Analysis: The Bucksbaum Early Entrance Academy

The Bucksbaum Early Entrance Academy is a program that accelerates high school students past their junior or senior year directly to college. What this really means is that the members of this culture are a bunch of children who really wanted to get out of high school. We all were a part of the gifted programs in our schools, and we all decided we were too smart for that. Apparently the University agreed, so we can all be considered at least academically ready for college. At some level, we are all also socially ready for college. All of us have the ability to make friends despite the age difference. The party atmosphere that The University of Iowa is known for isn 't something we can 't handle. While most of us are probably not quite as …show more content…
We have all be told, through teachers, parents, or other sources, that we are smart. This trait that we all share got us where we are today, so there is reason to value it so much. There is a noticeable difference between those of us who rely on our natural intelligence, and those who value hard work more, but the overall belief is that we are smart, and we need to value that to succeed. While academically our values are quite similar, there is quite a large gap when it comes to the social values of the group. One half of the Academy fits the traditional smart kid stereotype of studying instead of going out and having a small social circle, the other half is much more oriented towards getting the full college experience. While each group judges the other, open judgement never happens as we are together so …show more content…
There is a contradiction between the purpose of college being finding your own way and the purpose of this program to remain a socially supportive peer group. The freedom of college is undermined by the restraints of the group. I believe that the fact that I don’t support these ideals has put me in almost an outsider position relative to the group. In many major ways, I have distanced myself from the group, and these efforts have caused the majority of the group to distance themselves from me. While I personally have no issue with this, I feel like this has hindered other members of the group from expanding their social circles and growing in college like a normal student. This effect goes against the purpose of the Academy and shows a clear contradiction to the basis of this unique culture. The main purpose of the Bucksbaum Early Entrance Academy is to allow students who are ready for college to skip ahead and begin their college career early and avoid staying in a place that isn 't intellectually stimulating. This mission may be fulfilled academically, but it lacks a social aspect that is a major part of college. This is a major flaw in the program that carries through to the overall culture of the Academy. As a whole, we tend to be much more afraid of new social situations than academic challenges. This is why there is a tendency to stick together and tendency to defend our