tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6702344196398061245.post3509136685912120323..comments2024-03-19T22:10:49.383-04:00Comments on Gifted Challenges™: Choose wisely: Some truths about elite colleges for gifted studentsGail Post, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01482577821092891593noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6702344196398061245.post-81629991045957918402017-02-24T23:02:03.286-05:002017-02-24T23:02:03.286-05:00We'd also love to be pointed in the direction ...We'd also love to be pointed in the direction of some highly challenging colleges with like-minded peers and intellectually-driven professors. It would be great if there were some research opportunities in the social sciences before too long in the program as a lot of the basics have been pretty well covered at the advanced high school/introductory college level. In the absence of something else, do lists like the highest ranked schools in US News and World Reports colleges guide (or others) match what was referred to as "elite colleges" above?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6702344196398061245.post-15008902762919223702016-07-13T21:36:38.251-04:002016-07-13T21:36:38.251-04:00Please point my son and I in the direction of some...Please point my son and I in the direction of some highly challenging colleges. We are really fearful of a repeat of high school, where all he learned was complacency, even to the point that he wouldn't even prepare for SAT and ACT (and still breezed through them!) Luckily, he latched onto a couple of very excellent teachers that saw his potential and drew him out and challenged him. He is a rising senior and looking to major in chemical engineering, or general engineering.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6702344196398061245.post-39223932564984639072016-04-13T09:54:59.197-04:002016-04-13T09:54:59.197-04:00Anonymous and Linda, Thank you for your feedback. ...Anonymous and Linda, Thank you for your feedback. I agree that a lot of gifted kids never get considered for elite colleges because they check out long before college arrives. I wrote a blog post about underachievement, and how it arises typically in middle school: http://giftedchallenges.blogspot.com/2016/02/what-causes-gifted-underachievement.html. If kids are going to fulfill their potential, there is much needed in terms of how middle schools and high schools manage their needs. Thank you both for your comments.Gail Post, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01482577821092891593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6702344196398061245.post-1369093180917267212016-04-12T22:22:58.606-04:002016-04-12T22:22:58.606-04:00I think there are some very valid points in this a...I think there are some very valid points in this article, and I wish I had not had just the media's view of these colleges when I was in high school. Several of them sent materials to interest me, but I never applied. I would submit that very few highly gifted kids actually go to these colleges. I was honestly looking for the environment you describe and excited to find it, unfortunately I was 12 and Jr High did not provide it. By 18 I had checked out. School, and college, were things I did because my parents expected it, not because I actually believed I was going to find other people like me or experience excellent classes. My husband's story is much the same. He checked out around 14 and only did what was required to not be in trouble after that. Quite honestly I think the "smart" kids the ivys and other elite colleges get are actually the moderately gifted. I think our system loses the most bright before they ever even think of college.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6702344196398061245.post-17888878665513970192016-04-11T20:00:44.986-04:002016-04-11T20:00:44.986-04:00Thanks for your feedback. I'm glad that your s...Thanks for your feedback. I'm glad that your son likes his college. Many people only think of ivy league schools when they hear of elite colleges, but there are many highly challenging colleges out there. And gifted children often benefit from them (assuming they are an affordable option for the family!).Gail Post, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01482577821092891593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6702344196398061245.post-66964307594663744702016-04-11T16:35:56.794-04:002016-04-11T16:35:56.794-04:00This was our experience entirely. My son is not go...This was our experience entirely. My son is not going to an ivy league school, but to an elite school, and it's just what he needed. He actually kind of coasted through school, so it's been a stretch for him in college, but a challenge he needs. We are so glad he found a college that is working out for him. Thank you for pointing out that not everyone who goes to these colleges is just looking to go into a business degree. My son is a sociology major.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com