| There was a time in high school where I came to the realization that I learned material better doing independent study than in actual lectures/classes. Reading/studying on my own allowed me to learn in a more focused atmosphere. Lectures seemed like a waste, time spent scribing what was being 'taught' (for review later) versus actually absorbing material. Also, I felt that a lot of my time was wasted on topics that I really didn't care for and was quite painful (American & European History come to mind). I brought this up to my guidance counselor and asked why I was wasting my time in high school when I could just as easily buy a book. Half-considered dropping out of high school and focusing my studies on topics that were interesting (physics, chemistry, cs, math, and possibly finance). Our dialogue went something like: GC: Uhh...don't drop out. You should stay in school it's good for you Me: But I learn better straight from the book, it's what I'm doing for my courses now anyway... GC: You need to have teachers Me: Why? GC: It's hard to get into [a reputable?] college without graduating from high school. Me: ... Kind of wish I did drop out back then. I would have probably spent a lot of my time honing a particular craft, although CS and Finance/Accounting seem to be the easiest choices (lower cost of entry compared to chemistry/physics/biology - requiring labs). tl/dr: I wanted to drop out of high school and study independently. Guidance counselor encouraged me to stay in school. Wish I left so that I could focus on interesting subject areas. |
If you're not into the structured part at all, then it will chafe from friction. However, the structure is definitely there for a reason because, if you're really pushing the limits, you'll be thankful for the times when you stumble and there is a structure to fall back on.
So you're left with two choices that maximize independent learning: 1) drop out or 2) make it past undergrad and become a master student.
I'm in a PhD program right now, but some of the best stuff I'm learning is happening through Coursera. ...and that's great, but the fact that I have a community of other full-time students and researchers to work with makes all the difference. If I were just sitting in a room learning for learning's sake, it would be totally different. I feel really lucky that I can put my ideas into practice, and I totally love the academic environment for facilitating that. To me, it's worth it.