The other day a certain envelope from the College Board arrived. A certain envelope bearing some most excellent news–C.’s first AP result. And you’ll be pleased to note that I refrained from telling C. that the score could be obtained a month earlier via phone (for an additional $8 charge). I was in no hurry and I didn’t want her to be either.
This is just the first of what will be many College Board envelopes arriving in the next few years. This coming school year alone she’s slated to take three APs: U.S. History, European History, and Comparative Government. The last one she is self-studying for this summer. Yes, self-studying. On the Metro ride into work with me (the internship’s going great, by the way!) she pulls that book out. Husband Dear is rather in awe; he says never was as disciplined as she is. Must come from me 
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But seriously, this is an example of what sets an übergifted kid from the pack. The drive, the motivation, nay, the compulsion to put in those “10,000 hours” married with the ease of doing so, possessing the raw processing power. Because that’s the thing. It’s fine for the educrati to talk about how everyone can be smart; it’s just a matter of hard work and putting in the hours. It’s another for a kid to actually do it, to want to do it. Ultimately you can’t make someone do it. The urge has to come from within. Which takes us back again to the question of where that compulsion comes from. I’m not here cracking the whip.
Anyway, why all the AP’s? Not Jerry Weast and the 7 Keys, I assure you. No, increasingly she’s setting her eye on top universities overseas, and admittance to those schools (so she tells me, she’s doing all the research) is based almost exclusively on testing.
None of the schools our student applied to wanted AP test results until after admission. They were not part of the application process. Then they were only used for placement once enrolled. Only half of the AP’s taken in MCPS were even accepted in college.
Sorry, meant to say these were all colleges and universities located in USA.
I did the self-studying for the AP exams thing back when I was in high school because at the time my alma mater only offered 1 official AP course (Biology). Times have changed, though, and when my youngest brother graduated in 2003 there were 9 official AP courses.
The sad thing is that I had an easier time getting my AP scores translated into credit. I got credits for all the exams I took, including the 4′s. My brother only got credit for 5′s and not even all of those.
That’s really dedicated!!! I can’t even imagine my child being that dedicated at that age.