Breaking news: The State of the Animals Report is out! Get yours now!

Hi. I’m Micah Siegel. I’m 12. My goal is to change the world in some remarkable way. I’m dropping out of seventh grade to create my own school. I’m going on a journey of self-discovery and preparing to meet the world head-on.

Hard hats and goggles required. There will be sparks.

Rogue Scholars is an offshoot of The Socratic Experience, a progressive online middle and high school. Rogue Scholars is for highly independent, self-motivated, coachable students 12+ who want to put their own program together along with guidance from our faculty, being part of our community, and getting accreditation toward university.

In thirty years …

There will be about 9.7 billion people. About 6 billion will live in Asia.

Africa will double. Karachi, Lagos, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Beijing will become world capitals.

People will live about ten years longer. Depopulation will have begun.

Robots, AI, and wearables will be everywhere. Most of the routine work will be done by machines.

Apps and digital services will replace or enhance much of what we learn at school.

There will be more pressure on wild habitats and animal populations.

There will still be big problems to solve.

"I like people who buck the system. Individualists. I often warn people: "Somewhere along the way, someone is going to tell you, 'There is no "I" in team.' What you should tell them is, 'Maybe not. But there is an "I" in independence, individuality and integrity.'"

— George Carlin

"Study hard what interests you most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible.”

— Richard Feynman

Overview

These trends will drive the world …

Technology

Connectedness

Dematerialization

Urbanization

Demographics

Inequality

Government

“I don’t stop when I’m tired. I stop when I’m done.”

— David Goggins

“Pursue meaning not happiness.”

— Jordan Peterson

“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.”

— Richard Feynman

“The goal is not to be perfect by the end, the goal is to be better tomorrow.”

— Simon Sinek

12 Principles of rogue scholars …

1. There are no tests, no grades, and no rules

2. Framing and context first

3. You are the easiest one to fool

4. Build your own toolkit

5. Mentorship

6. Learn by trial and error

7. Measure your outcomes

8. Help others achieve their goals

9. Leverage — build your team

10. Build systems to scale

11. Ownership

12. Keep your eyes on the prize

“I’d rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.”

— Richard Feynman

“Self-discipline is the ability to make yourself do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.”

— Elbert Hubbard

“There is never a lack of good solutions to the world's problems, only a lack of people willing to try them.”

— Esther Duflo

“It’s a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.”

— Albert Einstein

“Do not indoctrinate your children. Teach them how to think for themselves, how to evaluate evidence, and how to disagree with you.”

— Richard Dawkins