College Countdown
College Countdown
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Gifted and
(Click on headings) Time Out -- College Honors Programs
COLLEGE
CALL CHECKLIST EXCEPTIONALLY
GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS
It
is estimated that 5% of the United States student population are considered
gifted. There are several different definitions and sets of characteristics
regarding gifted and talented students. A broad definition of “gifted” given
by the National Association of Gifted Education is “someone who shows, or has
the potential for showing, an exceptional level of performance in one or more
areas of expression.” Contrary
to popular belief, giftedness is not an IQ score. IQ scores may be an indicator
of giftedness. There is no one test or indicator. The determination needs
to be from several indicators including, but not limited to, self, parent and/or
teacher recommendation, achievement scores, IQ scores, psychological testing,
and high degrees of scholastic achievement, creativity and/or task commitment. By
definition and reality, for the gifted and talented student, the educational
support services need to be differentiated to allow for the full development of
his/her abilities. The
academically gifted and the artist, whether visual or performing, are not
mutually exclusive as many assume. Gifted teens come in many shapes, forms,
interests, strengths and weaknesses. These arguments also hold true when
considering the needs, academic and otherwise, for the gifted child who is
disabled in some fashion, the gifted child who is a member of a minority or the
gifted child who’s first language was not English. Gifted teens are no more homogeneous than the rest of the world, therefore a cookie-cutter approach to the education of gifted and talented students will not fully service these kids. Differentiated curriculum allows gifted children to be taught within a regular classroom making use of not only enrichment materials, but also materials and curricula that will allow qualified students to accelerate in specific curricula areas. Often this can take place in a classroom due to curriculum compaction. In a nutshell, compacting allows a student to “pre-test” to find his/her base line of information for a unit of content information. If the student scores above a preset level of comprehension, the student is then allowed to work on other materials (either enrichment or acceleration) in that curricula area. That is then followed by a “post-test” to ensure that the level of comprehension was maintained and perhaps enhanced.
Changing majors is the biggest fun and games a gifted student will have during college! Almost all kids going into college will consider or actually change majors several times during their college careers. Gifted students tend to be more prone to this because they often are very capable, and interested in, several different study and career paths. Changing majors can almost become a semester thing, if not monthly! Since many universities have added curricula requirements to their degree programs over the past several years, changing majors can lead to an extra year (or two) of undergraduate college beyond the traditional four years.
In
traditional high school settings, it is sometimes more difficult to provide for
curriculum compacting environment for a gifted student. For a student who has
outgrown the traditional curriculum, in one or more areas, there are several
options available. A partial list of these options are: dual enrollment, where a
student goes to both college and high school simultaneously; an in-depth
mentoring relationship with a professor or professional; Advanced Placement
courses; video-conferenced courses; and Internet on-line courses. If
no other options are available or viable, for some students who have mastery of
the basic high school content, not formally graduating from high school is an
option. Obtaining a GED certificate and moving directly onto college, sometimes
is the only option for a certain group of gifted teens. Some studies have shown
that about 40% of high school dropouts are gifted students. Obviously, this
should not be the first choice made for a teen, but it is an option. There are
many drawbacks, one of which is that some college professional fraternities will
not allow admittance if a student has not formally graduated from a high school.
A
common characteristic of middle and high school students is that they tend to
gather in clusters of peers who are very similar to them. If a teen embodies
inherent abilities and characteristics that have few student peers, it can be a
very lonely existence. In a small school especially, there may not be another
student who truly “gets” what this kid is like and/or is going through. Sometimes
these students stand out as different because they seem to be always on top
academically, musically or in sports. Not only are they alone because of few
true peers in their age groups, they are often the targets of jealousy. The
jealousy can take the form of verbal taunts or physical manifestations ranging
from a stolen or destroyed project, paper and/or artwork to booby trapping
lockers, tripping in PE class or far worse (physical assault).
Perfectionism
can be a characteristic of gifted teens. Examples of perfectionistic behaviors
are: ·
Going nuts over a paper due – staying up for days straight
Procrastination – because you are afraid to start because you’re
afraid it won’t be perfect. ·
Not willing to accept constructive criticism in the spirit it was given. ·
Avoid doing something new because you’re afraid of making mistakes as
you learn – that you won’t be perfect from the beginning.
Overachieving – always HAVE to be perfect in everything. This is the
perfect recipe for burnout or worse.
The
following are some things you can do for yourself to help diffuse the isolation: ·
Explore summer opportunities at universities often available ·
Join and participate in a local gifted organization to meet other kids in
your geographical area. ·
Find a curriculum/talent area mentor(s). ·
Build a strong self-image. ·
Seek out and foster relationships among peers, mentors, allies and
teachers who believe in you.
Academically gifted students need to be well-rounded high school
students, just like other kids. Work on the areas of your life that you may have
neglected.
Network with other gifted teens. ·
Look into leadership programs and camps to enrich or enhance your
leadership skills and abilities.
Network with successful professionals in your field. ·
Give back to the people and organizations who have helped you along the
way. Become a mentor to a younger gifted student.
You
also need to realize that some professors/teachers and administrators aren’t
going to get it – they’re not going to understand what gifted kids in a
classroom really need. So you do need to play the game. Do the work – even if
you learned it in 3rd grade – and turn it in. High school counts.
You need the passing grade and you can’t get that, if you don’t turn in the
work.
College
Honors Programs an often fill some of the needs of the
Merit-Based
Scholarships
Universities
offer merit-based scholarships to the top applicants. These can range from a few
hundred dollars to a free ride from one year to the traditional four years (with
renewal requirements). Each university awards these scholarships by their own
criteria from straight GPA and test scores to separate applications and essays.
At some universities, if a student is awarded one of these scholarships, they
have an automatic entry into the Honors Program. Premier
Merit-Based Scholarships
Premier
merit-based scholarships are offered to the top of the top students. These
scholarships are competitive and often require attendance at special scholar
events and/or interviews. These scholarships are almost always a free ride
defined as some combination of tuition, room and/or board for the traditional
four years (with renewal requirements). Another benefit of these scholarships is
that often the university will offer membership in a select scholars group to
the awardees. These scholars groups offer a source of friendships, resources,
service and networking. College
Choice
If
the above mentioned scholarships due not come through and depending upon your
family’s individual financial situation, sometimes the answer is to attend a
less expensive, but still highly competitive college for undergraduate work and
save the “big” bucks for graduate and/or professional school that often will
follow. An opposing argument may be made that if a student is a premier student
who qualifies for, or comes close to qualifying for, one of the above
scholarships, then that student will have a good chance for at least a partial
graduate fellowship. A part of this argument will depend upon what career path
the student chooses – some programs and universities traditionally have better
graduate payment programs than others. Obviously, this is a set of decisions
that has to be evaluated by each individual family and for each separately. And
always keep in mind, your teen will probably change majors more than once. For
further information: Please refer to the “Chapter 5: If Only Money Did Grow On Trees—Paying for College” in College Countdown and
Center
for Gifted Studies Council
for Exceptional Children The Duke Gifted Letter ERIC
Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education Gifted
and Talented Resources Gifted
and Talented Resources Home Page
www.Eskimo.com/~user/kids.html Gifted
Development Center Gifted Education Resources for Teachers GT
World HOAGIES KIDSOURCE Learning
Disabilities and Giftedness
www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/gt_ld/gifted_ld.html National
Association of Gifted Children National
Foundation for Gifted and Creative Children National
Research Center on the Gifted and Talented
www.ucc.uconn.edu/~wwwgt/nrcgt.html Supporting
the Emotional Needs of the Gifted
www.charweb.org/organizations/page/seng.html TIP
Program
COLLEGE
CALL CHECKLIST (Also see
College Call Checklist in the “I’m Honored” Section in the 11th
Grade Chapter of College Countdown and this website.) Within specialized programs for the top scholars
are there:
Specialized counseling?
Special mentoring with top faculty/administrators?
Group social activities?
A community service component involved? What are the research opportunities for top
scholars?
Available for underclassmen?
What are special provisions made for upperclassmen?
Is there research funding for undergraduates? What mentoring programs are available? What are the summer opportunities for top
scholars?
EXCEPTIONALLY
GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS The
exceptionally gifted student (who may be years younger than other college
applicants) requires additional support from the educational community. This
support can be in the form of the availability of specialized classes and
mentors as early as middle school. These programs provide very specialized
accelerated curriculum and counseling that often allow early high school
graduation (by several years) and therefore enable early admission to college. How
does a student gain early admission to college? Some of the avenues are: ·
Dual enrollment allows you to stay in high school and still
Advanced Placement courses ·
Virtual schools – classes online ·
GED and move on
Acceleration in core curricular areas allows qualified ·
For some students, extreme acceleration is required at a very early age
and these children then are capable of handling college material at very early
ages. There
are many arguments pro & con in the general public and in education over
students gaining early entrance to college. This is an issue that cannot be
globally settled. The decisions, as always, have to be made in the best interest
of the student. For gifted students, it is often the academics that complete
their personalities. Without the appropriate level of academics for the child,
these kids just don’t make it. With that argument in mind, if you have student
who is doing Calculus (or whatever) at age 8 or 10 (or earlier), then
adjustments and waivers will have to be made to best service that child. In
these cases, very early admission to college is the answer. The success for
these children depends on the level of partnership that the college is willing
to extend, family support, counseling, and the desires, drive and maturity of
the individual student. By
definition, gifted students have very few true peers. Add to this that the
exceptionally gifted student might be significantly younger than academic peers,
dating issues become very difficult. One young gifted student termed it as
“I’m not a Saturday night friend.” In other words, Saturday night is
“date night” and these kids often are alone. The problem is further
accentuated if the student is a girl. For
further information, please also consult the “I’m Honored” sections in the
“11th Grade Chapter” in College Countdown and on this web
site.
COLLEGE
CALL CHECKLIST For students who are
chronologically years younger than other college applicants: (Also
consult College Call Checklist for “I’m Honored” section in the 11th
Grade Chapter in College Countdown.) How many students have there been at this college
with these exceptional gifts and several years younger? Did they stay at this college through graduation? Is there specialized counseling available? If the student stays in the dorm,
Is a single room available?
Or specially selected and counseled room mate? Specialized mentoring available? Research opportunities and funding available for
students younger than 18? How is transportation handled for students under
16? (And example would be for required out-of-class “field trips”) How will the college handle the specialized
safety issues of a student who is chronologically much younger than academic
peers? Due to the student being under 18 years old, how
does the college deal with the confidentiality regulations and parents?
 See Chapters 6 & 8 for more information and instructions. Click here for more information
© 2003 [Wildwood Country Press]. All rights reserved.
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