Stanford University Online High School

Why did you choose OHS?

My transition from another online school to the OHS in 2012 was initially motivated by academics. OHS has an extensive curriculum for numerous areas of study, particularly mathematics, with qualified, motivating instructors who challenge the students to think analytically above the typical high school level. In particular, I had just exhausted my prior school's math course offerings, while OHS provides university-level math through analysis. After joining the school, I've found that it has a vibrant social life, a major step up from my last school. As great and relevant as such reasons are, however, they were a bit monotonous in my profile last year. If you are seriously considering applying, you've probably heard this already, and you wouldn't need to read any of this if that was sufficient. So why OHS?

In one word: passion. A passion to learn. A passion to teach. A passion to have an impact on the world, to be more and do more than just another high school student. A passion to know where we're going, or if we don't, that we ARE going, and we're going together. I have found it impossible to attend this school without meeting students deeply involved in avant-garde scientific research, academic olympiads, impactful charity work, or sports. To be in a community of like-minded students and instructors who share that same devotion, it's one of the aspects I love most about this school. That's not to say that every student is developing the next cure for cancer. We're not perfect robots in a perfect school. But then again, how do you learn if you're perfect? What's important is not that we don't make mistakes, but rather that we know how to deal with them, because everyone fumbles at some point in their lives. So why not start now? Fail fast, learn from our mistakes, and, most importantly, have fun.

What are classes like at OHS?

OHS classes are challenging but extremely fun and rewarding. All classes have assignments, of course, and an instructor who teaches and manages the class, and nearly all classes have online discussion classes. Assignments often include reading and/or lecture material to prepare for discussion. Math and some science courses like physics will have accompanying problem sets, while english, humanities, and other science courses like AP biology will have writing assignments of varying lengths over the semester. Science courses, in addition, have labs performed at home using materials purchased in a kit at the beginning of the year or obtained from around the house.

Nearly all classes have two-way discussions with up to 16 students in which both the instructor and the students play an active role in the learning process. There are a variety of ways that discussions are actually run. Instructors may review material for class, pose interesting passages or questions for discussion, and respond to student's comments to help facilitate discussion. Students, however, are often the ones leading discussion, solving math or physics problems on the virtual whiteboard, analyzing passages and themes in a text and posing questions of their own, or debating about a philosophical issue as a class or in breakout rooms (splitting the class into smaller groups for discussion). Taking an active role in classes isn't easy for anyone, and I'm far from mastering it. It requires being comfortable with taking risks, contributing ideas to the discussion without the fear of being wrong. When I acknowledge, however, that it's okay to be wrong because it's the only way to learn, I realize how rewarding and fun discussions can be for me when I contribute. We're a community of builders that learns together, and the only way to benefit is to jump right into the action.

What is student life like at OHS?

Upon hearing about the OHS, many may immediately presume that it's just another online school for nerds without a social life. There is some truth in this presumption. All of my education since first grade is split between two online schools, including the OHS. At my prior online school, there was minimal communication between peers besides the occasional meet-up in elementary and middle school. In high school, there were online classes much like the OHS's, with live instructors; however, interaction rarely persisted beyond the classroom, which itself only had significant participation in a few classes. It may have changed since then, but at the time I was enrolled, it didn't deviate much from an online school stereotype.

OHS, however, is unique, founded upon much more than just academics and classes. Our school thrives on its diverse, vibrant student and instructor community not only inside but also outside of the classroom. We find ways to communicate just as often and with as much personality as one may find in a brick-and-mortar school. Sure, we don't casually bump into each other in a virtual hallway as we move from one class to the next, but there are many others ways that our school maintains this community. Among these are Skype and other video chat services, which often also provide a medium for study groups; assemblies and student government events, which occur about once or twice every month; local meet-ups; Graduation Weekend and OHS's Summer Program; and clubs. Although admittedly nearly all of my education has been in online schooling, I have befriended more people at the OHS in the past three years alone than in the 8 years prior, both at my previous school and in all of my extracurricular activities. Clubs have particularly played a major role in my relationships with other students, as they help bring together students who share similar interests. I have thoroughly enjoyed every year I have run the FTC Robotics Club and the Math Competition Club at the school. Robotics at an online school? We're a community motivated to make the seemingly impossible possible. The success of this club for the soon 3 years it has been in existence depends wholly on its strong member base and the voluntary contributions of many staff and parents. We may not have Star Trek transporters yet, but the 21st century provides a wealth of other resources cloud repositories, CAD programs, and conferencing software, just to name a few that we use to make something which seems primarily hands-on possible in a virtual setting. As important as its curriculum is, OHS is so more than just its courses; we're a school with students who interact both in work and fun every day, just more often in virtual rooms instead of physical ones.

How has OHS helped you realize your goals?

There are actually two different definitions of realize that I could use to answer this how OHS has helped me discover my goals, and how it has helped me accomplish them and so I'm going to devote some of my answer to each.

I came to the OHS already having found two aforementioned passions, mathematics and robotics. In retrospect, I think I knew they were my two main interests, but not clearly as I do now. At the time, I knew where I wanted to go for college. But had you asked me what I wanted to study, I would've replied, Isn't that what you're supposed to ask my older brother?

Now I'm in the same position as my brother was then, a junior. I'm still keeping an open mind about what I'll do after high school. But now I truly know what I love to spend my time doing, what I want to do beyond high school, and why I actually want to go to my dream college. It's not an obligation nor a habituation to a pastime, but rather a burning passion. OHS fosters interests like mine and helps students to turn them into passions through a multitude of opportunities like clubs to explore interests with other like-minded students.

As to accomplishing goals? I think OHS has helped me to meet many, including founding and, better yet, leading two clubs, something I could not conceive of doing before the OHS. I've found myself enthusiastic about subjects like English I thought I would never enjoy. But even more importantly, I know that there are even more goals I have yet to achieve, because again, OHS has also taught me that learning is about growth, not just settling for good enough. So even though I believe I have accomplished a lot of things, I'm glad that I'm not done yet, and I'll never be. The sky's the limit, as they say.

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