SENGChat: Challenge, Community, & Opportunity: Exploring a University Radical Acceleration Program for Girls Age 12-16

Radical acceleration has been proven to be an effective educational intervention (Assouline et al., 2015; Gross & van Vliet, 2005). Results include demonstrating strong social and emotional skills, individual income far above the national average, and completing more higher education degrees (Hertzog & Chung, 2015; Jett & Rinn, 2020; Wilson, 2021 ). In this way, the opportunity to pursue radical acceleration can address the educational malnourishment that many gifted students face in the K-12 education system (Cross, 2014).

Founded in 1985, Mary Baldwin University's Program for the Exceptionally Gifted (PEG) is a unique research­based program for gifted girls aged 12-16 who want to pursue their university career early by living in the PEG dorm and attending university classes. PEG students receive services such as specially trained staff, mentoring, optional in-house counseling, Peer Advising, and peer led programming. This allows them to perform their best and explore the many opportunities on…