MCPS High School Magnet Decisions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD got into Poolesville Humanities and few others that are less competitive or lottery based.

Any thoughts on what the homework workload for the Poolesville Humanties program is like?

Can I ask what your DD map r scores were?

[Anonymous]

My DD got into RM and Poolesville ecology. Wait listed with humanities and SMCS. Surprised by both all county programs selecting her. Her score was less compared to some scores mentioned here. She also got wait listed to humanities and SMCS....go figure! I am guessing her essay was truly hers and might have impressed. Map R was 247

[Anonymous]

I think there's a fair amount of randomness at play. Maybe before, with an entrance exam, in-person written prompt, teacher recommendations, it was more scientific...but now it just seems...unclear.

My kid got into PHS Humanities+ PHS global. She got waitlisted at RM and SMCS. Her scores were 273 map M, 253 map r and she has a lot of good ECs + sports. Her BFF with nearly identical scores got into RM + SMCS but wait listed at the other 2.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps the essay went into consideration then.

[Anonymous]

Its a common essay (in of itself a problem).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think there's a fair amount of randomness at play. Maybe before, with an entrance exam, in-person written prompt, teacher recommendations, it was more scientific...but now it just seems...unclear.

My kid got into PHS Humanities+ PHS global. She got waitlisted at RM and SMCS. Her scores were 273 map M, 253 map r and she has a lot of good ECs + sports. Her BFF with nearly identical scores got into RM + SMCS but wait listed at the other 2.

DC also got into SMCS. Their scores were 300+ map-m and 250+ map-r. They are currently at TPMS Magnet, and Blair is our home school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think there's a fair amount of randomness at play. Maybe before, with an entrance exam, in-person written prompt, teacher recommendations, it was more scientific...but now it just seems...unclear.

My kid got into PHS Humanities+ PHS global. She got waitlisted at RM and SMCS. Her scores were 273 map M, 253 map r and she has a lot of good ECs + sports. Her BFF with nearly identical scores got into RM + SMCS but wait listed at the other 2.

Yeah my kid who got into global and RM had 269 Map M , straight As, some good extra curricular but I think it might be the essay that pushed her past the competition. It was pretty good for her age, but wasn't polished. We only proof read it to ensure word count and punctuation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there's a fair amount of randomness at play. Maybe before, with an entrance exam, in-person written prompt, teacher recommendations, it was more scientific...but now it just seems...unclear.

My kid got into PHS Humanities+ PHS global. She got waitlisted at RM and SMCS. Her scores were 273 map M, 253 map r and she has a lot of good ECs + sports. Her BFF with nearly identical scores got into RM + SMCS but wait listed at the other 2.

Yeah my kid who got into global and RM had 269 Map M , straight As, some good extra curricular but I think it might be the essay that pushed her past the competition. It was pretty good for her age, but wasn't polished. We only proof read it to ensure word count and punctuation.

What was map-r?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there's a fair amount of randomness at play. Maybe before, with an entrance exam, in-person written prompt, teacher recommendations, it was more scientific...but now it just seems...unclear.

My kid got into PHS Humanities+ PHS global. She got waitlisted at RM and SMCS. Her scores were 273 map M, 253 map r and she has a lot of good ECs + sports. Her BFF with nearly identical scores got into RM + SMCS but wait listed at the other 2.

Yeah my kid who got into global and RM had 269 Map M , straight As, some good extra curricular but I think it might be the essay that pushed her past the competition. It was pretty good for her age, but wasn't polished. We only proof read it to ensure word count and punctuation.

Be careful, or you might be accused of a humble brag. Apparently it’s ok to post super high MAP scores on this page but not to say that your kid wrote a good essay!

But seriously congrats to your daughter!

[Anonymous]

I wonder if all kids got into Blair STEM got invited by Global at Poolsville.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if all kids got into Blair STEM got invited by Global at Poolsville.

Poolesville and Blair are miles apart. Many kids who got in to Blair wouldn’t consider traveling to Poolesville, simply due to geography.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if all kids got into Blair STEM got invited by Global at Poolsville.

Poolesville and Blair are miles apart. Many kids who got in to Blair wouldn’t consider traveling to Poolesville, simply due to geography.

But according to the curriculum, they are not focus on the same thing.

[Anonymous]

My DC got into Blair SMCS, PHS ecology but rejected at RM. MAP-M is high, MAP-R so so. IMO, the key was what they put into their essay. They talked about their passion for STEM, climate change and subjects they enjoyed most in fairly age-appropriate language (ie, not the greatest example of writing). However, it was clear to me that the well-rounded IB curriculum would have been difficult for my kid and clearly, the RM committee recognized that as well. I could also see how the Blair and PHS eco reviewers saw the fit for my kid which is really what all this about. You need to make sure that these programs fit your kid's passion or you are setting your kid (and yourself) up for 4 years of pain.

[Anonymous]

You all here are putting far more thought into the admission process than the admissions committee does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not sure if this post will be well-received or not, but I was in your shoes five years ago. DD was accepted to her first choice magnet and is a graduating senior now. Looking back at her education and courses, we both sometimes wish she had simply gone with the regular cohort and classes. There are plusses and minuses, so don't think your kid can't have a wonderful experience in HS whether they get in or not. A few plusses have been--good behavior in class, smaller group of kids to be in classes with, feeling a sense of accomplishment with the pending degree. The minuses include not having nearby friends, a less flexible schedule, and a whole lot of pressure for what seems like very little gain in terms of college admissions.

Just remember, the best predictor of your child's academic success is parental involvement and a culture of caring about education. Not what school you went to or what program you were in.

That said, good luck to all! But know it will be ok, even more than ok, either way.

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