Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development (CTD) Programs - Should You Participate?
The Lumiere blog has covered several programs and initiatives open to high schoolers looking to improve their college applications, and today’s post covers another such option – Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development (CTD). This initiative comprises engaging, specialized programs that can help you deepen your knowledge in a variety of subjects, teach you practical skills to strengthen your preparedness for college, and help you demonstrate your commitment to academic excellence and personal growth.
What is the Center for Talent Development?
Northwestern University's CTD is a research and service organization that identifies students’ strengths and weaknesses through their patented Pathways approach and provides the resources to help develop competency and expertise. Located within Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy, CTD offers a variety of programs that encourage deep academic learning, provide mentorship, and introduce you to a large network of like-minded peers and educators. CTD has everything from online programs, to leadership institutes, to summer camps and more, all of them providing you opportunities to explore subjects beyond the standard high school curriculum.
How are programs at the CTD structured?
While there are a large number of programs available at CTD for students of all grades, in this blog we’ll take a quick look at their Civic Leadership Institute and Residential Summer Camps. Both of these programs are strong offerings if you’re looking to learn practical skills and build out your knowledge base in preparation for college applications or more advanced high school courses.
Civic Leadership Institute
This is a three-week, service-learning focused program available in both residential and day camp formats. It offers you the opportunity to partner with local nonprofits, meet with government and business leaders on social issues, engage with a broader community, and take all that learning to develop actionable plans to address real-world challenges. This makes the Civic Leadership Institute a fantastic opportunity to learn critical thinking, leadership skills, and community engagement strategies through college-level coursework.
Eligibility criteria: The CLI program has stringent eligibility criteria commensurate with the depth of learning on offer. You must:
Be a high schooler in grades 9-12.
Have a score in the 90th percentile or above on a nationally normed grade-level assessment in the required verbal/reading qualifying subject area.
Have successfully completed a CTD course within the last 2 years.
Have participated in above grade-level testing such as ACT or SAT in grades 7-9 within the past 2 years.
Submit a portfolio application with a teacher recommendation and your most recent report card.
Session dates: June 23 – July 12.
Fees: $5,095 for the residential camp, or $2,840 for the day camp.
In-person Summer Camps
CTD offers one-week and three-week in-person summer camps, letting you enroll for one of 48 courses (!) across STEM, social sciences, the arts, entrepreneurship and leadership. All of these are fast-paced, intensive offerings designed to teach you advanced concepts in the subject of your choice with college level coursework and instruction. Each program is conducted in small batches with plenty of one-on-one interactions, a highly immersive pedagogy, and usually concludes with a tangible project to help you apply the skills you’ve learnt over its duration. There are two kinds of courses available:
Accelerated: Credit-bearing courses (Honors and AP) that let you progress faster through your high school education.
Advanced Enrichment: Courses designed to facilitate critical thinking and provide exposure to more advanced concepts.
Eligibility criteria: To apply for CTD’s summer camps, you must:
Be a middle or high schooler in grades 6-12.
For Advanced Enrichment courses, have a score in the 95th percentile or above on a nationally normed grade-level assessment in the required verbal/reading qualifying subject area.
For Accelerated courses, have a qualifying score on an Above-Grade-Level Assessment in the required qualifying subject area (Verbal, Math or Science) for the desired course.
Have successfully completed a CTD course at the same tier (Magenta or Indigo) within the last 2 years.
Submit a portfolio application with a teacher recommendation and your most recent report card.
Session dates: The dates vary depending on whether you choose a 3-week camp or a 1-week:
Three-week camps – June 23 - July 12 OR July 14 - August 2
One-week camps – July 14 - 19 | July 21 - 26 | July 28 - August 2
Fees: The fees also vary depending on whether you choose a 3-week camp or a 1-week:
Three-week camps – Residential: $4,995 | Day: $2,740
One-week camps – Residential: $1,650 | Day: $910
Note that CTD does offer financial aid for nearly all of its programs, though the quantum awarded for any applicant may vary from partial to full. There are also three scholarships that you can try to apply for to help secure funding for the program you’re interested in.
Is it prestigious?
CTD's programs are highly selective – all of them have intense academic prerequisites before you can even apply for them. This selectivity, along with the significant advantage they offer in college preparation due to their academic standards and connection to Northwestern University, makes their programs moderately prestigious. However, you might want to consider the paid nature of the program(s) which do end up taking away quite a lot of the programs’ prestige. If you’re looking for something a little more competitive and thus prestigious, consider applying to free programs! Having a CTD program on your profile is a clear statement that not only have you equipped yourself with advanced and intensive academic learning, you’re also able to thrive with college-level course load.
Pros and cons to consider
Pros:
You will engage in comprehensive academic enrichment: All of CTD’s 48 courses are highly comprehensive, intensive, practical programs designed to teach you advanced concepts with college-level coursework and facilitate critical thinking. No matter which program you attend, you’ll benefit from a rich learning environment.
The programs come with great networking opportunities: The small batch sizes allow you to build connections with a high-achieving peer group and university faculty. There is also plenty of exposure to industry leaders and experts in all the courses, letting you network in the field of your choice as well.
The programs serve as solid college preparation: Both the intensity and pedagogy of the coursework, as well as the experience of living on the Northwestern University campus, help you mentally prepare for college life.
Cons:
The cost: Some of the programs can be expensive, and although scholarships and financial aid exist, both are as competitive as the admissions process itself.
The programs are quite intensive in nature: While not strictly a con, there is no doubt that the demanding nature of the coursework can be quite challenging, especially if you’re not used to such programs.
Not all courses may be available in the format of your choice: While there are dozens of courses across several different program formats, not every course is available in every format. Some may require you to attend a specific kind of program, which you may or may not be eligible for or be able to attend.
Our review – should you participate?
Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development offers solid programs across a variety of formats, but can be restrictive in terms of their cost and selectivity. If you’re looking for a research-focused program that helps you build advanced skills, consider research mentorship programs such as Horizon, Lumiere, and Veritas. However, if you’re looking for a more beginner-friendly introduction to advanced coursework, consider pre-college programs offered by universities! However, if you thrive in challenging environments and can afford it, CTD's programs could significantly benefit your educational trajectory and college preparation.
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, and chemistry, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper in a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far, and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from.
You can find the application link here
One other option - Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you’re interested in pursuing independent research, you could also consider applying to one of the Lumiere Research Scholar Programs, selective online high school programs for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.