If I do take a gap year, will work on AI alignment and computational physics
For college, assume that I’m going to an arbitrary top 10 for CS/Phys. Not stating where because of privacy concern
Do you have a plan for where to work on AI Alignment or computational physics? Will you do this on your own? How much background knowledge do you have? I would recommend going to college first if you think you need significantly more background, unless you're doing this research with an advisor who has this background and can direct you to things. What else do you want to get from college?
@JoeC with an org, and a decent amount of background. im most excited about diversity of research in college
@ashly_webb Then I think that these choices have pretty equal expected value, given just what you've said.
I'm all for gap years, but I think you are doing it for the wrong reason. The reason that you'd want to take time before college is to explore yourself and your interests, before you need to choose a path in life. Many people have no idea what they want to major in and make some random decision when they're 18 that impacts that entire life trajectory. However, it seems like you really know what you want to do, and the things you want to do are best done with a college degree. Wouldn't it be better to work on these projects after you have a degree, or during it? You'd be ill-equipped to work on these things without a college degree..
@Willfc609 Depends on how intentional someone is about it. It could be a waste, but it could give them the freedom to explore and figure out more about what they want to do with their life.
I changed a lot a year after high school. Obviously some of that might have been because of college, but I still regret not taking a gap year. Ashly seems like the kind of person who would get a lot out of it.