<p>It’s an interesting comparison, one with lots of overlap (since many on CC seem to be CTY alumni).</p>
<p>For example, there was this 2005 “What summer programs are you applying to” thread - where CTY was regarded as the least competitive and least prestigious of the summer programs (it may be better known - but that does not mean that the students out of CTY are particularly intelligent). A lot of people who do score high on the SAT tests are just good test takers who grew up early.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, CCers tend to be more motivated in pursing educational opportunities. Maybe some of them are externally motivated.</p>
<p>One thing, for sure, is that CC has a lot more variance than CTY does. </p>
<p>Of course one must distinguish between CTY Talent Search and CTY Summer Programs. The CTY Summer programs form a much smaller subset than the CTY Talent Search.</p>