Sandra BergerReseñas

This is a good collection of many summer programs for teens with a variety of different interests, geared towards academic achievement programs, If you are looking for a good program for your teen, this may help present you with options that you wouldn't have thought have. This may not be the year for this particular book, since many of these programs will probably not be open, but in future years, this should help you select a program that will be a good fit for your teen.

Helpful information for college bound students wanting to explore careers of get a jump on college.

An excellent resource for college-bound high school students that gives 200+ classes, camps, and courses for intensive summer study. The first part of the book talks about why gifted students would want to take a summer program, and the benefits that can be derived from them, as well as the variety of options available. The second half of the book gives details of the programs in a state-by-state list, with contact information and descriptions. This would have been a great book for teenaged me, to have so many options for filling my boring summers with more enriching things to do!

This book is designed to help teens choose a path to prepare for college, though the summer programs they can take to explore their interests. The first 50 pages guide the teen (and their parents) though various topics to consider as they choose a program. I think this portion of the book is the most helpful.

The remainder of the book lists programs, by state, that may be of interest to the teen, including web addresses to gain more information. It is not a comprehensive list, but rather a good starting place to identify summer learning opportunities.

Overall, this book is an excellent resource for teens and parents as they consider early preparation for college.

This handy guide offers students a look into various camps and classes offered all over the country. It gives advice to students as they plan for college and even suggest some gap year programs that are helpful and interesting. Overall I thought the guide gave some great information on programs that you might otherwise be unaware of and it gives detailed information on what each camp or class offers and how to contact them. The book was laid out in an easy to follow format and was easy to use. My biggest complaint was the lack of some kind of subject index as it divided by state. If there is a subject that my teenager is really interested in I would not hesitate to send him out of state but this book doesn't allow you to search by subject so you are forced to read through each entry to find appropriate camps or classes. I think this is a helpful guide but it would be more user friendly with a subject index as well. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review through the early reviewers program.½

This book is very neat because I've always wanted to be able to see a list per say of different types of camps but its hard online because you have so many links that you could accidentally click so this is amazing.

The book is designed to help kids in high school to choose a summer program that would allow them to explore their interests. Unfortunately, list of programs is very limited and quick search on internet yields more options. My home state is not represented in the book and we do have excellent summer programs for kids in high school.

I received a ARC of the 4th edition of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is good if you want to have an interesting summer but don't know where to start looking or what you're interested in doing. There is a wide variety of programs with a page about each. However, some details like dates, cost, etc. are left out. If you know specifically what you want to do (like a trip to a certain country), you are better off using the internet. Overall, it's a good starting point, but I would suggest doing more online research.

Nice collection of summer programs. It would be great if they were arranged a little differently, such as focus rather than state. If one can afford most of these camps, the cost of flying a child away from home wouldn't be a deterrent. It would be nice if an affordable camps book could be developed for those parents who can't afford to spend thousands, but value these wonderful learning experiences.

This book was divided into 2 parts. One explained how to choose a summer program, and the other listed the summer programs. Both parts did their job and communicated effectively when you consider the audience. With the font and the wording, it appeared the book was mostly intended for teens and then their parents. I thought the first section was a little obvious, but when you consider that the teen audience, then that made sense. I thought that section and the program listings did a great job sharing different options available. I like how the first section included gap-year programs. One improvement I would make would be to include an index. Organizing by state makes sense, but if you also have an index for subject matter, then people can also look up programs they are willing to go further for.

This book is divided into two parts. Part One is called "What You Need to Know Before Choosing a Summer Program," and Part Two is a summer program directory. I found that the two parts were inconsistent with each other, and here's why:

I had very general expectations for this book. I thought that it was going to be a book that recommended a variety of programs from college prep to enrichment programs. And yes, Part Two of the book matched my expectations. However, I was taken aback by Part One, which was essentially talking about how to find a summer program that will get your teen ahead for getting into college. The focus was entirely on fast-tracking and how to get the attention of colleges, etc. The tone was not simply informational, it was like Tiger Mom tone, and I didn't like it. I didn't pick up this book to get lectured about how to push my teen son or daughter to overextend him/herself. At times Part One of the book addressed the teen directly, and I had to laugh, because the way it was written was not at all for a teen but for a teen's parents.

So, since Part One was so intensely focused on jumping into the competitive college application rat race, I then expected Part Two to be listing only summer programs that supported this line of thinking. That was not at all the case. The summer programs included some that were for grades 3-12 (yes, elementary age), and some programs were just fun camps that were only 3 days long. Well, what happened to the Part One attitude about everything having to be focused on college prep? The book needs to be consistent, one way or another. Either be a book strictly about college prep, or be a book about more general summer programs. Also, if you're going to be so Tiger Mom in Part One, then you better not have grammatical errors in your book like using the phrase "comprised of." Ugh.

I actually kind-of liked Part Two because there were a lot of programs I'd never heard of. But Part Two wasn't arranged very well. It was split up by state, with the states listed alphabetically. So the first state was Alabama, and it listed all the programs in Alabama; then came California and all its programs. Well, this just didn't make sense to me. If you're trying to find a Tiger Mom-pleasing summer program for a teen, you're not going to care what state the program is in. You're going to care what subject matter the summer program covers. There was no other way to look up information in the book. For a book like this, you need to have multiple ways to look up programs:
-- By subject (math, engineering, veterinary, computer programming, music & theatre arts, etc.).
-- By age range
-- By geographic location
-- By whether the program costs money or is free or pays students a stipend

It's really useless to list things only geographically, because I have to read THE ENTIRE BOOK just to see what programs there are. This type of book is a reference book. I shouldn't have to read the entire book just to glean the information that I need.

For what the book has in it, it's pretty good, but the inconsistency between parts One and Two bothered me, and the lack of flexibility in looking up information was a huge drawback.

This book is a good jumping off point, but could be a better reference book. While it does list, state-by-state, many different camps and college study programs that high school students can attend in the summer, it leaves out nearly all of the important details that I, as a parent, need to know. Details such as, "How much does this program cost?" "When is this program?" "How long does it run?" "What is the application deadline?" "Do you need some type of qualifications to attend this program, or just money and time?" Without this things, it is really little more than a list of things to look up on the internet later.

I did feel that the information at the beginning of the book regarding different types of summer programs (study abroad, volunteer, or more traditional camp like programs), and the advice about the types of things colleges look for in their applicants, was valuable, not to me, but to my teenage daughter. But most of that was pretty similar to the information that she might find in any college preparation book.

This is a book that tries to cover too much territory and too many offerings. It fails on both counts. However, it may prove to be a springboard to other programs if one is serious enough to do the research.½

Easy format to read... camps divided by state... have lots of money because they are expensive.

I was really looking forward to reading this book because my eldest will be a junior in high school next year. Although this book only gave a general idea and didn't go in depth, it does a good job of pinpointing important factors to consider when choosing a summer camp or preparing a child for college. It also does a fair job of compiling summer programs across the USA, listing it by state and including the contact info, program description and website of each program. I wish though that it included more programs per state. I was particularly interested in the program offered by Alexa Café in California, it sounds like something my daughter would be interested in.

I like the author's idea of looking at summer as an opportunity to build a student's resume for college, and that colleges are looking at student activities that continued over several years. Keeping these points in mind would help me find a summer activity that would fit my daughter's needs. However, I was surprised when she mentioned that colleges are less enthusiastic than they used to about high school student's taking AP courses, unless they score a 5 on their AP test. My daughter is taking AP courses this year because, as advised by her teachers, AP classes would help her college application as long as she gets a 3 or higher on her AP test.

I especially found the sections about gap year, service learning, internships and scholarships very interesting. Although this book didn't delve deeper into this topic, it did give me a better understanding of how to prepare my daughter for college beyond just getting a high GPA, class rank or SAT score.

I received a copy of this book courtesy of LibraryThing and the publisher. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

I was excited to have gotten this book as a giveaway, as I am the mother of two college-bound teenagers, and I wanted to learn about summer camps that could get them motivated for college, and teach them new skills. The format of the book was easy enough to follow, it is broken up by state. I live in Oklahoma. There was exactly one camp listed for my state. I wish the writer would have included at least 2-3 camps per state. I also didn't like that the fee/tuition per camp was not included. If you are interested in any of the programs, you still have to go to the websites or call to gather more information. I don't think I would pay money for this book. I can get all the same information on-line.

This book could be helpful for parents and teens that are looking for programs to do in the summer, but I wish that it was organized a little differently based on ages accepted into the programs, but I was a fan of the Gap Year Section. I think that could be helpful for people who don't want to go straight to college and would like a little life experience first.½

This is obviously a book for parents who want their kids to have as many opportunities as possible but will be happy to have had someone else do the legwork.

As a High School Career Coordinator I was a bit disappointed that this focused on "Gifted" students rather than all "College-Bound" students.

I debated about giving this 2 stars mostly because I don't think the book is worth the amount being charged (and this is from a book addict who has paid $30 for a book without hesitating). All the information can be found online (and for free) with a little research.

I did like the section about "Gap Year" because many students don't even think of this (at least planned) as an option.

Index of summer study programs, in the U.S. and abroad for high school students.

I, as a high school junior starting her college search, thought the book was very generic and reiterated the same facts over and over that I have read and heard from other sources. While it does have helpful advice and explains a few of the things I had questions about, it also has tips such as to start planning for college in middle school (!!!) which freaked me out a little seeing that I am just starting to plan now.

Even though this book does have some good camps in it, I hate how it is organized by state and not by interest or type of camp. As someone who lives on the border of three states, it was tedious to have to flip through the book and have to look through camps I was not interested in.

This book did an excellent job explaining the college process for those that are gifted. It offers great insight into the searching process, the paperwork that needs to be completed and it answers the questions that parents and students may not be aware of. In today's competitive world, it is important to plant excellence and create goals early in life and the author gives practical advice and suggestions to make it happen.

College Planning for Gifted Students contains a mountain of useful information. It is meant to be read by both the college/university-bound student and his or her parent(s), and Berger often addresses students directly, letting them know which responsibilities of college planning should be on theirs (i.e. parents should not do all of the research and planning themselves). The transition from dependent child to independent young adult can be difficult for teenagers as well as parents, so this makes for a good start. And Berger just keeps the good advice coming. As the parent of a gifted high school student, I loved this guide.

One suggestion that I initially scoffed at was to start the planning process as early as 7th and 8th grade. But Berger's advice actually made a lot of sense. Gifted kids, especially, tend to know the kind of career they want (or at least where their talents and interests lie) by middle school. Your child can therefore discuss long-range plans with you and the school guidance counselor, so that a "master plan" can be developed. The plan will include (after considerable research) a list of first-choice institutions that would be a "good fit" for your child. When the time comes (in 8th grade) to select high school courses for the freshman year, your child will know the admission requirements of the colleges of choice, and can select classes accordingly. This long-range planning is especially important if prerequisites for desirable courses need to be taken during the first year of high school. Extra-curricular activities, club/organization involvement, and volunteer work must also be considered.

I did little planning for my own college education, and I want something better for my child. This book lit a fire under me. I am going to convince my teen to read it so that we can start putting Sandra Berger's advice into practice. Incidentally, even though the guide is targeted to gifted teens and their parents, any family with college-bound high schoolers might consider it a valuable resource.

This book mainly focuses on the adult/parent audience rather than the students that are planning on going to college. There are a lot of tips on how parents should talk with their children about the actual process of attending college and how to set their child on track to finding a perfect college for them. One thing that confused me a bit was the student's personal stories; on many of them there was no citation stating where the author gathered the information. This makes me wonder in the author actually collected these stories from real life students or if she made them up for the sake of making a point.

Something that I enjoyed from this book was the College Planning Timeline for Grades 9-12. I feel that this could really be useful while planning for college.

Written by my 17-year-old daughter, who is in the midst of the college search:
College Planning for Gifted Students is a good resource for anyone beginning the college search. It is informative and explains the necessary terms without being too expository for someone who is familiar with the process. There are many good diagrams and worksheets that make college decisions interactive for students and parents. Other pages offer profiles of different students so students can identify themselves with one or more.

This book provides a good crash course on AP/IB vs. honors as well as topics like PSAT/SAT/ACT and ED. It also outlines tips and mistakes to avoid, which I think helps parents and students feel more confident. Some specific tips mentioned in this book seem a bit idealistic, like the suggestion that a student visit "approximately eight to twelve colleges to which you think you might apply." I doubt some students could even name twelve colleges in their region, let alone visit them.

I would highly recommend this to anyone in high school who is either unsure how to begin the college search or needs advice along the way