TED Community » Donald Bystrom

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Education, International Baccalaureate, High school, Engeneering Careers, General Aviation and it's community, Tutoring, and Suburban surroundings of St. Paul Minnesota, from a 16 year old's view.

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• A comment on Conversation: I want to become a Theoretical physicist, how can i become one? (Thank you for your time and kind consideration.

  Aug 26 2012: I am very impressed with your dedication to pursue your interest in physics. Although I am yet another high school student commenting on your question, you may find that great advice can come from peers your own age. As a senior, 12th Grade in the US system, and finishing up my International Baccalaureate diploma, I remember my own personal project: I explained parts of an airplane and how differences in air pressure make an airplane fly. Currently, I'm in crunch time looking into Colleges - Aerospace engineering for me. And many of the top schools that I have seen, in the US, also have theoretical physics as majors. For only in 9th grade, don't get worried on the cost of college; its surprising that most of the very expensive elite colleges have great scholarships and meet 100% of your demonstrated need. The California Institute of Technology does this (I just visited it and I love it!), and it means that if you get accepted there, and your family would only be able to pay X amount of money for your college, the university will take care of the rest. Understand that if your good enough to be in the top 98% of the world in physics, those colleges compete to be the best with the most geniuses - and the world needs you too.
  
  I see your problem with being unable to get the education like IB, but who said that the high school diploma is all the colleges look for. If you are forced out of that opportunity, than you should take it as a greater opportunity: more time for you to work on a project or online college classes to show the colleges that you are still equal to, or better, than those who did get the better education opportunities. Better still - it shows that you have that amazing self determination to overcome your own challenges to pursue your dream, and the fancy IB kids like me didn't get the chance to overcome anything.
  
  You are welcome to stay in contact with me via TED, and on facebook if you wish.

• A reply on Conversation: Fix the education system by changing the learning model to make students more creative, motivated, productive, and personal.

  Jan 19 2012: Young people learn outside of school, without a need for it. How to sing, how to dance, how to ride a bike, how to do whatever they are interested in doing and teaching themselfs with research from the internet. As Ken Robinson said, "Its about Passion... education doesn't feed their passion". Doesn't that mean they must have the desire to learn, when passionate about something, in the first place?