Duke TIP, JHU CTY, NUMATS, etc. Reviews

[chiguirre]

If your child has attended a summer camp or taken online courses from these or similar providers, could you post a review of your experience? Parents of younger children will thank you!

[pkbab5]

My kids aren't old enough but I went to Duke TIP as a child. It was excellent and very worth it, long term. I took a programming class, which was my first exposure to programming. I now have a successful career as a software engineer, due much in part to Duke TIP.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Changed my mind...I imagine my daughter's experience is not typical and therefore probably not helpful. :)

Edited March 4, 2016 by Woodland Mist Academy

[justasque]

If your child has attended a summer camp or taken online courses from these or similar providers, could you post a review of your experience? Parents of younger children will thank you!

JHU/CTY summer camp. Multiple kids (mine and relatives/friends), excellent experiences, both academic and social. Excellent chance to experience life on a college campus, which helped with the later college search (understanding a bit more about what they were looking for) and with transition to college life (due to prior experience with dorm life, roommate, dining hall, etc.). An encouraging glimpse at a world full of academic peers (something lacking at our local level). Fun but challenging courses. Interesting social activities. Very well managed - the students were kept interested, busy, and well-chaperoned all day long.

[Kassia]

My friend's daughter has gone to TIP for several summer sessions and she absolutely loves it.  It's been a wonderful experience for her and she has made a lot of friends there.

 

Erica

[Bookwoman]

My daughter has done three online classes with CTY and is attending her first camp with them this summer. Overall we have found the programs to be excellent, although quite expensive.

 

My daughter first took Chinese online the summer after 3rd grade. This class is what brought us to CTY in the first place -she really wanted to take a Chinese class after some exposure at a local summer camp. She enjoyed the online class and learned a lot. I sat with her through the classes to help her navigate the online format so I was there for every class and phone call. The instructor was excellent; the TA was good but not extremely reliable in terms of being available when he said he would be. The class was intense, so while my daughter enjoyed it and did well in it, we both agreed that she couldn't continue with it during the school year (she goes to public school) and by the next summer she wanted to try other things.

 

The next summer she took a Young Readers class focused on Mythology. She did not need my help with this one. The format was different (all three online classes she took had different formats) and since she had a little experience she was able to handle it on her own. She enjoyed this class also and has a list of other Young Readers classes that she wants to take.

 

She recently finished a writing class with them. She got a lot out of this class also and enjoyed it, although there was some stress due to the instructor delaying the return of some work early on (assignments are reviewed and then rewritten so not getting work back meant she couldn't work on the next assignment and this caused her some anxiety). This class was all done via email so there really wasn't an online component at all. I was impressed with the depth and quality of feedback she received from the instructor.

 

She's attending a more science-based camp with them this summer.

 

I hope this is helpful.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Am I the only one disappointed with several gifted camps and class providers? At one camp my DD attended, several parents were upset when they realized the class level was not what they had expected. Some were alarmed at dropoff. Others were upset at pickup after seeing the work that had been done. "Gifted" opportunities may not always mean what you think they mean.

 

Obviously mileage varies....a lot.

Edited March 5, 2016 by Woodland Mist Academy

[Arcadia]

Am I the only one disappointed with several gifted camps and class providers?

Gifted and Talented (formerly EPGY) non-tutor LA and Math course were a bad fit both times but for the price wasn't a bad deal for someone else's kid.

 

My kids have attended three CTY classes so far and they have never said that their classes are for gifted kids. Someone (whom I can't remember right now) mentioned that CTY's cutoff is at the 80th percentile so I wasn't expecting their classes to be for gifted kids.

 

The only online class my kid took from Duke wasn't engaging enough to hold his interest. However he was in the early batch of that class so it could be teething problems. I don't think Duke says that their classes are for gifted kids only. It was very easy to qualify for Duke TIP.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Gifted and Talented (formerly EPGY) non-tutor LA and Math course were a bad fit both times but for the price wasn't a bad deal for someone else's kid.

 

My kids have attended three CTY classes so far and they have never said that their classes are for gifted kids. Someone (whom I can't remember right now) mentioned that CTY's cutoff is at the 80th percentile so I wasn't expecting their classes to be for gifted kids.

 

The only online class my kid took from Duke wasn't engaging enough to hold his interest. However he was in the early batch of that class so it could be teething problems. I don't think Duke says that their classes are for gifted kids only. It was very easy to qualify for Duke TIP.

Are you certain about this? I'll need to double check later. I'm pretty sure I've seen them advertised for gifted students. If they aren't billed as such, then I was mistaken. In that case, there you have it. Don't expect classes for gifted kids. That's not what these are. If one isn't expecting above and beyond, one is much less likely to be disappointed. ;)

[daijobu]

 

She's attending a more science-based camp with them this summer.

 

 

My dd is signed up for a principles of engineering summer camp with CTY.  What is your dd doing?  

[Arcadia]

Are you certain about this? I'll need to double check later. I'm pretty sure I've seen them advertised for gifted students.

CTY - "Online Programs courses are designed to enrich and accelerate academically gifted students in the areas they show the strongest abilities."

 

Duke - "Duke TIP's Independent Learning products offers academically gifted students rigorous and engaging independent study anytime, anywhere. "

 

Whatever academically gifted means because I can't find a formal definition :lol:

[Woodland Mist Academy]

I was pretty sure they were advertised as being for gifted. Thus, the disappointment. As you said, whatever "gifted" means... ;)

[Black-eyed Suzan]

Are you certain about this? I'll need to double check later. I'm pretty sure I've seen them advertised for gifted students. If they aren't billed as such, then I was mistaken. In that case, there you have it. Don't expect classes for gifted kids. That's not what these are. If one isn't expecting above and beyond, one is much less likely to be disappointed. ;)

 

We haven't had any experience with the program, but Duke TIP does market themselves for "academically gifted students." It's on the front page of their website.

 

Qualifying scores are here for 4th - 6th: https://tip.duke.edu/node/1632

[The Governess]

My Dd took Chinese classes online with CTY for two years, from age 9-11. They were very rigorous. They used upper middle school/high school level texts, and Dd was expected to read and write in characters without using pinyin. Since classes were very small they had a lot of conversation practice and everyone was required to participate. They were well managed and there was no wasted class time. Now that she is older, she feels comfortable taking a class with high schoolers, and will join Chinese 2 in the fall (with another provider). A lot of it will be review. The CTY classes are expensive, and the time slots were difficult to manage with her dance schedule, so we decided to make a switch. However, I feel the classes were worth it. They fit her needs perfectly: challenging, well taught, and with other kids her age to interact with.

Edited March 5, 2016 by lovelearnandlive

[Bookwoman]

My dd is signed up for a principles of engineering summer camp with CTY. What is your dd doing?

Bay Ecology. She is really excited about it. I hope your daughter enjoys her camp.

[OlgaLA]

Am I the only one disappointed with several gifted camps and class providers? At one camp my DD attended, several parents were upset when they realized the class level was not what they had expected. Some were alarmed at dropoff. Others were upset at pickup after seeing the work that had been done. "Gifted" opportunities may not always mean what you think they mean.

 

Obviously mileage varies....a lot.

 

I am curious what grade-level classes are you talking about? Looking at descriptions, classes for younger students don't look as challenging as those for middle and high schoolers, even with an adjustment for age. My DD is going to a CTY camp this summer where it is described pretty much as a college course and it is offered to students 7 grade and up. It sounds pretty challenging to me.

 

I am pretty sure you are not the only one disappointed. Unfortunately, it's hard to find reviews of these courses and most of them are not detailed, mostly just one word, usually "liked" or "loved", which leaves me suspicious :) So, thank you for offering another opinion!

[chiguirre]

I am pretty sure you are not the only one disappointed. Unfortunately, it's hard to find reviews of these courses and most of them are not detailed, mostly just one word, usually "liked" or "loved", which leaves me suspicious :) So, thank you for offering another opinion!

This!!!!!

 

Before I plunk down $900 for an summer online class, I'd like a detailed review. They post a syllabus but it's hard to judge how much interaction they really offer. I'm not willing to pay so much more for a Duke Tip class versus AOPS or Bravewriter or WTMA unless it's going to be worth it.

 

Oddly, I am more willing to pay $4000 to send T to a 3 week camp at Rice next year even if the academics weren't that great just for the experience of being on campus and being among equally geeky kids. She seems happy enough to stay home but she doesn't have any irl friends that share her interests. She's always toning it down, looking for things that interest other kids to make conversation. Unfortunately, the camp at Austin College that she could attend this year as a 7th grader will conflict with sailing camp which is simply more important for maintaining her local social network. They have two sessions, but of course, the one class that she would LOVE is only offered during the session that conflicts with sailing. Curse you, Murphy!!!

 

As to whether or not these are really gifted classes, the TIP online classes require scoring at about the 97-98% level on the SAT or ACT in 7th grade. Academy is a bit higher and Center is for the 99+%, so it's really only the Center classes that would be geared for the seriously gifted. CTY's online classes have much lower cutoff scores and they are more like standard school classes than TIP (foreign language, bio, chem, writing, alg, geom, AP courses vs. psychology, global politics, cryptology, genetics etc.). They're also offered all year round while Tip is only in the summer.

 

My personal opinion is that I'm not willing to pay CTY's prices (about $1000) for writing instruction or geometry or chemistry because I can find good quality classes from other providers at half the price. I am probably willing to pay Tip's prices for a genetics or cryptology class because they are the only game in town. But, I'd like to know if other people had a good experience and all I can find is "My kid liked it."

Edited March 5, 2016 by chiguirre

[daijobu]

Bay Ecology. She is really excited about it. I hope your daughter enjoys her camp.

 

Yes, this one looked excellent, but it was too far from home for us while she's in middle school.  Please post a review when she returns if you can!  

[brownie]

I think we did the TIP cryptology. But it was cheap ($70?) and fine for $70...my son did it on his own so I don't have a lot of knowledge of the course.

 

My friend's son did a CTY math camp in eastern PA last summer.  Loved it and is going back this year. He is gifted in math and does lots of enrichment locally. I wish I could send my kiddos but with food allergies and the dining hall, I don't think my 7th grader is ready to handle that.

[Arcadia]

The issue with Northwestern CTD, CTY and Duke TIP is that you don't know who your child would get as instructors for class and camp.

 

Also it is hard to give comments when what might suit a child may not suit another even in the same family. My kids like the CTY classes because they can be with fellow sufferers. They aren't gifted writers so the classes suit them just fine.

 

When I look at the language class offerings, they may look difficult for a non-native but for chinese, they are behind those kids in countries where chinese is compulsory from preschool like for my niece. That does not make my 4 year old niece "academically gifted" :P

 

We are commuter distance to one of the camp's campus but not knowing who the instructor would be for the academic camps does make it less appealing for us to spend that kind of money.

 

My 6th grader qualify for Duke with his ACT but they won't take his scores until he is offficially in 7th grade :lol: He is already qualified for the 4th-6th grade TIP program at the beginning of 4th.

[daijobu]

The issue with Northwestern CTD, CTY and Duke TIP is that you don't know who your child would get as instructors for class and camp.

 

 

 

Agreed.  Teachers can make or break a camp and they vary by location and year.  Add to this that some students just aren't as communicative when they return home from camp.  Sometimes the only info we get is that they "liked" it.  

[JoanHomeEd]

Free for mine because of talent search awards, so why not?

Overall, summer camps provide opportunities to visit surrounding colleges & cities, take classes with other kids, 

and just have fun (unless they are serious camps like one of those olympiad study camps, then the kid's brain will 

need to crank much, much harder).

[Woodland Mist Academy]

I am curious what grade-level classes are you talking about? Looking at descriptions, classes for younger students don't look as challenging as those for middle and high schoolers, even with an adjustment for age. My DD is going to a CTY camp this summer where it is described pretty much as a college course and it is offered to students 7 grade and up. It sounds pretty challenging to me.

 

I am pretty sure you are not the only one disappointed. Unfortunately, it's hard to find reviews of these courses and most of them are not detailed, mostly just one word, usually "liked" or "loved", which leaves me suspicious :) So, thank you for offering another opinion!

 

My dd attended camps for middle school and high school. The online classes were for high school. 

Edited March 6, 2016 by Woodland Mist Academy

[Woodland Mist Academy]

My Dd took Chinese classes online with CTY for two years, from age 9-11. They were very rigorous. They used upper middle school/high school level texts, and Dd was expected to read and write in characters without using pinyin. Since classes were very small they had a lot of conversation practice and everyone was required to participate. They were well managed and there was no wasted class time. Now that she is older, she feels comfortable taking a class with high schoolers, and will join Chinese 2 in the fall (with another provider). A lot of it will be review. The CTY classes are expensive, and the time slots were difficult to manage with her dance schedule, so we decided to make a switch. However, I feel the classes were worth it. They fit her needs perfectly: challenging, well taught, and with other kids her age to interact with.

 

I could absolutely see this being true for a subject like Chinese, for which there aren't several vendors. For more common classes, the value becomes much more murky for me. 

Edited March 6, 2016 by Woodland Mist Academy

[Woodland Mist Academy]

 

 

As to whether or not these are really gifted classes, the TIP online classes require scoring at about the 97-98% level on the SAT or ACT in 7th grade. Academy is a bit higher and Center is for the 99+%, so it's really only the Center classes that would be geared for the seriously gifted. CTY's online classes have much lower cutoff scores and they are more like standard school classes than TIP (foreign language, bio, chem, writing, alg, geom, AP courses vs. psychology, global politics, cryptology, genetics etc.). They're also offered all year round while Tip is only in the summer.

 

 

 

This had been my understanding as well, so I was confused by the "not for gifted" post.  My DD is Center eligible, but we weren't overly impressed by the first camp she went to, DukeTip Crisis, so she didn't return for Center. It's certainly possible the older grades are better. I think the teacher played a significant role in the widespread discontent with the class in our situation.

Edited March 6, 2016 by Woodland Mist Academy

[snowbeltmom]

My oldest went to CTY for three summers.  My son loves science, and the labs that were conducted each day were something that my son could not get at home or at our high school (which permits homeschoolers to enroll in as many classes at they want).

 

The text books were college text books and the instructors were excellent with impressive credentials.  He got a ton out of the classes and found that the material he learned in CTY's genetics class was covered in his first semester biology class this year. 

 

The classes were expensive, but for a kid who loves science, I feel well worth the money. 

 

ETA: My other son took an online writing class with CTY that I did not feel was worth the money - he got much more out of his Write at Home classes and his rhetoric classes with WTM Academy.

 

Edited March 6, 2016 by snowbeltmom

[Woodland Mist Academy]

The issue with Northwestern CTD, CTY and Duke TIP is that you don't know who your child would get as instructors for class and camp.

 

 

Agreed.  Teachers can make or break a camp and they vary by location and year.

 

:iagree:

 

Vanderbilt Summer Academy has teacher bios available when you register. Much, much better. At least you have some idea about who is teaching the class and can make an informed decision.

 

Our experience with instructors was much better at VSA.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

 

Free for mine because of talent search awards, so why not?

Overall, summer camps provide opportunities to visit surrounding colleges & cities, take classes with other kids, 

and just have fun (unless they are serious camps like one of those olympiad study camps, then the kid's brain will 

need to crank much, much harder).

 

 

Nothing in life is truly free, is it? Most things cost money or time... many things cost both. For most kids, camp costs time and money. For your kids, it just costs time.  ;)

 

For everything we do, there is something else we don't do. Actually there are many other somethings we don't do. Not every kid finds camp worth the one to three weeks (or more) in the summer. They have other activities that have a higher priority -- sometimes more educational and sometimes just a higher fun factor.  Not every student enjoys the campus/summer camp scene. So for some, that's why not.  :)

[The Governess]

I could absolutely see this being true for a subject like Chinese, for which there aren't several vendors. For more common classes, the value becomes much more murky for me.

Yes, I completely agree. I think the value probably varies greatly by subject.

[OlgaLA]

My dd attended camps for middle school and high school. The online classes were for high school. 

 

Thanks! Well, I guess we now can only hope that my DD likes it.

[Arcadia]

This had been my understanding as well, so I was confused by the "not for gifted" post.

Just shows how apathetic hubby and I are. We just look at the qualifying criteria and ignore the marketing "talk" on the website and brochures. We are apathetic to Mensa as well :lol:

[TaraS]

JHU CTY Summer Programs are a complete waste of time and money.  The instructor in my son's course was completely incompetent as a teacher and not well prepared.  She did not know how to use technology in the classroom.  In addition, even for older high school students, the level of supervision is "be within eyesight of a staff member at all times".  The experience was more like being in prison and had absolutely nothing reminiscent of college life.  In addition, for the JHU Homewood campus site, the cafeteria was totally inadequate for the needs of the students.  They ran out of silverware at every meal.  They had students sign up for different activities and then assigned them to activities that they had not chosen.  The overall site management was a mess.  

[gstharr]

Although I question whether this happened, I am curious why you would put your gifted 16 y.o in a class opened to 7th graders, when accelerated h.s. chemistry was also offered.  btw, my son found all the h.s./ap level summer classes he took at cty and ctd very helpful

[ScoutTN]

Zombie thread from 2016