Long-time listener; (almost) first-time caller. (I did write a couple posts six years ago -- time flies!)

My son recently got back his Explore test results, and he is eligible to apply to the Young Scholars Program. (Last year his results would have been high enough for his grade-by-age -- he's accelerated one year -- but not for his actual grade.)

Before applying, I decided to take a look through the forum to see what current YSP families have gotten out of being in the program, and I've found disappointingly little written on that topic. I've read about half of the long "Experiences w/Davidson Young Scholars Program?" thread, but almost everything there seemed to be regarding getting into YSP rather than currently being in it. And some keyword searches in the forum haven't turned up much useful either.

I've read the official list from Davidson about the benefits -- the consulting, the in-person meetings -- but I don't really know what that equates to in reality. It's arguable that there's no real downside to applying, but still, if there's no real upside that I can see for my son, I don't want to waste Davidson's resources.

(Brief demographic info on my son: He's a fifth-grader at a parochial school in one of the best high-school districts in Chicagoland -- 10 or more perfect ACT scores in most years' graduating classes.)

So if anyone can share their family's experiences with what they got out of YSP, good or bad, I'd truly appreciate it. Thanks.

For many families, the ability to meet with other families of profoundly gifted students is the main benefit. Being a Davidson Young Scholar (or DYS parents) may be equally about what you "get" and what you "give" in building up and supporting the gifted community.

More at this old thread.

The contact with other families of PG kids is the biggest thing we get out of it. We go to Reno for the Summit each year, and it is great (if you apply now, you'll be too late to register for this year's Summit in June). We have definitely also used the consultants when planning for DD's education, but that hasn't been as valuable as the social contacts we've made.

It's all about the community. It's hard to explain the pure sense of relief that came from seeing that it wasn't just us, it wasn't bad parenting, it wasn't that my son only needed to try harder to comply/conform. And it's hard to explain the pure sense of joy from knowing my son IS different and that is GOOD and the things that seem unusual and cool ARE unusual and cool and there are other unusual and cool kids out there like him. I never realized how lonely and sad I was until I stopped feeling it thanks to the DYS community.

Agree with every word Suevy said.

Couldn't have said it better myself!

Thanks for everyone's comments -- I've really appreciated them.

It's been a great source of information via newsletters and the consultants. I've also reached out to the parent community for information on specific topics (ex. schools in an area we were considering) and been very happy with the responses. It is so nice to have a community where we can speak freely about who our child is and the challenges that come with that difference, without being judged as pushy or arrogant.

BTW, there are guidelines within the DYS program about how much we can share, so that may be why you don't see a lot of details posted.