Duke TIP?

[TanyaS]

Dropped DS#1 off today for his first time at a TIP camp. Looks like lots of repeat campers! Hope he has a great time - will let you know in three weeks!

 

[pookadoo77]

I have been on these boards months now planning our Disney trip and had never heard of this TiP program until my son came home with a letter stating he had qualified today. I am figuring I might as well pay the $40.00 registration and see what he wants to do with it or not until the test time comes in seventh grade... Thanks for the great info!!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I have been on these boards months now planning our Disney trip and had never heard of this TiP program until my son came home with a letter stating he had qualified today. I am figuring I might as well pay the $40.00 registration and see what he wants to do with it or not until the test time comes in seventh grade... Thanks for the great info!!

My dd is now a SR in high school and going to the college where she stayed for the Duke Tip programs. It really helped her with her college decisions as far as majors.

 

[mom2rtk]

My dd is now a SR in high school and going to the college where she stayed for the Duke Tip programs. It really helped her with her college decisions as far as majors.

Congrats to you DD. Do you mind me asking where she's going?

 

[okeydokey]

I have been on these boards months now planning our Disney trip and had never heard of this TiP program until my son came home with a letter stating he had qualified today. I am figuring I might as well pay the $40.00 registration and see what he wants to do with it or not until the test time comes in seventh grade... Thanks for the great info!!

My DD did three summers and got so much out of it. Feel free to PM me if you want some more specifics or have some questions.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Congrats to you DD. Do you mind me asking where she's going?

I will PM you.

 

[4greatboys]

I've had 3 sons in the program. I like it because you can do as much or as little as you like. The first 2 didn't really do any of the programs but my youngest son is more adventurous and I can see him doing a few things.

 

[pookadoo77]

thanks for the feedback everyone. I signed him up and he was much more excited about it today. Yesterday he was not happy thinking it was more work to do, he is hard to motivate if he is not interested. Hope he decides to explore this great option!

 

[tcufrog]

I'm resurrecting a zombie thread to find out if any of your kids ended up attending Duke TIP summer camps. I'm considering it for my older kid and trying to figure out whether it's worth it. My son goes to a rather small school. The academics are advanced but he's obviously the smartest one in his grade which can be tough for him. I thought spending a week with other smart kids, some of whom hopefully are smarter than him, would be good for him.

 

[AustinMommyofThree]

I'm resurrecting a zombie thread to find out if any of your kids ended up attending Duke TIP summer camps. I'm considering it for my older kid and trying to figure out whether it's worth it. My son goes to a rather small school. The academics are advanced but he's obviously the smartest one in his grade which can be tough for him. I thought spending a week with other smart kids, some of whom hopefully are smarter than him, would be good for him.

I wasn't on this original thread (I wasn't even a member of the board way back then) but my daughter has done the camps. She did both years of the 1 week camps for rising 6th and 7th graders and then the 3 week Center camps for older grades). She really enjoys them, and they've been really convenient as well. The week-long camps are at a really nice small University just north of where we live, and the longer ones have been in San Antonio and Houston, so not bad. They're definitely not inexpensive, but we think they're worth it and she's made some really good friends through the programs. For the most part the younger camps seem like just normal kids (albeit slightly nerdier than your average cross-section of tweens ) having fun with some learning mixed in, but she reports that the longer camps get pretty intense and there are some kids who are "definitely trying to size up and tear down the competition." She's not into that but she can definitely hold her own in, as she calls them, "a nerd throw-down." She's in a larger public school with advanced options for each discipline, and there are definitely smarter kids than her in her classes (and a LOT of kids who work a lot harder than her), but we like the camps because they give her a chance to stretch her brain a little during the summer and have some exposure to the college culture.

If you have questions, feel free to ask.

ETA: She has never done the camps actually at Duke, and I'm not sure that they even do the one week camps there. She has attended the satellite locations here in Texas, and I know they have them scattered around the rest of the country as well. I'm assuming you're in Texas, given your username, but maybe not.

 

[blana]

I never did, but several friends did, and others worked for the program in college and beyond. I'd say it's a great opportunity.

If you're in NC, and he's in ninth grade or below, I'd look into NCSSM for his last two years of high school, as well.

 

[tcufrog]

Yes, he would be doing CRISIS @ Southwestern just north of Austin. It’s on the edge of affordability since we can drive him there. There are so many great programs around the US that are out of our reach financially when you add in airfare.

Texas has a similar program to NCSSM
called TAMS which takes place at UNT. I don’t plan to send him for several reasons including the fact that I don’t want to lose him that early and because I want him to get a more well rounded education. My dh is an engineer. The university he attended has a liberal arts core curriculum that all students must take. He thinks that was good for him and wants the same for our sons even if they pursue STEM careers.

My dh came to the US at 14 to attend university because he had maxed out in the educational opportunities where he lived. He didn’t have AP, IB or even the ability to directly enroll in a few college classes while attending high school that our son has. While my dh ended up turning out okay I don’t think he was emotionally mature enough to attend college at such a young age.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I'm resurrecting a zombie thread to find out if any of your kids ended up attending Duke TIP summer camps. I'm considering it for my older kid and trying to figure out whether it's worth it. My son goes to a rather small school. The academics are advanced but he's obviously the smartest one in his grade which can be tough for him. I thought spending a week with other smart kids, some of whom hopefully are smarter than him, would be good for him.

There are two levels. Mine were in the more advanced level. I really wouldn't suggest things that they can do in school anyway like the calculus boot camp or anything like that. Pick something that is fun that he is interested in. Mine did video game design one year and the other year he did the thing with marine biology. The other two both did the Marine biology. You have to register right away and hope you get lucky to get that.

 

[tcufrog]

I agree with you. My son is two grades ahead in math already. I view summer as a chance for my kids to get a break from academics and to stretch themselves. My son already attends an old fashioned weeklong summer camp and a two week Shakespeare camp.

 

[okeydokey]

My daughter did three years of the three week summer camp. It was really life changing for her in a very positive way. It wasn’t just about the academics, but about bonding with others, spreading their wings away from Home and finding a supporting group where they felt they could grow emotionally.

I highly recommend it if you can swing the finances. She received some scholarship help each time that covered about a third of the cost.

 

[AustinMommyofThree]

There are two levels. Mine were in the more advanced level. I really wouldn't suggest things that they can do in school anyway like the calculus boot camp or anything like that. Pick something that is fun that he is interested in. Mine did video game design one year and the other year he did the thing with marine biology. The other two both did the Marine biology. You have to register right away and hope you get lucky to get that.

I'm not sure if this is new, but the two levels don't start until 7th grade (which I personally think should be called 8th grade, because while the students are admitted into the program in the 7th grade, the camp happens when they are rising eighth graders). So for the 4th-6th grade program, which is what the OP is looking at, all the students are together. Then all the kids (plus new ones) are retested in seventh grade to determine which track they get into (Center or Academy).

Yes, he would be doing CRISIS @ Southwestern just north of Austin. It’s on the edge of affordability since we can drive him there. There are so many great programs around the US that are out of our reach financially when you add in airfare.

Texas has a similar program to NCSSM
called TAMS which takes place at UNT. I don’t plan to send him for several reasons including the fact that I don’t want to lose him that early and because I want him to get a more well rounded education. My dh is an engineer. The university he attended has a liberal arts core curriculum that all students must take. He thinks that was good for him and wants the same for our sons even if they pursue STEM careers.

My dh came to the US at 14 to attend university because he had maxed out in the educational opportunities where he lived. He didn’t have AP, IB or even the ability to directly enroll in a few college classes while attending high school that our son has. While my dh ended up turning out okay I don’t think he was emotionally mature enough to attend college at such a young age.

That's where my daughter did it, and it was a very nice environment. Very safe, the dorms all had private bathrooms, and she reports that the food was excellent. She also LOVED her counselors and is still in touch with several of them, a few years later. She also reports that there are other athletic camps going on at the same time, and "if you arrive after one of them for lunch or dinner, the desserts are wiped out."

I agree about the maturity thing, and keeping alive a love of learning. I also don't want her to be defined or put into a box because she's very smart. I doubt that she'd get into TAMS (she's strong in math, but "normal smart kid strong" and far from a savant, whereas in reading and comprehension she's scary smart), but even if she did, I agree that I'm not ready to send her away yet (well, maybe on some of her moodier days).

I agree with you. My son is two grades ahead in math already. I view summer as a chance for my kids to get a break from academics and to stretch themselves. My son already attends an old fashioned weeklong summer camp and a two week Shakespeare camp.

That's what we felt the CRISIS camp was for our daughter. It definitely had an academic tilt, but they did "camp" stuff, too, including playing games, having a carnival, and just goofing around. And the projects were not "school-like" but rather focused on a theme. To be honest, and I really don't want this to sound like a mom-brag, my daughter was a little disappointed by the academic rigor of the program at CRISIS, and now she feels like it has gotten a bit too snooty at the older level, but that's just one person's experience, being interpreted second-hand.

Your son will fit in academically, but I wouldn't worry that he's missing some irreplaceable experience if he doesn't attend. It's been worthwhile for us, largely because of the convenience factor, but it's hardly a defining event for our daughter.

 

[MomofKatie]

I never did, but several friends did, and others worked for the program in college and beyond. I'd say it's a great opportunity.

If you're in NC, and he's in ninth grade or below, I'd look into NCSSM for his last two years of high school, as well.

DD attended NCSSM and loved it! Very rigorous academically, and much heavier workload than her home high school, but the experience was invaluable. She ended up getting a full 4 year scholarship at a big state school to study chemical engineering, and she credits NCSSM with helping her get there. Living in a dorm for 2 years, having to learn time management and self-sufficiency, and being able to take advantage of the mentoring program that had her working in a lab with grad students and an associate professor in her chosen field of study over a summer all prepared her for college.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I'm not sure if this is new, but the two levels don't start until 7th grade (which I personally think should be called 8th grade, because while the students are admitted into the program in the 7th grade, the camp happens when they are rising eighth graders). So for the 4th-6th grade program, which is what the OP is looking at, all the students are together. Then all the kids (plus new ones) are retested in seventh grade to determine which track they get into (Center or Academy).

I wasn't responding to the OP.

 

[AustinMommyofThree]

I wasn't responding to the OP.

I meant the poster to whom you were replying (Tcufrog). Her son appears to be in the 4th-6th grade program, so they're not yet split into levels. I just didn't want her to get confused, but may have confused others along the way. Sorry!

 

[tcufrog]

I meant the poster to whom you were replying (Tcufrog). Her son appears to be in the 4th-6th grade program, so they're not yet split into levels. I just didn't want her to get confused, but may have confused others along the way. Sorry!

Yup. DS10 is in 5th grade. My biggest concern right now is him remembering to take his ADHD meds while there. He‘s gone to sleep away camp for 3 years running and done well but the staff there reminds him to see the nurse for his meds if he forgets. I’m going to discuss this with his psychologist.