Any Loudoun parents whose kids went to TJ?

[Anonymous]

How do you and your kids like it? Was the commute tolerable? Was their sleep significantly impacted due to the time spent on the road? Going back, would you or your kid(s) choose TJ again or would you rather let them stay in Loudoun (AOS/AET/home school)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you and your kids like it? Was the commute tolerable? Was their sleep significantly impacted due to the time spent on the road? Going back, would you or your kid(s) choose TJ again or would you rather let them stay in Loudoun (AOS/AET/home school)?

I have an OC, older child, who graduated from TJ and a younger now attending AET. TJ commute is not an issue given LCPS transportation, and car pooling options as and when needed. Sleep and stress to keep up is directly related to the student's time management habits and their foundational knowledge of middle school subjects. The stronger their depth in middle school subjects the better they are prepared to take on the TJ curriculum without losing sleep. OC loved challenges and had enthusiastically sought them through participation in math, science, etc., clubs and competitions, and TJ decision proved to be a natural fit.

Our YC, younger child, was also offered TJ admission but chose AET, since TJ would have been a stretch. YC has been a straight A student, but the effort YC put in was always the bare minimum needed but rarely beyond. Math and anything analytical like robotics projects, etc., came naturally, but everything else like languages, science, etc. needed reminders to stay abreast. Good amount of YC's schedule was occupied with school team sport or after-school hangouts with friends, and YC's over all time management needed our involvement. AET program is less demanding with just math, science & tech courses, and everything else including languages, arts, humanities, etc., and sports at base school. YC is happy at AET, and we are glad he chose it over TJ.

There are hundreds of LCPS kids that commute daily to TJ and I assume they satisfied with the continued experience, and there probably are a few that struggle because of their lack of middle school preparedness, poor study habits and time management skills. Irrespective of the commute, if I thought my child would be in the bottom 25% at TJ, I would save my child and entire family the stress, and instead choose AOS/AET/base school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you and your kids like it? Was the commute tolerable? Was their sleep significantly impacted due to the time spent on the road? Going back, would you or your kid(s) choose TJ again or would you rather let them stay in Loudoun (AOS/AET/home school)?

What are your options?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you and your kids like it? Was the commute tolerable? Was their sleep significantly impacted due to the time spent on the road? Going back, would you or your kid(s) choose TJ again or would you rather let them stay in Loudoun (AOS/AET/home school)?

I have an OC, older child, who graduated from TJ and a younger now attending AET. TJ commute is not an issue given LCPS transportation, and car pooling options as and when needed. Sleep and stress to keep up is directly related to the student's time management habits and their foundational knowledge of middle school subjects. The stronger their depth in middle school subjects the better they are prepared to take on the TJ curriculum without losing sleep. OC loved challenges and had enthusiastically sought them through participation in math, science, etc., clubs and competitions, and TJ decision proved to be a natural fit.

Our YC, younger child, was also offered TJ admission but chose AET, since TJ would have been a stretch. YC has been a straight A student, but the effort YC put in was always the bare minimum needed but rarely beyond. Math and anything analytical like robotics projects, etc., came naturally, but everything else like languages, science, etc. needed reminders to stay abreast. Good amount of YC's schedule was occupied with school team sport or after-school hangouts with friends, and YC's over all time management needed our involvement. AET program is less demanding with just math, science & tech courses, and everything else including languages, arts, humanities, etc., and sports at base school. YC is happy at AET, and we are glad he chose it over TJ.

There are hundreds of LCPS kids that commute daily to TJ and I assume they satisfied with the continued experience, and there probably are a few that struggle because of their lack of middle school preparedness, poor study habits and time management skills. Irrespective of the commute, if I thought my child would be in the bottom 25% at TJ, I would save my child and entire family the stress, and instead choose AOS/AET/base school.

What is AET?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
What is AET?

Loudoun's own STEM program. https://www.lcps.org/domain/32661

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you and your kids like it? Was the commute tolerable? Was their sleep significantly impacted due to the time spent on the road? Going back, would you or your kid(s) choose TJ again or would you rather let them stay in Loudoun (AOS/AET/home school)?

What are your options?

DC was admitted by TJ, AOS, and AET. Commuting to TJ will be 1 hour 20 minutes each way based on where we live. Staying in Loudoun, DC can get about 8 hours sleep a night. Going to TJ means he can only sleep about 6 hours a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you and your kids like it? Was the commute tolerable? Was their sleep significantly impacted due to the time spent on the road? Going back, would you or your kid(s) choose TJ again or would you rather let them stay in Loudoun (AOS/AET/home school)?

What are your options?

DC was admitted by TJ, AOS, and AET. Commuting to TJ will be 1 hour 20 minutes each way based on where we live. Staying in Loudoun, DC can get about 8 hours sleep a night. Going to TJ means he can only sleep about 6 hours a day.

Pick Loudoun then. That is too little sleep for a kid to get for years on end.

[Anonymous]

A good number take the bus from Ashburn/Sterling/South Riding. Living farther out in Western Loudoun adds to the commute.

CDC recommends 10 hours of sleep for teenagers. However, they could be living right next to their school and refuse to get more than six hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you and your kids like it? Was the commute tolerable? Was their sleep significantly impacted due to the time spent on the road? Going back, would you or your kid(s) choose TJ again or would you rather let them stay in Loudoun (AOS/AET/home school)?

What are your options?

DC was admitted by TJ, AOS, and AET. Commuting to TJ will be 1 hour 20 minutes each way based on where we live. Staying in Loudoun, DC can get about 8 hours sleep a night. Going to TJ means he can only sleep about 6 hours a day.

Why even apply to a school that far away from where you live and subject your kid to sleep deprivation? Pick a school nearby, relocate, or home school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you and your kids like it? Was the commute tolerable? Was their sleep significantly impacted due to the time spent on the road? Going back, would you or your kid(s) choose TJ again or would you rather let them stay in Loudoun (AOS/AET/home school)?

What are your options?

DC was admitted by TJ, AOS, and AET. Commuting to TJ will be 1 hour 20 minutes each way based on where we live. Staying in Loudoun, DC can get about 8 hours sleep a night. Going to TJ means he can only sleep about 6 hours a day.

For a lot of people it is a much less commute. I was surprised when a kid told me what time his bus was. I had figured 6:30. Looks like your situation is worse, and it would be tough. You could try and shift activities, get your kid to do homework on the bus.

[Anonymous]

I live in Loudoun. Both my kids went to TJ. One graduated from one of the top 5 universities in the country and one graduated from top state university in VA. The one graduated from the top university was driven and goal orient. The one graduated from top State university in Va was easy going and played video game throughout the four years in college. Both graduated from college with a GPA above 3.5. TJ provides an excellent education, however, there will be stress, sleep deprive, and constant pressure of keeping up the school works. You need to think about TJ is just another university. Let's me quote one of my kids after he graduated from college. He said "I went to 8 years of university, 4 years in TJ and 4 years in college". What I said you get what you put in. You know your kid better than anyone else. You should make you decision in accordingly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in Loudoun. Both my kids went to TJ. One graduated from one of the top 5 universities in the country and one graduated from top state university in VA. The one graduated from the top university was driven and goal orient. The one graduated from top State university in Va was easy going and played video game throughout the four years in college. Both graduated from college with a GPA above 3.5. TJ provides an excellent education, however, there will be stress, sleep deprive, and constant pressure of keeping up the school works. You need to think about TJ is just another university. Let's me quote one of my kids after he graduated from college. He said "I went to 8 years of university, 4 years in TJ and 4 years in college". What I said you get what you put in. You know your kid better than anyone else. You should make you decision in accordingly.

Thank you for sharing. The decision would be much easier between home school and TJ. But since AOS/AET are also mixed in, we are thinking maybe AOS/AET can be a nice compromise in the middle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you and your kids like it? Was the commute tolerable? Was their sleep significantly impacted due to the time spent on the road? Going back, would you or your kid(s) choose TJ again or would you rather let them stay in Loudoun (AOS/AET/home school)?

What are your options?

DC was admitted by TJ, AOS, and AET. Commuting to TJ will be 1 hour 20 minutes each way based on where we live. Staying in Loudoun, DC can get about 8 hours sleep a night. Going to TJ means he can only sleep about 6 hours a day.

For a lot of people it is a much less commute. I was surprised when a kid told me what time his bus was. I had figured 6:30. Looks like your situation is worse, and it would be tough. You could try and shift activities, get your kid to do homework on the bus.

Yes, eastern Loudoun is much better in terms of commute. Western Loudoun kids will spend 3+ hours on the road per day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you and your kids like it? Was the commute tolerable? Was their sleep significantly impacted due to the time spent on the road? Going back, would you or your kid(s) choose TJ again or would you rather let them stay in Loudoun (AOS/AET/home school)?

What are your options?

DC was admitted by TJ, AOS, and AET. Commuting to TJ will be 1 hour 20 minutes each way based on where we live. Staying in Loudoun, DC can get about 8 hours sleep a night. Going to TJ means he can only sleep about 6 hours a day.

For a lot of people it is a much less commute. I was surprised when a kid told me what time his bus was. I had figured 6:30. Looks like your situation is worse, and it would be tough. You could try and shift activities, get your kid to do homework on the bus.

Yes, eastern Loudoun is much better in terms of commute. Western Loudoun kids will spend 3+ hours on the road per day.

that is insane unless you own some properties close to the school.

[Anonymous]

Crazy, longer that what Abraham Lincoln took to walk to school

Whenever school was in session at Pigeon Creek, Abe hiked 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) each way. He did not mind this long, uncomfortable hike to and from school because he was glad to be learning. All subjects fascinated him. ....