TJ Acceptance Demographics Available Here

[Anonymous]

Our son was competitive for admissions to TJ and he wasn't interested at all. It would have been a miserable commute from our house in Centreville. I wish there was a western FCPS high school that was similar to TJ! It really is a hard slog with modern traffic from most parts of Fairfax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The grip of the stupid old money white man will be unseated. Education and intelligence is the best weapon.

???? Something got lost in translation here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Admitting a student who is under-qualified for mere "demographics" results in a student who will not succeed in the program or, if enough of said students are admitted, a need to dumb down the program.

And goodness knows with remedial math classes already being offered to TJ students, we don't need to "dumb down" the program

Slightly off topic, but important to note: there are no remedial math classes at TJ. Roughly 15% of the classes that are now juniors and sophomores (haven't yet seen the numbers for the present freshman class) were required to come in for extra help in Honors Algebra II during study hall time when they were freshmen. Most 9th graders in FCPS are taking geometry, so these kids are already advanced in math, but the teachers just wanted to head off any problems right from the beginning of the year because they had been observing kids having some problems over a few years prior to putting this program into action.
No remedial classes are being offered, simply extra help during the activity period. The extra help is really no different from the after-school and weekend tutoring and extra classes used by so many students in the process of preparing for TJ and even while they are attending TJ.

Sorry it was 1/3 of last year's freshman class (33%) that was reported to need remedial help. My kid was not one of them, but was surprised the number was so big at a math and science magnet school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Almost all of the "10-15%" decline is due to less whites applying (not blacks, Hispanics or Asians) and that is the point. The PPs are explaining why that is probably so. Whites being lazy and not wanting to compete with smart Asians. It is interesting that only white applications have declined. Blacks have far smaller chance of being admitted than whites but still continue to apply at about the same number year after year. That should be commended. Whites on the other hand are applying in less numbers because either 1) "there are too many smart Asians at TJ so I am not gonna bother" or 2) "I don't want to apply if whites are not the dominant group in charge". Both reasons should be condemned.

Racist much? Just maybe, the family and the kid don't want him to spend 2 hours per day commuting. Maybe they realize that he can get a great education at his local school and have friends that live nearby.

Hmm! Maybe Asian families emphasize education and inculcate within their children the importance of doing well academically to enhance their future opportunities. A longer commute and not having friends who live nearby are given less priority over the need to do well academically in the most challenging environment commensurate with the child's ability and potential.

Just a whole different thought process and emphasison priorities.

This is absolutely true. And as one of my Japanese friends told me, she had to learn social skills and learning not to overdo the pressure when she was in college and beyond.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our son was competitive for admissions to TJ and he wasn't interested at all. It would have been a miserable commute from our house in Centreville. I wish there was a western FCPS high school that was similar to TJ! It really is a hard slog with modern traffic from most parts of Fairfax.

It really is a mindset and in saying this it is not intended as a value judgement.

My son went to TJ. It was a long trek for him and on top of this the rigorous academic requirements at TJ had him working some long hours especially in his junior year.

He went on to medical school and is currently doing his residency at one of the most prestigious programs in the country and will be done soon.

He says that TJ was the best thing that happened to him. He literally breezed through his undergrad. He said it was a lot easier than TJ from an academic standpoint in terms of the pressure .... and he completed his undergrad in three years!

Given where he is today, ask him whether he has any regrets about the long commute and the academic demands that TJ made on him and he would give an unqualified response that TJ was a huge help to him in getting where he is today. Could he have done it in a different academic environment? More than likely he could have. But that does not take anything away from the role TJ played in getting him to where he is today.

None of the above is meant as a brag ..... after all, I am posting anonymously. It is merely intended as a perspective on how some parents and their children view the downsides (commuting, new friends, academic pressures) of going to TJ.

[Anonymous]

Yes...but you only live once. Do you want your children to be absolutely miserable for 4 years of high school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The grip of the stupid old money white man will be unseated. Education and intelligence is the best weapon.

Agreed. Whites will be in the minority in this country in the next 30 to 40 years. China and India will continue to surpass U.S. while whites will continue to watch other countries excel and surpass while being lazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes...but you only live once. Do you want your children to be absolutely miserable for 4 years of high school?

PP here. Most kids who go to TJ are by no means miserable there. I know my son loved it and looks on it fondly to this day ...... as do his friends who went there.

Don't equate an academically challenging environment and a long commute with being miserable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes...but you only live once. Do you want your children to be absolutely miserable for 4 years of high school?

Why do you assume it will be absolutely miserable? Some kids use the commute time to read, do home work or sleep. TJ is miserable only if the student is not smart enough to keep up. Smart kids thrive and they are happy that they are finally challenged academically and have academic peers. In fact, TJ students participate in more clubs, sports etc. than any other county schools since they have 8th activity period built in to the schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really is a mindset and in saying this it is not intended as a value judgement.

My son went to TJ. It was a long trek for him and on top of this the rigorous academic requirements at TJ had him working some long hours especially in his junior year.

He went on to medical school and is currently doing his residency at one of the most prestigious programs in the country and will be done soon.

He says that TJ was the best thing that happened to him. He literally breezed through his undergrad. He said it was a lot easier than TJ from an academic standpoint in terms of the pressure .... and he completed his undergrad in three years!

Given where he is today, ask him whether he has any regrets about the long commute and the academic demands that TJ made on him and he would give an unqualified response that TJ was a huge help to him in getting where he is today. Could he have done it in a different academic environment? More than likely he could have. But that does not take anything away from the role TJ played in getting him to where he is today.

None of the above is meant as a brag ..... after all, I am posting anonymously. It is merely intended as a perspective on how some parents and their children view the downsides (commuting, new friends, academic pressures) of going to TJ.

Thank you for your post. But for every experience like this, there is another for someone who commuted just as long and worked just as hard, but ended up in the bottom half of their TJ class. For that kid, was being in the bottom half (or, gasp, quarter) of their TJ class worth it? Could they have graduated at the top of their base school, had a more well-rounded high school experience, and perhaps gotten into a more prestigious college than their less-than-average TJ rank earned them?

I am not surprised that your son found undergrad less challenging (and perhaps less competitive) than TJ. I don't doubt for a minute that TJ provides the most rigorous academic program in the county. But I think FCPS does a pretty good job of preparing kids for college, and the kid who opts to remain at his base school could just as easily end up at the same place as your son, with perhaps a more difficult transition to undergrad, but with a better non-academic high-school experience.

[Anonymous]

If your DC doesn't like TJ they can always transition back to base school - or likely be well accepted at any number of private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The grip of the stupid old money white man will be unseated. Education and intelligence is the best weapon.

Agreed. Whites will be in the minority in this country in the next 30 to 40 years. China and India will continue to surpass U.S. while whites will continue to watch other countries excel and surpass while being lazy.

I so wish people would learn how to communicate in English before badgering others about their shortcomings. Perhaps you could just type in your native language and let those of us who hate to see our language butchered decide whether we want to use translation software.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Admitting a student who is under-qualified for mere "demographics" results in a student who will not succeed in the program or, if enough of said students are admitted, a need to dumb down the program.

And goodness knows with remedial math classes already being offered to TJ students, we don't need to "dumb down" the program

Slightly off topic, but important to note: there are no remedial math classes at TJ. Roughly 15% of the classes that are now juniors and sophomores (haven't yet seen the numbers for the present freshman class) were required to come in for extra help in Honors Algebra II during study hall time when they were freshmen. Most 9th graders in FCPS are taking geometry, so these kids are already advanced in math, but the teachers just wanted to head off any problems right from the beginning of the year because they had been observing kids having some problems over a few years prior to putting this program into action.
No remedial classes are being offered, simply extra help during the activity period. The extra help is really no different from the after-school and weekend tutoring and extra classes used by so many students in the process of preparing for TJ and even while they are attending TJ.

Sorry it was 1/3 of last year's freshman class (33%) that was reported to need remedial help. My kid was not one of them, but was surprised the number was so big at a math and science magnet school.

Here is what the principal had to say about it in the March 2013 PTSA newsletter:

During the summer and at the start of the year, the Class of 2016 took pre- assessments to gauge their readiness for TJ, and now we have opportunities to draw connections between these instruments and their work-to-date. After the first quarter, sixteen percent of the class was placed on our watch list in which students received additional support through tutoring, study skills strategies, and formation of action plans so they can be successful. Over the past three months this number has declined to 11 percent due to our team approach to monitor improvements. The Class of 2015 has also improved considerably since last year, where only nine percent are involved in our extra support programs. Our new strategies to act on early data indicators based on historical trends, coupled with plans facilitated by our intervention specialist, Mr. Forgash, has helped our students adjust to our rigorous, honors-level, curriculum expectations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes...but you only live once. Do you want your children to be absolutely miserable for 4 years of high school?

PP here. Most kids who go to TJ are by no means miserable there. I know my son loved it and looks on it fondly to this day ...... as do his friends who went there.

Don't equate an academically challenging environment and a long commute with being miserable.

NP here. My kid goes to a magnet program in MCPS, MD. I am reading this thread because I was very interested in knowing the demographics as well. My kid is in a similar position as the pp's child. What she has to do for HS is incredibly tough. She is a Junior now and she works harder than I ever worked in my years of college. She wants to go to medical field as well, and I know that she will not crumble in undergrad the first time she has to sit in an organic chemistry class.

Yes, in some ways the 4 years of HS were different from the HS experience of the average kids for my DD and her peers. But, it was not because they had to deal with the crap that regular kids have to deal with - hooking up, partying, bullying, not fitting in, being marginalized etc. - it was tough because of the extremely tough courses they had to take and the hours they had to put in daily. Couple that with the EC they had to do, SATs, APs, IBs, college applications etc... and it was beyond hard.

It is rare when my kid has slept at a decent hour during the week, or had a full night's rest. Her life revolves around studying, activities and catching up on sleep. Does she get to spend time with her friends in the program? Surprisingly yes! These kids go to Homecoming, Prom and other stuff - but they have to plan it MONTHS in advance. They go as a group for homecoming, proms etc...so the pressure of asking someone to be their date is not there.

I think that this was the best thing that could happen to my daughter because the education she got and the work ethic that HS instilled is going to see her through for the rest of her life.

I keep hearing how the magnet kids are nerds and socially awkward - but I do not buy this at all, because I see the most socially conscious, introspective, supportive and confident group of teenagers in her program.

I do admit that they do not have the time to have romantic relationships, smoke, drink, take drugs or have sex - and I as a parent could not be happier! Another PP said that this is a cultural Asian thing (to emphasize academics) - but I see all Whites, Blacks and Hispanics in the program doing the exact same thing - so I do not buy the race argument.

Any child, of any race/heritage, has to work extremely hard if they are in any magnet program in the country.

[Anonymous]

The grip of the stupid old money white man will be unseated. Education and intelligence is the best weapon.

Really? Then why is this country so attractive to so many people? Really?