<p>I happened across another current thread in CC that dealt with the importance of governor's school in the college admissions process.</p>
<p>I remember a time when my DS was younger that there were lots of special interest programs for kids of every stripe. However, in middle school and high school, particularly, these gems (that fuel a child's growing interests and self-esteeem) are reserved only for the gifted. How sad. My DS would have loved to have been a part of a program like that. Why does our society feel that these average kids aren't worth investing in? And, do you know of any quality programs that admit average kids?</p>
<p>It depends what you define as "average." Many respectable schools have programs which usually admit at a very high rate because it is generally only the people that can pay for them that go. For example, I did a summer program (5 weeks, 7 college credits) at WUSTL this summer and it was great - the requirements were a 1200 SAT or 120 PSAT and a "B+ average." From word of mouth I got the feeling the acceptance rate was about 50%, so there ya go. There are tons more options than this but again, just an example.</p>
<p>DS is 1040 SAT, 3.6+. And has ADD and some LD, which impact processing speed. Though he certainly is bright enough.</p>
<p>He's not interested in college credit in high school, just some programs of high interest. Everything I know about in our home state is geared exclusively toward the gifted. Because DS isn't, it removes from the table activities that would stimulate educational interest and growth. How did you find your program? I appreciate your feedback.</p>
<p>what sort of program are you looking for?
In our area there are a ton of activities and programs both for pay and volunteer.
My kids have never wanted to do anything academic really in the summer- but I know there are things available for those that do.
My 15 year old just finished a photography class, it was expensive but the class at her high school is so waltlisted that seniors even have a hard time getting into it.
Summer is a time to explore interests and I would imagine most metro areas have a good selection of activites</p>
<p>My daughter attended Earlham College's Explore-a-College program this summer and I must say I was impressed. It's only two weeks long - a plus in my daughter's mind as she didn't want to be away from home all summer. The two-credit college courses are unique (things like metalsmithing, history of non-violent movements, wilderness education, environmental biology) and are all taught by Earlham faculty. Earlham has a wonderful schedule of activities throughout the program that is very different from anything I have seen elsewhere - everything from a movie night with Earlham's president, to a mini-international festival where Earlham international students talked about their home countries. On Saturday, the kids all did community service. The counselors were all Earlham students and seemed to be terrific at giving the kids enough freedom but still making sure there wasn't any wild behavior. A bonus: if you end up going to Earlham they credit half the cost of the program to your first year's tuition. The cost is fairly reasonable to begin with compared to many other programs we looked at. My daughter had a terrific time and is already encouraging her younger brother to go as well. While you do have to fill out an application and get recommendations from a teacher and your guidance counselor, kids with "average" grades are most welcome.</p>
<p>I know the Duke program is not grade dependent - I can't speak for any of the others.</p>
<p>And Carolyn, I am going to strongly pursue the Earlham program for my son. I actually think Earlham would be a great school for him but he wants to try and play DIII golf and they don't have a team. But I really like the thought of that program for him.</p>
<p>There are plenty of summer opportunities for MS and HS students. Just don't fall into the trap here on CC that if the program is not highly selective, prestigious, etc., that it is not worthy of consideration. Almost every university and community college in the country offers summer enrichment opportunities. Some are way to expensive (>$5k), but there always others that are more reasonably priced.</p>
<p>Start searching the net for "summer program" or "pre-college" etc. as early as October. There is also a ton of good info right here on CC. Also look at the websites of professional associations (legal, medical, engineering, etc.) for specialized summer programs for youth.</p>
<p>I recommend people visit China before the '08 olympics. I did and had a great time. If you are going to spend over 5k, make sure you are going somewhere far otherwise it would (imo) not be worth it.</p>