SMU On the Difference Between HPHS and Woodrow Wilson (Dallas: transfer to, top schools)

[TX75007]

Originally Posted by hsw

Career paths today are far different from even 10-15yrs ago when Wharton undergrad to Goldman trading and then some hedge fund in NYC or SF were the rage...economy and wealth creation have changed dramatically where smartest kids today would rather be a 19yo, $200K/yr software engineer at a Google in MV than a 19yo, $100K/yr trader at a Goldman in Manhattan (and odds are better for any smart, shrewd engineer at a start-up to earn far more than anyone of similar age at GS or some big hedge fund when that start-up is sold to some BigTech)...and any competent parents' advice re: education and career paths should consider these dynamics...

The money quote.

A smart kid should be done with their first BS when they are 19 and then get that CS PHD when they are 22 along with a handful of patents then take the $200K job when they are 23. And have no debt. Another route is to get the BS at 19, go into the Navy as a Nuke, leave at 25, then get a 200K job as an operator. Another route is the BS at 19, then go into Petroleum engineering or ChemE.

The strong AP/SAT route is fine, but finishing in the top 5% of the AIME is better. Then you can write your ticket in other areas.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by TX75007

The money quote.

A smart kid should be done with their first BS when they are 19 and then get that CS PHD when they are 22 along with a handful of patents then take the $200K job when they are 23. And have no debt. Another route is to get the BS at 19, go into the Navy as a Nuke, leave at 25, then get a 200K job as an operator. Another route is the BS at 19, then go into Petroleum engineering or ChemE.

The strong AP/SAT route is fine, but finishing in the top 5% of the AIME is better. Then you can write your ticket in other areas.

You and hsw lack a working knowledge of Parkie culture- today and 20 or 40 years ago. It is - mostly- an "old money" economy and "old money"-type education and careers are valued and prioritized. 50% of HPHS grads leave the state for college- and the majority head east to preppy / brainy places like UVA, Duke, Vandy, Wake, etc. They aren't going to MIT in droves and they certainly aren't going straight to MV or Silicon Valley straight into start-ups.

Even graduates from more recent classes than mine (grads from mid-2000's who are just 1-2 years out of college) are employed in commercial real estate here in Dallas (comb through the Collier's or old Staubach co directories if you will....) or are putting the final touches on their SMU/UT/"HBS as a huge reach" MBA applications or are 2/3 way through law school or in med school. These are still the desired and lucrative career paths for the vast majority of HP grads today. Not flashy .com jobs. Maybe a few will try, but most won't. It's far more important to be educated in a well-rounded classical way (liberal arts + business) than to fly through college at warp speed on the way to becoming the next Zuckerburg.....in Parkieville, at least!

[pepper131]

The kids I have known who left HP to attend a Booker T are the true art and performer types who never felt comfortable in a Parkie environment - they didn't make many friends because they didn't have common interests. Funny enough, they all seem to be boys. None are girls. One particular boy is an incredible visual artist and is at the top of his class.

I've known less Parkie kids at SEM, although there are a few. When you are a true math and science nerd, SEM is the only fit for you - where you take PAP Algebra 2, PAP Pre Cal and PAP Geometry in 9th grade...unless you get into TAMS. Again, it's about being surrounded with classmates you are comfortable to be around, according to my son who attends SEM, kids who can beast a formulas and are proud of it.

[synchronicity]

BS at 19 and PhD in CS at 22, with handful of patents?

Last I checked the average SAT at HPISD was 1260, not 1560.

Heck, I know at least some people who got 800 Math SAT's and went to CalTech or MIT, and last I checked none of them were dotcom zillionaires. Of course, they ONLY took the SAT their junior years (most at age 17), so obviously they're stupid.

Really, we're talking about overall culture for entire 'burbs. Not to mention that most of the young razor sharp CS types I can think of have a very narrow focus and for that reason wouldn't be able to launch a highly valuable dotcom. In fact, the overwhelming majority of people I know (or know of) who've advanced far in their careers made it not by being fantastically good at one particular thing, but by being able to bring disparate areas of expertise together into an integrated whole. It's not about knowing one thing really well, but by knowing several things well enough and being able to bridge the gaps between them and see connections where others haven't.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by pepper131

The kids I have known who left HP to attend a Booker T are the true art and performer types who never felt comfortable in a Parkie environment - they didn't make many friends because they didn't have common interests. Funny enough, they all seem to be boys. None are girls. One particular boy is an incredible visual artist and is at the top of his class.

I've known less Parkie kids at SEM, although there are a few. When you are a true math and science nerd, SEM is the only fit for you - where you take PAP Algebra 2, PAP Pre Cal and PAP Geometry in 9th grade...unless you get into TAMS. Again, it's about being surrounded with classmates you are comfortable to be around, according to my son who attends SEM, kids who can beast a formulas and are proud of it.

Exactly. Kids who leave HP (or any DISD neighborhood high school) for a DISD magnet are the outliers (and I mean that in a complementary way- they have authentic talent & mature drive) and not close to the "norm."

HP does an outstanding job of facilitating curriculum for students who are light years ahead of their peers in math & science, but it is through college dual enrollment @ SMU and UTD and lacks the social/ peer support of a magnet. The math whiz from my class (as in was traveling to the middle school for algebra by mid-elementary school) is now a professor at a top 20 university. Zero social skills, but truly a math genius.

[CREW747]

Going back to the Woodrow issues,I think that there needs to be some changes in schools with this kind of student body.Teaching these kids that education is a vessle into a better life is the foundation to break out of what they come from.The apple does not fall from the tree.DISD needs to address the issues they have even if that means taking a different approach within state mandated rules.

[TX75007]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

You and hsw lack a working knowledge of Parkie culture- today and 20 or 40 years ago.

I think I do. I have that SMU MBA and deal with Commercial RE regularly. Nothing like helping the "well rounded" kids find themselves during the final year classes. And then having them try to "even the score" in the restroom because some of us "made them look bad." I STILL get to put their pants on them from time to time.

or are putting the final touches on their SMU/UT/"HBS as a huge reach" MBA applications or are 2/3 way through law school or in med school. These are still the desired and lucrative career paths for the vast majority of HP grads today. Not flashy .com jobs. Maybe a few will try, but most won't. It's far more important to be educated in a well-rounded classical way (liberal arts + business) than to fly through college at warp speed on the way to becoming the next Zuckerburg.....in Parkieville, at least!

I its really about working at your own pace. If you get your BS at 19, then you can go to Law or Med School a lot sooner. A friend's kid started law school at 19 and another started med school when she was 20. You can choose to be complacent or to try to redshirt yourself, too. But, who does that shortchange in the end?

Originally Posted by CREW747

Going back to the Woodrow issues,I think that there needs to be some changes in schools with this kind of student body.Teaching these kids that education is a vessle into a better life is the foundation to break out of what they come from.The apple does not fall from the tree.DISD needs to address the issues they have even if that means taking a different approach within state mandated rules.

Complacency is infectious. Unless the parents and the culture are changed, then nothing will change. A few kids will get it on their own, but most will not. By 8 years of age, a child's brain is 80% of the way it will be when they become an adult.

[Lakewooder]

Believe it or not we often have a couple of HP students at Woodrow. They used to pay tuition but the district no longer charges.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

Believe it or not we often have a couple of HP students at Woodrow. They used to pay tuition but the district no longer charges.

Yup, they go to Woodrow to get into the top 8-10% of class and get into UT (or get into a better private school WITH scholarship)......something they're unable to do within HPHS' competitive set or school profile.

It's been happening for years now.

[Lakewooder]

Well you certainly are assuming! You are conveniently forgetting that Woodrow has a top tier on par with other schools, if not better. I can't think of any HP kids who have been in the top ten percent recently. It's not as easy as you think - the top ten percent is usually 23-28 kids. The majority of our top ten percent don't always go to UT or A&M.