TASP -- parent input please?

Parents Forum
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<p>My D received the application and brochure from TASP in yesterday's mail and it looks like an amazing program. I did a search here and read some of the threads with kids' comments about the program, but would love some input from any parents. D is a violinist, so we are very familiar with summer music programs, but this academic program was not on our radar screen. However, in addition to music, she is also very interested in the kinds of intellectual exploration and discourse that the brochure describes and became really psyched about writing the essays and including TASP as one of her apps for next summer (she's also doing a few auditions for music summer programs).</p>

<p>Would love to hear from any of you who had kids do the program. thanks!</p>

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<p>see <a href="http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/000136.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/000136.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Orchestramom, My DD was a TASPer this year. She describes TASP as the most important, life-shaping, fun, intellectual experience of her life. As a parent, I can tell you that when she came back from TASP she was a different person - more academically focused, more confident, more willing to take on a very tough senior year, and really looking forward to the college experience.</p>

<p>Perhaps the most important part of TASP for my DD was being with an eclectic group of fun high-achievers. The kids in the program were amazing - some of the best and brightest kids in the world (I do not say this lightly). </p>

<p>On Friday, EA/ED notification day, she received quite a few calls from some of the kids that she was with at TASP. The list of schools that these young people were accepted to is amazing (even by CC standards). </p>

<p>In short, I highly recommend TASP. Please feel free to pm me if you want more details/advice.</p>

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<p>My son got one of these in the mail, and I was very impressed!!! However, he doesn't seem to recognize the sort of privilege it is (and it's FREE, mostly).</p>

<p>He says, "I don't think I'm the kind of person they're looking for; they want people with a social conscience and awareness, and I'm basically a selfish bastard."</p>

<p>Not exactly the kind of attitude I would expect.</p>

<p>He's going on an EF Tour to Europe next April. Should I make it contingent upon him filling out the Telluride application?</p>

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<p>Hey parents,
I'm an 06 TASPer, and I just want to say that it's an incredible experience. Actually, I feel like incredible is too light of a word. It was seriously life-changing. The people I met were some of the most amazing I feel I'll ever know. They were all very bright, but more importantly to me they were very engaged and curious. These are people who always have an opinion, the kind of kids who read and pursue intellectual passions for fun. Not to mention the fact that they were an incredibly accepting and warm group. I could not have asked for a better group of people to spend my summer with. They were that great. </p>

<p>If there's any chance your kid is interested, i would pester them to apply. They won't regret it!</p>

<p>MSMDAD- which TASP did your daughter go to, if you're comfortable saying? I was at the WashU TASP.</p>

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<p>Hi Vegangirl, she attended Cornell II. My daughter would use the same words as you to describe the TASP experience - incredible is too light of a word.</p>

<p>Erin's Mom, I would certainly encourage your son to complete the application. The application process, including the essays and interview, is rigorous. It is, however, good practice for your son's fast-approaching college application season. Your son might be able to use the TASP application essays later to help him with college application essays. The TASP interview will also be good practice, although more grueling, for college interviews. Additionally, the experience of living in a house with bright kids will only help to prepare him for the college experience. </p>

<p>As with Vegangirl, TASP was a life-changing experience for my daughter and I highly recommend it. </p>

<p>Good luck and I hope that you will be able to convince him to apply.</p>

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<p>"Should I make it contingent upon him filling out the Telluride application?"</p>

<p>My son wasn't too excited about it either, which I had trouble understanding. He said he would have been, if it had been 1 or 2 weeks, but he just didn't want to make such a big commitment to nearly his whole summer. I could sort of understand; I went on a 3-week trip to England once and it seemed like a long time...so 6 weeks is REALLY a long time!</p>

<p>I was much more excited about it than he was. He did fit the profile and is a prolific writer, so I thought for sure he would have a decent chance of getting accepted. So I nagged...and I nagged...and I nagged...</p>

<p>...to no avail. All it did was cause some massive tension between us. The end result was that he did finally write the essays, just to shut me up, but I could tell his heart wasn't in it and consequently they did not represent his best work. </p>

<p>He didn't get accepted, and was actually relieved. Then he proceeded to get an awesome job selling computers (which is what he REALLY wanted to do with his summer), made some decent cash over the summer, plus went to a 4-day Engineering Honors Colloquium, and was MUCH happier.</p>

<p>There is a part of me that still thinks he missed out on something wonderful. But, the bottom line is, it is HIS life. So I actually regret pressuring him so much to do something he didn't really want to do.</p>

<p>Contrast that with the posts from the kids who actually did want to go. (see the TASP thread) These kids were really, really excited and didn't seem to need any nagging from Mom. It's not just a matter of intelligence - if it were just that then both your son and my son would be just as excited as the others. But for some reason they just might not want to spend their entire summer at TASP. Inexplicable though that may be, it IS, after all, THEIR summer.</p>

<p>My son gets excited about things he's interested in, but this just wasn't one of them. My suggestion would be that you offer it to your son and encourage him, but not pressure him or make it a requirement.</p>

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<p>leal - I also had trouble getting my d to fill our her TASP application. I was soooo annoyed!! But I also think she had issue with devoting her entire summer to the program. It was her last summer before senior year and she wanted to be with her friends and plot out every wonderful thing they would be doing their last year in h.s. (Little did she realize how much studying she would be doing for AP classes and SAT IIs and how much time she would be devoting to college applications....lol!)</p>

<p>I think the progam is fantastic, but they weren't exactly asking ME to attend. ;)</p>

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<p>good advice from all, thanks! well I am definitely not going to "pester" my D -- she's already got several irons in the fire for next summer, all of which are music-focused and will require major auditions in January and February. AND she's planning on taking the January SAT. If she adds the TASP app to her to-do list, that will be great -- but it will be her decision.</p>

<p>Wonderful to hear such enthusiastic feedback from former TASP-ers!</p>

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<p>Leal - thanks for the advice. I know I can't pester him and achieve anything but hard feelings. My concern with the boy is that he tends to be a bit of an underachiever and rarely shows interest in anything that doesn't have a Nintendo console attached to it. This would be a great opportunity for him. But sigh, you can only lead a horse to water.....</p>

<p>Orchestramom - congrats on your D! She obviously has a lot more going on than my S-one of the reasons I'm encouraging him to apply because he needs to broaden his outlook.</p>

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<p>I, too, have an underachiever S who was sent the TASP brochure the year before last. He liked what he saw, but, frankly, was too lazy or perfectionistic to get around to filling it out, though he did spend hours looking at the brochure and thinking about filling it out.</p>

<p>I don't believe in forcing our kids to fill out things like that. There's a big self select in it, and I think that the kids who really are good fits for the program will not only be obviously interested, but also will thoughtfully fill out the lengthy application. The students who aren't interested in TASP will be better fits for different types of experiences.</p>

<p>While my S didn't go to TASP, he did go to a totally unexpected summer opportunity that we learned about in April of his junior year. It played right to his strengths, he eagerly participated, and it was life changing. It was not a traditional summer program, but was an out of town training opportunity that interested both of us, and that we paid for so that both of us could do it. I am so glad that he didn't do TASP because if he had, he would never have been able to have the experience that has helped him define his own purpose and goals.</p>

<p>I'm not naming the program here because my point isn't that he did a better program than TASP. My point is that the one-week experience that he did was better suited to his individual personality and interests than TASP would have been. Consequently, I believe in staying open and looking for opportunities that will help your child pursue their interests and passions while building on the assets of their own personality. The program that was life transforming for my son would be of little interest or inspiration to most young people or adults nor is it a program that most admissions officers would have heard of.</p>

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<p>I had a peek at the application...Part 2 included 6 essays that you had to write!! I'd say that TASP is something a kid must truly want to do because you'll need that desire to fill out that app.</p>

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<p>NSM - Thanks for sharing such a wonderful story! I agree totally that it's so important that it be a good 'fit' for what the kid needs at this point in their lives. Last summer what my son needed was the responsibility and independence of a high-tech job. It really did work out great for him. I'm glad to hear that your son found a better fit also.</p>

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<p>"My concern with the boy is that he tends to be a bit of an underachiever and rarely shows interest in anything that doesn't have a Nintendo console attached to it."</p>

<p>Ah, I can relate. We went thru some issues with gaming, until girls finally just somehow took its place. He's still into gaming but manages it much better. </p>

<p>What I would say is: Pick your battles. I DID nag about scholarship applications. I felt I had the right, since we're the ones paying whatever scholarships don't cover. So that was not negotiable. TASP was a wonderful opportunity, but it was optional. College and scholarship applications are not optional. (Assuming, of course, that the kid does at at least want to go to college.) </p>

<p>Another suggestion would be to give him options, such as 'Pick an enriching event this summer' and let him choose from among several acceptable options. Staying home playing video games ALL summer would not be among them. (SOME of the summer, yes, but not ALL summer.)</p>