<p>Hi,
We're planning on sending son to CTY at Johns Hopkins this summer for first time (he's in 9th grade). [probably can't afford the boarding school he wants...so this is next best thing..! :-)]</p>
<p>He's big into math and science (seems to have some skills in those areas..).</p>
<p>Just wondered if any vets of those programs had a suggestion of what would be a good course to take? </p>
<p>Also, I saw mention of SET in relation to CTY...just wondered -- if I might -- what this was? </p>
<p>Thanks so much; there's always such great info here. :-)</p>
<p>SET stands for the Study of Exceptional Talent and is a special section, if you will, of CTY for seventh and eighth graders who have scored over 700 on at least one section of the SAT.</p>
<p>My S was not interested in the math offerings because he did not want to be in front a computer all day long for 3 weeks. But he took the Fast-Paced Physics and Fast-Paced Chemistry classes. They prepared him nicely for taking the AP classes afterward. Other students have taken courses in computer science, introduction to lab science, logic, and similar courses and have enjoyed them very much.</p>
<p>My older S took several summers of self-paced math CTY residential courses and didn't spend any time at all in front of a computer. For him as a self-motivated student of mathematics, it was worthwhile and enabled him to place into AP Calc AB in 8th grade at school; he also took number theory one summer. My younger S has taken the computer science, logic/proof, probability/game theory, aeronautical science, paleobiology, and electrical engineering courses. Apparently the cryptology course is also fun.</p>
<p>My personal opinion: let your son read the course catalog when it comes out and pick out the courses that peak his interest. You may be surprised.</p>
<p>My son has always loved math and science so we were sure that he'd want to take a math or science class his first year at CTY. We were surprised when he decided that what he really wanted to try was a class in Ancient Greek. Son loved the class so much that he and a friend petitioned JHU to start a section of Ancient Greek II last year. The Greek classes have sparked an interest in philosophy so this year he's hoping to take the Philosophy of the Mind class. What's interesting to us is he still loves math and science at school, but he's found a whole new world that we never would have pointed him towards because we were so focused on his strengths in math and science.</p>
<p>To me, that's the beauty of CTY --- it can expose kids to different experiences and open their minds to potential new interests. Kids tagged as "math and science kids" can try something like Ancient Greek if they want, and kids tagged as "humanities kids" can try a class about medicine if they want. So, my advice would be: don't point him in the direction of any particular area, let him pick from all that is available, and go with the flow of whatever he decides. I honestly don't think you can go wrong with any of the CTY classes as long as it is something that your son picks out himself. CTY has been a life-changing experience for my son, both intellectually and especially socially, and we will be very sad when this year, his last, is over.</p>
<p>Like Carolyn's S, my S chose A.I., philosophy, constitutional law, ...not math or pure science. I'm glad he experienced something different. He came home having read great Russian literature.
Interesting, he didn't love the TIP program as much as others seem to have enjoyed the CTY program. I don't know if the teaching or the peer group is different.</p>
<p>I'll agree with Carolyn's advice: let your son choose the course. My son chose a different course from the one I would have steered him into for CTY summer 2004, and he ended up in a GREAT course that he liked and from which he learned a lot.</p>
<p>Jolynne, I asked about SET because I wondered why my 7th grader who scored 720 in English didn't get it, and someone explained to me that if the child is over 13 when he or she takes the test, the child has to have an extra 10 points for each month over 13. She was 2 1/2 months past 13 when she took the SAT, so she had to have a 730 to be in SET. Anyway, people often think that it is for anyone who scores over 700 in 7th grade, but that is not exactly true.</p>
<p>Great info, thanks for everything! Appreciate the encouragement re: letting son chose his own course. We actually did JH distance learning in math a few years back (after 5th or 6th grade I think). He didn't enjoy the computer aspect of it, and we faced the same old dilemma--why get him <em>ahead</em> when he'd be back in the same place, below that (even in highest level math) at school in the fall?</p>
<p>Interesting about SET, thanks for sharing. Son was a few pts shy of the 700 (in 8th grade) so guess that's not an option, since he's in 9th now. </p>
<p>Wyogal, thanks for the offer of help, oncampus! We're going to apply soon (I think) and if it works out, I'd be really happy to (sort of!) know another adult who'd be down there (we're about 2 1/2 hours away). Appreciate it!</p>
<p>It does not matter a whole lot to be in SET. S got a one-course scholarship, to BU Academy, which cost $20k per year. He did not make use of it.</p>
<p>As for being ahead in math, it's different in high school than in elementary school where it's more important for kids to be grouped by age and grade (for administrative convenience rather than for the benefit of the child). S's taking the Fast-Paced Chemistry class enabled him to go straight into AP Chem, for example, and there was no question of his taking any high school math, since he'd finished the curriculum by 8th grade.
But I agree with others to let your S choose among the many excellent course offerings of CTY. Many of the participants in CTY raved about the existentialism class they'd taken. I was pretty impressed with the readings for that class.</p>
<p>I'm a little leery of having son skip a grade though---we were all set to have him test out of Alg II (he'd already done a semester of it in 8th grade) but it's proving more of a challenge this year than anticipated (A few surprising "Bs" because "I realize I actually have to <em>study</em> now!")</p>
<p>Thanks for the tip re: existentialism. I'd love to have son explore some philosophical classes. He's got a great mind for that (almost embarassing [for me] -- I'll share some of my spiritual questions w/him once in a while during a car drive...he's often got an answer that really nails things! lol)</p>
<p>Btw, if I recall you homeschooled your son? Could I trouble you for any resources for younger kids you might have found helpful/enlightening? My 4 year old daughter is thriving at home instead of at a highly academic preschool---but would love to give her some mental stuff to chew on (I've read Glenn Doman..that's about it. Web resources seem, um, inadequate). Many thanks, if you have any ideas. :-) :-)</p>
<p>No, I did not homeschool S (other parents such as Texas137 did, though). S skipped in math but not in sciences. The CTY courses he took really did cover in 3 weeks what the school covered in a whole year, so that he was really well prepared for the AP classes.
For resources, have you checked out hoagiesgifted.org? They list resources for all ages. My own S did not attend an academic preschool, although the preschool was wonderful. He did always enjoy logic puzzles and loved being read to, and later, reading on his own.</p>
<p>Thanks, Marite! I will try hoagiesgifted...not sure where daughter will fall (she's much different than son, as is often the case...) but want to give her all the advantages possible, while acknowledging/valuing her temperment, too.</p>
<p>Glad to hear how good the CTY courses were, substantively.</p>
<p>Yes, sorry to not include the age factor in my SET answer. I generally assume kids are the 'right' ages, but of course many are not.</p>
<p>I skipped, and I've never had any trouble. Besides driving later than other kids, it has been a complete non-issue. Of course, I look and act the ages of my peers. My grades never dropped, and I still find most classes easy, but overall it worked pretty well.</p>
<p>My son went to CTY for four summers. He has a broad range of interests and chose self-paced Geometry (no computers in that class) , then geopolitics, psychology and astronomy. So a little bit of everything. We just let him pick what he wanted from the catalogue. He loved CTY, and his experiences there helped us later on with determining criteria for college choices. He's a very happy freshman at Berkeley this year.</p>
<p>I agree with Marite that SET doesn't matter much.</p>
<p>With CTY, by all means let your S choose the class and encourage him to explore things he won't have a chance to experience at home. The classes for teens are generally well taught and challenging.</p>
<p>In my experience (and I am a big booster of CTY, Talent Search, etc.) the classes at elementary and middle school level are not as well done as for the older kids. If you are considering this for your D (you have a couple of years yet :)) you should thoroughly check out the teachers & so forth.</p>
<p>Momof2inca, Funny you mention that CTY helped you determine criteria for college choices. My son has mentioned several times that he wants to go to a "CTYish" college, by which he means that special blend of intellectual intensity and quirky socialness that seems to exist at CTY.</p>
<p>Schools I've already thought of as fitting the "CTYish" mold include:
MIT, Reed, Brown, Carleton. Now, I'll add UCB to the list as well.</p>
<p>Anyone else have any suggestions for CTYish colleges/universities?</p>
<p>I'd suggest Columbia, Harvard and Chicago as well if your S continues to love classics. Swarthmore would fit the bill very well also. In fact, it was a Swarthmore undergraduate who told us about CTY. He was a counselor at a camp where my S was not being very challenged, despite its academic character. That's how he came to mention CTY. That undergraduate was a wonderful advertisement for Swarthmore.</p>