Duke University Talent Identification Program

Do any of you have any experience or thoughts on this program?
My 4th grader brought home some information about it a couple of days ago. We are thinking about taking part in it but I thought I would ask to see if anyone here has any experience with it.

TIA

 

Duke TIP

As a fifth grader, our DS has been a member for about six months and while the benefits seem limited in the early years, we are really looking forward to the opportunities presented from 7th grade onward. He participated in an advanced testing opportunity in January but we've yet to get the results. It was an opportunity to see how he and other Duke TIP members compared with middle schoolers in certain subjects. It seems a credible source from which to gather info on worthwhile learning opportunities. One of the Directors was my jr. high school language arts teacher whom I admired greatly so I was easily swayed by the program. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

 

Both of my older children have been in it. It allows them to take the SAT's early for practice (scores can count). We didnt see any other benifits, but maybe we didnt look either. LOL oldest is in college, and they still talk about who was in it!

 

Would also love to get more information on this as my son also got information about this. At this point I kinda just over looked it. Maybe I should look more into it.

 

i used to be in it. gives you good bragging privledges (i know i spelt that wrong, but i'm really sick - have mercy! :lol

 

Thanks for the input. We are going to try it. I believe it would look good on her "school resume" at least.

MLH,
Our deadline is the 20th. Make sure you do not miss your deadline.

Thanks again everyone.

 

I'm really glad I read this post.
Last year when my daughter brought home the information, I cast a skeptical eye when I read about the fee for joining. I wasn't sure there was any real benefit so I trashed it.
This year, I did the same thing. Primarily because I'd not heard from anyone who had participated. Guess I'll pay more attention in the future!

 

My son participated in this. We did not do any testing, as I am well aware of how smart he is. Heck, he reminds me every other day. :lol: But they did have some cool summer programs for the kids to participate in, and I think it will look good on his transcript.

Reminds me, he forgot to include this on his career project.

Anyway - in this day and age with kids competing for spots in college, I think it is wise to participate in whatever you can that will look good to admissions and on scholarship apps.

 

Always a very good idea.

 

This is the main reason we are doing it.

 

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So, what I'm gathering, is that it's another way for the schools to "label" kids? Nice.................

 

<snip>

Wow. And to think I had kept this to myself until today, and I could have been bragging for the past 4 years??? Dang! Hurry, somebody pat me on the back.

 

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I got your take in your first post. And NO, Universities and the like are not BEGGING for your child - no matter what their capabilities are. With competition among US students and now students from overseas vying for spots in schools, the best thing one can do is market themself and stand out from the crowd esp if they are looking for scholarships like my son will be. I call it planning ahead. It is also a good way to keep a child motivated and working hard - a little positive reinforcement goes a long way. There is nothing wrong with a child having pride in his/her accomplishments, and there is nothing wrong with giving them opportunities to better their standing among future applicants.

 

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What I have found is that if your child is not in the top 10 (or less) of their class - you prob won't get any 'merit-based' scholarships. Now there are plenty of others that you can apply for/write essays for etc and most of these are financial need based ones. Most scholarships also look at leadership/community involvement stuff like that - so get them into those types of things too.

 

But it can't hurt either. Has your daughter applied to colleges yet? I would think if she had the same GPA/courses under her belt as a peer, yet had extra clubs/groups under her belt along with a description of what sort of programs she was able to participate in and how she benefited from them that would place her above the other applicant. We will have to disagree on Universities vying for specific kids, as I liken them to the DMV - you have to apply for a scholarship (ie: you need the school, they don't need you) - they don't just offer it to you unless you're being scouted for a sports program.

Bragging rights, eh - I sense some animosity there. I don't see anything wrong with taking pride in yourself. Now I don't agree with advertising it either, but there is nothing wrong with a little self-confidence. I don't expect any person to hide or play down their talents to make others feel better - that is their issue not the other way around.

 

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It seems pretty simple. Having a child in this program can only help them. Not hurt them. Every little thing you can squeeze onto your child's application for college is going to help. Cleo's right. The competition is so fierce - and not just for Duke - but college in general you have to go out of your way to make sure your child stands apart more than the next child in the stack. In my opinion these days you can't start too early.

P.S. My child came home from pre-school with an "I got caught being good" sticker and I am so proud of him. To heck with the Duke program :mrgreen: