How was poolesville smacs admitted student night?

[Anonymous]

Just wanted to gather peoples thoughts on it?

[Anonymous]

Bump

[Anonymous]

DP here. Wow, 128 views but no replies. We were unfortunately not able to go because of a previous engagement, would have been nice to have some feedback from others.

[Anonymous]

OP In past years, they posted a video. Not sure about this year but they definitely had videos when my kid applied two years ago. Maybe see if you can get a hold of the video.

[Anonymous]

https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/poolesvillehs/magnet/

It’s actually right on their website.

[Anonymous]

Positive. I like how SMCS students carry themselves. HS academic experiences should focus on how to learn and deep learning, not college considerations. In this regard, it suits our needs.

[Anonymous]

It was really nice. The school is under construction, so it is a bit of a maze to get around, but they showed us plans for the final building, and it looks pretty great. The engineering/shop room was full of good basic tools and an entire separate room for computers and 3d printers. There was a CNC which may or may not have been working. Lots of current students came in to show their projects from different years (catapults, robotic arm, a robot that shoot baskets ( I think that was the robotics team), little robots that can get through a maze) and talk with the new students. It sounds like the 9th grade afternoons are a block in which the kids do overlapping classes of CS, science (physics and chemistry) and engineering, so they can apply science principles to hands-on projects. Looked like a great way to learn! Some seniors came in to talk about their overall experience. They seemed happy and confident. Maybe more focused on which school they were going to attend than what they were going to study, but it’s that time of year. The students seemed to be working very hard and (mostly) enjoying it. They emphasized the importance of knowing your strengths and respecting the strengths of your classmates to help each other with projects. They also talked about the great support they felt from the teachers when they wanted to do a project that was an extension of the basic assignment. We didn’t have much time for questions for the math teacher, but plenty of time to talk in the engineering room. The evening felt more about the general experience than a description of the details, but everyone got a taste of the space and my kid was excited and is really looking forward to the program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It was really nice. The school is under construction, so it is a bit of a maze to get around, but they showed us plans for the final building, and it looks pretty great. The engineering/shop room was full of good basic tools and an entire separate room for computers and 3d printers. There was a CNC which may or may not have been working. Lots of current students came in to show their projects from different years (catapults, robotic arm, a robot that shoot baskets ( I think that was the robotics team), little robots that can get through a maze) and talk with the new students. It sounds like the 9th grade afternoons are a block in which the kids do overlapping classes of CS, science (physics and chemistry) and engineering, so they can apply science principles to hands-on projects. Looked like a great way to learn! Some seniors came in to talk about their overall experience. They seemed happy and confident. Maybe more focused on which school they were going to attend than what they were going to study, but it’s that time of year. The students seemed to be working very hard and (mostly) enjoying it. They emphasized the importance of knowing your strengths and respecting the strengths of your classmates to help each other with projects. They also talked about the great support they felt from the teachers when they wanted to do a project that was an extension of the basic assignment. We didn’t have much time for questions for the math teacher, but plenty of time to talk in the engineering room. The evening felt more about the general experience than a description of the details, but everyone got a taste of the space and my kid was excited and is really looking forward to the program.

Thank you for your feedback!

[Anonymous]

DD is a senior there. She told me that it’s been stressful and exhausting and she has loved it and she wouldn’t change her choice if she could go back and do it again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is a senior there. She told me that it’s been stressful and exhausting and she has loved it and she wouldn’t change her choice if she could go back and do it again.

My child says the same thing. Personally, I wonder if being at home school would have been better for college acceptances though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is a senior there. She told me that it’s been stressful and exhausting and she has loved it and she wouldn’t change her choice if she could go back and do it again.

I have a student in 9th grade at phs smacs. Do you mind sharing what’s specifically has been stressing and exhausting?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD is a senior there. She told me that it’s been stressful and exhausting and she has loved it and she wouldn’t change her choice if she could go back and do it again.

My child says the same thing. Personally, I wonder if being at home school would have been better for college acceptances though.

What are the college acceptances like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD is a senior there. She told me that it’s been stressful and exhausting and she has loved it and she wouldn’t change her choice if she could go back and do it again.

My child says the same thing. Personally, I wonder if being at home school would have been better for college acceptances though.

What are the college acceptances like?

There seem to be many kids getting into UMd CS which is not easy. My child tells me there are a few kids getting into Ivy but also many rejections+deferrals. The next level down below Ivy (i.e. Northeastern) has been pretty brutal too. These are kids with near-perfect test scores, 4.0s, and impressive activities. It's probably easier to stand out at home school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD is a senior there. She told me that it’s been stressful and exhausting and she has loved it and she wouldn’t change her choice if she could go back and do it again.

I have a student in 9th grade at phs smacs. Do you mind sharing what’s specifically has been stressing and exhausting?

Not this poster, but the senior internship and the associated paper and presentation were stressful to complete during college application season. For my child, the biggest issue was the long day and commute. Had to sacrifice participating in some activities as a result. Again, would not change anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD is a senior there. She told me that it’s been stressful and exhausting and she has loved it and she wouldn’t change her choice if she could go back and do it again.

I have a student in 9th grade at phs smacs. Do you mind sharing what’s specifically has been stressing and exhausting?

Not this poster, but the senior internship and the associated paper and presentation were stressful to complete during college application season. For my child, the biggest issue was the long day and commute. Had to sacrifice participating in some activities as a result. Again, would not change anything.

I am that poster and you summed it up perfectly. DD played a sport so that lengthened her day, but her teammates are her best friends. Having 8 periods also means that they have room in their schedules to try out classes that they wouldn’t have otherwise taken. That does add more work. But DD got “forced” into AP psychology last year to fill that slot in her schedule and it ended up as one of her favorite classes.