<p>Did you participate in Duke TIP? Am wondering if it is worth it (of any value) for a middle schooler to sign up, or if it is more of a revenue generating thing that we should pass on.</p>
<p>It’s not just a revenue generator, but you shouldn’t sign a child up for it expecting it to confer any advantage whatsoever in the admissions process. The value of TIP is that it gathers a great peer group of kids together for a few weeks to explore advanced academic topics in an environment where it’s okay to be smart and okay to take chances and make mistakes. There are narrative evaluations but no grades. Some of the courses sound really interesting, and I wish I had been able to take them.</p>
<p>If your child gets enough of that at his or her regular school or through other summer programs, TIP may not be worth it to you. But I know kids who view it as a real lifeline from less stimulating school environments. </p>
<p>Also, you should note that many of the best offerings for middle schoolers are hosted on other campuses. From familial experience, I’d recommend the Davidson classes. That’s just about the perfect size campus for a sleep-away experience for kids that age with terrific instructors and good activities outside of classes. And the campus is so compact that you can basically walk from one end to the other without having to cross the street.</p>
<p>a. Excellent response, SOG.
b. Duke would be fortunate if TIP were financially neutral. Many similar activities actually lose money, but they also help to amortize fixed/recurring/overhead costs (for example, largely unused dormitories, classrooms, gymnasiums, etc. still cost a LOT to insure, maintain, cool, and so forth during the summer months; thus, TIP (and similar activities, such as athletically-oriented “camps”) helps to pay these sizable expenses). It’s smart to lose $x every summer, rather than 3$x.</p>
<p>Actually, my sense is that the real benefit is giving 7th graders the opportunity to experience the SAT for themselves. Sure, they may not score as well as they will later (though some do very well), but it take the mystery out of the test and now they know what to expect. By the time my older son (who is now a freshman at Duke) took the SAT, he had no fear or anxiety and was able to just focus on the test itself. My 8th grader took it last year and it appears the same applies for him.</p>
<p>You must be raising more mature kids than I am. My younger kid had to be bribed with a significant offer of burgers and milkshakes to take the SAT – even though it was his ticket to spending the summer out of the house and away from me.</p>
<p>What is the maximum age for acceptance into the Duke TIP program? I am currently in middle school as well-13 and in grade eight. I am afraid I have missed my chance…</p>
<p>Thanks, all. This is exactly the information that I was looking for/wondering about.</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I was recently accepted to Pratt for the Class of 2018.</p>
<p>I did not attend any Duke sponsored programs and I don’t think they ask you to mention if you have on their application.</p>
<p>Thanks, pratt2018, and congrats!</p>
<p>I agree it makes absolutely no difference, but I did do Duke Tip. The extent to which it helped my application was that it allowed me to talk about the campus and living situation easily.</p>