I actually blame the parents....

When I first joined this forum, all I wanted was for my kid to get a spot at Hunter. Then she told them in the interview she didn't want to go there and I felt suckerpunched for about 2 days.

I am writing this for newcomers. And then trying for the accelerated gifted school but being held up by lottery numbers that wouldn't get her in. And all the time needing to compensate by having her in programs like the science one at the Museum of Natural History or doing CTY.

I know, that I would have become more complacent if she had gotten into Hunter or Anderson. And just like those Terman kids, she probably never get that "eminence" since it has eluded Hunter kids for 30+ years. It is the kid that is excluded, that struggles against the odds that gets the Nobel prize. The Terman rejects are the ones with eminence.

And that is why I play devil's advocate. I do have to supplement. My kid is whizzing in the math. Hunter would have kept her at one year ahead. I teach her more about options and working for them, much more than if I thought her "gifted" school was taking care of things.

I am of the strong belief that the IQ at 5 is not the IQ at 12 or 18. And if you only test once and you don't offer the options for more kids, then you leave a lot behind that may amaze us.

Sonia Sotomayor only became fluent in English at 9, was living in the projects, didn't attend gifted programs but her mother bought her an encyclopedia. She never got picked for gifted programs. Now Elena Kagan did attend Hunter (her mother worked there) and is the first, as I understand, to achieve eminence from a Hunter elementary alumni. Who got there first?

I know someone who is applying to MIT and was a little surprised since I knew she wasn't a science person. MIT has the top undergrad business program in the country. First on the admissions requirements, write about something you have done. A lot of IQ kids going through gifted programs may have nothing to say but high grades. At least that is what Yale admissions is saying about applicants these days.