Portrait of your TJ kid

[Anonymous]

Those of you with kids at TJ, would you be willing to provide a quick sketch of your kids? I don't mean their scores and stuff but more about who they are, what they like, etc? My daughter is considering applying but I feel that it is because "everyone" is going to be trying. I don't want to discourage her if she wants to give it a shot but would like to hear about the successful kid that goes there. Obviously, I have no idea if she will qualify but she will likely at least be in the running.

[Anonymous]

Success is relative. There are so many smart kids at TJ that a kid who was one of the top 10 students at his middle school may end up being lower half of the class at TJ if you focus on just grades or such. Happy? Kids who do more than just study. Kids who play sports, sing in the choir, work on the newspaper, participate in Model UN, have STEM activities they truly enjoy. Kids who enjoy intellectual challenges and are not overly concerned about grades -- e.g., would rather have a hard teacher and get a lower grade but learn more in an interesting class than have an easier teacher but not learn as much. Those are the kinds of kids who I believe are happy at TJ.

[Anonymous]

There's no one type of kid at TJ. They're all pretty smart, of course, but they have so many different interests. My child has made wonderful friends at TJ who are all so supportive of each other.

If your child is accepted and decides to go to TJ, she will find her group of friends. It helps to join a school team or organization right away to meet and get to know others with similar interests. My child did a sport that began practices in August, so he started ninth grade already already knowing some kids and developing friendships.

[Anonymous]

You know the bumper sticker "Jefferson - We came for the sports"............that's my kid. Competitive athlete, although not a standout, in multiple sports who loves math and wants to be an engineer. It' been a great fit. Agree with joining something over the summer. The admitted students night in the spring is great for seeing what's available.

[Anonymous]

TJ admission really is more about test scores than anything else...

I went to MIT, but I won't be encouraging my child to apply.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:TJ admission really is more about test scores than anything else..

I went to MIT, but I won't be encouraging my child to apply.

That's false - the test score is one of 4 things they look at. There are many reasons for your child to not apply, but the fact they use an admission test shouldn't be one of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TJ admission really is more about test scores than anything else..

I went to MIT, but I won't be encouraging my child to apply.

That's false - the test score is one of 4 things they look at. There are many reasons for your child to not apply, but the fact they use an admission test shouldn't be one of them.

You have to pass the threshold on the test before they will look at the other three things. That puts the test as gatekeeper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TJ admission really is more about test scores than anything else..

I went to MIT, but I won't be encouraging my child to apply.

That's false - the test score is one of 4 things they look at. There are many reasons for your child to not apply, but the fact they use an admission test shouldn't be one of them.

You have to pass the threshold on the test before they will look at the other three things. That puts the test as gatekeeper.

Actually, it is test scores in conjunction with grades in school that are used as the cutoffs for semifinalist. So, a poor test taker with great grades will move on to the next round, as will a kid who maybe wasn't too serious about school in seventh grade or maybe had a tough time adjusting to middle school who is very bright and does great on the test. It is not just the standardized test that determines who moves in to the next round.

[Anonymous]

Parody post?

[Anonymous]

My DH and his sister both went and he's very adamant our kids not go. Both of them spent an excessive amount of time on homework, so much so that their top notch STEM programs in college were a relief in comparison. DH didn't particularly thrive there, but his sister did, and she also isn't particularly glad for the experience despite going on to Harvard.

Anyway I sort of wish DH weren't so dead set against it but our kids are very small and there's a lot of time to see how the school, and the kids, develop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:TJ admission really is more about test scores than anything else...

I went to MIT, but I won't be encouraging my child to apply.

TJ admission is about test scores PLUS: GPA, teacher recs, essay, SiS (extracurriculars). Last time the published a formula, test scores were only 20% of admissions. So you have no grasp on the process

But I'm more interested in the gratuitous MIT name drop and WTF that has to do with anything? Is it like, I went to MIT, so clearly my kid would be a shoe in? (ummm, nope). I went to MIT, so brilliance runs in my family? I went to MIT, so my sh@t does stink (it does). I mean tell us about MIT, please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TJ admission really is more about test scores than anything else...

I went to MIT, but I won't be encouraging my child to apply.

TJ admission is about test scores PLUS: GPA, teacher recs, essay, SiS (extracurriculars). Last time the published a formula, test scores were only 20% of admissions. So you have no grasp on the process

But I'm more interested in the gratuitous MIT name drop and WTF that has to do with anything? Is it like, I went to MIT, so clearly my kid would be a shoe in? (ummm, nope). I went to MIT, so brilliance runs in my family? I went to MIT, so my sh@t does stink (it does). I mean tell us about MIT, please.

I went to Northwestern, and I never let my kids have juice or soda.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I went to Northwestern, and I never let my kids have juice or soda.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TJ admission really is more about test scores than anything else..

I went to MIT, but I won't be encouraging my child to apply.

That's false - the test score is one of 4 things they look at. There are many reasons for your child to not apply, but the fact they use an admission test shouldn't be one of them.

You have to pass the threshold on the test before they will look at the other three things. That puts the test as gatekeeper.

Actually, it is test scores in conjunction with grades in school that are used as the cutoffs for semifinalist. So, a poor test taker with great grades will move on to the next round, as will a kid who maybe wasn't too serious about school in seventh grade or maybe had a tough time adjusting to middle school who is very bright and does great on the test. It is not just the standardized test that determines who moves in to the next round.

But I thought there was a cut-off or minimum score you had to have to advance. Have they changed that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TJ admission really is more about test scores than anything else..

I went to MIT, but I won't be encouraging my child to apply.

That's false - the test score is one of 4 things they look at. There are many reasons for your child to not apply, but the fact they use an admission test shouldn't be one of them.

You have to pass the threshold on the test before they will look at the other three things. That puts the test as gatekeeper.

Actually, it is test scores in conjunction with grades in school that are used as the cutoffs for semifinalist. So, a poor test taker with great grades will move on to the next round, as will a kid who maybe wasn't too serious about school in seventh grade or maybe had a tough time adjusting to middle school who is very bright and does great on the test. It is not just the standardized test that determines who moves in to the next round.

But I thought there was a cut-off or minimum score you had to have to advance. Have they changed that?

The math test score of 30 or higher requirement is a joke as hundreds of students score higher than the cut-off and are not accepted.