<p>Cowpernia, Try the Florida State Young Scholars Program, it is free to those admitted and it is considered a prestigious program.</p>
<p>How do state Governor's Schools compare to summer programs at Ivy League type schools? Sure, you'll have that prestigious name, but are top-tier school's summer programs really that selective and challenging? I heard from one person that the summer programs at selective schools were primarily for making money.</p>
<p>It has been said several times on this CC Parents Board that summer programs which are free and which are highly selective are a plus on a college application. In my state (Pennsylvania), Governor's School programs are very prestigious, as they are very selective and they are free to those admitted. The programs are extremely intense and taught on a high level (at least the science one with which I am familiar). A letter of recommendation for college is written for each student, based on the comments of the instructors. I am not familiar with summer programs at Ivy League schools, but I would think that attending a Governor's School would be preferable for a student who had a choice between the two types of programs.</p>
<p>whoops. Deadline for the Young Scholars Program was today. There is not information about it online, however, and his school has not mentioned it. Thanks anyway. This is a great place for parents to learn!</p>
<p>I talked to him about Concordia and he is jazzed. Does anyone say "jazzed" anymore? The application is in the mail and we met the deadline. I wouldn't have known about the villages if not for this board.</p>
<p>chocoholic, Walnut Hill School, an arts school in Natick, MA, has just started a creative writing program along with its theater and dance programs. This will be its first year. Here's the website:
<a href="http://www.walnuthillarts.org%5B/url%5D">www.walnuthillarts.org</a>.</p>
<p>NYU:Tisch has increible programs in dramatic writing, experimental theater, musical theater and film. Its really, really hard to get into 50 spots with 1000 applying, but the film program is one of the best in country. You learn directly from NYU professors and visiting filmmakers, and work with incoming seniors...Its four weeks, quiet expensive, but well worth it.</p>
<p>My daughter just got her notification that she is accepted into the summer EPGY expository writing program at Stanford. Rick Summer also signed her admission letter as director of the Summer Institute. So does he direct both the EPGY and other Stanford summer program, does anyone know? </p>
<p>Also--this may be elsewhere on this thread, I forget--summer photography programs for high school students (beginning)? I took one at Cornell eons ago, it was awesome.</p>
<p>The School of Cinema & Performing Arts (SOCAPA) in New York has a photography program, along with its filmmaking, acting for film, urban dance, and music video making programs. Apparently the photographers take photos of NYC as well as photos of the students in the other programs. Website is <a href="http://www.socapa.org%5B/url%5D">www.socapa.org</a>.</p>
<p>Chevda,
Thanks for the info on Walnut Hill. It looks like a great program, but the Writing Workshops are for ages 13-17 (my D is 11), and are in Dublin.....</p>
<p>Anyone have any personal experience with the Excel programs on the Amherst and Williams campuses?</p>
<p>OOPS! Sorry, chocoholic - I didn't look closely at the program since my D isn't interested in writing!</p>
<p>Do you have any personal experience with this program? I requested references a number of days ago and have heard nothing.</p>
<p>I know of a couple of kids who did the Urban Dance part of the program last year. They had a fantastic time and learned a lot. I don't know anything about the photography piece.</p>
<p>bseldin,
My daughter attended the Excel program at Williams last year (summer after ninth grade) and had a wonderful time. She was somewhat disappointed in the Digital Photography course and its teacher. In all fairness, she was very advanced in the use of Photoshop for digital editing before the course, while most of the students were not. In spite of that, she enjoyed her time at Williams. She loved the other kids, the field trips, and the weekend ventures. The program administrators were organized and helpful. Please feel free to ask any specific questions you might have.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your reply.
When I mentioned what you said about the digital photography class last summer, the person I spoke to was not at all defensive and in fact agreed that the teacher was not a good communicator. They will have someone else teaching the course this summer.<br>
I question whether being at Williams would provide the same degree of stimulation that my daughter might get being at Amherst so I'd appreciate your response to that (although I know it would be difficult for you to speak about the Amherst experience). When I visited Williams during the winter on a college tour the town seemed a bit limiting not to mention the remote location. Was there enough off campus to satisfy your daughter?</p>
<p>By the way, we're from Jupiter, FL. How about yourself?</p>
<p>bseldin,
I'm very glad to hear that Excel is changing the digital photography teacher. While I'm sure last year's teacher was very talented, she did not seem to connect well with many of the students. I can't say much about Amherst but my D did visit the Amherst campus on at least one occasion and did not feel she was missing anything by being at Williams. She loved the little town - I'll ask her for more specifics but Excel seemed to keep them very busy and they did not have a lot of time to just hang out in the area. However, they did go in for ice cream and coffee now and again and spent time at the local Art Museums. They are off campus every weekend she spent one weekend in Montreal, one in Boston, and one near campus somewhere. Several of the students at Williams last summer continue to communicate frequently with D. They all seem to have had a great time and I have not heard any complaints about boredom or claustrophobia. My D is quite shy and had no problem fitting in, making friends, or participating in the activities. She is considering applying to Williams when the time comes (currently a sophomore) because of her experiences over the summer. I thought the Excel program was very well run and, as I said, she had a wonderful time. She had spent the seven previous summers at a tripping camp in Northern Ontario and did not regret her decision to go to Excel. The major concerns I would have would be for an older student (although many of Ds friends are current seniors) or a student wanting an intensive academic experience. However, I understand some of the courses were rigorous and of very high quality.</p>
<p>Were also from South Florida but from the Fort Lauderdale area. Let me know if I can answer any other questions.</p>
<p>Could you email me at <a href="mailto:BJJupiter@aol.com">BJJupiter@aol.com</a> so I can respond to you (without you having to publicly post your email address). Thanks!</p>
<p>My son went to Summer Science Program in 2002 and my daughter just learned that she was accepted for this summer. It is an amazing program in every way. D also applied to the Womens Technology Program at MIT; they don't send out acceptances until April 1. D went to COSMOS at Davis after her freshman year of high school. She didn't find it very challenging, but she had a great time and made lots of friends. The program is very well run.</p>
<p>A great program for kids in 4-11 grade is the Summer Institute for the Gifted. It has a three week residential program at Amherst, as well as Princeton, Vassar, Bryn Mawr, UCLA, UC-Berkeley, Drew and Oberlin. Their web site is <a href="http://www.giftedstudy.com%5B/url%5D">www.giftedstudy.com</a></p>
<p>How are the Duke TIP programs? Has anyone's child been involved in the Tropical Medicine program in Costa Rica?</p>