<p>for a science kid interested in computer science, math robotics ect which is a better summer camp?</p>
<p>Unless you’ve done both its probably hard to guess. I’m not sure what the “outcome” desired is by comparing the two academically per se? Its about the experience much more than anything. All I can tell you is my son did Duke TIP for 4 summers and absolutely positively completely loved it.</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about the TIPS program but my S absolutely loved CTY, which he attended from age 12 to age 16. He went to the Lancaster program, which is one of the bigger ones; many kids come back year after year so there is a continuous culture with songs, annual parties, and so on. We sent him there for the social interaction and didn’t really care about the academic aspect, but he actually learned a lot–was able to skip a year of hs chemistry, and when he got to college, moved immediately into upper-level computer science courses. He’s 19 now, and still in close touch with many friends he made in CTY–they are spread all over the country now in various colleges.</p>
<p>I think CTY and TIP primarily serve different states/regions, but are not much different from one another.</p>
<p>I would suggest to look at the class listings for each, and the locations, and go for the best fit in terms of class description and location.</p>
<p>CTY is great. My daughter went there last year and absolutely loved it. This year she went again. The teachers are “awesome” and friends are “epic” in her words. 
I’ve also heard good things about TIP. I do believe what sacchi said was correct - they serve different regions. For many kids these programs are the places they meet their matching peers.</p>
<p>midwest kim:</p>
<p>Don’t know what part of the Midwest you are from (or even if you live in the Midwest), but Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo., has a great summer gifted program called the Joseph Baldwin Academy. Our son attended JBA the summer before his 9th and 10th grade years. Most of the students are from Missouri, but both years that he attended, there were out-of-state students.</p>
<p>It is a lot more reasonable financially than Duke TIP.</p>
<p>Many of his friends there ended up at the Missouri Scholars Academy the summer before their senior year. That’s the Missouri version of a “governor’s school.”</p>
<p>CTY is wonderful! My daughter attended for four summers and it was a transformative experience for her. She went to a middle school where kids teased her for being “the smart one.” Her first summer at CTY was a revelation to her – the idea that it could be cool to be smart, and that there was a whole world of intellectually curious kids who actually loved learning for the sake of learning. She wrote her college essay about that.</p>
<p>I went to TiP for three years… it is what you make of it for sure.</p>
<p>Gifted kids in Wisconsin often choose CTY or WCATY for summer camp. Pros and cons to every program. The social aspect of being with other gifted kids for 3 weeks is the primary benefit- even when they come home with an attitude that includes how stupid their parents are (where do they think they got their gifts? nature and nurture from us…). The other benefit is the academic program they pursue.</p>
<p>CTY - ten characters.</p>
<p>I did cty for three summers, and loved every one of them. My last summer I got to go to Hawaii to take oceanography, how can you beat that?</p>
<p>
I haven’t attended either, but I’ve worked as an instructor at both. I’d say they’re both good for the sciences. Duke West hosts most of the big science programs for TIP and takes advantage of the school’s resources. </p>
<p>One big advantage to CTY is that it has more of a sense of community these days. Due to the way TIP has distributed its programs, it’s now impossible for the same student to attend the same campus for more than 2 or 3 years.</p>
<p>I think the bigger question is often whether to participate in one of these programs at all.</p>
<p>Our kid took the SATs in middle school through CTY, which was good because it changed the way he thought about himself in a positive way. However, he rejected the CTY Geek Camp idea. Instead (with his Mom’s blessing, and my reluctant approval) he chose to spend summers in a non-academic outdoor camp. He learned kayaking, outdoor skills, and CPR. He built a large network of outdoorsy, sociable friends from up and down the mid-Atlantic region (who often happened to be excellent students and wound up at top colleges).</p>
<p>In retrospect, I think we were right not to push this particular kid into CTY. For some kids, joining one of these programs a no-brainer, but for others you have to think about whether one or the other choice is the right one, not for you, but for your child.</p>
<p>I went to TiP for three years. I think it really depends on each person in deciding whether CTY or TiP is better. CTY is definitely more structured with more rules, whereas TiP is more lax. CTY has kids from age 12-17 all on one campus, and the 17 year olds are expected to follow the same rules as the the 12 year olds, which can get frustrating and limiting at times. The reason TiP splits the campuses up so much (as one poster already mentioned) is to have a smaller age gap and lessen the tensions that can be created from having a wide disparity in ages. I would argue that TIP has a strong sense of community, especially at the campuses for the upper years (Duke East, Duke West, etc). Each campus has it’s own set of traditions, which sound really silly and ridiculous once you explain it, but they do serve to create a sense of unity among the entire camp, as returning campers always make sure to include the newest TiPsters into the traditions. </p>
<p>I think the biggest thing about summer study programs like these are the friends you make, and it really is what you make of it. There are always kids who are crying as they leave TiP (I was one of them) and those who don’t particularly care at all. Both programs are great from what I’ve heard, so you can’t really go wrong either way. But I think that the less rigid structure and rules at TiP, especially for older kids, are probably what most people would prefer.</p>
<p>If you are in the Midwest, Northwestern has a similar program called CTD. I get the impression that CTY, CTD and TIP are really all just the same basic thing, just serving different geographical areas. But because this board is heavily skewed to the Northeast, CTY gets the most press.</p>
<p>My daughter went to CTY three times, and really liked it, but I think the last time (between 9th and 10th grade) she had started to get a little too old for it. I think it’s better for younger kids–although some kids love it until they are too old to go back.</p>
<p>My kid was one of the 4-year CTY nevermores. He absolutely adored it, and is still in touch with friends from those years, though he is about to be a senior in college. (Actually, his very first CTY room mate showed up as a classmate freshman year of college. ) I haven’t heard of as many kids being as devoted to Duke TIP, but that may just be chance.</p>