Anonymous
09/14/2025 08:28
Subject: How is your gifted kid doing at a lower-ranked college?
Anonymous wrote:Okay, fine gifted and/or high-achieving kid who attends/ed a lower-ranked college.
There are lots of "gifted" / high achieving kids at UMD, like mine.
They are doing great. 4.0 dual math/CS major (OK, maybe UMD for CS is not as "lower ranked"?). This is their last year. DC said there are a some classes that are pretty challenging. They've really enjoyed their time at UMD.
Anonymous
09/14/2025 08:15
Subject: How is your gifted kid doing at a lower-ranked college?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I may have missed it somewhere but have you had actual IQ testing done?
No. I don't believe in IQ tests. DD did take the SAT in 7th grade to get into CTY, and she did very well.
An IQ test is a necessary and clinically informative part of a neuropsychological evaluation, which I hope you've done. You cannot claim that your child is gifted and unhappy with school, and has no disorders, if you haven't done your due diligence. Ignorance and prejudice on your part will harm your child.
Let's agree to disagree. I listened to a highly qualified and respected psychotherapist who says my child is "gifted." I don't care what that means technically if it even has a precise meaning. There is lots to read about how inaccurate IQ tests are.
In any case, it doesn't matter for this discussion. I posted to hear from parents whose gifted kids (whatever that means to them) have thrived at lesser ranked colleges and universities. Those posts are useful and helpful to me.
Sorry, but you've been leading us up the garden path. Some of us have expertise in this field and have tried to help you, but you don't want help.
It's sad that some people can be so anti-science.
+1 starting to think Liberty U might be a fine option
Anonymous
09/14/2025 08:02
Subject: How is your gifted kid doing at a lower-ranked college?
Okay, fine gifted and/or high-achieving kid who attends/ed a lower-ranked college.
Anonymous
09/14/2025 05:02
Subject: How is your gifted kid doing at a lower-ranked college?
Gifted is actually typically 98 percentileAnonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:It's still relevant this year. Do people have any post-pandemic (read: full college experience) anecdotes?
The premise of the thread is BS. "Gifted" as OP describes and as listed for CTY, Duke Tip, most public-school gifted programs is 95th percentile on IQ type tests, or nationally normed achievement test, often one area is good enough, other designations require overall 95th%ile.
95th%ile on an SAT, though it is not IQ of course, for a nationally normed sample not user sample, is 1370. While being in the top 5% is great, there are a very large portion of T30-75 schools which have 1370 somewhere within the middle 50% of enrolled students (from pre-TO data, which colleges will return to it once tests are mandatory). In other words, being "gifted" as deemed by the 95%ile cutoff means you are around an average student at dozens of the slightly "lower" ranked colleges that are outside of the T30. OPs "gifted" kid will likely have many similar level peers at these slightly lesser ranked schools. Such a 95th%ile kid would be bottom 10% at a T20.
OP from 2021 did not understand that being "gifted" as typically defined is not at all rare. Even being "highly gifted"(99th%ile) is an average student at ivy/T10. Maybe OP's kid is that level of gifted, though IME parents who use the term gifted will know the term highly gifted and throw it out there along with %ile.
Anonymous
09/13/2025 23:05
Subject: How is your gifted kid doing at a lower-ranked college?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:She should look at liberal arts colleges that give merit aid. You might be able to get close to what the state schools cost and she could have smaller classes.
We tried this route with our older kids, and they didn't get enough merit aid (even at much lower-ranked schools) to fill the gap. Our older kids went to state colleges purely because of price.
If anyone has a gifted kid who was/is happy at a lower-ranked school, please post. Thanks!
I was CTY eligible and a female NMF. I tried PSU's Honors College. PSU profs and classes were good but the social life was lacking in intellectual heft. I transferred to Pitt and took Honors and regular classes. I loved Pitt. My grad degree is an MBA from Michigan. Also loved Michigan. So there are 3 flagships where I succeeded academically and met learning goals.
UMD is getting good reviews on DCUM these days. I recently met a very happy journalism major from our non-MD high school who was top of her college. Nothing but positivity. Sounds to me to be like my Pitt experience. Pitt was considered more gritty and humble 30 years ago. But there's nothing wrong with being gritty and humble. UMD is also in a bigger metro area with a wider range of employers.
I think your daughter will thrive at a flagship if she selects smaller classes, reading-intensive classes, and meets/communicates actively with professors. Look for smaller humanities classes, freshman seminars, honors classes, etc. The peers don't even matter if the professors are good and care about your questions and your learning. If they are quiet, more focus on you. My son observed this in a freshman seminar at his flagship. Now he has a professor who is interested in him doing research for her. Because he was the star student.
My family is big school friendly. The real world is a big place. Better to get used to it.
Why are you randomly reviving a thread that is 4 years old? OP has likely graduated college or is a senior in college by now. You always post about transferring to Pitt and going to Michigan. We know your story, PP. We know.
PP. I did not revive the thread, although it looks that way. I don't search for threads. I only read Recent Topics. I assume a post above mine got deleted. I wouldn't have answered if I realized it was a zombie thread.
Furthermore, I'm sure people recognize me as I also recognize others who repeat their stories across posts. That may be a flaw to you, but perhaps you should feel comforted that I don't have 10 different fake personas that I write from. I do post on the threads that relate to schools I attended, flagships, honors colleges, etc. That is why you recognize me.
Regarding transferring, I do especially like to comment on that topic. As the great Despair.com poster says: "Mistakes: It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others".
https://despair.com/products/mistakes?_pos=1&_sid=4869ea759&_ss=r&variant=2457302467
Anonymous
09/13/2025 22:47
Subject: How is your gifted kid doing at a lower-ranked college?
My niece attended Wooster as a chemistry and Spanish major. She had a scholarship that covered 3/4 of tuition at Wooster, as a kid who graduated with a 4.0 UW from her small private HS and with a 35 ACT. She is autistic and struggled socially in HS, despite being friendly and nice, she is shy and just didn't click with those kids. She did very well academically in college, especially due to the Independent Study (IS) graduation requirement and the research opportunities on campus. She is currently in a chemistry PhD program. Wooster has a lot of kids like that, whom they attract with generous merit. Our neighbors' DD just graduated with a physics degree and is also in a physics graduate program.
Anonymous
09/10/2025 16:01
Subject: How is your gifted kid doing at a lower-ranked college?
Anonymous wrote:DD is a junior, and her only options for college are in-state because of our family's financial situation. She has a 3.88 at a good public high school, one sport, no ECs to speak of. She hates high school with a passion, thinks it's idiotic, all her classes are stupid, hates the administration and its crazy rules and incompetence, etc. She does the work because her friends do it, but she has no enthusiasm for school at all.
She went to CTY at Johns Hopkins for three summers, where she really blossomed. She told me recently those were the happiest weeks of her life. Her CTY teachers said she was "exceptional" and "outstanding."
I'm not bragging, I'm worried. I fear she'll be unhappy and unchallenged in college. We can't afford to send her to a CTY-like top college. If you have a similarly gifted kid who went to a lower-ranked college, how did s/he do? Did your child find a peer group? Were the classes interesting/challenging enough? Any advice most appreciated.
I hope things turned out well for OP's DD. I went to junior high school with kids like this in CA in the mid-1970s. Extremely bright, independent, so much so that they were very oppositional. Several dropped out of HS, got their GED and went on with their lives. OP should be proud that they got their kid through HS.
Anonymous
09/10/2025 15:59
Subject: How is your gifted kid doing at a lower-ranked college?
Anonymous wrote:university of Alabama? UT Dallas? Curious because my kid will more than likely be in the same situation.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:She should look at liberal arts colleges that give merit aid. You might be able to get close to what the state schools cost and she could have smaller classes.
We tried this route with our older kids, and they didn't get enough merit aid (even at much lower-ranked schools) to fill the gap. Our older kids went to state colleges purely because of price.
If anyone has a gifted kid who was/is happy at a lower-ranked school, please post. Thanks!
I was CTY eligible and a female NMF. I tried PSU's Honors College. PSU profs and classes were good but the social life was lacking in intellectual heft. I transferred to Pitt and took Honors and regular classes. I loved Pitt. My grad degree is an MBA from Michigan. Also loved Michigan. So there are 3 flagships where I succeeded academically and met learning goals.
UMD is getting good reviews on DCUM these days. I recently met a very happy journalism major from our non-MD high school who was top of her college. Nothing but positivity. Sounds to me to be like my Pitt experience. Pitt was considered more gritty and humble 30 years ago. But there's nothing wrong with being gritty and humble. UMD is also in a bigger metro area with a wider range of employers.
I think your daughter will thrive at a flagship if she selects smaller classes, reading-intensive classes, and meets/communicates actively with professors. Look for smaller humanities classes, freshman seminars, honors classes, etc. The peers don't even matter if the professors are good and care about your questions and your learning. If they are quiet, more focus on you. My son observed this in a freshman seminar at his flagship. Now he has a professor who is interested in him doing research for her. Because he was the star student.
My family is big school friendly. The real world is a big place. Better to get used to it.
Why are you randomly reviving a thread that is 4 years old? OP has likely graduated college or is a senior in college by now. You always post about transferring to Pitt and going to Michigan. We know your story, PP. We know.
I would have found this thread helpful last year!
The big plus is the opportunities and flexibility that come with being at a university that WANTS YOU there vs being at a university that treats the students like they are lucky to be there (which was the vibe we got from some of the top schools we looked at). Ex. Columbia won't event take your AP credits - they make you retake everything! What a waste... instead my student started college as a junior (in terms of credits) and is able to take classes that interest them and are unrelated to graduation requirements etc. They can explore different majors while in college, instead of having to commit to a major as senior in HS....
It was a very difficult decision for my super high stats kid (NMF, 1570 SAT, 17 APs all 5's, national level internship, etc.) to choose a full ride scholarship over the T15 schools they were admitted to. My kid is in second year and doing amazing at a low ranked school ... because this low ranked school pursues top students (1500++ SAT, 36 ACT, NMF types) there are a LOT of them there 1,000s -- so my kid is surrounded by similarly exceptional students in very small classes (think 12-15 students bc kid skipped straight to upper level courses due to having so many AP credits). However the student body is quite large (huge public flagship) so there are all types of students -- which mirrors real life.
ROLL TIDE!
Anonymous
09/10/2025 14:05
Subject: How is your gifted kid doing at a lower-ranked college?
university of Alabama? UT Dallas? Curious because my kid will more than likely be in the same situation.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:She should look at liberal arts colleges that give merit aid. You might be able to get close to what the state schools cost and she could have smaller classes.
We tried this route with our older kids, and they didn't get enough merit aid (even at much lower-ranked schools) to fill the gap. Our older kids went to state colleges purely because of price.
If anyone has a gifted kid who was/is happy at a lower-ranked school, please post. Thanks!
I was CTY eligible and a female NMF. I tried PSU's Honors College. PSU profs and classes were good but the social life was lacking in intellectual heft. I transferred to Pitt and took Honors and regular classes. I loved Pitt. My grad degree is an MBA from Michigan. Also loved Michigan. So there are 3 flagships where I succeeded academically and met learning goals.
UMD is getting good reviews on DCUM these days. I recently met a very happy journalism major from our non-MD high school who was top of her college. Nothing but positivity. Sounds to me to be like my Pitt experience. Pitt was considered more gritty and humble 30 years ago. But there's nothing wrong with being gritty and humble. UMD is also in a bigger metro area with a wider range of employers.
I think your daughter will thrive at a flagship if she selects smaller classes, reading-intensive classes, and meets/communicates actively with professors. Look for smaller humanities classes, freshman seminars, honors classes, etc. The peers don't even matter if the professors are good and care about your questions and your learning. If they are quiet, more focus on you. My son observed this in a freshman seminar at his flagship. Now he has a professor who is interested in him doing research for her. Because he was the star student.
My family is big school friendly. The real world is a big place. Better to get used to it.
Why are you randomly reviving a thread that is 4 years old? OP has likely graduated college or is a senior in college by now. You always post about transferring to Pitt and going to Michigan. We know your story, PP. We know.
I would have found this thread helpful last year!
The big plus is the opportunities and flexibility that come with being at a university that WANTS YOU there vs being at a university that treats the students like they are lucky to be there (which was the vibe we got from some of the top schools we looked at). Ex. Columbia won't event take your AP credits - they make you retake everything! What a waste... instead my student started college as a junior (in terms of credits) and is able to take classes that interest them and are unrelated to graduation requirements etc. They can explore different majors while in college, instead of having to commit to a major as senior in HS....
It was a very difficult decision for my super high stats kid (NMF, 1570 SAT, 17 APs all 5's, national level internship, etc.) to choose a full ride scholarship over the T15 schools they were admitted to. My kid is in second year and doing amazing at a low ranked school ... because this low ranked school pursues top students (1500++ SAT, 36 ACT, NMF types) there are a LOT of them there 1,000s -- so my kid is surrounded by similarly exceptional students in very small classes (think 12-15 students bc kid skipped straight to upper level courses due to having so many AP credits). However the student body is quite large (huge public flagship) so there are all types of students -- which mirrors real life.
Anonymous
09/10/2025 12:24
Subject: How is your gifted kid doing at a lower-ranked college?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:She should look at liberal arts colleges that give merit aid. You might be able to get close to what the state schools cost and she could have smaller classes.
We tried this route with our older kids, and they didn't get enough merit aid (even at much lower-ranked schools) to fill the gap. Our older kids went to state colleges purely because of price.
If anyone has a gifted kid who was/is happy at a lower-ranked school, please post. Thanks!
I was CTY eligible and a female NMF. I tried PSU's Honors College. PSU profs and classes were good but the social life was lacking in intellectual heft. I transferred to Pitt and took Honors and regular classes. I loved Pitt. My grad degree is an MBA from Michigan. Also loved Michigan. So there are 3 flagships where I succeeded academically and met learning goals.
UMD is getting good reviews on DCUM these days. I recently met a very happy journalism major from our non-MD high school who was top of her college. Nothing but positivity. Sounds to me to be like my Pitt experience. Pitt was considered more gritty and humble 30 years ago. But there's nothing wrong with being gritty and humble. UMD is also in a bigger metro area with a wider range of employers.
I think your daughter will thrive at a flagship if she selects smaller classes, reading-intensive classes, and meets/communicates actively with professors. Look for smaller humanities classes, freshman seminars, honors classes, etc. The peers don't even matter if the professors are good and care about your questions and your learning. If they are quiet, more focus on you. My son observed this in a freshman seminar at his flagship. Now he has a professor who is interested in him doing research for her. Because he was the star student.
My family is big school friendly. The real world is a big place. Better to get used to it.
Why are you randomly reviving a thread that is 4 years old? OP has likely graduated college or is a senior in college by now. You always post about transferring to Pitt and going to Michigan. We know your story, PP. We know.
I would have found this thread helpful last year!
The big plus is the opportunities and flexibility that come with being at a university that WANTS YOU there vs being at a university that treats the students like they are lucky to be there (which was the vibe we got from some of the top schools we looked at). Ex. Columbia won't event take your AP credits - they make you retake everything! What a waste... instead my student started college as a junior (in terms of credits) and is able to take classes that interest them and are unrelated to graduation requirements etc. They can explore different majors while in college, instead of having to commit to a major as senior in HS....
It was a very difficult decision for my super high stats kid (NMF, 1570 SAT, 17 APs all 5's, national level internship, etc.) to choose a full ride scholarship over the T15 schools they were admitted to. My kid is in second year and doing amazing at a low ranked school ... because this low ranked school pursues top students (1500++ SAT, 36 ACT, NMF types) there are a LOT of them there 1,000s -- so my kid is surrounded by similarly exceptional students in very small classes (think 12-15 students bc kid skipped straight to upper level courses due to having so many AP credits). However the student body is quite large (huge public flagship) so there are all types of students -- which mirrors real life.
Anonymous
09/10/2025 05:32
Subject: How is your gifted kid doing at a lower-ranked college?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:She should look at liberal arts colleges that give merit aid. You might be able to get close to what the state schools cost and she could have smaller classes.
We tried this route with our older kids, and they didn't get enough merit aid (even at much lower-ranked schools) to fill the gap. Our older kids went to state colleges purely because of price.
If anyone has a gifted kid who was/is happy at a lower-ranked school, please post. Thanks!
I was CTY eligible and a female NMF. I tried PSU's Honors College. PSU profs and classes were good but the social life was lacking in intellectual heft. I transferred to Pitt and took Honors and regular classes. I loved Pitt. My grad degree is an MBA from Michigan. Also loved Michigan. So there are 3 flagships where I succeeded academically and met learning goals.
UMD is getting good reviews on DCUM these days. I recently met a very happy journalism major from our non-MD high school who was top of her college. Nothing but positivity. Sounds to me to be like my Pitt experience. Pitt was considered more gritty and humble 30 years ago. But there's nothing wrong with being gritty and humble. UMD is also in a bigger metro area with a wider range of employers.
I think your daughter will thrive at a flagship if she selects smaller classes, reading-intensive classes, and meets/communicates actively with professors. Look for smaller humanities classes, freshman seminars, honors classes, etc. The peers don't even matter if the professors are good and care about your questions and your learning. If they are quiet, more focus on you. My son observed this in a freshman seminar at his flagship. Now he has a professor who is interested in him doing research for her. Because he was the star student.
My family is big school friendly. The real world is a big place. Better to get used to it.
Why are you randomly reviving a thread that is 4 years old? OP has likely graduated college or is a senior in college by now. You always post about transferring to Pitt and going to Michigan. We know your story, PP. We know.
Anonymous
09/09/2025 19:38
Subject: How is your gifted kid doing at a lower-ranked college?
Anonymous wrote:It's still relevant this year. Do people have any post-pandemic (read: full college experience) anecdotes?
The premise of the thread is BS. "Gifted" as OP describes and as listed for CTY, Duke Tip, most public-school gifted programs is 95th percentile on IQ type tests, or nationally normed achievement test, often one area is good enough, other designations require overall 95th%ile.
95th%ile on an SAT, though it is not IQ of course, for a nationally normed sample not user sample, is 1370. While being in the top 5% is great, there are a very large portion of T30-75 schools which have 1370 somewhere within the middle 50% of enrolled students (from pre-TO data, which colleges will return to it once tests are mandatory). In other words, being "gifted" as deemed by the 95%ile cutoff means you are around an average student at dozens of the slightly "lower" ranked colleges that are outside of the T30. OPs "gifted" kid will likely have many similar level peers at these slightly lesser ranked schools. Such a 95th%ile kid would be bottom 10% at a T20.
OP from 2021 did not understand that being "gifted" as typically defined is not at all rare. Even being "highly gifted"(99th%ile) is an average student at ivy/T10. Maybe OP's kid is that level of gifted, though IME parents who use the term gifted will know the term highly gifted and throw it out there along with %ile.
Anonymous
09/09/2025 19:31
Subject: How is your gifted kid doing at a lower-ranked college?
Anonymous wrote:DD is a junior, and her only options for college are in-state because of our family's financial situation. She has a 3.88 at a good public high school, one sport, no ECs to speak of. She hates high school with a passion, thinks it's idiotic, all her classes are stupid, hates the administration and its crazy rules and incompetence, etc. She does the work because her friends do it, but she has no enthusiasm for school at all.
She went to CTY at Johns Hopkins for three summers, where she really blossomed. She told me recently those were the happiest weeks of her life. Her CTY teachers said she was "exceptional" and "outstanding."
I'm not bragging, I'm worried. I fear she'll be unhappy and unchallenged in college. We can't afford to send her to a CTY-like top college. If you have a similarly gifted kid who went to a lower-ranked college, how did s/he do? Did your child find a peer group? Were the classes interesting/challenging enough? Any advice most appreciated.
This happens frequently with Bay Area kids in CA. What helped my DS who got into all the mid tiers was having a huge amount of DE , many which were honors level in CC in addition to all the APs. He entered as a freshman but with enough credits to be a junior. He used this as an opportunity to double major, take mostly upper division courses but a few lower division courses for his second major. He enjoyed the rigor of the upper division courses and it was nice having a few lower courses with freshmen and sophomores. If your state school is well regarded in the major, there will be opportunities. Honors colleges within your school can also be helpful.
Anonymous
09/09/2025 19:15
Subject: How is your gifted kid doing at a lower-ranked college?
It's still relevant this year. Do people have any post-pandemic (read: full college experience) anecdotes?
Anonymous
09/09/2025 18:29
Subject: How is your gifted kid doing at a lower-ranked college?
Anonymous wrote:How come you didn't fail your gen ed classes?Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:She takes all AP and honors classes, no regular classes. She hates the APs, says they are stupid, full of make work. She learns by reading outside of class.
This is me 30 years ago.
Love CTY, put up with school. I took the hardest classes available and got As in some (math and science and English) and literally Cs and Ds in others bc I couldn't bring myself to do "make work."
I went to a good state flagship (UNC. I was a NMSF, which helped a lot with college acceptances), found people I could relate to, and did well because I could take whatever classes I really wants to.
Just help her realize that high school is a necessary stage. And let her study what she wants in college. She'll be fine.
Because I did well enough on AP exams (getting 5s on exams even when I had bad grades in the class!) to come in as a sophomore and skip all intro classes.
I know now that this is a zombie thread but I had to answer.