CTY (the Center for Talented Youth) is a summer camp held at multiple sites in the US. At these sites, middle and young high school students are exposed to a unified culture where they frequently find themselves becoming much more social than they used to be, indeed sometimes discovering whole new facets of their personality. It is a wonderful program where you really get to discover yourself, and has bred many loyal fans. :)

      CTY holds many great memories for thousands of people who have attended; perhaps it was the first place they ever danced, or perhaps they are still in contact with friends they made there last year, or ten years ago. It is a time when people can discover that learning is fun (because CTY also offers many comprehensive and excellently taught classes), and that there are, in fact, people out there with whom they can have intelligent conversations.

      Unfortunately, veterans of the program have been plagued with many debates recently about the strictness of the staff in the program. Students are finding themselves with more and more constraints on what they can do, some with no sense of rhyme or reason. While this lack of liberties is frustrating, it doesn't change the fundamental nature of the program, and the people you meet. It is still something that needs to be addressed, but not something that should prevent new students from attending.

      Anyone who's interested in going to CTY is highly urged to apply. In addition, I invite people to write to me if they have questions, as I'm happy to provide any information I can. Just e-mail dzaha@yahoo.com. I'll be glad to help, and would love to hear from future/present/past CTYers.

      In addition, word has spread about a program that Duke University offers which is on a par with CTY. The program, TIP, also has a web page in the links below.

      Finally, those students who are in 8th grade or above (up through senior year in high school) and think they might enjoy math are highly encouraged to look at my section on Mathcamp, which you can find on the left.

Some links:
• CTY, the official site at Johns Hopkins.
• TIP, another summer program. The official site. I never attended the program, but I've heard that it's quite good.
• Digiclan, a web site for a particular group of people who are still in touch after attending CTY. Yes, CTY has "fan websites" (like this one!).
• The Real CTY, a particularly well-done page that has a lot of great stuff for CTYers. A great page to look in to.

Page by Daniel Zaharopol