(no subject)

[jinasphinx]

Remember the EEP survey a couple years ago? The results are up. Kinda pleased that someone said "'But what about the prom?' is BS." That was something that Kate Noble used to ask us, wondering if we felt horribly deprived of the high school experience. I'm not sure anyone managed to get across to her that as nerds, we figured our most likely high school experience would have been getting stuffed into lockers.

Comments

[maniakes.livejournal.com]

I've long been of the opinion that a college-like enviroment is much more conducive of healthy social development than traditional K-12.

College students are there (mostly) voluntarily. K-12 attendence is compulsary, and many (most?) students resent it.

College students, by chosing to be there, are self-selected to value knowledge and academic acheivement.

In college, your peers have similar interests and abilities. In K-12, your peers were just born the same year as you.

There is much less pressure to conform in college.

K-12 students are often treated by the institution like inmates in a prison or mental hospital. College students much less so.

[lirrin.livejournal.com]

That's a really interesting survey for me to read, on many levels. First, I know a number of EEPers for some odd reason. And I had the opportunity to *be* an EEPer but turned it down due to an intense drive to be a kid while I was a kid...and I'm one of those freaks who actually really enjoyed high school. Some of the things attributed to being a younger student/EEPer, I wonder if they're not really just inherent personality differences in those who self-select for EEP. (Yeah yeah, parental pressure and it isn't exactly SELF selecting, but it's not entirely random or imposed from without, either.) I sure relate to a lot of the comments, and I wasn't that much younger than my college classmates. :)

EEP ruined my love life! Film at 11!

[gregtitus.livejournal.com]

The part that really stood out for me was how much and how long-lasting EEP screwed up some of the males' love lives. I remember it being really obvious at the time (how many of the girls had boyfriends vs. how many of the boys had girlfriends), but it hadn't really occurred to me before that that disparity might last so long. But it makes sense, since you stay youngest in your various peer groups (except for other EEPers) for years afterwards, and male physical maturation may last as long as 20 or so.

Maniakes, I disagree with the implied statement that age doesn't matter in college (that it is _unlike_ K-12 where your peers were just born the same year as you). In some sorts of groups it doesn't matter, but socially a difference of 3-4 years is still a really big difference in your late teens and early twenties. It doesn't matter as _much_ in college, perhaps. Even though I would be part of the minority of males who would say that EEP improved my dating life both during and after college, age was still a factor.

Re: EEP ruined my love life! Film at 11!

[maniakes.livejournal.com]

I was referring to how it's decided who your classmates are, K-12 generally grouping students primarily by age. But in my experience age also matters much less socially in college. I wasn't in EEP or a similar program, but I did start college early (at 16), and didn't notice much of a problem due to being younger than most of my peers.

Re: EEP ruined my love life! Film at 11!

[jinasphinx.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was really glad that the respondents brought up that point too; Kate Noble was so concerned that we girls were having a hard time of it (presumably because of the old "girls shouldn't be too smart" value?), but really it seemed to me and others that her concern was misplaced, because of the boys' issues you've just mentioned.

Gee, guess I should have been an EEPer, then...

[cloister27.livejournal.com]

I went to high school, but no, no prom for me. And my dating life was seriously, well, not until my 20s.

Honestly, though, I can't say that I resent not going to prom. At the time, I was really glad not to have had to go through that. It seemed more like an ordeal I was entirely happy to avoid than a fun experience my outcastness co-opted me out of. Even looking back now I don't miss it. I just know I would have had a horrible time.

Mixed feelings...

[georgmi.livejournal.com]

I owe the EEP a pretty significant debt. Everyone I have ever dated (both of them), I met through the EEP. I married an EEPer. Some of my most interesting friends I met through the EEP. The EEP introduced me to the concept that one didn't need to finish high school in order to be accepted to college.

But it would have been a horrible mistake for me to go through the TS. They weren't prepared to deal with me, and I wouldn't have conformed adequately. (I wish I could have seen the looks on some of the EEP faculty's faces when M. visited and told them that she'd married me. It was priceless, I am told.)

That said, spending four years in high school would have been a similar mistake. I was unbelievably pleased to miss my prom. Even at the time, I could see that the people for whom prom was the most important night of their lives were people, well, for whom prom was going to be the most important night of their lives, and how freaking pathetic is that?

For me, high school and even college were things I needed to get through so that I could get on with my life. Twenty years after dropping out of high school, I can see that I was right.

Re: Mixed feelings...

[jinasphinx.livejournal.com]

Ha! I would have paid good money to see that look. :D I'm sure you scared the bejesus out of all of them with your gun talk.

Re: Mixed feelings...

[georgmi.livejournal.com]

*looks innocent* (yeah, right!)

Who, meee?

Yeah, I also feel that might have been an issue for them. :)