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Center For Talented Youth MAG
This summer I attended the Center for Talented Youth (C. T.Y.) summer program. C.T.Y. is run by Johns Hopkins University for students between the ages of thirteen and seventeen, who qualify by earning high scores on the SATs in seventh grade as part of a national talent search. C.T.Y. programs are run at several different colleges around the United States in two three-week sessions. Usually participants in C.T.Y. live at a college for three weeks, but commuter programs are available at some sites. There are a large variety of different courses to choose from in the humanities, mathematics, and sciencess. Each student picks one course for the entire session.
I attended C.T.Y. at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA and took a writing course. It was my first time at C.T.Y., and I was a little worried before going that all the kids would be nerds and that we'd never have any fun. I was totally wrong. They were all normal teenagers interested in normal teenage things. I met a lot of different kinds of people: athletes, artists, environmentalists, etc. The social atmosphere was great. Unlike school, which is often exclusive, this was inclusive. No one was ever left out because they were weird or different. I made a lot of great friends and still keep in touch with several. Although classes ran for five hours every day, there was still time to play sports or music, make art, or just hang out. During the weekends there were special activities, dances, and trips to the mall and movies. As for my course, I found it more interesting and challenging than normal school classes. The teachers respected our opinions and intelligence and we were able to discuss topics usually left untouched in school. Although the course was challenging, it was not difficult; we had plenty of time to complete homework during the two-hour evening study hall and had no tests. I feel I learned a lot in my course. I really enjoyed my experience at C.T.Y. I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn over the summer but doesn't want to attend anything like summer school. n
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This article has 39 comments.
1. Yes you can bring your phones and ipods, but you're totally responsible for it.
2. I'm pretty sure you could...but I don't see a lot of other people bringing theirs to CTY.
3. I would pack everything on the CTY Checklist: What to Bring/What Not to Bring. Also check out RealCTY (website), it has a lot of great tips on what to bring for tradition or if you need to bring a stash of food (you might get hungry during the night, or the food might suck).
4. I took a writing course last summer at LMU (Crafting the Essay). :) It was a great experience, the class was challenging but it was fun! My teacher and the people in my class made it fun too.
5. You wake up in correspondence to your breakfast time. Or you could wake up whatever time you want ya know, to shower and get ready. After breakfast you might have some time to socialize before class...okay actually here:
-Wake up
-Get ready for class/b-fast
-Breakfast: If you're a slow eater, you might just straight go to class after breakfast (but you get into your class group with your teacher and walk to the classroom together). If you eat fast, you might have time to go back to your room if you forgot something or whatever and then go to the meeting place. After breakfast my friends and I played frisbee almost everyday.
-Class
-Break
-Class
-Lunch
...And then I think after lunch it was activities. The activities there are great! You have an activity that you do everyday (the same, like swimming everyday), and then a different activity everyday (ex: Monday- Paper Airplanes, Tuesday- Scattergorie)
You'll have relax time everyday, but you should spend all the time you can with your friends!
They send you a thing in the mail that explains it. No worries, you'll have fun! :)
Hey guys, I just got into the CTY program.... Im nervous and need some tips...
1. CAN WE BRING PHONES/ IPODS?
2. CAN WE BRING LAX WANDS?
3. What do we need to pack?
4. What can I expect? (Taking a writing course)
5. What is the schedule for the day? I.E. wake up time, school time, relax time?
Please leave a reply to my questions
CTY was definitely THE most amazing 3 weeks of my life. No doubt about it. The friendships you make there are not regular friendships. They're indescribable bonds that last a lifetime. The atmosphere is just generally positive, because everyone is having the time of their lives. Everyone is there because they want to be. A lot of activities that are planned are completely lame, but it doesn't stop CTYers from having fun. You enjoy every experience, even the bad ones, at CTY. Where I went last year, the food was terrible, the showers/bathrooms were dirty, and the dorms weren't exactly..nice. But getting through all of that with your hallmates was just another thing to enjoy. When I finish with my last year, I'm definitely coming back during my college years to be an RA. Every little thing that happens at CTY is a moment to cherish.
No matter how hard I try, I just cannot capture the full essence of CTY with just words. It's impossible to know what it is like until you experience it for yourself.
Bye, bye miss american pie; drove my chevy to the levee but the levee was dry...it's a song that you'll never forget after CTY.
iloveCTY(:
Your article was interesting but as a veteran CTYer I have to say CTY is so much more than the watered down basics you mentioned. What about the traditions?
I love CTY and I love the Passionfruit.
