Stanford University Online High School

Why did you choose OHS?

Starting with Kindergarten, I attended a private school that offered an accelerated curriculum. However, at the end of 5th grade, I begged my parents to let me apply to Stanford OHS, which I'd heard about through the Davidson Institute. I really wanted a more challenging curriculum, and to be able to focus on and develop my interests with less of the busy work and other distractions that can happen in many more traditional school settings. I thought that OHS looked like an interesting and modern way to learn. Although I wanted to go full-time from the beginning, we decided to test the water of online learning with a single course. I loved it. Two years ago, I was a part-time student and last year I went full time. I love OHS more each year. I plan to stay full time through graduation from high school in 2018.

What are classes like at OHS?

Classes at the OHS are very different from brick and mortar schools, but they are just as intellectually challenging and engaging as a b&m classroom, if not more so. The online classroom is a lot like Skype or a webinar, with a live teacher and classmates participating in real time. The teacher and students interact on video and in text chat. Text chat also enables students to interact in the 15 minutes before class starts. There is a whiteboard that students and teachers can write on, or to which the teacher can load prepared slides. I look forward to bi-weekly classes in each subject that are lead by instructors who are educated experts in the subjects they teach. Outside of the classroom, we have assignments such as reading, writing, researching, or laboratories that prepare us for class discussions, quizzes, and exams. Three years ago, I was very fortunate to get Dr. Nuckols as my Honors Algebra teacher. I had no idea how to work with Saba, and he was very helpful and patient as I figured it out. Dr. Nuckols, like all instructors, holds weekly office hours online, during which students may drop in with questions, to get help with assignments, or for assistance with exam preparations.

What is student life like at OHS?

It is common for those unfamiliar with the unique way that the OHS operates to think that students have little to no social life. That is absolutely not the case. In fact, I would venture to say that I have a larger and more diverse group of friends than if I had stayed at the private school I was attending where everyone generally lived near one another. At OHS, my friends are all over the world from Hong Kong to Alaska. I hang out with them every day before and after class on Skype and Facebook, or we text or talk on the phone. We have common interests, even when we come from opposite ends of the globe, and we also have different interests, which we share with each other. It is very exciting. I do homework and labs with friends who live in other time zones, so we figure out how to work together. I think I am being prepared well to live and work in a global atmosphere. OHS students have organized ways to share extracurricular interests such as at OHS club meetings. Our student government meets regularly to work on issues and plan events with the OHS administration. But not everything happens online. Regular local meet-ups, Graduation Weekend, and Summer Session are a few of the organized opportunities to hang out with other OHS students in person. I have made many new friends and developed bonds that are stronger than any Internet connection. School bullying was going on at my prior school, but I have not experienced it at OHS. We are a group of students primarily interested in learning together. Everyone at the OHS was so nice and welcoming to me, I felt right at home on my first day.

How has OHS helped you realize your goals?

Although OHS is definitely academically rigorous, which I love, it is quality over quantity, in my opinion. I work very hard on academics, but it is focused, interesting, and meaningful work. I do not spend time doing busy work, commuting, or with some of the social distractions that my friends who attend brick-and-mortar middle and high schools report. The time and energy I save in those areas is directed toward my studies, extracurricular activities such as competitive swimming, and free time. While I still do have some late nights at the OHS, I am happy to say that I am able to fit in all of my academic and athletic interests, and still have time for the occasional Castle marathon with my mom. Another thing I like about the OHS is that rather than putting me in whatever grade level I am at chronologically, OHS lets me test into whatever class fits my needs best. For example, while I am in 9th grade history and literature classes, I am also taking AP Chemistry and Precalculus and Trigonometry. Such flexibility enables me to move forward and stay engaged in particular subjects. I also have time for Girl Scouts, Y&G, tutoring other OHS students, OHS clubs, and hanging out with my in-person and online friends.

» Click here to view Laura’s weekday schedule

Ask Laura a question:

Your Name:
Email Address:
Your Question: