University of Washington – Institute for Educational Advancement

What I Learned As An Ex-Gifted Kid, a Recap of Caroline Cannistra TEDxAshburnSalon Talk

��Ƶ Staff — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 17:46:28 +0000

Caroline Cannistra talks about her experience starting college early at the age of 13. In addition to talking about her failures and successes, she offers sound advice to students who endeavor to pursue a higher education at a very young age. Gifted children often lead double lives. Intellectually, they may seem like small, eccentric adults, and they may prefer the company of adults, but in many ways they are still children. For this reason, many gifted education experts have doubts about letting gifted students start college several years early. In this talk, you will hear about Caroline’s experience entering a college environment at age 13. You’ll hear about her successes and failures, the way she interacts with the professional and academic world, and what she is learning now as an Adult.

Caroline is an alum of the University of Washington’s Early Entrance Program, which is designed to prepare and guide young students through college. She started her preparatory year at age 13 and officially became a college student at age 14, eventually graduating with degrees in bioengineering and applied mathematics at age 19. She specializes in biological modeling and software design. She has done research through the University of Washington, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle.

Below are some of the schools that offer Early College Entrance Programs. For additional information on the schools, go to the .

Social Self-Esteem and Gifted Kids

��Ƶ Staff — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 14:30:19 +0000

by Nicole LaChance, Marketing and Communications Coordinator

I have only been at ��Ƶ for six months, but in that time one of the most frequent struggles I have heard from parents is how their child does not fit in socially. This is no surprise, due to the asynchronous development many gifted children experience, which causes them to develop at a different level socially than they do intellectually. This can cause kids to feel “different” from their peers, leading to low social self-esteem.

Low social self-esteem is not just a problem for gifted children, but it can manifest differently and more intensely in them. Michelle Muratori, a senior counselor and researcher at the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, notes in an article for :

“Competence and achievement are generally thought to be vital elements of self-esteem and are intertwined with a child’s evaluation and awareness of his or her own worth, so people may mistakenly conclude that gifted children are exempt from low self-esteem because they appear to be very competent and high achieving.”

Muratori goes on to say that, while gifted children are not necessarily more susceptible to low self-esteem than their non-gifted peers, their self-esteem issues are more likely to be overlooked by others or hidden by the child themselves.

One of the main causes of low social self-esteem in gifted children is what . Kroon notes that many gifted people have a strong need for honesty and transparency, yet many of those considered socially successful are good at knowing what is expected from them to fit in with the norm. They will often choose to protect themselves socially rather than doing what is “right”, which is at odds with the way many gifted children think.

This can make fitting in socially difficult, since belonging to most peer groups requires some conformity. It often leads gifted kids with low self-esteem to believe they have to choose between being accepted by their peers and being true to who they are. Additionally, Kroon notes that, due to the often present, gifted kids tend to be more intense in their feelings. Often, this causes them either to stand out or try to be unnoticed, making them easy targets for teasing and bullies.

“These students may unfortunately internalize the message that it is not OK for them to be who they truly are, which may damage their global self-esteem,” said Muratori. Furthermore, , notes that gifted children are not always taught to use their many capabilities to solve the problem and need help obtaining a balanced view of their self-worth in both a social and intellectual context.

Fortunately, there are some things you can do to help your gifted child improve their social self-esteem.

Find opportunities for them to interact with intellectual peers. Friends are an essential component to boosting social self-esteem. Start by talking to your school’s gifted coordinator, or connecting with a gifted advocacy group in your state. (��Ƶ’s Gifted Resource Center has a state-by-state list.) Ask them about social or interest groups that would fit your child. Also, consider inquiring about parent groups, where you can foster connections for both your child and yourself. If there are no groups in your area, some parents have recommended searching online resources and connecting your child with a pen pal. Keep in mind that gifted children may not always find close friends in their age group.
Help them recognize their contributions. Kroon notes that it is important to remember that your child is a complex person with both intellectual and emotional needs. Help them recognize their contributions in all facets of their life by making a list of accomplishments they are proud of beyond just academics.
Don’t let them think everything is easy. that some gifted children develop the idea that, if they are smart, everything will come easily to them. This makes them more likely to quit when something, such as finding a friend group, becomes difficult. Remind them that even the best performers practice a lot and help them develop a manageable plan for overcoming obstacles.
Seek counseling if the need arises. Sometimes, even with the best parental and teacher support, a gifted child may need counseling to deal with issues related to low social self-esteem, notes .

Hopefully, with a little help and lots of patience, your gifted child will develop a healthy social self-esteem and be able to reach their full potential in all areas of life.

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Liberal Arts vs. Research Universities for Science Students

��Ƶ Staff — Wed, 29 May 2013 05:17:58 +0000

By Kate Duey

Kate Duey is a private college counselor serving gifted students. She has worked with students on traditional schooling paths, home schooled students, community college students, and students seeking accelerated or early college entrance. Kate is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School. She has a Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA.

Is an aspiring Ph.D. in the sciences better served by an undergraduate education at a liberal arts college or a research university? The vast majority (83%) of Ph.D.’s in science are awarded to students who graduated from research universities. The top ten research universities graduating undergraduates who go on to earn the most Ph.D.’s in the sciences are:

1. UC Berkeley
2. University of Michigan
3. Cornell University
4. M.I.T.
5. University of Wisconsin, Madison
6. Penn State
7. UCLA
8. Harvard
9. University of Minnesota
10. University of Washington

Liberal arts schools, however, educate roughly 8% of American college students, and from those 8% come 17% of Ph.D.’s in science. Thought of another way, the per capita distribution of science Ph.D.’s is twice as high in a liberal arts college as in a research university. Among the National Academy of Science members, 19% received their undergraduate education at liberal arts schools. The top ten liberal arts colleges graduating undergraduates who per capita go on to earn the most Ph.D.’s in the sciences are:

Swarthmore
Carleton
Haverford
Grinnell
Oberlin
Pomona
Bryn Mawr
Williams
Amherst
Wesleyan

Why are liberal arts colleges more productive at preparing science Ph.D.’s?

Thomas R. Cech, a Nobel Prize winner in chemistry who led breakthroughs in the catalytic properties of RNA, discusses this in “”.

Dr. Cech offers several explanations for the imbalance, including:

Characteristic	Liberal Arts Colleges	Research Universities
Professorial focus	– Teaching undergraduates – Researching on a small scale – Access to professors leads to confidence and self-worth	– Teaching graduate students – Researching on a large scale – Publishing – Applying for research funding – Building national and international prominence – Fundraising for the university – Performing public service in other educational settings – Working on state-wide economic development programs – Coordinating intellectual property controls – Teaching undergraduates
Cross-training	– More requirements in multiple fields – Seeing conflicting data in multiple fields – More demands to interpret new information – More written assignments – More in-class discussions and presentations	– Fewer requirements in multiple fields – Can take more science classes
Which students gain experience as lab assistants?	Juniors or seniors who have distinguished themselves	Graduate and Postdoctoral students who are required to work as part of stipend
Lab schedules	– Fewer lab users – Lab assignments can become open-ended – Less competition for equipment – Professors typically supervise lab work	– More lab users – Lab time must be scheduled – Lab experiments are designed to be straight-forward and predictable to accommodate demands on lab time – Budget cuts intensify these issues
Professorial Contact	– Introductory classes typically have 50 students – 3rd and 4th year classes typically have 12 students	– Introductory classes typically have 500 students – 3rd and 4th year classes typically have 100 students
Fellow students	– Selectivity means stronger academic preparedness overall – Higher performing students create a culture of academic development	– Undergraduates witness higher levels of scholarship and competitiveness of academic research

As Dr. Cech illustrates, it is worth exploring all options available to you when looking for a university science program, including liberal arts universities.

What has your experience been with science programs at liberal arts or research universities? Please share in the comment section below!

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