<p>If you are in the geographic range for Duke or Northwestern, feel free to PM me. I participated in the Northwestern program as a middle school student, and as a Duke student I have had some contact with the TIP program. There is also a writing camp at Duke that may interest your daughter.</p>
<p>On an anecdotal note, my boyfriend participated in CTY when he was young, and it sounds like the only positive educational experience he had before being skipped ahead and going straight to college. </p>
<p>These programs are great, and participation in them is a great precursor for moving permanently into a more sophisticated academic environment. Remember, though, that they're a stopgap measure.</p>
<p>What I would do in Xenon's place is exactly what we did when we were in his position. Let his daughter finish grade 7/8 this year.Get her into an IB or AP programme for next year essentially doing grade 9/10 work. Start teaching her French/Latin on a homeschool basis--easy to do. Apply to St. Paul's next year for a 4th form entry. Let her sit the classical honours latin test . She will likely get in and if she is as radiantly intelligent as xenon portrays her she will likely get the scholarship. If not they will still give her income appropriate tuition support. </p>
<p>If she gets in, she will likely be the youngest student in the class but not so much younger that she won't fit in socially as she will find plenty of companionship in III form girls. Don't worry about the social aspects as you obviously did when you walked from the parochial school( from my perspective the old nun actually gave pretty good advice). Been there done that. St. Paul's is nurturing enough that I would have no hesitation about going this route again. Other things I would certainly do is have her apply to Canada/US mathcamp so she has a 5 week stretch away from home before going off to boarding school. Mathcamp also is a safe and nurturing place for gifted children and could be one of these life changing experiences everyone talks about. The qualifying test is quite challenging but if she can get in for heaven's sake let her go.</p>
<p>I don't know how this scenario would play out at Exeter, which from my perception is not as well set up to deal with these very young student (Suze would know). Groton, given your own social perceptions, may also not be the right spot for her. Peddie undoubtedly would be. Anyway, I do feel 100% confident that St. Paul's would offer her the intellectual range and the spiritual comfort--which is a VERY big compontent of the decision--she and you seem to require.</p>
<p>One thousand apply, one hundred thirty accepted?</p>
<p>Your point about Groton is well taken, in that the genetic components of my Scottish and Irish heritage are known to express themselves in the form of actinic keratoses and class resentment.</p>
<p>Celts are thin skinned, maybe both the keratoses and the class resentment stem from that! We rather took the position that if Groton didn't want her, tant pis pour Groton--illegitimi non carborundum and all that. </p>
<p>As far as Latin is concerned, I would suggest you look at Hans Orberg's Lingua Latina. This is the old (world famous) Nature Method self study set re-issued in 1996 in soft cover. You can find it on alibris or any net bookseller dirt cheap. To sit the exam your daughter would do well to finish part 1. To get the most out of St. Paul's she might try part 2 which is a carefully graded Livy--the Dido section alone is worth the price of the book.</p>
<p>Something else I would suggest you do is phone up admissions and ask if they still have a copy of "Mentors" lying around. This was a video produced a few years ago and gives you a flavour of the place and the people.</p>
<p>Yes, 1000 applicants, 200 acceptances. Don't worry about it. If they don't accept her attribute it to an appalling lack of discernment and taste and besides there is always Exeter (or Groton). </p>
<p>I suggest you do a chapter of Lingua Latina every week together with your daughter--wonderful bonding and you actually might see a dimension to Livy that you missed in High School (pretend it is Suzuki violin or something--anyway, she can't do it without you). Again, this is not mortal combat or a deadly grind to "win" an admission race, but rather preparation in a good sense to get the most out of St. Paul's. (A bit of music would not hurt either).</p>
<p>Xenon -- Your daughter has to take the SAT this year to qualify for the Johns Hopkins summer camp. If she takes it early in the school year, has exceptional scores and is not yet 13, she may qualify for additional honors.</p>