<p>Has anyone's kid been in the program? "Summer Institute for the Gifted". My freshman D would like to go one of the colleges for the summer program. The program sounds pretty good, but kind expense for us. (3 wks from 3700 to 4200) depending on the location. We are in S. Cal, so plus the air fare..., any feedback from anyone is really appreciated. Thanks.</p>
<p>I considered the program for my 13-year-old as an alternative to CTY. A neighbor's daughter went to the program at Princeton a couple of years ago and loved it. I liked the fact that the kids take several classes, rather than just one, and that there are non-academic offerings included. My neighbor's daughter took fencing there for the first time and has continued it. But the academic courses didn't look all that great, compared to CTY, and the cost was much higher. My son is going to be taking Probability and Game Theory at CTY.</p>
<p>NYMomof2 - </p>
<p>Thanks for the info. We were thinking about CTY earlier date...but she has not took SAT yet, so, she would not be qualified. I heard lots good thing about CTY. Do you know if my D take ACT, will that leave a record in her high school? like SAT? SIG sounds good, I also like the variety of the classes, but like you said, the cost is pretty high and that's why we have to think about it. Thanks.</p>
<p>I am a gifted teacher and I recommend Summer Institute for the Gifted. I am pretty picky about what I send home to my kids in terms of programs and this is one that I will distribute brochures for.</p>
<p>schinagus, I don't know whether an ACT score from 9th grader would remain on the record, but even if it does, it would be obvious from the date that it was taken earlier than normal. Is there still time to take the ACT to qualify for CTY this summer? They have quite a few classes still open. I got an email the other day, offering a second session, and linking to list of open courses on their website.</p>
<p>"My son is going to be taking Probability and Game Theory at CTY."</p>
<p>I hope he enjoys it. That was the first CTY class my son took. It was great - he learned math there that he didn't see again until a quantum physics class this fall that he took at Columbia's Science Honors program for high schoolers. What I liked best about that course though was that it wasn't just math. They talked about price wars, and I remember they watched a movie about the Cuban missile crisis and discussed brinksmanship.</p>
<p>I pose an earnest question...</p>
<p>Why are these programs just for the gifted????</p>
<p>My son would have loved to participate in some of these "gifted" offerings.</p>
<p>To quote a well-known slogan: "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." No where do I recall reading: "A GIFTED mind is a terrible thing to waste."</p>
<p>I sincerely believe that all students should be given quality enrichment...to stimulate them...to open new doors to them...to encourage them to become life-long learners. However, I see these wonderful opportunities open solely to the gifted. Exclusion from these activities sends a powerful and lifelong message.</p>
<p>One of my DDs participated in CTY program (few summers) and she really LOVED it! The program, the teachers, the classes. And we, parents, liked it too. The other DD went to SIG (in Vassar college, few years ago) for just one year and was somewhat disappointed, particularly with classes history class was rather boring, chemistry, in her opinion, was primitive, etc. Social part of the camp life was not bad they had nice trips, some social events. But we anticipated much more interesting, challenging, stimulating classes for the price they charge. It might be a good idea to ask for some kind of syllabus before signing up for classes
OrangeBlossom I think, this program is called Institute for the Gifted mainly to charge higher price :))
My DD is a good student, however, she didnt take SAT to get to SIG. She asked a teacher and a GC for the recommendations, and that was it.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I pose an earnest question...</p>
<p>Why are these programs just for the gifted????
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Because if they are well designed, as the CTY programs appear to be, they are too hard to be enjoyable or beneficial for kids who are not gifted. That's not a slam on those other kids, but just a fact about what is different about kids by the time you find them at junior-high age: some kids are ready for much tougher academic work than others. They also enjoy the company of different kinds of kids for fun activities. </p>
<p>Is that clear? </p>
<p>By the way, I agree fully that all kids ought to get better education, in general, than they now get in the United States, but that takes some major system reform that hasn't happened yet. Some other countries do this smarter, and not only do better by their gifted students, but also better by their average and below-average students than does the United States, and at less cost to their taxpayers besides.</p>
<p>I did CTY for 2 years and had a great experience both times. I had a UVA poli sci professor teaching me policial theory and the american political system in 7th grade. It was really awsome.</p>
<p>Token -</p>
<p>I understand what you're saying, but there must be a way to make an interesting program that can be geared toward other types of students. The problem is that no attempt is made and there are no enrichment activities at all for these kids...no wonder they fall away. </p>
<p>Being average doesn't mean not being interested, it just means being average. It saddens me to think that in this country only the gifted are valued. My son had a great interest in criminal justice and forensic science, but found that beyond 6th grade the interesting programs were offered only to the gifted. All that was offered to the others was sports.... Pity.</p>
<p>OrangeBlossom:</p>
<p>Are you sure there are not academic programs for the less advanced students? Many seem to stress that they are for the "gifted" but not all have tests to determine eligibility, and they are far less intense than CTY courses. For example, the Exploration program (lower grades at St Mark, middle school at Wellesley and high school at Yale) has only half-day classes, and a wide variety of classes. I am sure there are many other such programs. If you do a search for academic summer programs, you may find a wide variety in many different locations.</p>
<p>Orange Blossom -</p>
<p>That is not my experience. There are a variety of summer programs out there for many levels of students. Even the ones with the gifted label may accept a student with a strong recommendation who might not otherwise qualify.</p>
<p>The reasoning behind the gifted designation has to do with the pacing and depth of the class. Not everyone wants to study continuously for up to six weeks, but some do enjoy the challenge. They may be kids who have been held back by regular classroom teaching and thrive on the fast pace, and on being among their peers in learning.</p>
<p>OrangeBlossom, I accidently erased my long post, but here's the short version. I agree with the 2 posts above but would like to add a personal observation. </p>
<p>To some of these "gifted" students, the school year is geared toward everyone else. For some of them, the restrictive summer programs are the only opportunity they have to be around "kids just like them," where they aren't teased or ignored for studying, reading, learning, questioning, and talking about what they've learned. They are around like-minds who understand them; many of the summer friendships continue for years (thanks to the internet, other summer programs and college). I agree that education should serve everyone but I don't know how to solve that problem, and am eternally grateful that these summer programs exist. </p>
<p>Also, this site has a lot of links to summer programs and I doubt many of them are restricted to gifted kids. <a href="http://tbp.mit.edu/highschool/%5B/url%5D">http://tbp.mit.edu/highschool/</a></p>
<p>There are many enrichment programs available for kids with the interest, and they are not restricted to those who are gifted or to those who pass a certain level on a test.</p>
<p>I don't know if your searches have been unfruitful, or whether someone has misinformed you, but your claim runs counter to my experience. What in particular were you looking for, and where?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Token -</p>
<p>I understand what you're saying, but there must be a way to make an interesting program that can be geared toward other types of students. . . . My son had a great interest in criminal justice and forensic science, but found that beyond 6th grade the interesting programs were offered only to the gifted.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I'm glad I let some other participants reply before I posted this. I think they are correct on the essential points: there are a lot of programs around for all kinds of learners, and there are some good reasons that some programs have particular entrance requirements. I don't know exactly where you looked, or what program entrance criteria you found, but the topics you mention are the occupations of adults all over the country, so a student with strong interest should be able to find an adult somewhere who can suggest how to learn more about those topics almost anywhere, inside or outside a formal program. I also don't know what any particular learner finds "interesting." I have my own ways of teaching courses in the subjects I teach, and I don't go out of my way to make things boring, but maybe I'm not the right teacher for all learners, which is why I think all learners ought to shop around.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/summer.htm%5B/url%5D">www.hoagiesgifted.org/summer.htm</a> has a terrific list of U.S. and international summer programs. While the website is geared toward gifted kids, many of the programs listed are open to anyone.</p>
<p>Thank you for the website info..., has lots info.</p>
<p>CTY was founded to identify and serve the truly gifted child (less than 1% of the pop.) who is woefully underserved by the elementary school curriculum. These are the kids who feel freakish because they are miles ahead of the pack intellectually and the program can change their outlook on life. It's a Godsend for those misunderstood kids. CTY also has programs for ordinary, but very bright kids who are not challenged. Very, very expensive, though.</p>
<p>When my D first qualified to sit for the SAT through the CTY program, I was horrified that our school district offered an SAT prep course! Defeating the whole purpose, which was to throw algebra problems at kids who had never received algebra instruction & see which of them could intuitively figure the problems out. Likewise, throw advanced reading selections. vocab, analogies at kids & see who flies through the exam without trouble. I don't think the district was able to "create" a single junior Einstein with the prep course.....</p>