TJ or Edison, which do you think would get your high achieiving kid into a better college?

[Anonymous]

Our kids are only elementary school aged but are bright. DH and I were just talking hypotheticals but DH thinks that our child's chances of getting into a competitive college would be better from Edison High compared to TJ.

[Anonymous]

I know which one would more than likely fail out after the first year...

[Anonymous]

Are either of them really into math or science? That's the first question you should be asking. T.J. isn't a credential so much as a magnet school for kids with those interests.

I know an Edison kid going to Harvard this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are either of them really into math or science? That's the first question you should be asking. T.J. isn't a credential so much as a magnet school for kids with those interests.

I know an Edison kid going to Harvard this year.

Our kids are young and just starting math and science but they love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our kids are only elementary school aged but are bright. DH and I were just talking hypotheticals but DH thinks that our child's chances of getting into a competitive college would be better from Edison High compared to TJ.

College acceptances for TJ kids 2014:

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/377204.page

[Anonymous]

TJ for a genuinely high achieving kid.

[Anonymous]

It truly depends on your kids and their interests and what ends up being a good fit for them. One plus for you- if you're in the Edison pyramid, you are close enough to TJ that your kids would not have a horrendous commute!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our kids are only elementary school aged but are bright. DH and I were just talking hypotheticals but DH thinks that our child's chances of getting into a competitive college would be better from Edison High compared to TJ.

What an absurd conversation to have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our kids are only elementary school aged but are bright. DH and I were just talking hypotheticals but DH thinks that our child's chances of getting into a competitive college would be better from Edison High compared to TJ.

What an absurd conversation to have.

I don't think it is absurd when we are trying to decide if we want to move or not.

[Anonymous]

They should go to TJ if they are going to take advantage of the things TJ does that Edison doesn't.

[Anonymous]

Do we have similar stats from other high schools as well?

[Anonymous]

Why don't you wait until they're older and see if they have an interest. That's what should drive going to TJ, not the parents.

Otherwise if they're high achieving kids they should do well at any FCPS public school.

[Anonymous]

TJ takes only kids who tell well on standardized tests. These kids will all get into good colleges. Who knows if they actually got smarter at TJ or they were already smart.

When it comes to the most competitive colleges, though, most kids will probably have a better chance applying from their base high school. UVA will offer dozens of kids from TJ, but Harvard won't.

[Anonymous]

The fact that you say they are "bright" leads me to believe they are like many, many kids in this area, but they are probably not profoundly gifted. (Which is fine.)

Getting into TJ is hard -- like you need to really have some intellectual gifts (and that doesn't just mean that you got into AAP -- I know a kid who didn't get into AAP, but got into TJ years later). If your child is white, the acceptance rate at TJ is 12%. That's 12% of the white applicants were accepted. 12% of the top white students in FCPS (and Northern Va.) applied and were accepted. That's pretty competitive. Harvard's overall accpetance rate is 6% (I couldn't find the acceptance rate just for white kids). (I'm assuming here, since you didn't mention minority status).

The 50th percentile of kids admitted to Harvard have a 99th percentile score on the SATs. Think about that. The average accepted applicant at Harvard got 2250+ on the SAT.

Now, I'm sure your children are bright.... like most of us here on DCUM.... but do you really think they are 99th percentile "bright"? Both of my kids got 99th percentile on at least one section of the CogAT or NNAT... they are pretty average kids for this area (we're not even in the ultra competitive Haycock, Longfellow, etc. etc. part of the county). While being bright is great, and getting 99th % on any test is great -- I suspect it's going to take a lot more effort/ability to get 99th percentile on the SAT or get into TJHS. My kids are "bright" -- I really doubt that they are "TJHS bright."

I know it's fun to play the hypothetical games -- I'm not knocking you for that. I just think the hypothetical is flawed. It's pretty unlikely that any of our kids will have the option to pick b/t Edison or TJ. If yours do -- that's great! Go for it! I just think you maybe underestimating the quality of the competition around here. It's way, way, way more competitive here than in other locales.

BTW -- the kid I knew who went to TJ, came from a MS very near the Edison/Twain pyramid. He ended up going to TJHS and then on to Cornell. So, I'm pretty sure it doesn't hurt your chances for admission to an Ivy if you go to TJ. The top schools have soooo many fabulous applicants that they don't really need to take anyone who is slightly less impressive. And the kids who go to TJHS will have applications full of amazing science projects b/c they are surrounded by other kids doing the same thing. The kid at Edison (or any other HS) is going to have to really stand out to be competitive against a TJHS applicant.

If you're talking about "competitive colleges" meaning not the ivies or super top tier, then your Edison or other HS applicant is going to have a better shot IF it's the kind of school the TJHS kids wouldn't bother applying to. It's all a game of who else is applying to that college and how competitive is your kid against the run-of-the-mill applicant. I don't think going to a non-TJ school gives you some benefit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The fact that you say they are "bright" leads me to believe they are like many, many kids in this area, but they are probably not profoundly gifted. (Which is fine.)

Getting into TJ is hard -- like you need to really have some intellectual gifts (and that doesn't just mean that you got into AAP -- I know a kid who didn't get into AAP, but got into TJ years later). If your child is white, the acceptance rate at TJ is 12%. That's 12% of the white applicants were accepted. 12% of the top white students in FCPS (and Northern Va.) applied and were accepted. That's pretty competitive. Harvard's overall accpetance rate is 6% (I couldn't find the acceptance rate just for white kids). (I'm assuming here, since you didn't mention minority status).

The 50th percentile of kids admitted to Harvard have a 99th percentile score on the SATs. Think about that. The average accepted applicant at Harvard got 2250+ on the SAT.

Now, I'm sure your children are bright.... like most of us here on DCUM.... but do you really think they are 99th percentile "bright"? Both of my kids got 99th percentile on at least one section of the CogAT or NNAT... they are pretty average kids for this area (we're not even in the ultra competitive Haycock, Longfellow, etc. etc. part of the county). While being bright is great, and getting 99th % on any test is great -- I suspect it's going to take a lot more effort/ability to get 99th percentile on the SAT or get into TJHS. My kids are "bright" -- I really doubt that they are "TJHS bright."

I know it's fun to play the hypothetical games -- I'm not knocking you for that. I just think the hypothetical is flawed. It's pretty unlikely that any of our kids will have the option to pick b/t Edison or TJ. If yours do -- that's great! Go for it! I just think you maybe underestimating the quality of the competition around here. It's way, way, way more competitive here than in other locales.

BTW -- the kid I knew who went to TJ, came from a MS very near the Edison/Twain pyramid. He ended up going to TJHS and then on to Cornell. So, I'm pretty sure it doesn't hurt your chances for admission to an Ivy if you go to TJ. The top schools have soooo many fabulous applicants that they don't really need to take anyone who is slightly less impressive. And the kids who go to TJHS will have applications full of amazing science projects b/c they are surrounded by other kids doing the same thing. The kid at Edison (or any other HS) is going to have to really stand out to be competitive against a TJHS applicant.

If you're talking about "competitive colleges" meaning not the ivies or super top tier, then your Edison or other HS applicant is going to have a better shot IF it's the kind of school the TJHS kids wouldn't bother applying to. It's all a game of who else is applying to that college and how competitive is your kid against the run-of-the-mill applicant. I don't think going to a non-TJ school gives you some benefit.

I have seen it happen this year. If you are a top student -meaning very top - your chances of getting into an Ivy are going to be better from a lesser high school. You take the 150th kid at TJ, put them at TC Williams and they will have a much better chance at an Ivy than being 150th at TJ. Sorry, but that is just how it is.

As for the average Harvard SAT scores, they are NOT that unusual around in these circles. The AVERAGE SAT at TJ was 2194 in 2013. Think about that. Other local schools like Sidwell and Montgomery Blair are nearly as high.