My genius son, is killing em (part 2)...

[Reality]

I made part 1 back on SOHH - Nov 2008. The thread is "database error" now Back then He was maybe 8 then..

Now he is in 7th grade. Duke University has selected him as part of their talent search for gifted students. - Duke TIP - He is already doing the program where you finish high school with your A.S. degree. Duke wants him to take either his ACT or SAT in December with the High School students.

Brehs, I'm not from USA so I really aint have much guidance on knowledge on how the schooling works here. I'm just happy he gonna have some scholarships lined up to go along with the 529 Florida plan I will be paying for him to attend Univ.

He wants to take the ACT instead of the SAT because he doesnt want to attempt the essay questions...

Any guidance from former gifted students or other parents. I would appreciate it.

Not everyone gonna be a athlete so leaving that for my younger son

Btw, he HAS to take the SATs.

 

[Taadow]

I never took the SAT, and I regret it. Not that it I feel it held me back, but I wonder how I would've done.

I wouldn't trip off him doing the ACT this early if he's familiar with geometry and trig ish, because that's what got me. He should wait for the SATs, though - he's got time for that.

 

[dennis roadman]

I worked in test prep, just recently quit. make sure he does the essay question on the ACT. it can't hurt him, and the worst it will do will give him a look into what it is to write a well constructed essay in 30 mins (although you only get 25 on the SAT)

if lil man can handle it, try both tests, even just on your own time. but you don't really have to do that until his freshman or sophomore year.

when he figures out what he wants to study in a few years, think about the specific schools. if they're in the midwest and/or tech schools/programs, go hard on the ACT. if he's undecided until his junior year, go the SAT route.

also think about his strengths under pressure - ACT is essentially a reading comprehension test. you don't really have to know the science well, you have to be able to understand what they're telling you about it. SAT is more about strategies and prioritizing questions. it's less straightforward but it's easier to run game on it if you know what you're doing.

not sure of the finer points of this duke program, but definitely get him in a test prep program when he's a 10th grader. well respected nationwide ones off the top of my head are Kaplan and Huntington, but they're franchises, so some might be better than others. after doing 30 hours of test prep, dude can take the test a year before he has to and know exactly what he has to improve on. or if he gets a 1900 fresh out the gate, you can just stop there depending on his demeanor. there's usually a ceiling kids hit, progress is not automatic at all. then you can send those scores in and he can focus on extra curricular stuff and grades for two years.

 

[SouthernBelle]

I pretty sure all the top 20 schools accept SAT OR ACT. He should ultimately take and use the test he feels most comfortable with to ensure that he gets the best possible results

 

[TRBM]

Got some fam that teach at Duke

















Coli Cash goes a long way

 

[TheBigBopper]

make sure lil man understands the "elite" options right now...meaning:

*being a doctor/surgeon
*being a lawyer
*being a banker/working on wall street

at the very least he should comprehend these options and the sacrifices/rewards they offer before he goes into college. it sounds like he's well on his way to an Ivy so these 3 options will be the most obvious to him. if these aren't appealing then, i can tell you from experience, it can be hard to find your way once you get there. once i figured out i didnt want to work on wall street, i was stuck w/ my dikk in my hand for about a year when all the on-campus recruiters were from banks or management consulting firms.

anyway, im getting ahead of where your lil man is. encourage him to do well in school but also find his passion. if he can find his passion before he gets to college he's well on his way to doing big things, honestly.

also, look into the MLT program. I believe they have something for HS students. it's also good to just sit him down for an hour and walk him through the admissions material for the Ivies so he knows what they're looking for. With his scores, there's no reason he can't go to Harvard/Yale/Princeton if he takes care of business as far as extracurriculars.

Oh, and tell him to stay the fukk away from Brown.

Brown

Real talk, I went to one of the "lower" Ivies, but at least we're still respected because of the hard work required at my school. No one respects Brown.

 

[DaChampIsHere]

btw, it's a no-brainer to do the Duke TIP program. looks great on college applications and is no way a scam. most of the kids i knew that did the program also ended up going to Ivies. if they didn't, $$$ was the reason.

I was in and I didn't go to an Ivy. Didnt want to Even with scholarships on deck It is a great networking system though.

 

[Reality]

I was in and I didn't go to an Ivy. Didnt want to Even with scholarships on deck It is a great networking system though.

What was your reasoning behind not going to an Ivy?

I honestly think the only time it makes sense not to do so if you want to live a regular, $$$-for-time life is if your an engineer/comp sci guy at one of the better public schools (Georgia Tech is the first school that comes to mind).

I've found the Ivy brand to be -worthy so far. Haven't tapped into my alumni network yet, but it's great to have there as a lifeline out of a shytty job/situation.

 

[Brooklynzson]

Congrats b, you must be very proud. to lil man.

 

[kash10003]

The kid is in 7th grade though, I think some of us are getting ahead of ourselves. Just keep things open and get him involved in different things, have him think where he wants to go with his life and take a step by step approach to narrow those aspirations down.

As far as going to an Ivy, I enjoyed my experience, but even with the full scholarship, the cost of living was really expensive for me (I didn't get the full ride, just tuition). When I got to med school, I noticed that yea, there are a lot of Ivy/private schooled kids but the people that really got things done were the kids who went to their state schools, got paid to do it, stayed cheap and saved up $30-40k in their bank account as a 21/22 year old. While many in my Ivy League school went to med school with me, more than equal amounts did not. There are also people that went and majored in something shytty and didn't really end up getting a real job yet (and I'm 25).

If someone is actually smart, they are going to get it done at any scenario you put them in.

As far as my parents being proud of me, they are okay with it. They are both docs so expectations are high, but I have higher standards than they do for myself and things don't really matter until you truly accomplish something.

 

[Brooklynzson]

We sposed to be impressed?

If that lil nikka knew how to bust his guns then ill give props but kids get good grades everyday nothing to make a thread about imo

I spit my water out readin this shyt

 

[DaChampIsHere]

What was your reasoning behind not going to an Ivy?
I honestly think the only time it makes sense not to do so if you want to live a regular, $$$-for-time life is if your an engineer/comp sci guy at one of the better public schools (Georgia Tech is the first school that comes to mind).
I've found the Ivy brand to be -worthy so far. Haven't tapped into my alumni network yet, but it's great to have there as a lifeline out of a shytty job/situation.

Decided to go to an HBCU, for family and cultural reasons. Figured I could get the same opportunities career wise/network wise as a black student at a larger HBCU when compared to a black student at any other school (perhaps even larger network at HBCU) Have been right thus far.

Got recruited heavily by Ivies, but just didn't want to go. Wasn't for me.

 

[kash10003]

Decided to go to an HBCU, for family and cultural reasons. Figured I could get the same opportunities career wise/network wise as a black student at a larger HBCU when compared to a black student at any other school (perhaps even larger network at HBCU) Have been right thus far.

Got recruited heavily by Ivies, but just didn't want to go. Wasn't for me.

I think going to a good HBCU is better than going to some of the Ivies or great private schools in terms of top recruiting.

Again, if you are qualified, you are gonna be qualified and it comes through. Networking is on a different level at different schools.

 

[DaChampIsHere]

I think going to a good HBCU is better than going to some of the Ivies or great private schools in terms of top recruiting.
Again, if you are qualified, you are gonna be qualified and it comes through. Networking is on a different level at different schools.

Yeah. I've always felt that way as well about post-secondary opportunities. My school's not even that great, but I along with many of my friends have made it work and have done great things

 

[Kalik]

He scored 20+ on 3 out of 4 subjects brehs.... has a 20+ overall, like we talked about in here.

Dunno whats next, if Duke finds that acceptable. From what I read online:

Recognition Ceremonies | Duke TIP




Not a "Grand-Qualifier" tho.... thats Rainman levels

====
Just an update.... carry-on with regular posting brehs