@LOUKYDAD Gatton has open house (preview weekends) several times throughout the year, and I advise you to attend it to get better ideas. Gatton staffs can provide you answers to many of questions others have raised in this thread. One thing that’s certain is that at the end of two years, students (and parents) would potentially have a variety of college choice options to pick in terms of whether to stay in state or go out of state.
Our DD was able to continue her ECs that she used to do along with research at Gatton. She could practice piano at the music department. She found new BFFs. School is challenging. Since school doesn’t rank students, students collaborate and help each other. They have a tutoring service and students can get help if needed. Academy plans fun activities during weekends and they balance study and life. She made lots of fun memories and took classes that interested her. She is going to attend Cornell University, College of Engineering this fall. Currently, she is in South Korea doing chemical engineering research funded by NSF. Even though she has over 70 college credits, she is planning to stay all four years at Cornell concentrating more on research and fully enjoy college life. Credit transfers are different based on which school your child attends.
GattonDadX2 and ninjadad - thank you both very much for taking the time to make such thoughtful posts. It sounds like your kids all took full advantage of a great opportunity and have went on from there to do amazing things. I have been through the website, but it is interesting to hear a couple of real stories from those who have been there/done that. If my son decides to pursue this, we may have to check in with you for advice along the way. Thanks again.
This is a very interesting and informative thread for me. I have a child who will graduate from high school at 16, and we have grappled with different options before deciding to let him skip 2 grades. The Gatton program in KY sounds like an excellent program for gifted children. The University of Washington offers two similar programs for gifted children in the Seattle area. The first is for 13 and 14 year olds. They come in right after middle school, do 1 year of “transitional program”, then matriculate as freshman at the UW. They take 16 of these kids each year. The second is for 16 year olds who come in after their Sophomore year, these kids go straight into the UW’s honors program and matriculate as freshman. They take 35 of these kids each year. The first program for the younger kids is non-residential, but they do have a center where these kids hang out together on campus and do their homework, find support etc.
I’ve heard of one super gifted kid in our district who participated in the early entrance program at 13. Last I heard she is doing really well. These programs are a godsend for gifted children who are stuck in districts with limited gifted program esp. in K-8, such as ours. We are fortunate that the UW is at the forefront of these early entrance programs thanks to the tireless effort of Halbert and Nancy Robinson, two professors at the UW who established the Robinson center for Young Scholars at the UW when they realized their 12 year old daughter was ready for college. I have attended a number of seminars held by Mrs. Robinson (sadly her husband passed away years ago) and she is extremely inspiring in her passionate and tireless support for gifted education and gifted youth.
In addition, many gifted kids in our area also participate in Running Start in their Junior and Senior year, where they do dual enrollment at a local CC. The state pays for 6 CC classes per year, enough for a full time enrollment. This is a very popular program for public school as well as homeschool kids. I know of quite a few gifted kids who participated in this program and graduated from the UW at 20.
As far as how young is too young for moving into the dorm, I agree with those who said it really depends on the child. However most gifted children are more mature than their peers and should have no trouble matriculating at 16. If you think about it, the wealthy today continue to send their children to boarding schools, and those kids leave home by the time they are 13/14, some even younger.
@cmsjmt - It sounds like Washington state has some good options for gifted children whose home/regular high schools are limiting. It is important to note that every state is different in this regard. So, it is somewhat difficult to give a “one size fits all” response to the title of the topic thread “dual enrollment.” It depends on the state, the specific program, the child, and her/his family circumstances. Even in Kentucky, now there are going to be 2 STEM academies with the same basic format and goal. But they, obviously, will express themselves differently based on their different leadership, different college course offerings, different college campuses, and different student bodies. I think the bottom line is: keep your options open, keep exploring, keep asking questions, continue the dialogue with your student. Blessings!
My DD just got back from two weeks of camp at WKU, in a program that AFAICT is the intended way to put your foot on the slippery slope leading to Gatton. By the time you’d be eligible to attend, you could have spent chunks of 5 summers there, and would know a large number of other likely attendees. All of the camp counselors were Gatton grads, the program is run by Gatton staff, the kids live in the same dorms Gatton kids do.
I don’t think my DD is inclined towards a STEM program, and KY isn’t our state. But if she were, and it were, I was really impressed by what I saw of them, and wouldn’t have any hesitation about letting her apply.
My sister attended the analogous program in our state; she’d tell me to have my head examined if I wanted to send DD there.
@allyphoe It is great to know that your DD enjoyed WKU’s summer camp. I’m not at all surprised that her’s was a positive experience, as the “Gatton Family” are a high quality group of people. But I do want to re-direct your “AFAICT” thoughts about WKU’s summer camp being “the intended way… leading to Gatton.”
While many Gatton applicants have experienced various “summer enrichment” opportunities, some of which might have included attending camp at WKU, the vast majority of those accepted have NOT attended the WKU camp/s. There are many criteria used in selecting admitted students and attending a summer enrichment camp is NOT one of them.
Why are there so many joint alumi of WKU camps and Gatton hired as WKU camp staff? It is an obvious (and easily acquired) pool on which to draw. Gatton staff are experts at what they do. They know their Gatton students extremely well. Those who are alumni of the WKU camps know and appreciate the experience, and are looking for lucrative summer employment. Voila!
I say this so as not to discourage those who have NOT sent their children to WKU camps, as well as to underscore that there is NO silver bullet or “slippery slope” which one can find to gain entrance into the academy. (Neither of my Gatton sons attended summer camp anywhere).
P.S. Too bad your state’s program isn’t of the same quality. I hope there are other opportunities for acceleration and encouragement for your DD in your state.
Sometimes there are very smart students who are at high schools that do not have enough AP classes to challenge them. The on campus option might be a very good one for them. But for your average smart kid, I would consider perhaps taking dual enrollment at the local Community College.
@bopper - I certainly hear you. Our local sending schools certainly “fit the bill” of being “unchallenging.” And I certainly understand the need to find some sort of accelerated learning opportunities. In this case I think taking online AP courses would be the preferable option to classes in the community college, for reasons I’ve already iterated above. Here is a link for taking AP online: http://www.collegedata.com/cs/content/content_getinarticle_tmpl.jhtml?articleId=10029
You really need to assess the capabilities and goals of your student. If he/she is looking to amass college credits which will count towards your in-state public colleges, that may be the right direction. On the other hand, If he/she is capable of scoring a 5 on the AP exams, and wants to go to an out-of-state or to a very selective school, then the community college classes may just be a frustrating waste of time. Once again, it depends on your student and your family’s circumstances.
My son took many classes at the local U. Given how hard it is to get into academics, his profs were high quality, even though the U is not well ranked.
Between his APs and college classes, he could have entered the flagship as a junior. Where he matriculated, he was given no credit for these courses. His goal was not to graduate college early.