Duke Talent Identification Program Camps - Has Your Child Attended?

My so attended the west coast version, Stanford Summer Collegiate program that was run by the Education Program for Gifted Youth. He did the physics for middle school program and loved it. We justified it because he had been so bored with school and also because he had maxed out his other options. He loved it and got a lot out of it. He is now in college at 16 and has been hired as paid teaching assistant in pre-calculus. He loves it. I think if you have really, really advanced students you need to try to give them these opportunities. Disclaimer: I worked in gifted education at EPGY before I became a college professor.

ETA: One of the posters mentions her child's school counselor's feelings about it. I just want to say that I disagree to a certain extent. I DO believe it's an honor to get into these programs. The majority of kids cannot reach the SAT/ACT level that Duke and other programs expect for admission into these programs. And the academic level of study these kids do during the summer is high. These kids need to be smart enough to be able to get something out of the program. The teachers for these programs run their classes differently than regular school because they really want to make it fun, and if the class isn't fun, the program won't have them back. BUT, the work is challenging.

As far as college admissions go, if your child has high aspirations, I believe that having this on the college resume helps. I believe it helped one of my sons get his Presidential Scholarship. That was worth $66,000. That's my firm opinion...

Original:
My kids went to the Johns Hopkins version of Duke TIP. They loved it, especially my older son, who looked forward to it every year and was really bummed when he aged out. (But it was time for him to start doing some summer work by then.)

What you're paying is about $800 more than it was when my kids went. Ouch!

That being said, both of my kids, who are now older, have worked for Duke Tip as counselors. I kind of felt like I got some of the money back, though they don't get paid $4000 for 7 weeks of work, LOL! (But they do get room and board free, which is nice.) So here are my thoughts based on having children ATTEND a program like this and as college kids WORK at a program like this:

Is your son well behaved? If he is, that's good. However, if he has behavioral problems, anger management issues, hyperactivity issues, etc, think twice before sending him. They really do send problem children home, and you have to pay the airfare to do it, and you won't get a refund for any of your $4000.

Does your son WANT to go? That's important. Don't use TIP as a way to initiate him into stay-away camp if he's not excited about it. Instead, wait a year, which you can do without him having to take the test again, and put him in a one-week stay away camp this summer that you have good references on. I found academic summer bridge programs in my own community that they enjoyed, but it's not the same as over-night camp, and kids need to learn what it's like to "not go home" for at least a week, unless they are really outgoing and easily transitioned. The over night camps weren't academic, but they did promote group cooperation and taught certain skill sets that were great for my kids. I think that this helped my own kids be better counselors at TIP later on, having attended both types of summer programs.

I wish you luck in your decision, and I hope your son has a wonderful summer!!

First... I ditto Lisa P. You have to weigh the opportunity based on the interest of your child for the future.

I'm familiar with the program because my late husband was an MBA graduate of the Fuqua School of Business at Duke.

Great program and opportunity if you can provide this for your child.

My daughter did not attend. She is a 4.0 junior at a great college which specifically targets her area of interest for her major. Her plan after graduation is straight to grad school and the opportunities are wide open.

It depends on how you can best fit it with your family.

I do not have personal experience with this particular program, but my daughter did participate in the Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp and it was incredible! The hands on experience she received is unlike anything she could get at the rinky dink science center summer camps etc. I have been looking for something comparable and have not found anything like it geared for her age group.

If your son is truly interested, I would seriously investigate the program further. It looks to be a multi-week residential program and that's why the $4,000 price tag. I feel it would be money well spent, but you know your son best.

No. I have one child who qualified as a rising 7th grader and he had no interest. So it wasn't pursued. He has a younger sibling, who didn't meet the schools criteria the year she was a rising 7th grader (based on percentile, not the concrete scores, she was simply edged out by other equally high performing students who performed slightly better). She was in the gifted program in elementary, takes all Advanced/Honors/AP classes, etc. She just took the ACT as a freshman last month. She has been receiving offers for all manner of programs from every place you can imagine (observing an actual live surgery was part of one program's offerings).
They have all come with a large price tag. The latest? New York City, 4 days, includes a broadway show, etc.

I had her ask her guidance counselor about these offers. The response was that any program that asks you to pay large fees (over a couple hundred dollars) really isn't a benefit to your college academic path. Basically, that the kids may very well get something out of it, but if you are paying for it at that rate, you are paying for a summer camp. It's not really any sort of honor.

As for Duke TIP specifically? I'd ask at the guidance office of her school and see what they say. I don't know your financial situation. Maybe $4,000 isn't a big deal for summer camp for your family. For us, our child would benefit more from a great/strategically planned family vacation with that same money.

Our son qualified for it last year (in 7th grade), however not in the subjects which interested him, so we decided to pass on it. Part of my justification is that the experience would be most valuable to him if he was bored and under challenged in school during the rest of the year. Aside from the potential help with college admissions (not on my radar), my sense is that the program is geared more towards kids who don't have a community of fellow students who are motivated and talented. Our son is in a small private school with lots of academically strong kids in his class, so it seemed less important for him to attend--especially for that cost. So it really depends on your son's school environment and how much you feel he needs three weeks with intellectual/academic peers. Good luck with the decision!

my kids qualified last two years. scores sky high. i have never considered the duke camps though, and now knowing the price tag? no way.

Oldest daughter qualified but we passed on the offer. She was still accepted into a very prestigious university and will graduate this December (a full semester early). Would the program have enhanced any of her opportunities? Probably not for us. While she was a NHS, AP student with tons of extra curricular and community involvement activities, we were just too "middle of the road" when it comes to competitive scholarships. So, if your kid is number 1 or 2 in their current middle school and has the determination to work hard and maintain that high of a rank, then yes. This is for you. Otherwise, the big difference comes between the 1st and 2nd administration of the PSAT. That is how Merit Scholars are determined. Good luck!

The only thing I got out of this was that you have $4000 to spend on something that's not food, shelter, or other needs. Wow, you must be well off. Been feeling a little poor this past month sorry.

Well, back on topic. How old is your child. I suppose there are hints in your question but I don't know what they indicate.

If you don't know what talents your child has by now, I'm assuming they're older hence the ACT part, then I'd say enroll in some classes that sound interesting when you get the chance. Sometimes the Vo-Tech will offer photography, cooking, budgeting, and more in the off semester times, just for community classes and for fun.