<p>My brother is in 7th grade right now, and will be rising to his 8th grade year in the fall. He has been tested numerous times and has an IQ on the "genius" level. He is half black/ half latino, dual citizenship, from urban area in FL, and we come from a very low-income divorced family. For my FAFSA our EFC was 0, I will be a college junior when he begins high school.
I attended boarding school in Michigan for theatre, but he needs an enivornment that is more conducive to higher academic education. One fear is that his not so stellar grades, because the public schools in our area do not offer "gifted" programs, therefore he was very bored and became very lazy, will affect his admissions. Although, his test scores are great and his written and class work are stellar. I'm sure his recomendations will be filled with praise, because although he doesn't quite do the classwork required in normal middle-school classes he often stays and holds philosophical/ theoretical conversations with his teachers about (currently): the state of current american education, the freudian impacts that caused Hitler to carry out the Holocaust, and the untaught theories of Galileo (which he usually debates with his math teacher during class).
We are looking for a school that will foremost provide him with enough FA/ scholarships that he can attend, and then a school which will help nurture him, guide him in the proper direction, and give him the opportunity to express his fullest potential.
I also should mention, that he plays on the county's tennis team everyday after school and has his own company, where he bakes cookies and cakes and sells them around the community to make money for weekend activities.
I hope this is all the info you guys need to help us with our quest to find him a great fit!</p>
<p>Wow! I think that not even the HADES GCM schools are sufficiently academic for your little brother. What about the Sorbonne or Cambridge or Oxford? And what’s the deal with Freud and the Holocaust? And why does a seventh grader who can discuss the “untaught theories of Galileo” with intelligence need nurturing?</p>
<p>Maybe I chose the wrong word with “nurturing”, perhaps “guidance” would be more fitting. He really needs solid discipline (from a school, because it’s unavailable from home) to be able to do anything real with his gift.
I hadn’t thought about enrolling him straight away into a university, solely because of this adamant attitude toward not doing his work, but perhaps with the proper guidance from such great institutions he will fall into the best path.
Does anyone know of schools in Japan that take international younger students? He has a fascination with Japan, and an affinity for languages so that might be an interesting option?
I’m so thankful for any advice, I’m a young student myself, so without help from parents doing my schoolwork and planning for his isn’t very easy.</p>
<p>Perhaps you’re a cynic because kids these days strive so hard for something that they will never have naturally, but when an underprivileged child has it and doesn’t know how to channel it, it seems fake to you.
But this is very real, and I just want him to have an opportunity at a future. A future that kids with money have at their fingertips and take for granted.
We can’t afford to hire some coach to tell him what to write his essays about or tell us which schools to send him to, so this is the only resource we have.</p>
<p>He should be able to walk into any of the schools discussed in this community, will full FA, no questions asked. However, the instructors at those schools might not possess the formidable intellectual might that is needed in order to discuss “the untaught theories of Galileo” or the “Freudian basis of the Holocaust.” So I do not think he would find any of those schools sufficiently provocative in an intellectual sense to hold his interest.</p>
<p>There are different definitions of genius from IQ tests, varying from 2 standard deviations to 3 or more. Do you know how genius was defined for your brother?</p>
<p>On the plus side for Admissions is the fact that he is a URM and comes from FL. On the negative side, he will probably have a 99% SSAT without the expected grades. I have no idea how much the URM status and geography will compensate for this.</p>
<p>Is it possible for him to get into a program like A Better Chance (ABC)? The people who work at programs like this probably know the schools that would be a good match.</p>
<p>I would also suggest you look into programs like ABC, however, they do require a minimum of a B+ average. However even if the grades are not great I would still talk with the ABC representative for your area. Have you considered a summer program at a boarding school for your brother? </p>
<p>Also, do not limit yourself to just the ABC program. If you are willing to help your brother through the process, you should identify schools and apply directly to those schools that you think will be a fit. I am sure you can get fee waivers for the application fees and the SSAT. If ABC accepts you they will advocate for you to be accepted to at least one school, but if you want more options, you should apply directly to schools also. </p>
<p>Ignore the skepticism that you have encountered so far. If your brother possesses the intellectual prowess that you describe don’t let an anonymous message board deter you in seeking opportunities for him.</p>
<p>Is he excited about the possibility of going away to school? Perhaps he can come up with an essay to express his desire to attend a particular school and why it would be a good fit. It’s very kind of you to do the leg work for him, but I am wondering if he has the same drive that you do, since he isn’t posting for himself. </p>
<p>Thank you all so much for the wonderful advice! ABC applications don’t open until August, but until then I’ve told him to start working on some essays and we’ve started looking at some options together.
He really does want an opportunity to study away from home, in a better suited environment with other kids who want to learn as much as he does. He’s the one who asked me to help him find schools so I hope actually giving him an incentive to write essays will prove successful.
I will keep you all updated on what ends up happening to him! thanks so much</p>
<p>Encourage him to get great grades at the beginning of 8th grade. That way he can show the school what he is capable of. Then he can tell them how much he is looking for a greater challenge, never put in the work before because it was sooo easy, now realizes that he must and really wants an environment that provides the challenges he needs, yadda, yadda.</p>
<p>I am sorry, but any twelve or thirteen year old who is stimulated by discussions about “the Freudian influences that caused Hitler to carry out the Holocaust” or “the state of American education” or “the untaught theories of Galileo” is not going to be sufficiently provoked by the level of discourse at any of the schools discussed here. May I suggest that you try the college and university section of cc? The University of Chicago in particular is known for the intensely academic nature of its orientation.</p>
<p>^ pan is right. this kid seems way too smart for even the top schools mentioned on here and would not provide sufficient provisions for your boy to improve.</p>
<p>He may do better attending an online virtual high school where he could complete the courses required at his own accelerated pace- leaving him more time to research what he is truly interested in learning.
Stanford has a program: [Stanford</a> University EPGY Online High School](<a href=“http://epgy.stanford.edu/ohs/]Stanford”>http://epgy.stanford.edu/ohs/)</p>
<p>Does your brother have an IEP, an Individual Education Plan, at his current school? Gifted children quality for an IEP to meet their individual needs. It is the law. If he does not, you might want to look into having one set up. You can request that the district do an evaluation. Legally they must provide an appropriate education. A well developed IEP would make next year more challenging for him. </p>
<p>Many of the top boarding schools offer college level courses as well as independent studies. Call them up and start talking to them now. If they don’t think they can provide what he needs they might have other suggestions. Good luck!</p>
<p>He’s going to need to work hard his first semester if he wants a good chance at HADES. Other than that, he should stand a great chance. Good schools to look at: Exeter, Andover, Hotchkiss, Deerfield, Choate, Milton.</p>
<p>with the highly and profoundly gifted student populations–where to send them to school. Please check information resources available on [Hoagies</a>’ Gifted Education Page](<a href=“http://www.hoagiesgifted.org%5DHoagies”>http://www.hoagiesgifted.org). Also, you can check out the Davidson Academy (which is a free public school for profoundly gifted learners in Reno, NV).</p>
<p>Most highly/profoundly gifted youngsters benefit from spending some time with people like themselves. Hopefully, there will be some way to make this happen for your brother. </p>
<p>My wife and I were pleased and impressed that your brother has a caring sibling who is willing to go to bat for him. Your support is enlightened and will be an essential part of your brother’s success.</p>