TJ Acceptance Demographics Available Here

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For me, the commute is devastating. Traffic has become so much worse. The other schools offer so many options for advanced classes, it just seems a waste to spend all that time on the bus.

devastating?

LOL sounds serious I hope you are ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Class of 2018 acceptance stats are here: http://www.fcps.edu/cco/pr/tj/tjadmissions0414.pdf

So without affirmative action the TJ acceptance rate would be what real life college acceptance rates to top STEM schools should be. Very interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:or 3) students have found that they do not need to go to TJ in order to be successfully challenged at their neighborhood high school AND to be accepted by nationally recognized elite universities.

Bingo. With 50% going in-Commonwealth from TJ, the competitive advantage is smaller than one might think.

What you do not realize is that most of the TJ kids choosing UVA, W&M or other public universities do so because they were offered full-ride merit based scholarships. These are very competitive and usually won by kids that were good enough to be accepted to Ivy League schools as well. You can't say that about 3 or 4 kids accepted to UVA or W&M from a typical base school. They certainly will have a long shot at full ride merit based scholarships at UVA or W&M. So, you ought to re-think the statement about the competitive advantage being smaller than one might think and try to think about the big picture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Congratulations for your son getting in. Also, thanks for your voice of reason. Regardless of the demographics and TJ haters, few things are clear about TJ: 1) They have great teachers. Not all of them obviously but most are competent and many gave up lucrative private sector careers to become teachers there and many stay for decades and retire at TJ, 2) Most of the students are very bright. Not all of them are brilliant in all things but most students are brilliant in 1 or 2 areas (e.g. latin, programming, instrument, writing, poetry, Rubik's cube, chess etc.), 3) They have more than 170 academic teams and clubs and they are all open to all of the students, 4) Very active sport teams and teams are not centered around few "superstars" like some other schools, 5) Soon, they will have the state of the art research labs which were funded separately and newly renovated building for all of the class rooms, library, computer lab etc., 6)Graduates come out with confidence knowing they survived a very rigorous academic program and usually end up in the top 10% of the colleges thy attend whether HYPSM or UVA (which helps with getting into Graduate School or Professional School) and finally, 7) There is a trust between the students and the administrators/teachers (e.g. no bells, lunch anytime, anywhere, no hall passes, no harassment for being few minutes late to class etc.) which is rare.

There should be more schools like this for the good of the region/state and for good of the country.

Much of what you've said applies to many schools in the county. Other things you've said are simply conjecture about what happens to TJ students after they graduate.

The fact is that there are a declining number of parents in this area putting TJ on the pedestal on which you think it uniquely belongs, and a declining number of students applying to the school. It's not vitriol to point out what the applications trends make unambiguously clear. There are increasing numbers of students who basically say "no thanks" because they know they'll have just as good, if not a better, experience at their base schools. TJ is becoming a niche school, not a magnet school.

[Anonymous]

You wish, PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:or 3) students have found that they do not need to go to TJ in order to be successfully challenged at their neighborhood high school AND to be accepted by nationally recognized elite universities.

Bingo. With 50% going in-Commonwealth from TJ, the competitive advantage is smaller than one might think.

What you do not realize is that most of the TJ kids choosing UVA, W&M or other public universities do so because they were offered full-ride merit based scholarships. These are very competitive and usually won by kids that were good enough to be accepted to Ivy League schools as well. You can't say that about 3 or 4 kids accepted to UVA or W&M from a typical base school. They certainly will have a long shot at full ride merit based scholarships at UVA or W&M. So, you ought to re-think the statement about the competitive advantage being smaller than one might think and try to think about the big picture.

I don't believe this to be remotely true. Most TJ kids heading off to U.Va and W&M could not, and did not, get into Ivy League schools. The Ivies are looking for kids who bring something more to the table than your typical TJ kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You wish, PP.

The steadily declining number of applications speaks for itself.

[Anonymous]

And let's say the premise is true - base schools offer more now. Guess why? Those TJ kids just dragged all of Fairfax County schools up a notch on their backs. And they got Loudoun to start an Academy of Sciences.

Just like the Ivies will still be there even if 100 versions of Colleges that Change Lives come out, so will TJ. And the acceptance rate is still less than 20%. They have plenty of applicants. I don't think they are looking for more, other than from a few under represented demographics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would have gotten into TJ probably, but had no interest in going (white girl). I have my friends at my school, I'm comfortable moving on with them, and I am as interested in non-STEM subjects as STEM. Also, I have a friend who left TJ after the first year because she said there was no social life.
Anyway, that was a few years ago. I got into Harvard, so clearly wasn't slacking at my home school. Calling people lazy because they don't think TJ is the best school for everyone is silly.

Just because you got into Harvard that doesn't mean you would have probably gotten into TJ. Maybe you were a legacy, development case, recruited athlete or lucky. TJ grads that move onto Harvard say Harvard is academically easier than TJ.

TJ apparently does not have a cap on Asians but Harvard does. Asians are capped at about 16 to 18% year after year even though the number of Asian applicants probably doubled in the last 10 years. Harvard would be 60% Asians if it did not have quotas on Asians. Also, your friend saying there is no social life at TJ doesn't mean there is no social life for others. Maybe she thought the academics were too rigorous and wanted less challenging environment. I am sure she didn't say on the application her main priority was an active "social life" but to challenge her self with rigorous STEM courses and participate in scientific discovery. You know, the usual stuff that goes on the application and the SIS. So, for her to say she left because of no social life is disingenuous.

No one is saying people who do not think TJ is the best school are lazy. We are all entitled to our opinions. However, it is a fact that less whites are applying and this has been significant for the last 5 or 6 years. The likely reasons were put forth as : 1) I do not want to go to school with bunch of Asians where Asians are the majority (racist attitude), 2) I do not want to study too hard and still only manage to be
above average or average in all likelihood (Not very capable/lazy or both).

No, wasn't legacy or any other "hook". Lots of kids who get into TJ don't get into Harvard. And i am pretty sure my scores would have gotten me in. Did the test and then changed my mind. Regardless, not saying it's not a great school. It is. Just not the best choice for every qualified applicant. And that doesn't make them lazy. And your logic doesn't hold. There is nothing disingenuous about saying one left TJ because it lacked a suitable social scene for that person. It was one person's experience, and you have no reason to doubt it. Love the psychic power you have that Harvard would be 60percent Asian if there were no quotas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would have gotten into TJ probably, but had no interest in going (white girl). I have my friends at my school, I'm comfortable moving on with them, and I am as interested in non-STEM subjects as STEM. Also, I have a friend who left TJ after the first year because she said there was no social life.
Anyway, that was a few years ago. I got into Harvard, so clearly wasn't slacking at my home school. Calling people lazy because they don't think TJ is the best school for everyone is silly.

Don't be so cocky and think that you would have gotten into TJ because you got into Harvard since it's likely that Asians with higher SAT scores, higher GPAs, stronger teacher recommendations, stronger essays, stronger ECs, more officer positions, more national awards and more volunteer/community service hours compared to you were rejected by Harvard.

Well, i doubt they had higher SAT scores since i had perfect scores. And no prep course (not how my parents rolled). And not URM, so don't bother with that tired old argument.

[Anonymous]

What you do not realize is that most of the TJ kids choosing UVA, W&M or other public universities do so because they were offered full-ride merit based scholarships.

W&M may offer full-ride merit-based scholarships, but UVa offers only a very, very small number of merit-based scholarships and most TJ kids who choose UVa do not have such scholarships. What UVa offers is a highly ranked university at less than $20,000 per year, a far better deal for a Virginia resident than many of the other top 25 or 30 schools.

[Anonymous]

PP you don't even know what TJ kids bring to the table so don't pretend to. That's insulting and ignorant. Why don't you start by comparing graduation requirements from TJ with any other HS in the county. Yep, they are really different - and it's not that theTJ kids are taking less classes. Then look at club participation and awards, not just in math or science, but things like Model UN and community service. And then figure out percentage of school that participates on an athletic team. They may not beat Langley every year but they play as hard as they study. Let's add to that the Senior projects, performed in labs that have equipment no other HS in the country has. And all the internships available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:or 3) students have found that they do not need to go to TJ in order to be successfully challenged at their neighborhood high school AND to be accepted by nationally recognized elite universities.

Bingo. With 50% going in-Commonwealth from TJ, the competitive advantage is smaller than one might think.

What you do not realize is that most of the TJ kids choosing UVA, W&M or other public universities do so because they were offered full-ride merit based scholarships. These are very competitive and usually won by kids that were good enough to be accepted to Ivy League schools as well. You can't say that about 3 or 4 kids accepted to UVA or W&M from a typical base school. They certainly will have a long shot at full ride merit based scholarships at UVA or W&M. So, you ought to re-think the statement about the competitive advantage being smaller than one might think and try to think about the big picture.

I don't believe this to be remotely true. Most TJ kids heading off to U.Va and W&M could not, and did not, get into Ivy League schools. The Ivies are looking for kids who bring something more to the table than your typical TJ kid.

Why isn't it possible? The consensus is about 32% of the graduating class are offered admissions to Ivy (25%) plus MIT and Stanford (7%). That is about 140 kids (w/ typical 435 graduating). Not all of these kids attend Ivy/MIT/Stanford. About half or 70 kids do. The rest, about 70 kids of about 145 kids that typically enroll at UVA and W&M (roughly 48%) would have been accepted by Ivy League schools or MIT/Stanford but chose to attend different school.

[Anonymous]

Do we think it's just one Asian Supremicist posting repeatedly here? I hope so. Gross to think there would be more than one paranoid racist.

[Anonymous]

Find a Harvard grad who actually reads the applications for admission and they will tell you TJ is legendary for having a crazy high level of admits compared to any other school in the country.