Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments CW Post Summer VS Hofstra Summer Program

Has anyone done both? I know CW Post does not offer a 2 week session so it is more expensive than Hofstra. I am wondering if it is worth the money to do Post instead of Hofstra.

i would tend to go with CW Post. My son and daughter did a Hofstra science program on Saturdays this year and there were a lot of issues. There is no curriculum, the staff is given a topic and then makes it up from there. So no lesson plans, etc. My daughter ended up with a good teacher who did the right thing but my son was not so lucky. I would not do it again. You might have a good experience but there is definitely a risk. I have heard that the program at Post is older and more established.

My son did both when he was younger. He attended weekend classes and summer camps at both Hofstra and CW Post (1 year at Hofstra/2nd grade; 2 years at Post/3rd & 4th grades. He would have continued at Post, but we moved to Nevada). He liked both of them very much, but he did enjoy the level of the CW Post classes a bit more. The classes were definitely more structured and diverse, and he really felt like he learned a lot at Post. I remember one summer he took a physics class that introduced him to string theory and he just couldn't get enough. It was so fantastic to see him so excited. The kids were super nice too. He couldn't wait to get there in the mornings! The book his physics instructor gave him to read is still one of his favorites. He's now 14 and a high school senior, but he still talks about that class! The other classes he took there were also quite good. I remember a math puzzles class and a short story writing class that he particularly enjoyed too. So, unless the price difference is now huge, I would definitely say that the Post program is worth the extra money.

thanks for the replies. I hope we can afford to try the post summer program next year. It does sound really good.