<p>My 16 year old son is interested in attending a science-oriented summer program, but with sports commitments, it must be two weeks or less. He thinks the two week genetics course that is part of the Duke Tip program, and the 1 week Brain camp at Muhlenberg College look interesting. Any comments on relative pluses and minuses? How intense are these? What is a typical day like? I am only familiar with summer programs such as Summer Discovery and Brown. Tip and Brain Camp sound far more intense. I am trying to decide if he will enjoy them. He is very smart, but not intensely "bookish". Don't want a program to backfire and turn him off to science!</p>
<p>Firstly, if your son has a genuine interest in science, you don’t have to worry about him being turned off it it, but I do understand wanting to find the best fit for your son.</p>
<p>I haven’t heard of the brain camp you mention, but I did attend Duke TIP before my freshman year in hs. (Did they shorten it from three weeks to two?) I went for creative writing, but I had friends in classes ranging from psych to genetics to medicine (the courses are somewhat different every year). I enjoyed the experience immensely, but the rigor of the courses isn’t particularly intense, since rather than being a camp for those interested in, say, genetics or creative writing, it’s a camp for bright kids that happens to offer specific classes. This environment of bright peers may be what your kid is looking for–I know that I really enjoyed my experience, but at the same time, I pursued camps specifically for writing the next year. </p>
<p>Also keep in mind that, at TIP, your S may be one of the oldest kids there. The camps are offered to rising 8-11 graders, and from what I’ve garnered, the oldest kids are usually in their third or fourth year of attending TIP and have already made their “groups” the preceding summers.</p>
<p>All in all, I had a great experience with TIP, but there are a few nuances to the camp that will make it a different experience from the brain camp and will depend on the sort of person your S is. I don’t think you can go wrong either way. Oh, and since you noted that he’s not particularly bookish, I think it’s worth noting that a few of my intelligent, science-oriented friends who also prefer sports/TV/pretty much anything to reading had a good time in their various science courses and at TIP in general.</p>