TJ admissions related - how to get student interested in STEM?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| We are being strongly suggested to consider enrolling in TJHSST after having submitted the application and the high likelihood of receiving an offer based on our middle school 1.5% quota allocation. DC is reasonable with grades and is currently enrolled in Algebra 1. But DC is lacking strong motivation to accept a TJ offer, with the understanding that it will be more demanding than their base high school and may leave little time for activities like playing their favorite basketball or continuing saxophone practice outside of school. On one hand I hear people saying a C grade at TJ is worth more than an A at base school, and will more or less require the same effort. Is this true from a college admission standpoint? Also how does one motivate their student to be interested in STEM when they are more interested in basketball and saxophone? Are subjects like math, physics, chemistry, etc., more difficult at TJ than at base school, and why? |
Anonymous
| Don’t do it if the kid doesn’t have an interest in math or science. He will not be competitive with the kids who are extremely gifted or the ones who really like STEM and will work extra hard to keep up. When you apply to college you are first compared to your peers at that school and if the kid doesn’t love STEM it will be hard to stand out in any way. |
Anonymous
| If your DC is not interested in TJ, in math or science or a challenge, then they should not go to TJ. It doesn't help with college admissions, the reason to go is for TJ itself, not for the future. |
Anonymous
No one says this. |
Anonymous
|
There’s no way of knowing the likelihood of any kid to get an offer even with the quota of seats per school.
I wouldn’t push my kids to go if they aren’t fully invested and it isn’t their idea to apply… also a C at TJ is not the same as an A at the base school. |
Anonymous
| Why would you push your disinterested kid into taking a seat from someone who really wants to be there? This is why so many kids are on anxiety meds. |
Anonymous
The increased rigor and heightened peer competition at TJ has to have some impact on the grade comparison. C grade at TJ carries more weight than a C or a B at a base school? |
Anonymous
Yes, they are more difficult. When my kid was there, 9th grade biology used the AP textbook, not an intro textbook. My kid sat the World History AP after the regular class (not an AP class) and scored a 5 anyway, because even standard classes are taught to such a high level. The AP Comp Sci class includes data structures because they cover the AP curriculum early in the year, and they all scored 5s in the AP exam with their eyes closed. Sorry to tell you, but I think your kid will be miserable there. Many other students will get and have already had significant educational support from parents, and many of those parents have very high levels of education. Those parents study the requirements to be a top student in this kind of environment for years. From your message, this kind of competitive school environment is new to you. Your kid can do STEM at their base school and college without sacrificing their childhood happiness. |
Anonymous
| Sound like they'd be a bad fit. Leave the spot to someone who really wants it and has drive and motivation. |
Anonymous
| I would encourage my kids to avoid STEM since those jobs will just get outsourced to third world workers who will work for 50 cents on the dollar. |
Anonymous
He is not your student. He is your son. Treat the whole child and try not to shoehorn him into something he is not interested in. If STEM is not his jam, he will be miserable at TJ. |
Anonymous
| Sounds like your son will be top student in his HS base school with likely better college shot. He will be happier stay in there with his current circle of friendship. TJ sounds like a gamble to him. |
Anonymous
|
DO NOT DO IT --unless your DC is interested. I have friends kids who have gone and it can be a soul sucking, stressful experience. A couple of these kids transferred back to base school after first year. Your DC, if they plan, will be able to get a robust STEM experience at their base school. We do know one kid, who went there and excelled --and is now at Villanova with plans to study pediatric oncology. That kid really wanted it. Good luck with your decision
|
Anonymous
|
I am guessing that you are at a school that doesn’t send it’s full allotment of students to TJ and probably don’t have many kids apply. Did your child apply because he wanted to or was he heavily encouraged to apply by the school?
TJ really needs to be a kid wanting to go to TJ and be immersed in a deep academic experience. The kids need to want to be there. If he doesn’t want to be there and he is not really interested in Math and Science, then he is likely going to struggle. It sounds like he is an 8th grader in Algebra 1, which means that he is not going to be able to access some of the specialized classes because he is going to be at least one year, if not two years behind a good chink of the school. Also, college admission out of TJ is more challenging because you do have so many high achieving kids. A C at TJ is not seen as a great grade for college admission, it is a C. And kids with A’s and B’s from other high schools in the area are going to be considered ahead of your kid. |
Anonymous
+1 4 kids applied from DD's school (including her) last cycle. 1 waitlisted, 2 rejected (including my DD), and 1 got in. The one who got in had a mixture of As and Bs at the time of application, same course rigor and math level as DD, who had all A+s. DD got a perfect score on the PSAT 9, the kid who got in was 90th percentile. Unsure of the kid who got in's ECs for the Portrait of a Graduate but DDs were really good. Everyone said she should have gotten in. So you never know. |