<p>Hello. I am currently in the 8th grade. Without applying for the CTY talent search, I took the SAT recently and got:
Critical Reading: 660
Math: 680
Writing: 650
Multiple Choice for Writing: 59
Essay: 11
The requirement for Critical Reading is 560 and the Math requirement is 630.
From here, I have a few questions:
Is there a chance I would get into CTY?
How do I register for the CTY? Do I apply for Talent Search and just send in my score?
I am sort of confused.</p>
<p>Congratulations! You did quite well on the SATs. You can register for CTY summer programs without being a talent search participant, though you will be last priority in the course assignment process. If you apply early then you probably won’t have a problem. There is a chance however that you won’t get your first choice class. </p>
<p>I suggest reading through the CTY Summer Programs Online Catalog. If you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to ask. I have done CTY for the past two summers and adored it. In addition I’ve taken a number on CTYOnline classes and attended their family programs. It’s a great experience!</p>
<p>Thank you for the quick response.
I would like to ask a few more questions:
Do I apply for each individual course listed on the CTY, or do I apply for the CTY itself?
How do I apply?
Do I send in my report card grades as well?</p>
<p>You apply online. You will fax or scan and send CTY a copy of your scores which prove you qualify. Then you go online and list 1-12 courses you are interested in. There is a computer algorithm that works something like this:
1) Students who have attended CTY before get first pick for their first choice classes and are ranked according to test scores
2) Students who have not attended CTY before but are talent search members get second pick and are ranked according to test scores.
3) Students who have not attended CTY and are not talent search members get third pick and are again ranked according to test scores. </p>
<p>So it’s possible that your first choice class could be filled by all returning students so the computer would not even make it to your application before the class was full. </p>
<p>The application I am talking about is just for CTY Summer Programs. You do not need to be a “member” of CTY to take part in any of their programs. Summer Programs have been my best experience though everything they offer so far has been wonderful.</p>
<p>^I suggest that you put some of the less popular sites as choices. The Johns Hopkins site always fills up quickly, but others are not nearly as popular.</p>
<p>Has anyone done CTY Summer Program as a day student. My 8th grader just qualified, so this is all new. We live close enough to JHU that he could be a day student, but I am wondering how much of experience he would miss out on. Is it worth an extra $1,000.</p>
<p>My S–a 4-year CTY attendee-- would tell you it was worth the $$ to get the full CTY experience. Of course, he wasn’t paying for it himself, but I think any kid who attended CTY and loved it will tell you that the social aspect of it was at least as important as the intellectual/academic aspect.</p>
<p>Mom24boys, I would really encourage you to have your son stay on campus. The kids really do have a wonderful time together. As Consolation said, the social aspect is extremely valuable. Our D attended four years as well and is still close to many of the students she met through CTY - and she’s now in her second year of college.</p>
<p>The kids are housed with other kids in their class (boys and girls separately, of course). They hang around together all the time, eat meals together, and form cohesive groups. A day student would miss much of what makes CTY such a great experience.</p>
<p>agree with above posters… discussion with peers, hanging out with kids from around the country/world etc is a big part of the experience.</p>
<p>Another veteran CTY parent weighing in. If you can swing it, let your kid live at JHU. The intense social interactions and the semi-independence from family and parents are the best part of CTY in my opinion, and a day student would just feel left out.</p>
<p>AJK, I remember that it was confusing how to register with CTY. My D took the SAT through a different talent search, but I wanted to register her scores with CTY in case she decided to attend one of their classes later. I had to phone them to get clarification on how to register. This was a few years ago, it seems to me that there was also a fee to pay (maybe $50? but I am not sure…) to get registered. Not sure if that is still the case, but there should be a contact phone number on the website, so call and ask them.</p>
<p>I did CTY (called CTD in the midwest) for many years and commuted the whole time. The commuters hang out together and there were activities for them, but obviously they don’t spend as much time socializing as the people living there. However, I think if I was actually living there it might have been hard to study adequately. It’s a very intense academic experience if you do it right. Like, I remember some people saying they didn’t actually the study the whole chapter–they would instead memorize the bulletpoints at the end. </p>
<p>Still, even being a commuter, I felt that it was really one of the fond memories I had socially as an adolescent.</p>
<p>For my kids (especially my daughter), the social aspects of CTY were FAR more valuable than the actual classes they took. Honestly, I don’t think the class alone would be worth whatever it costs. I think CTY was an overall enrichment experience, and an opportunity to be with a bunch of very smart kids.</p>
<p>One word of warning: CTY may ensure that your kids will want to look only at selective colleges.</p>
<p>My DD said the social aspects are much stronger at the rural campuses that at the Baltimore campus. </p>
<p>She also said “CTY Carlisle RULZ!!!”</p>
<p>though thats mainly liberal artsy courses. She also went to Lancaster, which is more science, though she said not as good in its CTY culture as Carlisle.</p>
<p>"For my kids (especially my daughter), the social aspects of CTY were FAR more valuable than the actual classes they took. "</p>
<p>For some “ugly ducklings” its a life saver.</p>
<p>“OMG! There are other kids LIKE ME!”</p>
<p>My son went to Lancaster two summers, because it is much more science-oriented than the other campuses. It was wonderful socially, and it did have the CTY culture.</p>
<p>My S attended CTY Lancaster, and for him it was a life saver. The courses changed the direction he is pursuing in colleged, but the friendships are even more valuable. He still hangs with friends from multiple states year round. That being said, if finances are tight commuting during the first year is still an valuable option. The kids are not allowed to work on homework outside of class time, but I think there is an evening session many nights (and valuable free time in the afternoon to socialize).</p>
<p>Part of the CTY culture is saying that the other sites don’t have the CTY culture. ;)</p>
<p>Lancaster is amazing!</p>