Oklahoma's math/science school merits support of state, lawmakers | News OK (http://newsok.com/oklahomas-mathscience-school-merits-support-of-state-lawmakers/article/4745500)

That article has one of the better comment sections I've seen on the DOK... possibly because many of the posters were OSSM grads.

The Oklahoman helped get these jokers elected. Now they're surprised?

Can't say I have just great things to say about OSSM (or other state's similar programs). Yes, they do create incredibly intelligent people. But speaking from experience with those that attend there (especially if they went both years), they severely lack a couple things. The ability to manage their own time and how to interact socially with people of different intelligence levels. Now, before you call bunk on that, I'm telling you this because it's out of the mouth of several of my friends that went there and from other people I've known from other schools.

What they also don't tell you is the collegiate fail/drop rate for these kids. The have a pretty damned high fail rate for someone so damned smart. That time business is one thing, but also so many of them feel like the freshman courses are too easy so they don't attend. Then they fail for stupid reasons like missing exams or homework...not because they don't know the material. And you cant clep out of everything!

About 1/2 of the people I know that went there, decided to only go one of the two years. Those people actually are happier with their experience than those that went both years....and are much more balanced people as well. I'm going to get a lot of flack for this, but the school does NOT create people, it creates minds. Expensive minds that (at least in urban areas) could be better served from all aspects by concurrent enrollment or even I.B. programs.

This isn't just in OK. Family members of mine have attended schools like this in other states. They all say the same things I'm telling you...out of the horses mouth, not just my opinion here. Most of them wish they hadn't ever attended because they did NOT have a good experience and missed out on a LOT at their "home" school.

And guess what, I know people that have taught there too. Their comments fall right in line with this. I'm sorry if people don't like it, but I've had too many people say these things from different sides of the program to ignore it.

Where this school could be more helpful is for the rural kids that don't have access to concurrent enrollment. Yes, there are students from all parts of the state. The school does recruit the kids. But guess what....it's at 144 students partly because students are choosing (more now than before) NOT to go there.

Yeah the kids that go to OSSM are really smart. I took my ACT there years ago and some of the students were talking about how they only got a 32 the last time they took it. But I do agree that some of the student that go to OSSM do have issues with interacting with people. It's not that some of the people that I know that went there were weird they just didn't know how to talk to or interact with people.

With all due respect to posters here who are perpetuating common stereotypes, I'll take direct testimony of the commenters at the end of the article who actually went there to the "friend" or "friend of a friend" comments. There is a serious anti intellectualism bent here in OK. Because someone isn't trying to be homecoming queen or baddest ass on the football field doesn't make them socially inept. If you've been privileged enough to know some of these and other brilliant young people you would know and appreciate their personalities. Because they would rather talk about physics than going to get drunk doesn't make the socially backward.

By the way, I knew plenty of socially awkward dumb kids in high school too.

I hope we can support adequately fundIng this school. We give much lip service to wanting the smart creative class here in OKC to help it grow in a special way. We have a local incubator for best and brightest who can excell in demanding industries which value intellectual endeavors. We need to really, really support it.

That's putting words in my mouth...and it's not accurate. I'm not talking about being homecoming king. I'm talking about not being able to interact with people in a normal manner. It's a common documented problem in people of high intelligence. You don't have to believe me, but you can even google some to find credible sources for that. OSSM doesn't provide its students with a way to help counter that, rather it actually reinforces the isolation. And isolation IS the appropriate word.

I think you also missed the point where I mentioned the comments from the students themselves. I'm not just spouting my opinions from my rear-end, although you appear to think so. My comments below are based on the comments from students and teachers inside the facility. How many people here can say they see it from both sides?

I'm in no way saying that the school should go. I'm saying that it's not doing what it SHOULD be doing. Students near a university would be better served taking courses there. OSSM can do a better job by focusing on the students that don't have access to other programs. On-Site programs like International Baccalaureate have been shown to do a MUCH better job of preparing students for college. THOSE students have a much better retention rate. Concurrent Enrollment serve equally well by giving ACTUAL experience in the college classroom as well. If you recall, I mentioned the college dropout/fail rate of OSSM students....it's disgustingly high. As a tax payer, I view that as a waste of time and money. And FYI - that's also not uncommon for a traditional high school's 4.0 students. It's not because they aren't smart, it's because they aren't properly taught how to organize themselves when they transition from the INSANELY regulated life of OSSM, to the freedom of college where someone isn't telling you what to do every 5 minutes. Yes, it's a problem for all students, but it's been shown statistically that the upper intelligence range has a higher problem adapting. Again, if you don't believe me, go ask any high school counselor...or check out how many people at community colleges are HS 4.0 kids that failed out...I know two OSSM people very close to me that are perfect examples of that. And several high school classmates that succumbed to the same pressure.

I don't think it's doing a good job to serve its students. Flat out. Never has, and as long as it continues to operate the way it is, it never will. And the decline in enrollment will only continue as more people realize that they have better options at home.

Social interaction is not a matter of intelligence. I know plenty of stupid people who have trouble interacting and I know lots of intelligent people who are very skilled socially. Quit spreading the old geek vs. jock stereotypes that are propagated in teen movies. This is like saying all athletes are stupid, or all blondes are stupid. Maybe the intelligent kids aren't anti social, maybe they just don't want to talk about stupid stuff.

BTW, I can google support for just about ANY argument I want to make. It is the good and the bad of the internet. Many people don't use the internet to find the TRUTH, they use it to find support for what they already think.

One of my best friends went to OSSM and is quite adept at interacting with others in a social setting.

It's a great offering for special people and it should be supported much more than it currently is.

Because normal high school isn't socially isolating for the extremely intelligent??

In all seriousness, OSSM is a great school. If anything we need much, much more of that in this state.