For 12-15 year olds...THINK Summer Institute

<p>Has anyone heard of this program? It says it's a summer institute for gifted children and seems to be really selective. I was just wondering your opinions on it. Here's the link:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.ditdservices.org/Articles.aspx?ArticleID=114&NavID=5_0%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ditdservices.org/Articles.aspx?ArticleID=114&NavID=5_0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The Davidson Institute is very well respected -- and when they say gifted, they really mean gifted (not borderline, like many programs).</p>

<p>It is highly selective, but if you think that you (or your child) would qualify, I would encourage applying.</p>

<p>I was just accepted a week ago =D. But I was wondering who else would be applying.</p>

<p>congrats!!! I have heard excellent things about the program.</p>

<p>I'm acquainted with some kids who have been there, and they liked THINK.</p>

<ol>
<li>Is the teaching quality good?</li>
<li>Is the programs really that selective?</li>
<li>What do THINKers do for activities (other than the courses)?</li>
</ol>

<ol>
<li><p>I have no idea about the teaching quality. What other programs are you considering? </p></li>
<li><p>The program is fairly selective on SAT I or ACT scores, but I don't think it is very selective as to subject matter background for the courses it offers. </p></li>
<li><p>I know, from hearing other people tell me about it, that there are a lot of organized activities put on by the THINK staff, but I don't know in detail what those activities are. Again, I'm sure that most participants like the program, and many participants attend again, and that's the kind of evaluation I take seriously. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Best wishes for making good summer plans.</p>

<p>Bumping this thread...</p>

<p>Does anyone know the approximate acceptance rate to this program?</p>

<p>My son was looking into this program. Last year they required the highest pre-requisite of SAT math portion of any other summer program for gifted children - that is why we thought it was highly selective. But this year that pre-requisite is much lower. I do not know why?</p>

<p>^ huh, interesting.</p>

<p>i took the SATs and didn't make their minimum CR/M score (70th percentile) but i got 75th percentile on CR/M/W combined.</p>

<p>do you think they would consider my app?</p>

<p>mj93
e-mail them.
I also think that they are a good value: 3 weeks on campus taking two courses for $2700, CTY is over $3000 for two weeks (I think) and one course.</p>

<p>Yes, THINK is offered at lower list price (and SURELY has better financial aid) than most test-score-based summer programs. So it's worth inquiring about. </p>

<p>I don't know what to make of year-by-year variation in score requirements.</p>

<p>I e-mailed them and they encouraged me to apply.</p>

<p>The app fee is $50, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.</p>

<p>I don't think of 1130 as a high cutoff for supposedly very gifted children, particularly for 15 or 16 yr olds!</p>

<p>I've certainly seen higher scores for younger students. I imagine "minimum" means just what it says, that many students attending the program will have higher scores (which also tends to happen at CTY programs).</p>

<p>My thinking exactly - 1130 is not very high for gifted students. And they even write that they are seeking "profoundly" gifted.
Last year they were offering physics course for which your math score had to be >630, this year for math course they require "only" >510. That is a huge difference from one year to the other, and I think will encourage students with lower scores to apply.
Last year it looked like the most selective summer institue based on test scores, today I am not sure any more.
For brilliant math kids, MathPath sure looks very good, but it is also quite pricey. But you have to prove yourself by trying to answer some very tough questions.</p>

<p>I like MathPath a lot. (My son is an alumnus.) And MathPath does have good need-based financial aid, although of course some CC families will be above the income range for that. </p>

<p>I think there is a demand for a summer program with very high test score requirements ( = higher than CTY's existing requirements) </p>

<p>Summer</a> Programs </p>

<p>but what seems to be happening, instead of some organization pursuing that market, is that most summer programs more selective than CTY select on bases other than standardized test scores. Most of the math programs have their own application quizzes, which take days to complete, and most humanities programs expect lots of essays and maybe interviews for admission.</p>

<p>do you know of any summer programs that consider the SAT writing score?</p>