11-Year-Old Graduates From LA [Community] College

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the story of an 11-year-old who graduated from a community college with a degree in astrophysics. Participants explore themes related to child prodigies, the challenges they face, and the implications of early academic success. The conversation touches on personal anecdotes, educational experiences, and the potential future of gifted children.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express admiration for the young graduate, noting the need for more intelligent individuals in society.
  • Anecdotes are shared about other prodigies, including a story from a professor about a 15-year-old student who excelled in graduate courses, highlighting the presence of exceptionally gifted individuals in academia.
  • Concerns are raised about the long-term outcomes for child prodigies, with some participants questioning whether they might experience burnout or mental health issues as they grow older.
  • There is speculation about the educational paths available for students interested in astrophysics, with one participant noting the absence of formal degrees in the field at certain institutions.
  • Some participants reflect on their own academic experiences, expressing feelings of inadequacy when comparing themselves to exceptionally smart peers.
  • One participant shares a story about a child who invented algebra, suggesting that early brilliance can be accompanied by personal challenges, including mental health issues in the family.
  • Advice is offered regarding leveraging the strengths of others in academic settings, emphasizing collaboration over individual struggle.
  • Concerns are voiced about the potential negative outcomes for child prodigies, referencing a troubling story about a former child prodigy who faced significant life challenges.
  • Participants express hope that the young graduate will succeed and contribute to the academic community through research and publications.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the admiration for the young graduate and the potential challenges faced by child prodigies. However, there are multiple competing views regarding the long-term outcomes for such individuals, with no consensus reached on the best paths for them.

Contextual Notes

Some discussions reference the lack of formal degrees in astrophysics at certain community colleges and the ambiguity surrounding the term "discipline" in academic contexts. Concerns about mental health and the pressures faced by gifted individuals remain unresolved.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to educators, psychologists, parents of gifted children, and individuals interested in the implications of early academic success.

Ivan Seeking
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...When Cavalin started college at the age of 8, he may have been the youngest person in class, but he ended up tutoring some of his 19- and 20-year-old classmates in math and science. Cavalin was one of 3 in the school graduating with a 4.0 GPA.

Astrophysics is his passion. Albert Einstein and Bruce Lee are among his idols...
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/11-Year-Old-Graduates-From-LA-College.html?yhp=1

It was interesting to note how Fox News reported this story.
11-Year-Old Graduates College With Degree in Astrophysics
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,525254,00.html

Is there such a thing as an AA in Astrophysics?
 
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Physics news on Phys.org
Good for him, we need more smart people in the world.

I just visited an old professor today at his farm with his wife. He was telling us a story about when he was an undergrad at MIT. He scored a 41 on the test, and the kid in front of him got a 37. He went up to the teacher and asked why he got a 37. The teacher told him, "You used all this funny notation and so I took off points". The student then told him, that's short hand for tensor notation. The professor then looked at his paper again and said "come with me!". They walked out, and he never saw him again. Weeks later he saw the kid across the street from where he lived and asked him why he wasn't in class anymore. The kid told him the professor moved him to graduate math courses, and that the 'student' was 15 years old. My professor said that's when he realized he was among people he could never be as smart as no matter how hard he tried.

(This was back in the 60's and he was a physics major. The class was freshman physics)
 
Giggle, http://www.elac.edu/academic/ELAC_Catalog0709SM.pdf

They have it as a "discipline" whatever the hell that means, but no degree or certificate. I HAVE heard of degrees in astronomy from city colleges... but i heard it a long time ago... possibly in a world that doesn't exist... or Ukraine.

I wonder what ever happens to kids like these? Oh I know tensors in 3rd grade, I can solve complex differential equations by 5th grade... where do they tend to end up? I hope they all don't burn out or go insane with their genius. Makes you feel kinda dumb though huh...

5 bucks says Cyrus is going to copy that last sentence and make it into a joke at my expense.
 
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Cyrus said:
Good for him, we need more smart people in the world.

I just visited an old professor today at his farm with his wife. He was telling us a story about when he was an undergrad at MIT. He scored a 41 on the test, and the kid in front of him got a 37. He went up to the teacher and asked why he got a 37. The teacher told him, "You used all this funny notation and so I took off points". The student then told him, that's short hand for tensor notation. The professor then looked at his paper again and said "come with me!". They walked out, and he never saw him again. Weeks later he saw the kid across the street from where he lived and asked him why he wasn't in class anymore. The kid told him the professor moved him to graduate math courses, and that the 'student' was 15 years old. My professor said that's when he realized he was among people he could never be as smart as no matter how hard he tried.

(This was back in the 60's and he was a physics major. The class was freshman physics)


This is true, while I was an undergrad at alma matter I thought I was SMART!. Now as a Grad student, boy I AM LOSING FAITH! hahaha. So many smart people in Grad School!. It's amazing!. I am glad I am Smart enough to survive and have a 4.0 GPA in Grad School, but damn.. I am glad I am not smart enough to feel pressured about wanting to have an original new idea like John Forbes, or Daniel McFadden, Gordon Newell or others.

Pengwuino said:
Giggle, http://www.elac.edu/academic/ELAC_Catalog0709SM.pdf

They have it as a "discipline" whatever the hell that means, but no degree or certificate. I HAVE heard of degrees in astronomy from city colleges... but i heard it a long time ago... possibly in a world that doesn't exist... or Ukraine.

I wonder what ever happens to kids like these? Oh I know tensors in 3rd grade, I can solve complex differential equations by 5th grade... where do they tend to end up? I hope they all don't burn out or go insane with their genius. Makes you feel kinda dumb though huh...

5 bucks says Cyrus is going to copy that last sentence and make it into a joke at my expense.

Pengwuino, some do don't live up to their expectation or potential. Have you ever heard about William James Sidis?
 
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:smile: reading that other thread about us being significant was silly. THIS article makes me feel insignificant...
 
Pengwuino said:
Giggle, http://www.elac.edu/academic/ELAC_Catalog0709SM.pdf

They have it as a "discipline" whatever the hell that means, but no degree or certificate. I HAVE heard of degrees in astronomy from city colleges... but i heard it a long time ago... possibly in a world that doesn't exist... or Ukraine.

I wonder what ever happens to kids like these? Oh I know tensors in 3rd grade, I can solve complex differential equations by 5th grade... where do they tend to end up? I hope they all don't burn out or go insane with their genius. Makes you feel kinda dumb though huh...

5 bucks says Cyrus is going to copy that last sentence and make it into a joke at my expense.

My professors wife was telling a story about a kid who grew up with her. While in elementary school this kid decided to invent algebra while everyone else was learning addition. The teacher couldn't believe this kid invented algebra on his own. He moved away and years later she read in a newspaper he had graduated with a PhD in mathematics from UCLA, which was a top school at the time, at age (15?). But his mother was mentally ill and killed herself when the kid was 3. She never heard about this guy again after that article and suspects he might also be mentally ill since it typically runs in the family.
 
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Cyclovenom said:
This is true, while I was an undergrad at alma matter I thought I was SMART!. Now as a Grad student, boy I AM LOSING FAITH! hahaha. So many smart people in Grad School!. It's amazing!. I am glad I am Smart enough to survive and have a 4.0 GPA in Grad School, but damn.. I am glad I am not smart enough to feel pressured about wanting to have an original new idea like John Forbes, or Daniel McFadden, Gordon Newell or others.

I use people to my advantage. If I know someone is good at something, I just go to them and have them show it to me. You get a lot more work done, quicker, and of higher quality, when you use other peoples strengths to your advantage. Otherwise, you pound your head trying to do what you know someone else is already good at. Cut out the middle man (yourself in this case), and go to the source. I do this all the time. If I have a question, I'll call up a contact at Hopkins, or NASA Langley, or another any other source I might have up my sleeve. I never try to do things on my own unless I know I can't get someone to do/explain it for me. I just don't have the time to sit there and try and do everything from scratch on my own, nor do I care to.
 
That's very good advice, Cyrus.

By the way, check this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Demaine"
 
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Cyclovenom said:
That's very good advice, Cyrus.

By the way, check this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Demaine"

Tell that guy to make me some kind of cool ipod/web browser computer -thingy that I can go oooh ahh. CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK.
 
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  • #11
Hopefully the kid turns out ok and will publish a lot of papers.
 
  • #12
Pengwuino said:
I wonder what ever happens to kids like these? Oh I know tensors in 3rd grade, I can solve complex differential equations by 5th grade... where do they tend to end up? I hope they all don't burn out or go insane with their genius. Makes you feel kinda dumb though huh...

The one child prodigy genius type I knew in school (he was only about 4 years ahead) did end up burning out. Since he was so good in math and physics in high school, he of course headed to university for physics. He ended up hating the subject...just because you're good at it doesn't mean it's what you want to do the rest of your life. Once getting over his depression, he ended up switching to a liberal arts major. He seemed happier last I heard from him, but I also haven't heard from him in about 10 years. He never had a normal childhood, and his adult social relations suffered for it. Sometimes you just have to let kids be kids, no matter how smart they are.

Edit: Though, hee, maybe this is more a commentary on the level of education provided by that particular community college...so easy, even an 11 year old can do it! :biggrin:
 
  • #13
Moonbear said:
Edit: Though, hee, maybe this is more a commentary on the level of education provided by that particular community college...so easy, even an 11 year old can do it! :biggrin:
Sign up for our courses. If you have trouble, we'll get an 11-year-old to tutor you.
 
  • #14
I have a lot in common with this young man. When I was 11, I didn't play video games either.
 
  • #15
Cavalin's parents avoid calling their son a genius. They say he's just an average kid who enjoys studying as much as he likes playing ...

Cavalin has a general idea what his IQ is, but doesn't like to discuss it.

I think his parents are smart enough not to put him in pressure, at least in public.
 
  • #16
Moonbear said:
Edit: Though, hee, maybe this is more a commentary on the level of education provided by that particular community college...so easy, even an 11 year old can do it! :biggrin:

My friend (The one that PMed you about Med School a while back), had 8 year old girl in his biology class who would answer the professors questions when the rest of the lecture hall was dead silent. The professor said, "see, its so easy a child can do it!"
 
  • #17
I hope he can help us unravel some of the mysteries of the universe. I'm sure I'll be reading his papers shortly.
 
  • #18
I feel so dumb. :(
 
  • #19
Topher925 said:
I feel so dumb. :(

That's because you are. :smile:
 
  • #20
How can one maintain this feeling (feeling inferior, challenged, puzzled, astonished)? If I could maintain this for a good while, I think it might motivate me to tackle difficult subjects (of course difficult on my scale would be a walk in the park for those geniuses).
 
  • #21
Moonbear said:
Edit: Though, hee, maybe this is more a commentary on the level of education provided by that particular community college...so easy, even an 11 year old can do it! :biggrin:

It does vary a lot. Some California community colleges offer a complete curriculum that is fully transferable to any UC school. Others do not.
 
  • #22
AhmedEzz said:
How can one maintain this feeling (feeling inferior, challenged, puzzled, astonished)? If I could maintain this for a good while, I think it might motivate me to tackle difficult subjects (of course difficult on my scale would be a walk in the park for those geniuses).

Why would you want to maintain "this feeling (feeling inferior, challenged, puzzled, astonished)?"

It's one of those, if you have to ask you probably don't love what you do. You're asking us how to love what you do. It doesn't work that way.
 
  • #23
I'd hesitate to label him as a genius just for completing community college at such a young age. This surely demonstrates a high level of motivation and intelligence for his age, but it does not necessarily mean that he will retain the same proportional advantage over his peers by the time his peers are getting real accredited degrees at respectable institutions. And let's face it, a community college degree is not normally respectable. Also, from the limited quotations given in the article, his grammar seems below average for college graduates.
 
  • #24
Cyrus said:
Why would you want to maintain "this feeling (feeling inferior, challenged, puzzled, astonished)?"
It's one of those, if you have to ask you probably don't love what you do. You're asking us how to love what you do. It doesn't work that way.

Thanks for elaborating, I do see what you mean. I am starting to question my motives but I think this always happens when things get messy and you don't want to deal with it anymore. However, when the dust clears off, it is then that you realize, you wouldn't want to do anything else. Sounds poetic, but I hope that is the case. Maybe people with more experience can have a better say.
 
  • #25
Cyrus said:
My friend (The one that PMed you about Med School a while back), had 8 year old girl in his biology class who would answer the professors questions when the rest of the lecture hall was dead silent. The professor said, "see, its so easy a child can do it!"

God I probably would have killed myself if I had to deal with that.

Not really but man that would have been annoying to have a kid answering all the questions you can't in class.
 
  • #26
Pengwuino said:
God I probably would have killed myself if I had to deal with that.

Not really but man that would have been annoying to have a kid answering all the questions you can't in class.

You should kill yourself anyways. Frankly, I wouldn't really care if an 8 year old was answering questions.
 
  • #27
Cyrus said:
You should kill yourself anyways. Frankly, I wouldn't really care if an 8 year old was answering questions.

You son of a... i laughed/coughed wihle i was eating my burrito and reading that and i think i got snot in my food. Oh well. I am eating it anyways
 
  • #28
Pengwuino said:
You son of a... i laughed/coughed wihle i was eating my burrito and reading that and i think i got snot in my food. Oh well. I am eating it anyways
That's not snot. It's congealed fish oil. Probably high in Omega 3 fatty acids.
 
  • #29
Pengwuino said:
God I probably would have killed myself if I had to deal with that.

Not really but man that would have been annoying to have a kid answering all the questions you can't in class.

I don't know, I was thinking it was brilliant! Now I'm trying to figure out who has an 8-year-old I can borrow to plant in my classes with all the answers to my questions. :biggrin: :devil:
 
  • #30
Pengwuino said:
God I probably would have killed myself if I had to deal with that.

Not really but man that would have been annoying to have a kid answering all the questions you can't in class.

uhhhhhhh that reminds me of my old days and how I pissed off my colleagues while I answer the prophessors questions:biggrin:


seriously though, I was thinking of medicine as for a career option, but I change my mind and major in physics out of challenge! and start to like it throughout the different courses..you feel like you work out your mind very well


note: you should never eat alone, just in case..you know
 

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