Is Davidson worth it for a high schooler?

[angela in ohio]

Dd14 qualifies based on her ACT and SAT scores. We don't have a recent aptitude test (last one was probably 5 years ago,) so I would need to get that. We could pay a school psych on the side, I'm sure, or hit the university. I'm just wondering if it is worth it.

 

I know she would benefit from connecting with other yougn people like her, as there are no options around here for that. And I could use some help making high school decisions. I know I am not letting her go as fast as would benefit her most.

[Staceyshoe]

Are you wondering about the YS program? If so, there is really no harm in applying--just the time it takes to complete the application. You can become very involved or not really involved at all. There's no cost. I don't really see a downside, but potentially it could be a huge positive--potential for social interaction with intellectual peers; other parents' reviews of various camps, curricula, college decisions & experiences, possible mentorship, etc. You could win, but you really can't lose (IMHO).

[JeanM]

I've been wondering the same thing. I thought the consultant might be helpful, and it would be wonderful for ds to connect with peers.

 

I've mostly been dragging my feet because ds's iq test was borderline and it was done eight years ago. When I asked, the Davidson people recommended that I submit a portfolio with it, but I really can't think of much to put in a portfolio.

[snowbeltmom]

I posed this same question a few years ago on another group. The vast majority of the responses I received from parents that had btdt was that they felt it would not be worth it. They felt that DYS was more beneficial to younger kids that were traditionally schooled. I don't know if I made the right decision or not. I'll be interested to hear what others have to say.:bigear:

[MissKNG]

Wouldn't having DYS look great on a college application?

[snowbeltmom]

Wouldn't having DYS look great on a college application?

That's a good question. I wonder if people do put that on the college application. :confused:

Personally, I would not put it on the application. Imo, the colleges are more interested in what a child has accomplished with his education, rather than whether or not he qualified for the program. I may be way off base, though?

 

Following the same line of thought, do people list Mensa and CTY on a college application?

:bigear:

[Dmmetler]

That's a good question. I wonder if people do put that on the college application. :confused:

Personally, I would not put it on the application. Imo, the colleges are more interested in what a child has accomplished with his education, rather than whether or not he qualified for the program. I may be way off base, though?

 

Following the same line of thought, do people list Mensa and CTY on a college application?

:bigear:

 

 

I can't see listing the qualification. My gut feeling is that the kid who is applying to, say, MIT who DOESN'T qualify for MENSA or Talent Search is probably the exception to the rule. Something done through the program, though, like the mentorship and research projects DYS encourages, though, would be listed, as would anything that gave high school or college level credits. I'm guessing most DYS participants have college applications that indicate they're extremely gifted without having to say "Qualified for DYS program".

[Parker Martin]

I think it would be great for getting together with similar kids. Plus, you'd have tons of parents who have BTDT to talk to.

 

ETA: My son is five, and I find it very helpful. I think it will be the most helpful when he is a teenager.

[8filltheheart]

That's a good question. I wonder if people do put that on the college application. :confused:

Personally, I would not put it on the application. Imo, the colleges are more interested in what a child has accomplished with his education, rather than whether or not he qualified for the program. I may be way off base, though?

 

Following the same line of thought, do people list Mensa and CTY on a college application?

:bigear:

 

I don't and wouldn't. I list accomplishments earned that demonstrate commitment, work ethic, innovation, etc.

[galtgrl]

We had the same question a couple of years ago for our dd, soon to be 15. She had the achievement test scores, so we went ahead & submitted the portfolio & she was accepted.

 

I would say the primary benefit for us was the seminars she has had access to. We still haven't really connected with anyone IRL, so it didn't help much with helping her connect with other kids like her.

 

There's no cost involved, so I would recommend trying. I don't think I would have bothered if I had to get the IQ test for her, though. HTH. :001_smile:

 

I have gotten alot out of the parent's forums, which is another reason I'd recommend it.

Edited August 18, 2012 by galtgrl
added something

[Parker Martin]

If you do it, call around to a lot of different places for testing. Tell them that you only need the score report, not the consultation. You can get the testing at a fraction of the cost this way.

[radiobrain]

Everyone I know who is in Davidson is absolutely thrilled with it, just for the forums alone. However, I don't know anyone who has joined at the high school level, so take it with a grain of salt.

 

I say, go for it. The worst that can happen is that you find it doesn't matter for you.

[8filltheheart]

Dd14 qualifies based on her ACT and SAT scores. We don't have a recent aptitude test (last one was probably 5 years ago,) so I would need to get that. We could pay a school psych on the side, I'm sure, or hit the university. I'm just wondering if it is worth it.

 

I know she would benefit from connecting with other yougn people like her, as there are no options around here for that. And I could use some help making high school decisions. I know I am not letting her go as fast as would benefit her most.

 

What are you hoping to get out of their services? Are similar resources available w/o paying for the testing?

 

Are there other options for online forums that your dd could participate in for free w/o paying for testing? (for example, did she qualify for Cogito via talent search? It looks like she is advanced in math, has she tried hanging out on the AoPS forums? Our ds loves the NASA Inspire forums, but I am not sure they have funding for next yr.) I don't remember who, but someone on the high school forum posted that her dd and some other very talented/academic students set up their own forums. I remember checking out the link and was impressed, but out ds is already over-involved.

 

Cogito has lists of camps, competitions, etc that you could search for opportunities for your dd to participate in. (they are sorted by location, subject, grade, etc.)

 

Unless you believe the benefits are really going to be worth the cost, I would search for other options first.

[angela in ohio]

What are you hoping to get out of their services? Are similar resources available w/o paying for the testing?

 

Are there other options for online forums that your dd could participate in for free w/o paying for testing? (for example, did she qualify for Cogito via talent search? It looks like she is advanced in math, has she tried hanging out on the AoPS forums? Our ds loves the NASA Inspire forums, but I am not sure they have funding for next yr.) I don't remember who, but someone on the high school forum posted that her dd and some other very talented/academic students set up their own forums. I remember checking out the link and was impressed, but out ds is already over-involved.

 

Cogito has lists of camps, competitions, etc that you could search for opportunities for your dd to participate in. (they are sorted by location, subject, grade, etc.)

 

Unless you believe the benefits are really going to be worth the cost, I would search for other options first.

 

I guess I'm hoping to get some resources together for peer interaction. She has had some issues in homeschool co-ops before with students being mean because of her abilities, and though the PS students so far seem much nicer, I'm sure eventually if will get to her. I thought a preventative measure might be to have her find some others who are like her. She is not even typical in our home, as she blows away my other two who are much less gifted. I feel bad for her. I'm going to try to start a high school math club at her school, hoping that will help her find some friends with similar interests.

 

She loves math competitions, and I just had her start exploring the AOPS site the other day, because we use their books. I can help her get set up in the forums. I ws thinking of having her take a course through them anyway, and maybe that will be good.

 

Don't know about Cogito; she took her test late in the year, so we missed some of the services (award ceremony.) She volunteers all summer with SN kiddos, but I'm going to let her switch that up starting next year and get her into some summer math camps. Maybe that is plenty - AOPS and some camps. She is super busy already, because she's also involved in music heavily. I'm not sure what I could get from Davidson.

 

I'll go search for the post about those forums, too. Thanks!

[angela in ohio]

We had the same question a couple of years ago for our dd, soon to be 15. She had the achievement test scores, so we went ahead & submitted the portfolio & she was accepted.

 

I hadn't thought of a portfolio. What did you include?

[angela in ohio]

I can't see listing the qualification. My gut feeling is that the kid who is applying to, say, MIT who DOESN'T qualify for MENSA or Talent Search is probably the exception to the rule. Something done through the program, though, like the mentorship and research projects DYS encourages, though, would be listed, as would anything that gave high school or college level credits. I'm guessing most DYS participants have college applications that indicate they're extremely gifted without having to say "Qualified for DYS program".

 

Yes. I can't imagine we would list it, so that wouldn't be a factor.

[Dana]

I guess I'm hoping to get some resources together for peer interaction.

 

Is she active in any of the talent searches? I'd think that would also be a good way to meet similar people with summer classes/programs.

 

There's Northwestern's program, Johns Hopkins CTY, and Duke TIP. Our local state university has a summer program through Duke, so you may also want to check for programs for high schoolers at a nearby university.

[angela in ohio]

Is she active in any of the talent searches? I'd think that would also be a good way to meet similar people with summer classes/programs.

 

There's Northwestern's program, Johns Hopkins CTY, and Duke TIP. Our local state university has a summer program through Duke, so you may also want to check for programs for high schoolers at a nearby university.

 

She tested through Northwestern, so there is that option. So far her summers have been tied up, but I think we'll have to make some changes there. There isn't anything local, unfortunately.

[snowbeltmom]

She tested through Northwestern, so there is that option. So far her summers have been tied up, but I think we'll have to make some changes there. There isn't anything local, unfortunately.

You probably know this already, but I'll mention this just in case you don't: you are not limited to the summer programs based on what Talent Search you tested through. For example, even though a student tests through CTD, the student could use those CTD scores and then also apply to a summer program at CTY, for example, as long as the student met the CTY ACT/SAT score cutoff.

 

If your dd is interested in attending a CTY summer program next year, the registration for the camps open in January, and some of the classes close up very quickly.

[catz]

I can't see listing the qualification. My gut feeling is that the kid who is applying to, say, MIT who DOESN'T qualify for MENSA or Talent Search is probably the exception to the rule. Something done through the program, though, like the mentorship and research projects DYS encourages, though, would be listed, as would anything that gave high school or college level credits. I'm guessing most DYS participants have college applications that indicate they're extremely gifted without having to say "Qualified for DYS program".

 

:iagree: professionally, it's not good to list it on a resume either.

[MBM]

Northwestern's CTY is hit-or-miss. My daughter taught there, and it was not well run. We came to the WTM for ideas and help. They bite off more than they can chew and don't oversee the teaching enough. My son has taken two classes through them and the classes were very poorly run. Others might have different experiences, though.

 

Do you have any math circles in your area? Those can be wonderful. My son got invited to join one in Chicago (Payton Citywide). He's looking forward to finding others who love math.

 

http://www.mathcircles.org

 

Euclid Math is an online math program that might be worth looking into as well.

 

Since you're in Michigan, have you seen what MSU offers? This is more of a summer science program, but they might be able to help you find math resources in your area:

 

http://education.msu.edu/hshsp/

 

My youngest brother went to Cranbrook years ago (out of state, full scholarship). The school went out of their way helping him develop his interests in math and science. That would be closer than Davidson.

 

Just a few thoughts off the top of my head. HTH.

[angela in ohio]

Northwestern's CTY is hit-or-miss. My daughter taught there, and it was not well run. We came to the WTM for ideas and help. They bite off more than they can chew and don't oversee the teaching enough. My son has taken two classes through them and the classes were very poorly run. Others might have different experiences, though.

 

Do you have any math circles in your area? Those can be wonderful. My son got invited to join one in Chicago (Payton Citywide). He's looking forward to finding others who love math.

 

http://www.mathcircles.org

 

Euclid Math is an online math program that might be worth looking into as well.

 

Since you're in Michigan, have you seen what MSU offers? This is more of a summer science program, but they might be able to help you find math resources in your area:

 

http://education.msu.edu/hshsp/

 

My youngest brother went to Cranbrook years ago (out of state, full scholarship). The school went out of their way helping him develop his interests in math and science. That would be closer than Davidson.

 

Just a few thoughts off the top of my head. HTH.

 

Thank you. I acutally went to my cousin's daughter's graduation party and ran into my other cousin's wife, who I didn't realize now teaches high school math at Cranbrook. Score! I know there are some math study centers in the Detroit suburbs, but they are each tied to a specific cultural group and somewhat closed off.

 

We looked at the MSU (and U of M) camps for my older dd. I think if we open the possibility of summer options, she can get into something competitive. I've been going through the what high schools and what colleges don't want you to know books and finding a lot of ideas there for summer enrichment.

 

I guess I need to think more broadly about making and keeping similar friends, instead of just locally, because electronic communication offers more to kids these days.

 

ETA: There is a Math Circle through the AOPS foundation at U of M! Just registered her; they start in a few weeks. It's the night freed up by her lack of interest in dd's Robotics team, so it worked out well. :D

Edited August 19, 2012 by angela in ohio

[MBM]

That is great you have a nearby math circle. They can be really neat and a terrific place to hear about unadvertised resources, and your daughter is bound to make some good friends who are in the same boat.

Here is a news blip about Cranbrook girls competing in the Math Prize for Girls competition at MIT back in 2011. If they are doing that, they probably have a good program. I think Kathy in Richmond's daughter might have competed in that -- not sure -- as well as some other cool competitions.

https://schools.cranbrook.edu/podium/default.aspx?t=204&tn=CK+Math+Girls+Compete+at+MIT&nid=590662&ptid=52302&sdb=0&mode=0&vcm=0

I really liked Cranbrook. The campus was incredibly gorgeous, the people were very nice, and the boarding students were treated well. Like pretty much all boarding schools, kids can get into trouble, but if your daughter takes studying seriously, she would be fine.

Another boarding school for kids who like math competitions is Philips Exeter where Zuming Feng teaches. It's probably the best in the U.S. for that. He is superb in developing and motivating kids.

http://www.exeter.edu/news_and_events/news_events_11590.aspx

I would think Davidson would be good for a kid who like math research. I'm not sure, though.

[angela in ohio]

That is great you have a nearby math circle. They can be really neat and a terrific place to hear about unadvertised resources, and your daughter is bound to make some good friends who are in the same boat.

Here is a news blip about Cranbrook girls competing in the Math Prize for Girls competition at MIT back in 2011. If they are doing that, they probably have a good program. I think Kathy in Richmond's daughter might have competed in that -- not sure -- as well as some other cool competitions.

https://schools.cranbrook.edu/podium/default.aspx?t=204&tn=CK+Math+Girls+Compete+at+MIT&nid=590662&ptid=52302&sdb=0&mode=0&vcm=0

I really liked Cranbrook. The campus was incredibly gorgeous, the people were very nice, and the boarding students were treated well. Like pretty much all boarding schools, kids can get into trouble, but if your daughter takes studying seriously, she would be fine.

Another boarding school for kids who like math competitions is Philips Exeter where Zuming Feng teaches. It's probably the best in the U.S. for that. He is superb in developing and motivating kids.

http://www.exeter.edu/news_and_events/news_events_11590.aspx

I would think Davidson would be good for a kid who like math research. I'm not sure, though.

 

That's my cousin listed as the advisor! Too funny.

 

I am stranded home for the day while dh is out of town, and so far I have signed her up for AOPS forums, requested a mentor from the women's math association, put all the math circle dates on our calendar, and emailed my cousin for the info she said she would share. That should be a good start!

[MBM]

LOL. Well, I guess it really is a small world if your cousin is the advisor!

 

It sounds like you're getting things rolling for your daughter. If she goes through math quickly -- and it looks like she does -- it'll be helpful to have others who can offer suggestions.

[Kathy in Richmond]

I guess I'm hoping to get some resources together for peer interaction. She has had some issues in homeschool co-ops before with students being mean because of her abilities, and though the PS students so far seem much nicer, I'm sure eventually if will get to her. I thought a preventative measure might be to have her find some others who are like her. She is not even typical in our home, as she blows away my other two who are much less gifted. I feel bad for her. I'm going to try to start a high school math club at her school, hoping that will help her find some friends with similar interests.

 

She loves math competitions, and I just had her start exploring the AOPS site the other day, because we use their books. I can help her get set up in the forums. I ws thinking of having her take a course through them anyway, and maybe that will be good.

 

Don't know about Cogito; she took her test late in the year, so we missed some of the services (award ceremony.) She volunteers all summer with SN kiddos, but I'm going to let her switch that up starting next year and get her into some summer math camps. Maybe that is plenty - AOPS and some camps. She is super busy already, because she's also involved in music heavily. I'm not sure what I could get from Davidson.

 

I was in a similar spot with my daughter at the start of ninth grade. My dd also had middle school SAT scores well above Davidson's cutoffs. I printed off the Davidson Young Scholar application that year, but I stalled on it, and it sat on my desk for months. I never did follow through. There was nothing really wrong with Davidson...it's just we were both super busy, & I thought that her needs could be better met through other avenues.

 

Three things worked especially well for my math-loving daughter (mostly what you're already considering!)

 

(1) LOTS involvement in the AoPS community: not only classes online, but also forum participation, blogging, etc. It was really good for her to meet similar kids, even if virtually at first. She was made a moderator of the middle school forum area early on, and through that and the blogs she met and became friends with another homeschooled math kid. Together they schemed and their plans eventually led (by 10th grade) to:

 

(2) forming teams to attend in-real-life math competitions. Like your dd, my dd enjoyed math contests like MathCounts and the AMCs, but she really wanted more peer interaction in high school. Anything we tried to arrange locally in Richmond over the years produced no more than a couple homeschoolers at a time.

 

She and her AoPS friend recruited teammates and signed up and practiced for the competitions, and we parents put in a lot of time, expense, and miles on our cars to make these competitions happen, but it was so worthwhile.

 

ARML is a particularly fun contest in high school that we'd highly recommend. The country is broken into regions, and each region fields a team. Usually initial try-outs are based on good AMC scores, and sometimes there are further tests before teams are selected. Teams practice during the year, especially in the spring. Dd and I had to travel to MD for some practices, and I helped run some of the other practices in Richmond for the three local kids who made the team (and yes, we found a couple of other kids of her ability and interest level here in town!). Then in early June, everyone traveled to one of four sites around the country (we went to Penn State) for a big competition weekend.

 

We also enjoyed math meets at Duke, Princeton, and Harvard/MIT.

 

(3) Math camps, especially Canada/USA Mathcamp and Princeton Summer Workshop in Math (the latter only runs when they get funding)

 

According to my daughter, this is the BEST thing we ever did for her. Not only did she learn a lot of cool math, but the friends she made those summers were and still are some of her closest friends. She felt like a normal kid at math camp, and she really came into her own socially once she lost the fear of being different all of the time. The same set of kids (and parents!) would show up at all of the other competitions during the school year, making them fun reunion times for everyone.

 

I know there are some math study centers in the Detroit suburbs, but they are each tied to a specific cultural group and somewhat closed off.

 

We looked at the MSU (and U of M) camps for my older dd. I think if we open the possibility of summer options, she can get into something competitive. I've been going through the what high schools and what colleges don't want you to know books and finding a lot of ideas there for summer enrichment.

 

I guess I need to think more broadly about making and keeping similar friends, instead of just locally, because electronic communication offers more to kids these days.

 

ETA: There is a Math Circle through the AOPS foundation at U of M! Just registered her; they start in a few weeks. It's the night freed up by her lack of interest in dd's Robotics team, so it worked out well. :D

 

Dd knows a lot of kids who studied at ICAE in Detroit, but that seems to be restricted to Indian kids.

 

Be aware that the What High Schools Don't want You to Know book is written by a Ross math camp parent, and she is heavily biased toward that camp. Her info on Canada/USA math camp is lacking a bit; it's really wonderful!

 

Yeah, my dd spent a lot of time in e-conversations during high school with her summer friends. Now she has many more 'real' everyday friends in college. You do what you have to do with these kids.

 

The math circle at U mich sounds wonderful, Angela! Lucky you for having one so close, and run by AoPS foundation to boot!

 

Here is a news blip about Cranbrook girls competing in the Math Prize for Girls competition at MIT back in 2011. If they are doing that, they probably have a good program. I think Kathy in Richmond's daughter might have competed in that -- not sure -- as well as some other cool competitions.

 

I would think Davidson would be good for a kid who like math research. I'm not sure, though.

 

Hi MBM! Yes, dd loved the Math Prize for Girls. She attended during its initial year in NYC. Very nice to connect with so many other girls and their parents!

 

Dd's initial AoPS friend that I described above did do math research during high school. Richard Rusczyk gave him an initial idea and he ran with it, mostly on his own. He was a Davidson YS, (and an eventual Intel winner and Davidson Fellow), but he received more help & encouragement form AoPS, not Davidson, during the process. Davidson was great for recognition after the work was completed.

Edited August 20, 2012 by Kathy in Richmond

[angela in ohio]

I was in a similar spot with my daughter at the start of ninth grade. My dd also had middle school SAT scores well above Davidson's cutoffs. I printed off the Davidson Young Scholar application that year, but I stalled on it, and it sat on my desk for months. I never did follow through. There was nothing really wrong with Davidson...it's just we were both super busy, & I thought that her needs could be better met through other avenues.

 

Three things worked especially well for my math-loving daughter (mostly what you're already considering!)

 

(1) LOTS involvement in the AoPS community: not only classes online, but also forum participation, blogging, etc. It was really good for her to meet similar kids, even if virtually at first. She was made a moderator of the middle school forum area early on, and through that and the blogs she met and became friends with another homeschooled math kid. Together they schemed and their plans eventually led (by 10th grade) to:

 

(2) forming teams to attend in-real-life math competitions. Like your dd, my dd enjoyed math contests like MathCounts and the AMCs, but she really wanted more peer interaction in high school. Anything we tried to arrange locally in Richmond over the years produced no more than a couple homeschoolers at a time.

 

She and her AoPS friend recruited teammates and signed up and practiced for the competitions, and we parents put in a lot of time, expense, and miles on our cars to make these competitions happen, but it was so worthwhile.

 

ARML is a particularly fun contest in high school that we'd highly recommend. The country is broken into regions, and each region fields a team. Usually initial try-outs are based on good AMC scores, and sometimes there are further tests before teams are selected. Teams practice during the year, especially in the spring. Dd and I had to travel to MD for some practices, and I helped run some of the other practices in Richmond for the three local kids who made the team (and yes, we found a couple of other kids of her ability and interest level here in town!). Then in early June, everyone traveled to one of four sites around the country (we went to Penn State) for a big competition weekend.

 

We also enjoyed math meets at Duke, Princeton, and Harvard/MIT.

 

(3) Math camps, especially Canada/USA Mathcamp and Princeton Summer Workshop in Math (the latter only runs when they get funding)

 

According to my daughter, this is the BEST thing we ever did for her. Not only did she learn a lot of cool math, but the friends she made those summers were and still are some of her closest friends. She felt like a normal kid at math camp, and she really came into her own socially once she lost the fear of being different all of the time. The same set of kids (and parents!) would show up at all of the other competitions during the school year, making them fun reunion times for everyone.

 

Dd knows a lot of kids who studied at ICAE in Detroit, but that seems to be restricted to Indian kids.

 

Be aware that the What High Schools Don't want You to Know book is written by a Ross math camp parent, and she is heavily biased toward that camp. Her info on Canada/USA math camp is lacking a bit; it's really wonderful!

 

Yeah, my dd spent a lot of time in e-conversations during high school with her summer friends. Now she has many more 'real' everyday friends in college. You do what you have to do with these kids.

 

The math circle at U mich sounds wonderful, Angela! Lucky you for having one so close, and run by AoPS foundation to boot!

 

Hi MBM! Yes, dd loved the Math Prize for Girls. She attended during its initial year in NYC. Very nice to connect with so many other girls and their parents!

 

Dd's initial AoPS friend that I described above did do math research during high school. Richard Rusczyk gave him an initial idea and he ran with it, mostly on his own. He was a Davidson YS, (and an eventual Intel winner and Davidson Fellow), but he received more help & encouragement form AoPS, not Davidson, during the process. Davidson was great for recognition after the work was completed.

 

So if you could get to ICAE in 1 hr 20 min, and they said you could come even though you weren't Indian, would you do it? Dd doesn't care if most of the kiddos are from one culture and she is the outsider; I just don't want to be crashing anyone's party. Registration/placement is next weekend. :D I'm beginning to understand why 9/10 of the top MathCounts winners at state were Indian, though.

 

We managed to get older dd a research/intern spot at U of M for her interest (CS/robotics.) She will be doing original independent research, though we still have to figure out how to turn that into science fair success. My original plan was to do the same for second dd, instead of worrying about the competitions so much. But she loves them, and she isn't as mature or assertive, so the college lab thing might not work well.

 

It's encouraging to hear how much you drove! I feel wodd putting in so many miles and hours for these things, as it is unheard of around here. It is nice to have something else to average out the local norm.

 

I put her on AOPS this morning. And I am signing her up for the AMC class if ICAE doesn't pan out. Now I'm kicking myself for not jumping on all this sooner. She did MathCounts and AMC-8, but didn't study much for it. I was so worried about getting older dd going. Yikes, guilt. And on a Monday. :lol: Anway...

 

I did notice a slant toward Ross. It is probably the closest to us, though.

 

I think I'm going to skip Davidson and just focus on the math angle. She is also gifted in English (perfect ACT score there, unlike math,) but she doesn't love it like math. She has no hobbies, no other interests.... she just sits and does math all day. I have to shoo her outside and drag her to events and activities.

 

Thank you, Kathy. :)

[MBM]

(3) Math camps, especially Canada/USA Mathcamp and Princeton Summer Workshop in Math (the latter only runs when they get funding)

 

According to my daughter, this is the BEST thing we ever did for her. Not only did she learn a lot of cool math, but the friends she made those summers were and still are some of her closest friends. She felt like a normal kid at math camp, and she really came into her own socially once she lost the fear of being different all of the time. The same set of kids (and parents!) would show up at all of the other competitions during the school year, making them fun reunion times for everyone.

 

I so agree! Math camps are great for kids who love math. Some of them offer financial aid, too. The wonderful people who run them (hello, Kathy!) do it because they love to do so. Summer math camps are labors of love that deserve more funding. (I believe the NSF took away funding some time ago -- bah! My mission this year is to change this. I will be marching on Washington... or something like that. Maybe a letter writing campaign. I'm good at bugging people. LOL.)

 

The biggest problem would likely be that your child would bond tightly with others and then be forced to leave. My son went to Hampshire this summer and was super depressed when he had to leave his kindred spirits. I think he broke down in the car ride to the airport when he had to return. He goes to a huge high school with other kids who *do* difficult math but very few do it for fun. So, yeah, he really had a wonderful time. It was worth every penny and then some.

 

Be aware that the What High Schools Don't want You to Know book is written by a Ross math camp parent, and she is heavily biased toward that camp. Her info on Canada/USA math camp is lacking a bit; it's really wonderful!

 

Yeah, other camps are just as good and possibly better for a kid who is interested in exploring other math topics besides number theory, which is what Ross teaches.

 

Kathy, have you heard that Ross has changed a bit over the years? I thought it used to be 8 weeks and now it's 6. Not that that is bad.

 

Also, Ross seems to be set up so kids socialize less with one another. I am not sure, though. I think many of the kids who really like math tend to have problems with feeling lonely and isolated, and although Ross doesn't seem to encourage or discourage this, it just seems the way it's set up, kids could end up working alone in their rooms a lot of the time. This is one problem that David Kelly at Hampshire was attempting to change. He wanted kids to work (and play) together and I would say he succeeded. Canada/USA is probably similar, I imagine, especially with the afternoon cookie fests!

 

So, yeah, do the summer camps if you can. It looks like you've started.

:)

[8filltheheart]

 

The biggest problem would likely be that your child would bond tightly with others and then be forced to leave. My son went to Hampshire this summer and was super depressed when he had to leave his kindred spirits. I think he broke down in the car ride to the airport when he had to return. He goes to a huge high school with other kids who *do* difficult math but very few do it for fun. So, yeah, he really had a wonderful time. It was worth every penny and then some.

 

This is how our ds has been each time he has come home from camp. He has a period of re-adjustment and depression b/c he LOVES camp experiences w/other kindred spirits so much. This summer he went to Astronomy Camp and it was like living in a dream for him.

 

Unfortunately, IRL he has no one to connect w/like that. Hence the huge let downs when he is back w/us. :tongue_smilie:

[Kathy in Richmond]

So if you could get to ICAE in 1 hr 20 min, and they said you could come even though you weren't Indian, would you do it? Dd doesn't care if most of the kiddos are from one culture and she is the outsider; I just don't want to be crashing anyone's party. Registration/placement is next weekend. I'm beginning to understand why 9/10 of the top MathCounts winners at state were Indian, though.

 

Oh, that's neat that ICAE offered your dd a spot. I'd take them up on it in a heartbeat if my dd were interested! They sure know how to train math kids successfully. And yeah, 9 out of 10 of my dd's Michigan math friends are Indian kids from Detroit Country Day and ICAE (all are very nice kids, btw).

 

We managed to get older dd a research/intern spot at U of M for her interest (CS/robotics.) She will be doing original independent research, though we still have to figure out how to turn that into science fair success. My original plan was to do the same for second dd, instead of worrying about the competitions so much. But she loves them, and she isn't as mature or assertive, so the college lab thing might not work well.

 

Same here; I tried to promote research, and my dd did do a bit at Mathcamp and SWIM, but not at a university. It's very difficult to come up with real research that's accessible to high schoolers in math, no matter how gifted...it's much easier to make a meaningful contribution at that age in engineering or lab science.

 

In fact, my daughter applied to the HSHSP program for summer science research (at Michigan State!) between grades 11 and 12. They wanted her, but despite trying, the director could not find a math project and mentor at Michigan State for dd. They had nuclear engineering and biology projects galore, though! Since those fields didn't interest dd, it was off to Mathcamp yet again for her that summer.

 

It's encouraging to hear how much you drove! I feel wodd putting in so many miles and hours for these things, as it is unheard of around here. It is nice to have something else to average out the local norm.

 

It was really a LOT of fun for me, too. We had some wonderful talks on the long car trips, and I got to meet other families that we really clicked with. We just visited again with one of them on our way through NJ this summer.

 

I put her on AOPS this morning. And I am signing her up for the AMC class if ICAE doesn't pan out. Now I'm kicking myself for not jumping on all this sooner. She did MathCounts and AMC-8, but didn't study much for it. I was so worried about getting older dd going. Yikes, guilt. And on a Monday. :lol: Anway...

 

I did notice a slant toward Ross. It is probably the closest to us, though.

 

I think I'm going to skip Davidson and just focus on the math angle. She is also gifted in English (perfect ACT score there, unlike math,) but she doesn't love it like math. She has no hobbies, no other interests.... she just sits and does math all day. I have to shoo her outside and drag her to events and activities.

 

Thank you, Kathy. :)

 

Lol, one kid at a time, Angela! The year my older child was a senior, my daughter was the victim of lots of benign neglect on my part. And she had an absolutely wonderful year anyway.

 

Haha, at the CTY awards in 8th grade, my dd got first in state overall and second in verbal...everyone thought she was a humanities kid. Other kids in VA had perfect math scores (dd always had a careless error or two and didn't ace the math side till much later).

 

I so agree! Math camps are great for kids who love math. Some of them offer financial aid, too. The wonderful people who run them (hello, Kathy!) do it because they love to do so. Summer math camps are labors of love that deserve more funding. (I believe the NSF took away funding some time ago -- bah! My mission this year is to change this. I will be marching on Washington... or something like that. Maybe a letter writing campaign. I'm good at bugging people. LOL.)

 

Good point, MBM - I forgot to mention financial aid! We surely benefited here from the aid offered by MathPath and Mathcamp (SWIM is completely free when it's funded:)). Most of the camps are not money makers for the organizers, even though they seem expensive. Ask me how I know...:tongue_smilie::tongue_smilie: anything left over gets funneled back into scholarships and opportunities for the campers.

 

The biggest problem would likely be that your child would bond tightly with others and then be forced to leave. My son went to Hampshire this summer and was super depressed when he had to leave his kindred spirits. I think he broke down in the car ride to the airport when he had to return. He goes to a huge high school with other kids who *do* difficult math but very few do it for fun. So, yeah, he really had a wonderful time. It was worth every penny and then some.

 

Mathcampers call the long part of the year between camps "the 47 week field trip" Most of them (including my two) return in glum spirits, knowing that the summer experience just can't be replicated at home. That's another reason why we were willing to drive all over to math meets during the school year.

 

Yeah, other camps are just as good and possibly better for a kid who is interested in exploring other math topics besides number theory, which is what Ross teaches.

 

Kathy, have you heard that Ross has changed a bit over the years? I thought it used to be 8 weeks and now it's 6. Not that that is bad.

 

Also, Ross seems to be set up so kids socialize less with one another. I am not sure, though. I think many of the kids who really like math tend to have problems with feeling lonely and isolated, and although Ross doesn't seem to encourage or discourage this, it just seems the way it's set up, kids could end up working alone in their rooms a lot of the time. This is one problem that David Kelly at Hampshire was attempting to change. He wanted kids to work (and play) together and I would say he succeeded. Canada/USA is probably similar, I imagine, especially with the afternoon cookie fests!

:)

 

Yeah, I did hear that Ross is shorter now due to too many conflicts with school schedules across the country.

 

My dd says now that she wished she'd spent a year at HCSSIM when she was a new high schooler. I'm glad to hear that your son had a fine time there! I met David Kelly and other Hampshire folks at the Penn State ARML meets in the grading rooms - they're very nice people.

 

Mathcamp was very good for my kids in encouraging socialization (with a great group of kids and adult mentors :)) and also in getting them outdoors hiking and biking and enjoying the summer sunshine. The balance of academics and social/fun stuff is very healthy, imho. I know it's also especially good for girls looking for female peers and role models. And yeah, the daily afternoon TAU (time academic unstructured) with cookies and milk is very well-attended. :D

[Belacqua]

Though it is a little hard on a mom's cookie-baking ego when they come home and say things like, "Are you familiar with cookies called Oreos? They're amazing!"

[Kathy in Richmond]

Though it is a little hard on a mom's cookie-baking ego when they come home and say things like, "Are you familiar with cookies called Oreos? They're amazing!"

:lol::lol:

[angela in ohio]

Oh, that's neat that ICAE offered your dd a spot. I'd take them up on it in a heartbeat if my dd were interested! They sure know how to train math kids successfully. And yeah, 9 out of 10 of my dd's Michigan math friends are Indian kids from Detroit Country Day and ICAE (all are very nice kids, btw).

 

Okay, registered for placement test Saturday. :D I asked dh if it was ridiculous to drive that far (we drive 30-45 minutes many times a week for other things, but this seems so much further,) and he said "Ridiculous is our middle name." :lol:

 

Thank you so much for all your help!

[Kathy in Richmond]

Okay, registered for placement test Saturday. :D I asked dh if it was ridiculous to drive that far (we drive 30-45 minutes many times a week for other things, but this seems so much further,) and he said "Ridiculous is our middle name." :lol:

 

Well then, welcome to the Ridiculous Club!:D

 

Seriously, I hope your daughter loves it. All of the stuff (far away summer camps, travel teams) that I thought were the craziest ideas at the time ended up being the best choices of all in retrospect.

 

Let me know how it goes.:)

[angela in ohio]

Well then, welcome to the Ridiculous Club!:D

 

Seriously, I hope your daughter loves it. All of the stuff (far away summer camps, travel teams) that I thought were the craziest ideas at the time ended up being the best choices of all in retrospect.

 

Let me know how it goes.:)

 

It went well. She scored above average, but below the advancement level, for the beginner class. It seems the other 8th graders last year were in at least 4 hours of class each weekend, so I'm not suprised. :D She has serious raw talent in math, so I think once she gets going, she will fly.

 

We were definitely a minority. :D But everyone was very kind. I tried not to be too obvious in chatting up the one other Caucasian mom there. :lol: Dd really liked the environment, and they offer all of the tests there (the part I'm most excited about.)

[Kathy in Richmond]

It went well. She scored above average, but below the advancement level, for the beginner class. It seems the other 8th graders last year were in at least 4 hours of class each weekend, so I'm not suprised. :D She has serious raw talent in math, so I think once she gets going, she will fly.

 

We were definitely a minority. :D But everyone was very kind. I tried not to be too obvious in chatting up the one other Caucasian mom there. :lol: Dd really liked the environment, and they offer all of the tests there (the part I'm most excited about.)

 

Angela, I'm glad that it went well for her and that she felt accepted at ICAE. I took a look at their competition schedule, and all I can say is WOW.:drool: Your driving time will be so worth it in exchange for their taking care of all of those pesky contest and team arrangements. My daughter loved Mandelbrot, all things ARML, & Purple Comet in addition to the AMCs. I bet that your daughter is going to have a blast.:D