3 Ways Duke TIP Changed My Life | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

3 Ways Duke TIP Changed My Life

It's more than just nerd camp.

146
3 Ways Duke TIP Changed My Life
Facebook

When I heard that taking the SAT was a requirement for going to summer camp, I was not interested. Middle school was frustrating enough. The last thing I wanted was more school over my three-month reprieve from all the torments of public education. However, this was no ordinary summer camp. Duke University's Talent Identification Program (otherwise known as TIP) is a summer studies camp for motivated middle and high schoolers who want to take a college-level class over the summer. At least, that's the basic definition. As a "TIPster," I can say from experience that TIP was life-changing, and the place where I spent the best summers of my life. Here are a few ways TIP changed my life.

1. The classes

During my first two years at TIP, I took both of the creative writing classes they offered. I'd always been bored in my English classes in regular school because the work wasn't challenging enough. All I really wanted to do was write stories, and as I got older, poems, not five paragraph essays about who my hero was. TIP was different. My classmates and I were all very good writers for our ages (12-14 years old), and we had the passion and motivation to keep writing, a community I'd never been around before. For the next three weeks, we churned out poetry, fiction, and everything in between. During my first year, I learned that poetry didn't have to rhyme, read e.e. cummings' work, and felt that I was destined to be a poet. During my second year, I honed my writing style and developed my own unique voice. It's thanks to my teachers at TIP that I was able to write a novel last year, and that I continue to write fiction today.

2. The people

TIPsters are a special breed of individuals. Remember that kid who sat in the front of the classroom in high school? The one who was kind of weird, socially awkward, and way too smart for her own good? Imagine taking all of those kids from all the high schools and middle schools across the country, and plopping them all in the middle of a college campus to be supervised by college students. Things get weird pretty fast, but that's what's great about the TIP experience. Where else would you have "Wear-a-Skirt-Wednesday?" every second Wednesday of the term for years and years? Not only do we have our traditions, but we have our enduring friendships. I met my best friend at TIP in 2010, and six years later, we still tell each other everything. We went from awkward middle schoolers to prom dates to young adults. Talk about #TransformationTuesday!

3. The community

A lot of TIPsters were outcasts at their regular schools. TIP provided a three-week reprieve from the constant bullying they endured during the school year. I was often teased in school for being "too smart," until the kids decided I was stupid because I didn't excel in math. I wasn't the only one who struggled to meet the impossible expectations of petty teenagers, but there was none of that at TIP. I was met with an accepting community of students who were willing to learn about others' differences, embrace them, and celebrate them. I had my own squad, something I'd only dreamed of previously, and I fit right in with them. I always had people to hang out with during free time, whereas at home, I would have had my nose in my notebook writing "Star Trek" fanfiction. Another great thing about TIP: there were always people who shared your interests. I wasn't the only one who created a "Star Trek" alternate universe in my journal.

In short, Duke TIP was an oasis of learning, friendship, and kindness that I desperately needed when I was in the throes of adolescence. I grew as a person and as a writer. A lot of people tell me I went to "nerd camp," and that I "wasted" my summer by taking classes, but I'll always look back on those summers fondly. They were truly the best times of my life.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

195913
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

18260
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

460420
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

28055
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments