I'll add to the list of great experiences at CTY's summer program. My DD14 went to Carlisle last year and had extraordinary experiences, both academically and socially. While she's in accelerated/honors programs in school, she's still carrying 98-100 grades in every course. So being in a math class, her strong suit (Probability and Game Theory) and running into problems she couldn't solve, and seeing a few other students who could, was eye opening.

She was truly among kids "like her", with similar outlooks, challenges, etc. The instructor was also fantastic - former Williams/Harvard professor with top RateMyProfessor grades. She cried when the session was over and has kept in touch with all of her friends - they're already coordinating plans for this summer.

I consider most of the programs enrichment, not acceleration. Game Theory, Microeconomics, Cryptography, etc., aren't HS courses that she can/needs to place out of or get credit for. She does have the option of Fast-paced Physics after 10th grade to skip Honors and take AP Physics as a Junior. We've already had that conversation at school. But if she prefers something else that summer, that's fine.

Being responsible for herself for 3 weeks, including laundry, planning, time management, etc., made an obvious difference. She also understands there are options other than being the best at what is offered at school. She now looks for challenges to continue to grow. We found a local math club, where she's learning college-level math from grad students, sitting next to a member of last year's US Math Olympics team. Being one of the younger kids, she's probably in the lower third of ability, but looks forward to it every Sunday.

Yes, it's expensive. But I believe the investment in a child with high potential is very worthwhile.

Last edited by Cranberry; 02/16/18 10:33 PM.