The Early Entrance Experience

Testimonials From Those Who Have Lived It

Here you can find the words of students, parents, faculty and others talking about their experience with Early Entrance programs. What appears in this section are the unedited words of people who have participated or known participants in one of the Early Entrance programs that have been identified. Comments are evaluated before being made available, but it is not the policy of this site to censor opinions, and both positive and negative views will be represented.

The best way to get a feeling for early entrance is through the words of those who know it best, so please enjoy what you find here. If you have experiences in early entrance that you would like to share, then please take advantage of the testimonial submission form to tell your story.

The Testimonials have been grouped according to program:
9 Advanced Academy of Georgia
4 Bard High School Early College
3 Clarkson School Bridging Year
5 Early College at Guilford
8 Early Entry Program at CSULA
3 Early Honors Program
5 Georgia Academy of Mathematics, Engineering and Science
7 Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics and Computing
1 National Academy of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering
34 Program for the Exceptionally Gifted
7 Simon's Rock College of Bard
6 Texas Academy for Leadership in the Humanities
8 Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science
4 Transition School and Early Entrance Program at UW
1 UW Academy for Young Scholars
(Programs not listed, currently have zero submitted comments)

105 View All Testimonials

Random Testimonial

As a recent graduate of the PEG program and Mary Baldwin College, I'd like to say a few words about not only the program but the college at large.

For prospective students and families considering this program, here's a quick summary of my opinion: It is very, very far from perfect. However, the chances that you will benefit from it in some way are very good.

Here's a more in-depth testimonial:

I definitely think that PEG is an amazing idea and one of the defining experiences of my life. I think the concept - that, with a little help smart, mature young women can strike out on their own at an abnormally young age - can and does work in the majority of situations. I think that, if nothing else, the experience of meeting, living with and learning about other exceptionally intelligent women is so overwhelmingly positive that the low points of the program are eclipsed.

As stated, the Program for the Exceptionally Gifted was at the time of my enrollment a deeply flawed institution, hosted by a college (Mary Baldwin) that was similarly situated. When I began the program in 1999, I quickly learned that the picture my family and I were painted of PEG and the college in general was extremely inaccurate. The reality was that the program was largely staffed by apathetic, distant young adults who had no professional or personal interest in gifted education much less training in it. These staff members, also lacking any reasonably adequate knowledge of adolescent psychology, had extremely toxic relationships with virtually the entire population of the PEG dorm and relied on favoritism and rumors rather than personal observation to identify problems. (Incidentally, the turnover rate of PEG staff is extremely high.) The members of the [... more]

- Sage, Student (Class of 2003)
Program for the Exceptionally Gifted

Testimonial statements represent only the opinions of their authors and may not necessarily agree with the views of this website, its staff, or the students, faculty, and staff of the programs which are being commented on. The authors of these statements retain copyright ownership. This site claims no responsibility and typical takes no action with respect to establishing the truth or authenticity of the statements presented.