<p>My two daughters spent three summers each at CTY and loved it. As others have said they made lots of good friends but more than that, were exposed to academia typically not assessable to a middle or high school student. Eldest discovered a love of philosophy and youngest interest in computers/programming. Both are still pursuing these interests today.</p>
<p>There are a lot of recommendations her for TIP and CTY as being ideal for somewhat socially awkward or not-very-social kids, and I agree wholeheartedly. I do want to note that we found it very beneficial, both socially and academically, for my two already very social kids. They needed the TIP environment for different reasons perhaps, but they enjoyed it just as much. My kids were socially very mainstream throughout school, and there was a lot of social pressure (especially among boys) not to show any interest in anything academic or to excel in anything non-athletic. The TIP experience allowed them to see that being socially well adjusted need not be inconsistent with being intellectually curious or loving to read. They made friends along the entire spectrum of social adjustment at TIP, and I think it challenged their middle school mindset to get to know new friends whom they might not have socialized with back home. I think it fostered a new and much more favorable perspective on those other classmates back home. Suddenly, nerdiness wasn't necessarily uncool. I don't really mean to make my kids sound extremely shallow, but I think most kids are susceptible to that sort of thinking during the middle school years, and TIP was great for challenging and changing that.</p>
<p>Agreeing with previous posters, CTY encouraged my kids to work hard and go to good schools where the caliber and intellectual level of peers would be similar to that of CTY.</p>
<p>We're another happy CTY family. My son considers his four summers at CTY to be one of the defining experiences of his life (so far, at least). His social skills were just fine before CTY, but CTY did expose him to other kids who thought like him, which relieved some of the frustration he sometimes felt with his peers in school. When it came time to look for colleges, he had a built-in "CTY network" at just about every college on his list, including the one he will be attending, and that made his college search much easier for him. He has also kept in touch with several of his CTY teachers and TA's, who gave him some great advice on the differences in programs in his academic interests. For the most part, as a parent, I found the CTY program to be well-run and well-supervised, and worth the expense (financial aid is available).</p>
<p>However, I have met students who weren't as gung-ho about their experience at CTY as my son. It wasn't that they didn't enjoy the experience, they just didn't see it as quite such a big deal. So, I think much may depend on the student's personality, interests, and perhaps the CTY location attended.</p>
<p>My son attended Duke TIP as a rising sophomore. It was a worthwhile experience, both academically and socially. </p>
<p>For subsequent camp applications (if your state has a summer Governor's school for example) it helps to have experience in an extended residential situation. Most summer camps are only 1 week long; TIP was 3.</p>
<p>"There are a lot of recommendations her for TIP and CTY as being ideal for somewhat socially awkward or not-very-social kids, and I agree wholeheartedly. I do want to note that we found it very beneficial, both socially and academically, for my two already very social kids. They needed the TIP environment for different reasons perhaps, but they enjoyed it just as much."</p>
<p>I agree, nceph. My rising sophs are social and not "nerdy," and they enjoyed CTD just fine.</p>
<p>S took philosophy at U Kansas after 7th grade, existentialism at Loyola Marymount after 8th grade and loved the classes, instructors and being around a lot of other students who shared his interests. S flew on his own to both places, so I never got to meet the instructors. </p>
<p>The only reason he didn't take more was because H started working overseas during the summer, and we couldn't afford to send S to CTY/TIP plus take him overseas.</p>
<p>We deliberately sent him to CTY/TIP camps in different parts of the country so S could get a feel for what kind of campus environment he liked. At KU, he learned that he didn't want to be on a campus with hills. At Loyola-Marymount, he learned that he wanted to avoid being in a city with high air pollution, I think at both, he learned that he enjoyed small classes and carrying instructors.</p>
<p>My kids both enjoyed CTY very much. My daughter especially liked the social aspect.</p>
<p>So, MSMDAD, what think you? Might your D go to one of these summer programs? :)</p>
<p>if you're thinking TIP will get you an "in" with duke admissions...sadly, that's not the case. even the duke people admit it. if you're just wanting your child to have a good experience though....well, why not :)</p>
<p>Thanks to all of the CCers who responded to this thread. Owlice, yes, she will be participating in one of the programs and is very much looking forward to it. I particularly appreciated nceph and pizzagirl's comments that these types of programs can also benefit the "social' child - DD is a social butterfly.</p>
<p>One of the things I noticed when reading this website last year is that more people seem to return to CTY than Duke Tip. My daughter who is now in 9th grade and my son who is now in 6th grade both attended CTY. They loved it. My daughter is definitely going back this year. My son is undecided but definitely wants to go back for high school.</p>
<p>There is a ton of tradition, and the classes are fabulous. Being from Texas most people we know here go to Duke Tip, but I have to say it was a nice change for my children to be with people from other parts of the country.</p>
<p>I haven’t read the whole thread, one of my kids did a summer Duke TIP program. It is so not worth the money. There are as good and better programs out there for less. PM me if you want more info.</p>
<p>S did 3 summers at TIP and later worked for Duke as a counselor on the Davidson campus. D did a summer at Vanderbilt PTY (now called Vanderbilt Summer Academy) and a stint at W&L’s summer program. S also worked for PTY the summer after his TIP counselor summer (better money, closer to home). Wonderful experiences, but the PTY summer was, from my opinion, the best experience for D. In the midst of a large group of “look at me”, attention sucking kids at her hs, she got virtually no attention and validation of her intelligence from her hs teachers. In a small class environment at VU, she grew academically and in self confidence. An AP instructor who had her in world history in 10th grade also had her for AP USH her junior year and told me she saw her growth between the two years. Would do TIP and PTY all over again for my two.</p>
<p>Given that I originated this thread two years ago, I would like to give an update: D2 did attend a Duke affiliated TIP program for two years in a row. The academic experience was wonderful - as others have indicated in this thread, it allowed her to be around kids that were like her and the classes that she took gave her an edge during the academic year. The social experience was just as good - it gave her a preview of what it is going to be like to live in a college dormitory. If I can answer the question that I originally posed: Yes, these programs are very worth while and worth the cost.</p>
<p>My S is still considering applying to be an RA at CTY one summer. :)</p>
<p>I can just say what I’ve said before–my kids have enjoyed their experiences both academically and socially, and it gave them a little taste of living on a college campus. That’s worth it to me.</p>
<p>I am a happy CTY mom. But for some reasons, I want my freshman daughter to look into Brown especially this year. Here are my observations:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Selectivity: CTY/Duke/CTD is one group which is more selective, you need to reach a certain score to be qualified, then the rest (Brown/Columbia etc) is not selective, they are not encouraging “anyone” to apply just for the fun of it, but they are certainly not “cherry pick” the more capable group. </p></li>
<li><p>Academic: CTY/Duke is more serious, they have 5-6 hours of class/study time a day, then the Brown group has 2-3 hours of class time, that’s it.</p></li>
<li><p>Freedom: CTY group is restrictive, kids can’t wander outside of campus, Brown group has the utmost freedom.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Am I correct?</p>
<p>My D who is a Jr just applied yesterday for the Duke TIP Inst of Human Genetics summer program. She had taken a class through TIP’s eStudies 2 years ago and learned a lot from it. She excels in Science, so we are hoping this program will be challenging for her too. She tried to get in last year, but the class was full by the time they received our app by mail (we enrolled online this year). I know its not exactly the same program, but we are cautiously optimistic about TIP’s curriculum having enjoyed he eStudies version.</p>
<p>It’s true that CTY is fairly restrictive–that’s why I think it’s best for the younger end of its age range.</p>