I was definitely prepared with back up options if mainstream hadn’t worked out, but a lot of gifted families look for schools with gifted programs as their first option and I definitely think interacting with the widest possible range of people is beneficial. DS has also attended both the School of Excellence and Selection School of our Maths Olympiad program, as well as our National Mathematics Summer School so he regularly mixes with the most mathematically gifted kids in our country as well, so he can pretty much connect with anyone.
I’ve actually been the ‘odd one out’ and that was at the top selective school in our state (although the pool of talent was obviously larger in the US), so I’ve reflected a lot about how best to fit in with society because you are right - the higher an individual’s IQ, the less likely that most of the population are going to have the abilities to be able to actively contribute to mutually rewarding connections, so to be able to collaborate and interact positively (if that’s the goal), the effort most likely has to come from the individual at the higher operating level.
