2 years for an associates/bachelors.. So I'd have 2 years chopped off my path to getting a Masters/Ph D. in Math and Physics/Astrophysics and everything else.
Tight-Knit community-Pretty much everyone knows everyone there.. A good side, I do suppose.
Permanent Chainsaw Garden-They have one of those things where they use chainsaws to sculpt wooden art, and in the drought they lost roughly 5 trees, but their going overkill on their shit. Their installing a steel fucking plate and trying to make another one, making it one of the few permanent chainsaw gardens in the U.S. and the only in Texas.
Studios-They have afterschool studios in things like archery, painting, all those things.

Bad sides are

No football team-With a population of 8 people.. Yeah, no. I really like football, too.
Friends-All my friends are at my current middle school. I think it'd be really hard to..
Money-If I went for all of high school, it'd cost 26,000 USD. That's more than college, right? 4 years in college is roughly 20K for tuition normally, right?

I'm going to ask my friends what they think I should do tomorrow..What do you guys think I should do?

[forsaken1111]

I think you should go.

To address your 'cons':

No football team-With a population of 8 people.. Yeah, no. I really like football, too.

I don't know how big of a deal this is to you. To me it wouldn't matter in the slightest so I cannot really comment.

Friends-All my friends are at my current middle school. I think it'd be really hard to..

You'll make new friends and you can keep in contact with your old friends via phone, e-mail, internet.

Money-If I went for all of high school, it'd cost 26,000 USD. That's more than college, right? 4 years in college is roughly 20K for tuition normally, right?

I'm not sure where you got your numbers for college tuition, I go to university of maryland and pay around 5k per semester.

It sounds like an awesome opportunity, if you like the place (and it sounds like you do) you should go.

[x2yzh9]

Well, on the subject of Football.

It's not like I expect to be a pro football player when I grow up. Hell, our own coaches adressed it, telling us "Football is not the end. Maybe one of you might get a level-one scholarship". It is, however, something I absolutely love. Hell, though I hate while I'm doing it I even like off-season.

Part of me wants to take advantage of it. What with Indian benefits, when I do go to college, I could owe not a penny if I managed my finances acutely enough. At least for the first 4 years. Both my parents were in the military, so I get benefits from that too. It makes me feel guilty not to take full advantage of it.

[Grakelin]

I have to admit, I am a bit confused as to why a boy who believes that girls who don't talk to him are PMSing is going to an exclusive private school, but I notice you listed no social scientists, so I imagine this isn't the sort of school where you are trained to question societal norms.

I pay 5k a semester in tuition at my Canadian University, which does not include the subsidization we get from the government as citizens. This will make about 40k by the end of a 5 year program that includes co-op semesters. I know a student at Harvard who claims he pays about this much yearly. So yeah, it's not costing you more than university. Not that it's your problem: It's not your money.

That said, the negative side that you haven't thought of is that when you get to university, unless you're with a bunch of other trust fund babies, you will be that guy. The college-goers here know who I mean. The kind who has gone to a private school for the formulative years of all their life and has, because of this, not come into contact with any of the lower classes and is completely ignorant about all the issues they face. Find yourself some rich friends to hang out with, because us normals will only associate with you if you are incompetent enough to be controlled.

But otherwise, just do what you like. Give it a lot of thought. It really is a major life change.

[Heron TSG]

Another thing to consider about that high school; there are cheaper ways of getting college credits in high school. At least where I live, the local community college has a program known as Running Start that lets you take college classes that also count towards your high school, such as taking English 101 for 11th grade composition. The tuition is free, you just have to pay lab fees and pay for books. If my podunk little town has that, surely Dallas does. I'm going to be getting my Associate of Arts degree at the same time I graduate high school, for a little less than $1500 in the end.

TL;DR - public high schools have benefits too, dawg.

[forsaken1111]

That said, the negative side that you haven't thought of is that when you get to university, unless you're with a bunch of other trust fund babies, you will be that guy. The college-goers here know who I mean. The kind who has gone to a private school for the formulative years of all their life and has, because of this, not come into contact with any of the lower classes and is completely ignorant about all the issues they face. Find yourself some rich friends to hang out with, because us normals will only associate with you if you are incompetent enough to be controlled.

Valid point, and these guys are usually very awkward in normal social situations. It really depends on the person though.

[Retro]

I went to a private school myself for quite a long time. While it wasn't quite that small (60-70 people per grade by high school), there's... well, there's upsides and downsides to it.

Pro: You get a great education (or at least, you should if it's a good private school, which it certainly seems like from the teachers' backgrounds you've listed), and the dual-courses thing sounds tough but extremely nice (although there's an associated con). I list tough courses as a pro because god damn, much as they are a huge bitch to do well in, they help you improve your writing ability and critical thinking so much. I was able to excel through my entire first year of university because my intensive high school education was significantly harder than the stuff I was subject to then, and it's only recently that I'm starting to really feel challenged (and still largely because of workload).
Con: University (or college, or whatever) is to me one of the most important socializing processes of an adult's education because (on top of being the first chance you ever really get to live on your own without jumping right in to the working world) it's the time where you meet a crazy-wide-diverse group of people and make friends you keep for the rest of your life. If you're cutting two years off that... I don't know, I don't see it being so great. Also, this great private school education comes at a very hefty price (as you've noted).

Money-If I went for all of high school, it'd cost 26,000 USD. That's more than college, right? 4 years in college is roughly 20K for tuition normally, right?

I'm not sure where you got your numbers for college tuition, I go to university of maryland and pay around 5k per semester.

I think that he meant 'overall expenses per year' - my tuition's 6k, but throw in food and living expenses and books and house supplies and all sorts of stuff and it really totals up quickly. My annual expenses are more like 15k, with a bit higher tuition and some very frugal spending habits

Pro: There are so few people around that's it's hard to not bond with new friends, or feel like you're an outsider, or deal with bullying or anything like that.
Con: There are so few people around that your choice of friends are... limited. I had some great friends in my high school, but in reflection I don't really care about most of them any more except for the three or four people I really connected with. On top of that, you are going to be stuck with the same dating pool for quite some time, as will everyone else (I guess you probably won't be too interested in the 3-5 other girls who will actually be at this crazy school-for-eight-people though, so get ready to look elsewhere). And though you can keep your old friends, sure, you will find yourself slowly drifting out of touch with them.

Overall the education is just... unreal, really, and you more or less have to come out of it with some capability in critical thinking, but I find socially it really restricted me. I have a great, wide group of close friends at university, but in a private high school I just felt like I was stagnating all the time, more or less forced to be friends with people who I didn't really share all that many interests with. Since you're still in middle school, you may want to consider hanging around in there until it's high school time and reconsidering then, or possibly looking at other private schools (I was initially thinking 8 kids a grade, which was pretty small in itself, but 8 kids total over six grades is just unreal, and will compound heavily on both the pros and cons of friend relations I've listed above). If you do decide to go ahead with this, I'd heavily advocate getting involved in something with a big social group of kids your own age outside of school so you actually have a social pool.

I have to admit, I am a bit confused as to why a boy who believes that girls who don't talk to him are PMSing is going to an exclusive private school, but I notice you listed no social scientists, so I imagine this isn't the sort of school where you are trained to question societal norms.

ice burnnnnnnnn

So yeah, it's not costing you more than university. Not that it's your problem: It's not your money.

Absolutely. If your parents are considering this at all, it means they can afford it, and that's something you should not feel guilty over taking advantage of (so long as you don't dick around and do terribly out of laziness and basically waste the experience).

That said, the negative side that you haven't thought of is that when you get to university, unless you're with a bunch of other trust fund babies, you will be that guy. The college-goers here know who I mean. The kind who has gone to a private school for the formulative years of all their life and has, because of this, not come into contact with any of the lower classes and is completely ignorant about all the issues they face. Find yourself some rich friends to hang out with, because us normals will only associate with you if you are incompetent enough to be controlled.

Big exaggeration from my point of view - All my friends are just average kids, about half of which are using student loans to get through university, and I'm certainly not 'that guy' (nor am I magically 'ignorant to all the issues "you normals" face'). Of course I do know a few people with some massive entitlement issues and horrible social deficiencies, but they are few and far between, and I avoid them as much as possible :\

And if you're really on the fence about the whole thing after a fair period of deliberation, do it for the chainsaw garden because holy shit man chainsaw garden

[KaminaSquirtle]

Another thing to consider about that high school; there are cheaper ways of getting college credits in high school. At least where I live, the local community college has a program known as Running Start that lets you take college classes that also count towards your high school, such as taking English 101 for 11th grade composition. The tuition is free, you just have to pay lab fees and pay for books. If my podunk little town has that, surely Dallas does. I'm going to be getting my Associate of Arts degree at the same time I graduate high school, for a little less than $1500 in the end.

TL;DR - public high schools have benefits too, dawg.

MN has you one-upped man.  We've got the Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program which pays for free (everything, even textbooks, though you do have to return them at the end of the semester) university courses if you are a junior or senior and have run out of courses to take at your high school.  You do have to be accepted into the program at the university you wish to take the classes, and the requirements are quite a bit higher than being accepted into the university normally.
This is actually what I'm enrolled in right now.  By the time I actually apply to college, I'll have enough credits to be junior.

What...was the point of this?
Oh yeah, MN is the best state!

Dr. Ricard-Doctorate in Math & Physics

You know the education system is a mess when the minimum requirements for being a professor are enough to make you 'one of the best instructors in the country'.

More on topic, I would say go for it, my only reservation is the population of only 8 kids.  That doesn't seem like enough people to socialize with to me, but hey it's your call.

That said, the negative side that you haven't thought of is that when you get to university, unless you're with a bunch of other trust fund babies, you will be that guy. The college-goers here know who I mean. The kind who has gone to a private school for the formulative years of all their life and has, because of this, not come into contact with any of the lower classes and is completely ignorant about all the issues they face. Find yourself some rich friends to hang out with, because us normals will only associate with you if you are incompetent enough to be controlled.

Valid point, and these guys are usually very awkward in normal social situations. It really depends on the person though.

Agreed.  I haven't met any people like this, but i can imagine...
You may be socially gimped by having only 8 people in your school.  Maybe you won't.  I don't know you.

I'm always instantly wary of the academic credit of private schools, I've seen too many that boast too much but hardly do better than the public schools if at all.  But this thing sounds pretty legit to me.

TL;DR: Go for it, it may be weird having only a few people to hang out with, but it sounds like it would benefit you greatly academically.

HOPY SHIT HUGE RETRO POST.

[SalmonGod]

Besides education in public high school being completely worthless in general (I learned more browsing the internet in my teen years), the opportunity to spend time with such high caliber role models sounds extremely valuable.  They could also end up useful contacts and references for a very long time, which can often be more important even than a degree.

You can also look into whether there are any sports leagues outside of school where you live.  I think sports were one of the most valuable experiences of high school, and I haven't done any athletics since.  It's a discipline & attitude thing.  Plus exercise at your age is really important since you're building the basic body shape you're probably going to have for the rest of your life.

Not many people hang on to high school friends for long, especially if they go anywhere.  Although I'd imagine you're more likely to hang on to people you meet and spend time with in a close-knit, unique, and intelligent atmosphere.

Yes, you will likely strain social compatibility with many demographics beyond high school, but the importance of this is really up to you.  I can't imagine it being too much of an issue outside of low-level undergrad courses.  Personally, I would find it a small price to pay for a unique experience that will directly feed into your potential.

Of course I will play down the social aspect, though, because I went to public schools all the way through and had no real life friends from roughly ages 9-15.  I grew up in a creepy backwater area in Indiana where I was the only kid I knew who was non-christian, raised in an intellectual environment, openly played video games, D&D, used internet, wasn't racist, etc.  This place was very much like small towns are typically portrayed in horror movies, and I simply didn't fit in.  So take my perspectives on social matters with a grain of salt.

[Retro]

HOPY SHIT HUGE RETRO POST.

that's how we roll in private school bro

[x2yzh9]

Alright, so in short

BIG ASS BENEFITS
2 years of college chopped off
1.NASA DUDE HOLY SHIT
2.CHAINSAW FUCKING GARDEN
3.CHAINSAW GARDEN
4. SEE 1
5. SEE 1-4
6. Dual-Course Credit Classes
7. Looks like some sort of uber-settlement. Seriously, they've got their own farm and bonfire place and everything.
8. Rocket Scientist with a German-sounding name. See 1.
9. ALSO MATH DUDE

Seriously considering it now.

[Retro]

Alright, so in short

BIG ASS BENEFITS

I would stress again to really weigh the pros against the cons while considering this. The benefits are awesome but the downsides can get pretty tough.

[Heron TSG]

Besides education in public high school being completely worthless in general (I learned more browsing the internet in my teen years)

Public high school in my town (classes of about 100) isn't even that bad. If you try to learn (if you run out of assignments ask for more) then you will. If you want to learn by yourself, that's fine too, but usually you can get teachers to teach you more. In fact, they'll probably enjoy teaching something that they know that they haven't been teaching everyone for years.

[SalmonGod]

Besides education in public high school being completely worthless in general (I learned more browsing the internet in my teen years)

Public high school in my town (classes of about 100) isn't even that bad. If you try to learn (if you run out of assignments ask for more) then you will. If you want to learn by yourself, that's fine too, but usually you can get teachers to teach you more. In fact, they'll probably enjoy teaching something that they know that they haven't been teaching everyone for years.

Yeah... I realize most places aren't as bad.  I was actually really lucky to move to a much better school for my last two years.  I went from being one of the smartest in my school to being mediocre in the blink of an eye.

Even so, I've never seen much of real use in high school unless you get advanced placement in hard sciences/math, which is still only useful if you go on to do something which uses those skills...  Everything else is mostly busy work and brainwashing.  I felt like the first couple years of college were mostly about cleansing myself of high school... correcting bad knowledge and conditioning... it was worse than starting from scratch.

[Zangi]

As suggested before...  see if you can join the local school football team or something.  Especially seeing as you like it a lot.
Speak to the private school about it and hope they can and are willing to help with that.  Otherwise, go the the local school about it and see what can be done.  Gotta go out and make it happen if you want it enough...