Yet another magnet thread. What are the personalities of the students at various magnets?

[Anonymous]

Can you tell me about Wheaton, Blair, RM, Kennedy and Poolesville?

[Anonymous]

You realize this changes somewhat with each cohort each year, right?

[Anonymous]

Kennedy IB? If you are in-bounds for the Kennedy regional IB, I can't imagine wanting to deal with the Poolesville commute.

[Anonymous]

I guarantee there’s no consistent “personality” at any magnet. Any parent who says differently is only generalizing based on their own kid’s friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kennedy IB? If you are in-bounds for the Kennedy regional IB, I can't imagine wanting to deal with the Poolesville commute.

Poolesville is very distinct from Kennedy so it's not really comparable.

Poolesville's magnet programs are test-in, meaning you have to apply and pass a test to qualify, and their humanities and STEM magnets are only open to these clusters: Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, Magruder, Northwest, Poolesville, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley, Watkins Mill.

The Global Ecology program at Poolesville is open to all MCPS students, but again, you've gotta test in.

Kennedy's IB program is comparable to other IB programs. It's not as exclusive as Richard Montgomery's, which you have to apply to and meet high criteria to get into it. It's a regional IB program for any kid in the DCC. It's also new though, so the program is still finding its legs and the success rate of the program in churning out diploma grads is not there yet.

Within the DCC, Einstein also offers an IB program, but that only counts if your kid gets Einstein as their choice. If not, then Kennedy is your only other IB option in the DCC.

[Anonymous]

Not exactly “personalities” but there are some very obvious demographic differences between CAP (largely upper middle class, white students) and magnet (many from Indian, Chinese, Korean and other Asian backgrounds often children of immigrants including the few who are white) at Blair. Nice kids either way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kennedy IB? If you are in-bounds for the Kennedy regional IB, I can't imagine wanting to deal with the Poolesville commute.

Poolesville is very distinct from Kennedy so it's not really comparable.

Poolesville's magnet programs are test-in, meaning you have to apply and pass a test to qualify, and their humanities and STEM magnets are only open to these clusters: Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, Magruder, Northwest, Poolesville, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley, Watkins Mill.

The Global Ecology program at Poolesville is open to all MCPS students, but again, you've gotta test in.

Kennedy's IB program is comparable to other IB programs. It's not as exclusive as Richard Montgomery's, which you have to apply to and meet high criteria to get into it. It's a regional IB program for any kid in the DCC. It's also new though, so the program is still finding its legs and the success rate of the program in churning out diploma grads is not there yet.

Within the DCC, Einstein also offers an IB program, but that only counts if your kid gets Einstein as their choice. If not, then Kennedy is your only other IB option in the DCC.

That's not quite right. Kennedy's regional IB program has the same application process as RM's. And its region covers BCC, Churchill, Whitman, Walter Johnson, and the Downcounty Consortium (DCC) – Blair, Einstein, Northwood, Kennedy, Wheaton

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kennedy IB? If you are in-bounds for the Kennedy regional IB, I can't imagine wanting to deal with the Poolesville commute.

Poolesville is very distinct from Kennedy so it's not really comparable.

Poolesville's magnet programs are test-in, meaning you have to apply and pass a test to qualify, and their humanities and STEM magnets are only open to these clusters: Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, Magruder, Northwest, Poolesville, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley, Watkins Mill.

The Global Ecology program at Poolesville is open to all MCPS students, but again, you've gotta test in.

Kennedy's IB program is comparable to other IB programs. It's not as exclusive as Richard Montgomery's, which you have to apply to and meet high criteria to get into it. It's a regional IB program for any kid in the DCC. It's also new though, so the program is still finding its legs and the success rate of the program in churning out diploma grads is not there yet.

Within the DCC, Einstein also offers an IB program, but that only counts if your kid gets Einstein as their choice. If not, then Kennedy is your only other IB option in the DCC.

That's not quite right. Kennedy's regional IB program has the same application process as RM's. And its region covers BCC, Churchill, Whitman, Walter Johnson, and the Downcounty Consortium (DCC) – Blair, Einstein, Northwood, Kennedy, Wheaton

Thank you for the correction! I didn't realize Kennedy's IB covered more than the DCC.

It's kind of confusing that Kennedy is the regional IB program for all of those clusters while BCC and Einstein also simultaneously maintain their own IB programs. But I guess they got grandfathered in and MCPS usually doesn't take things away from schools once they've gotten them.

[Anonymous]

Blair most intense
RM second most intense
Poolesville smart not cutthroat kids
Kennedy and Wheaton least intense

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not exactly “personalities” but there are some very obvious demographic differences between CAP (largely upper middle class, white students) and magnet (many from Indian, Chinese, Korean and other Asian backgrounds often children of immigrants including the few who are white) at Blair. Nice kids either way.

Why is this? Why are there so few wealthy white families in SMCS relative to CAP, and why so many in CAP? Are the upper middle class white kids not as good in STEM or are their families less interested?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not exactly “personalities” but there are some very obvious demographic differences between CAP (largely upper middle class, white students) and magnet (many from Indian, Chinese, Korean and other Asian backgrounds often children of immigrants including the few who are white) at Blair. Nice kids either way.

Why is this? Why are there so few wealthy white families in SMCS relative to CAP, and why so many in CAP? Are the upper middle class white kids not as good in STEM or are their families less interested?

Their families are less interested in committing to years of pricey STEM tutoring for their kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not exactly “personalities” but there are some very obvious demographic differences between CAP (largely upper middle class, white students) and magnet (many from Indian, Chinese, Korean and other Asian backgrounds often children of immigrants including the few who are white) at Blair. Nice kids either way.

Why is this? Why are there so few wealthy white families in SMCS relative to CAP, and why so many in CAP? Are the upper middle class white kids not as good in STEM or are their families less interested?

Their families are less interested in committing to years of pricey STEM tutoring for their kids.

Huh? Blair magnet parent here - never considered a tutor nor do I plan to. I figured that was the norm?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not exactly “personalities” but there are some very obvious demographic differences between CAP (largely upper middle class, white students) and magnet (many from Indian, Chinese, Korean and other Asian backgrounds often children of immigrants including the few who are white) at Blair. Nice kids either way.

Why is this? Why are there so few wealthy white families in SMCS relative to CAP, and why so many in CAP? Are the upper middle class white kids not as good in STEM or are their families less interested?

Reality is they apply and don't get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not exactly “personalities” but there are some very obvious demographic differences between CAP (largely upper middle class, white students) and magnet (many from Indian, Chinese, Korean and other Asian backgrounds often children of immigrants including the few who are white) at Blair. Nice kids either way.

Why is this? Why are there so few wealthy white families in SMCS relative to CAP, and why so many in CAP? Are the upper middle class white kids not as good in STEM or are their families less interested?

Their families are less interested in committing to years of pricey STEM tutoring for their kids.

Huh? Blair magnet parent here - never considered a tutor nor do I plan to. I figured that was the norm?

I don't know anyone who had a tutor. I think that's just a story families tell themselves if their child was rejected. Many of the kids do have a strong STEM interest that they developed outside of school like being part of an extracurricular science or coding activity which probably helps them do better academically. It's no different from the kid who writes plays in his spare time and reads a lot or the kid who makes the varsity football team because he played peewee football for many years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kennedy IB? If you are in-bounds for the Kennedy regional IB, I can't imagine wanting to deal with the Poolesville commute.

Poolesville is very distinct from Kennedy so it's not really comparable.

Poolesville's magnet programs are test-in, meaning you have to apply and pass a test to qualify, and their humanities and STEM magnets are only open to these clusters: Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, Magruder, Northwest, Poolesville, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley, Watkins Mill.

The Global Ecology program at Poolesville is open to all MCPS students, but again, you've gotta test in.

Kennedy's IB program is comparable to other IB programs. It's not as exclusive as Richard Montgomery's, which you have to apply to and meet high criteria to get into it. It's a regional IB program for any kid in the DCC. It's also new though, so the program is still finding its legs and the success rate of the program in churning out diploma grads is not there yet.

Within the DCC, Einstein also offers an IB program, but that only counts if your kid gets Einstein as their choice. If not, then Kennedy is your only other IB option in the DCC.

That's not quite right. Kennedy's regional IB program has the same application process as RM's. And its region covers BCC, Churchill, Whitman, Walter Johnson, and the Downcounty Consortium (DCC) – Blair, Einstein, Northwood, Kennedy, Wheaton

I’d also add that Kennedy’s IB program is not new. Just the regional program. Kennedy has had a local IB program for some time.