Duke TIP Question

[Trish]

Eh, we're having to decide about this because for my 7th grader we sign up for this now, or we don't do it at all. This is the opportunity to take the SAT or ACT as a 7th grader, and if you score decently well (for a 7th grader) you get some advantages.

 

I can't decide if it's worth trying to do this. We started homeschooling last year, so this is only our 2nd year of Hsing. The thing is, a lot of his friends from his former school are taking it, so there is a lot of "mom talk" about it. None of them seem to have the concerns that I do. I do know his prior standardized test scores met the criteria, so I'm not worried about that aspect.

 

Mainly, I'm wondering if it is worth the effort. There is a monetary amount to sign up, there is the fact of getting to and taking the test, probably the biggest thing would be (for me) having this test LOOMING, and wondering to what extent (if any) I'd need to try to prepare him. Like, getting to some of the math topics. Secondly, when I took the test, there was no writing portion at all. So I'd have to figure out how to prepare him for that. I have to decide on SAT vs ACT. (his friends are all taking SAT) Any advantage of one over the other?

 

Then, are the benefits worth the prepping. 3 weeks at Duke. I know if faced with this we wouldn't send him alone. Hubby isn't going to take 3 weeks off work. I guess that would mean myself and son #2 taking a 3-week vacation in N.C. at some hotel? Hmmm. Or maybe we'd end up doing a weekend thing in Florida (where we live). That's close by in Sarasota, I think. But is it worth the hassle just for a weekend of academia that may or may not appeal to him depending on what the topics are?

 

Musing to myself here: is this just to say, "hey, he qualified for Duke TIP?" That doesn't seem like a good enough reason. Maybe there is a part of me that is thinking we need to show the other moms "we are still on track" with the school kids. EEK. Bad reason. Not worth prepping and testing just for that.

 

But is there something significant that he would gain that I'm overlooking? The "testing experience?" Knowing areas of strength/weakness? OTOH, I don't want him to feel he didn't do well on the test just because there might be plenty of stuff that we haven't covered yet.

 

Duke TIP or No Duke TIP, that is the question. Someone TIP me in the right directions!

 

Ack. :confused:

[regentrude]

DD took the SAT in 7th grade. She did some minimal prep, about three weeks, and did quite well on the test. For her, it was the challenge and seeing that she scored well, and in which percentile, that made it worth it.

We have not done any of the summer programs, because we usually travel over the summer. But she enjoyed the experience, and it "demystified" the test - the next time, she knows exactly what to expect. And it is nice to know that there is no pressure, because you don't even have to keep the score (in fact, you ahve to petition IF you want to keep the score)

If you decide that he takes it, I would not spend too much time on prep; since algebra 1 and geometry are covered, it makes sense only if he is at least partway into algebra (DD was half-way through alg 1). We introduced her to the 5 paragraph essay and she wrote two practice essays, but we did spend too much time.

From what I heard, the SAT is more about critical thinking and less about having covered specific stuff; that's why we picked it over the ACT.