<p>I am a rising junior but won't be 16 until the end of the summer which excludes me from most of the competitive internships/programs (ie at NIH). Does anyone know of any competitive programs that don't have this requirement. Thanks for your help :)</p>
<p>THINK at the Davidson Institute</p>
<p>Thanks! Does anyone know how rigorous THINK is? Esp THINK vs harvard ssp? I know the harvard one isn’t very prestigous but right now it is one of my only options… Anyone else have suggestions :)? Thanks!</p>
<p>Don’t know for sure, D2 is going to THINK this summer so we will know at the end of July. They earn two courses of college credit in three weeks, and I think they work very hard. I can say that the course syllabi and the one textbook she has received are definitely college level courses. I graduated from U of Michigan, which is not a slouch school, and I thought they looked very challenging and interesting, comparable to course material I saw in college - - wish I were young enough to attend :)</p>
<p>THINK is very well respected as it is intended for highly and profoundly gifted students. If you are accepted there and don’t have other free options like TASP, RSI, etc I would go there.</p>
<p>Thanks for your help! I am def considering it. My only concern is that I have not taken the SAT yet which is necessary for applying… So THINK is more rigorous than harvard ssp?</p>
<p>They are just different… THINK is for ages 13-16 only, but all these kids have a lot of horsepower. Pretty much all have take the SAT or ACT as part of talent searches around the country, so that is probably an issue if you haven’t done that. Remember that the minimum scores they give on the website are for kids as young as 12 when they took the test… and a lot of the kids have much higher scores than the minimum. They might accept a PSAT or PLAN score if you have one, you can ask them.</p>
<p>Harvard is going to be all 10th-12th graders. Many more students at Harvard (1,000), THINK has about 60 (not completely sure of the number, something like that). Harvard is much more money (almost $10,000), THINK costs about $2,700. SSP has all the resources of Harvard, THINK is at U of Nevada-Reno. Much broader course selection at SSP than THINK. THINK is three weeks long (credit for two college classes), SSP is more like 6 weeks.</p>
<p>Both are rigorous is my guess. I do believe that THINK is a lot about helping these really gifted kids find their “tribe” - - these are kids who mostly don’t have academic peers in their home schools and local programs. That is at least as important as their academic studies.</p>
<p>Thank you for the comparison! Right now I am leaning toward the Harvard program because I had wanted a longer program than 3 weeks and I do like the more extensive course selections. However, I am worried that Harvard SSP won’t be rigorous enough. I had attended SIG last summer and found the courses WAY too easy…I enjoyed the experience but found the courses (except trig) almost pointless. Does anyone have any input on that? And in regards to how it would look on college applications?</p>
<p>I have heard that SIG was not rigorous. My bet is that the Harvard courses will be at least somewhat challening but all of your peers might not be brilliant.</p>
<p>Thanks! Had anyone actually been to the harvard one to give me some feedback? And Does any one have any suggestions of other summer programs please :)</p>
<p>Bump…</p>
<p>What about epgy? Any thoughts on that?</p>
<p>THINK is better. Admissions is easier than TIP or CTY; I don’t think it’s as well regarded as those two.</p>
<p>^ sorry confused…think is better than epgy?</p>
<p>I’ve heard the Center for Talent Development at Northwestern has great residential programs too.</p>
<p>I meant that CTY, TIP, CTD, and THINK are better than EPGY. EPGY doesn’t have any minimum eligibility criteria which makes me think that the standards aren’t too high.</p>
<p>i went to SIG and felt that the residential program was better than day and that it depended on what classes you took and your previous knowledge if the classes were easy</p>
<p>Thanks! Anyone else? I’d really like somebody’s opinion who attended harvard ssp. :)</p>
<p>I attended Harvard SSP taking two courses in computer science (two short-sessions, ergo most number of weeks, the whole shebang). I was a rising junior as well.
The second class required special permission to enter, as it wasn’t really meant for HS students.</p>
<p>It was the most intense academic experience of my life. I really struggled in those classes, having to absolutely pour myself into the work. Nonetheless, it was the happiest two months of my life, and a experience for which I have no regrets. It was incredibly difficult, but incredibly fulfilling. I ended the first class with an A, and the second with an A-. I worked my daggum butt off for those grades, and they really mean a lot to me-- more so than any other grades I’ve ever received. HS courses, AP exams, SAT scores-- all others feel hollow in comparison. The classes really pushed me to my fullest academic abilities. Very challenging. Very engaging!
I still look back fondly on my memories of that summer. It really was the best in my life. I still remember walking through Harvard yard on cool, rainy days, with my bouncy blue-plaid umbrella. Hot days, too, though I’m less fond of those-- but, on my birthday, there just happened to be a huge free ice-cream event on such a day in Harvard yard, which was nice. 
Annenberg Hall was gorgeous, of course, and Cambridge and Boston were a blast. I also had a number of eye-opening conversations which really helped me in figuring out what I really want to do with my life.</p>
<p>Honestly, Harvard SSP is a wonderful experience. It was amazing, enriching, challenging, and tons of fun (if you like your class choice and enjoy meeting many diverse types and ages of people). I think if you went, you would adore it.
HOWEVER-- If prestige is a huge factor in your choice, no, SSP doesn’t have much of it. It shows you’re willing to challenge yourself, your academic motivation/interest in exploring your field, and if you get good grades, it’ll show you can excel in college-level work in a competitive (but cooperative) environment of high school students, undergraduates, and graduate students. Many of the more cynical kind will say it just shows your parents have deep pocketbooks, but the classes at SSP (at least the ones I took) are NO cakewalk. You’ll have to work your butt off for those A’s.
(I also think the rich-kid thing is unfair, as some less affluent families may pinch and strain and take on debt to provide their kids with what they think is an amazing (and likely, prestigious) opportunity for their children to show themselves/achieve/get into the college they dream of. Not many know of things like TASP-- especially families like this, who likely don’t have much in the way of advanced college-admissions know-how!)</p>
<p>Obviously, it’s all subjective. I only took the classes I took, so I can’t judge the difficulty or quality of others. However, almost everyone who’s ever posted about their experience at SSP raves about how wonderful it was.
Still, though-- no, it’s not super prestigious. It certainly wouldn’t hurt you, though, and if it ended up meaning enough to you to write your essay about it, it would actually be quite a benefit.</p>
<p>Just my two cents and all that. I’ve got to head off to bed, so apologies in advance for any typos or anything. Good luck with choosing whatever suits you best!</p>
<p>I would really like to thank you prussia! Your post was exactly what I was looking for…some one who could testify that ssp was going to be a challenge, and an enriching experience. Thanks so much! Right now I have decided, to apply first for hshsp (that has always been my first choice) and then, if that does not work out, SSP is definitely something I am going to pursue. And thank you again for your help!</p>