TJ admissions

[Anonymous]

Hello! Our child is currently in the 7th grade, and recently told us about TJ. We have realized that the competition there is strong. She goes to Franklin middle, and we figured out less than 10 students from Franklin get admitted. Our daughter is passionate about stem as she is participating in the AMC 8, did a stem-bootcamp 8 week course, and will be on track of taking geometry next year. We are aware this is not enough. Please let us know the admission process, and what we need to do to hopefully get her accepted to TJ. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Hello! Our child is currently in the 7th grade, and recently told us about TJ. We have realized that the competition there is strong. She goes to Franklin middle, and we figured out less than 10 students from Franklin get admitted. Our daughter is passionate about stem as she is participating in the AMC 8, did a stem-bootcamp 8 week course, and will be on track of taking geometry next year. We are aware this is not enough. Please let us know the admission process, and what we need to do to hopefully get her accepted to TJ. Thank you!

There is an application you have to fill out.
You will want to keep up your grades. The most common GAP among entering students is 4.0

Look at previous essay questions and think about how you would answer them (not the math question but the other essay questions)

One of the biggest hurdles on the essayt exam is competing the exam. Most kids run out of time so practicing the essays so that you get a sense of the timing will be helpful.

After that it seems a bit random.

[Anonymous]

Is there a math essay that we should prepare for? Would you recommend prep classes or just focus on school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Hello! Our child is currently in the 7th grade, and recently told us about TJ. We have realized that the competition there is strong. She goes to Franklin middle, and we figured out less than 10 students from Franklin get admitted. Our daughter is passionate about stem as she is participating in the AMC 8, did a stem-bootcamp 8 week course, and will be on track of taking geometry next year. We are aware this is not enough. Please let us know the admission process, and what we need to do to hopefully get her accepted to TJ. Thank you!

There is an application you have to fill out.
You will want to keep up your grades. The most common GAP among entering students is 4.0

Look at previous essay questions and think about how you would answer them (not the math question but the other essay questions)

One of the biggest hurdles on the essayt exam is competing the exam. Most kids run out of time so practicing the essays so that you get a sense of the timing will be helpful.

After that it seems a bit random.

It's not random at all. In fact, only the top 1.5% who apply
from each school are accepted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there a math essay that we should prepare for? Would you recommend prep classes or just focus on school?

There is a math and/or science essay. Usually not difficult but may have tricky wording or multiple steps. The answer includes explaining the answer, including all the steps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Hello! Our child is currently in the 7th grade, and recently told us about TJ. We have realized that the competition there is strong. She goes to Franklin middle, and we figured out less than 10 students from Franklin get admitted. Our daughter is passionate about stem as she is participating in the AMC 8, did a stem-bootcamp 8 week course, and will be on track of taking geometry next year. We are aware this is not enough. Please let us know the admission process, and what we need to do to hopefully get her accepted to TJ. Thank you!

There is an application you have to fill out.
You will want to keep up your grades. The most common GAP among entering students is 4.0

Look at previous essay questions and think about how you would answer them (not the math question but the other essay questions)

One of the biggest hurdles on the essayt exam is competing the exam. Most kids run out of time so practicing the essays so that you get a sense of the timing will be helpful.

After that it seems a bit random.

It's not random at all. In fact, only the top 1.5% who apply
from each school are accepted.

False. The top kids aren’t necessarily admitted, the 1.5% floor is based on the number of 8th graders at a middle school (not the number of TJ applicants), and some middle schools like Carson continue to send more than 1.5% of their 8th graders to TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a math essay that we should prepare for? Would you recommend prep classes or just focus on school?

There is a math and/or science essay. Usually not difficult but may have tricky wording or multiple steps. The answer includes explaining the answer, including all the steps.

Based on my understanding so far, the essay is the hardest part? (Correct me if I’m wrong) And will the other essay be a mix of math and science?

[Anonymous]

Forget about TJ. There’s no guarantee to get in TJ after admission change. Even you do everything right, they can say “you did everything right. However, you do not fit to TJ”. Pick a good high school you like and move. Don’t wait for TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a math essay that we should prepare for? Would you recommend prep classes or just focus on school?

There is a math and/or science essay. Usually not difficult but may have tricky wording or multiple steps. The answer includes explaining the answer, including all the steps.

Hi OP. My son is a freshman at TJ.

There is exactly ONE math based word-problem to solve as part of the admissions process. Last year, my son reported the problem was easy, but poorly-worded. Some of his classmates from AAP did not manage to finish the problem and they may have been unnecessarily confused. You can find past examples of the question on YouTube.

There is a “Portrait of a Graduate” worksheet to complete. My son is an active Scout and is active in charity through our church. Not sure if that helped.

40% of the admissions decision is “experience factors.” It’s difficult to define exactly what that means, but it apparently includes FARMS / being poor, being BIPOC, or being SPED.

Try hard to be a minority (but only URM) or poor or Special Needs. It helps.

My son came from a “high admission” / top-3 MS: Longfellow.

He has always been involved with the Math Counts league. Longfellow only accepts the top 30 kids into their MathCounts team. My son was between 20 and 30 on the team. It is likely that TJ values Science Olympiad, but the local team commitment was way too demanding so we did not pursue it.

TJ is over 80% minority students. My son is among the 19% white kids.

He is loving his TJ experience so far and is doing well. He really, really wanted to go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a math essay that we should prepare for? Would you recommend prep classes or just focus on school?

There is a math and/or science essay. Usually not difficult but may have tricky wording or multiple steps. The answer includes explaining the answer, including all the steps.

Hi OP. My son is a freshman at TJ.

There is exactly ONE math based word-problem to solve as part of the admissions process. Last year, my son reported the problem was easy, but poorly-worded. Some of his classmates from AAP did not manage to finish the problem and they may have been unnecessarily confused. You can find past examples of the question on YouTube.

There is a “Portrait of a Graduate” worksheet to complete. My son is an active Scout and is active in charity through our church. Not sure if that helped.

40% of the admissions decision is “experience factors.” It’s difficult to define exactly what that means, but it apparently includes FARMS / being poor, being BIPOC, or being SPED.

Try hard to be a minority (but only URM) or poor or Special Needs. It helps.

My son came from a “high admission” / top-3 MS: Longfellow.

He has always been involved with the Math Counts league. Longfellow only accepts the top 30 kids into their MathCounts team. My son was between 20 and 30 on the team. It is likely that TJ values Science Olympiad, but the local team commitment was way too demanding so we did not pursue it.

TJ is over 80% minority students. My son is among the 19% white kids.

He is loving his TJ experience so far and is doing well. He really, really wanted to go.

If I may ask, did your son do any prep classes? What level of math was he on at the time? If you recommend any prep classes or what to study for the test, please let us know!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a math essay that we should prepare for? Would you recommend prep classes or just focus on school?

There is a math and/or science essay. Usually not difficult but may have tricky wording or multiple steps. The answer includes explaining the answer, including all the steps.

Hi OP. My son is a freshman at TJ.

There is exactly ONE math based word-problem to solve as part of the admissions process. Last year, my son reported the problem was easy, but poorly-worded. Some of his classmates from AAP did not manage to finish the problem and they may have been unnecessarily confused. You can find past examples of the question on YouTube.

There is a “Portrait of a Graduate” worksheet to complete. My son is an active Scout and is active in charity through our church. Not sure if that helped.

40% of the admissions decision is “experience factors.” It’s difficult to define exactly what that means, but it apparently includes FARMS / being poor, being BIPOC, or being SPED.

Try hard to be a minority (but only URM) or poor or Special Needs. It helps.

My son came from a “high admission” / top-3 MS: Longfellow.

He has always been involved with the Math Counts league. Longfellow only accepts the top 30 kids into their MathCounts team. My son was between 20 and 30 on the team. It is likely that TJ values Science Olympiad, but the local team commitment was way too demanding so we did not pursue it.

TJ is over 80% minority students. My son is among the 19% white kids.

He is loving his TJ experience so far and is doing well. He really, really wanted to go.

If I may ask, did your son do any prep classes? What level of math was he on at the time? If you recommend any prep classes or what to study for the test, please let us know!

OP is this you again? Every poster has already told you - the new system is designed to cut down or even eliminate the need for prep for the application process.

Study the portrait of a graduate stuff and make sure your kid thinks ahead of time about how they relate to them. Beyond that, getting As in the classes your child is taking is what’s needed. Don’t skip to algebra two as it will be harder to get As and there are not bonus points for being doubly advanced in math. It is a process highly open to luck and chance. So prepare your kid that it may not happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Hello! Our child is currently in the 7th grade, and recently told us about TJ. We have realized that the competition there is strong. She goes to Franklin middle, and we figured out less than 10 students from Franklin get admitted. Our daughter is passionate about stem as she is participating in the AMC 8, did a stem-bootcamp 8 week course, and will be on track of taking geometry next year. We are aware this is not enough. Please let us know the admission process, and what we need to do to hopefully get her accepted to TJ. Thank you!

There is an application you have to fill out.
You will want to keep up your grades. The most common GAP among entering students is 4.0

Look at previous essay questions and think about how you would answer them (not the math question but the other essay questions)

One of the biggest hurdles on the essayt exam is competing the exam. Most kids run out of time so practicing the essays so that you get a sense of the timing will be helpful.

After that it seems a bit random.

It's not random at all. In fact, only the top 1.5% who apply
from each school are accepted.

False. The top kids aren’t necessarily admitted, the 1.5% floor is based on the number of 8th graders at a middle school (not the number of TJ applicants), and some middle schools like Carson continue to send more than 1.5% of their 8th graders to TJ.

Nope they select the very top kids using objective measures. Sure, you may feel differently but they use actual metrics instead of your feelings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a math essay that we should prepare for? Would you recommend prep classes or just focus on school?

There is a math and/or science essay. Usually not difficult but may have tricky wording or multiple steps. The answer includes explaining the answer, including all the steps.

Hi OP. My son is a freshman at TJ.

There is exactly ONE math based word-problem to solve as part of the admissions process. Last year, my son reported the problem was easy, but poorly-worded. Some of his classmates from AAP did not manage to finish the problem and they may have been unnecessarily confused. You can find past examples of the question on YouTube.

There is a “Portrait of a Graduate” worksheet to complete. My son is an active Scout and is active in charity through our church. Not sure if that helped.

40% of the admissions decision is “experience factors.” It’s difficult to define exactly what that means, but it apparently includes FARMS / being poor, being BIPOC, or being SPED.

Try hard to be a minority (but only URM) or poor or Special Needs. It helps.

My son came from a “high admission” / top-3 MS: Longfellow.

He has always been involved with the Math Counts league. Longfellow only accepts the top 30 kids into their MathCounts team. My son was between 20 and 30 on the team. It is likely that TJ values Science Olympiad, but the local team commitment was way too demanding so we did not pursue it.

TJ is over 80% minority students. My son is among the 19% white kids.

He is loving his TJ experience so far and is doing well. He really, really wanted to go.

If I may ask, did your son do any prep classes? What level of math was he on at the time? If you recommend any prep classes or what to study for the test, please let us know!

OP is this you again? Every poster has already told you - the new system is designed to cut down or even eliminate the need for prep for the application process.

Study the portrait of a graduate stuff and make sure your kid thinks ahead of time about how they relate to them. Beyond that, getting As in the classes your child is taking is what’s needed. Don’t skip to algebra two as it will be harder to get As and there are not bonus points for being doubly advanced in math. It is a process highly open to luck and chance. So prepare your kid that it may not happen.

Many of these posts are self-serving. People will lie to give their kids an advantage. I wouldn't trust what they are writing. For example, the new process is fairly objective, especially compared to the old process, which was easily gamed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Hello! Our child is currently in the 7th grade, and recently told us about TJ. We have realized that the competition there is strong. She goes to Franklin middle, and we figured out less than 10 students from Franklin get admitted. Our daughter is passionate about stem as she is participating in the AMC 8, did a stem-bootcamp 8 week course, and will be on track of taking geometry next year. We are aware this is not enough. Please let us know the admission process, and what we need to do to hopefully get her accepted to TJ. Thank you!

There is an application you have to fill out.
You will want to keep up your grades. The most common GAP among entering students is 4.0

Look at previous essay questions and think about how you would answer them (not the math question but the other essay questions)

One of the biggest hurdles on the essayt exam is competing the exam. Most kids run out of time so practicing the essays so that you get a sense of the timing will be helpful.

After that it seems a bit random.

It's not random at all. In fact, only the top 1.5% who apply
from each school are accepted.

False. The top kids aren’t necessarily admitted, the 1.5% floor is based on the number of 8th graders at a middle school (not the number of TJ applicants), and some middle schools like Carson continue to send more than 1.5% of their 8th graders to TJ.

Nope they select the very top kids using objective measures. Sure, you may feel differently but they use actual metrics instead of your feelings.

Essays are hardly objective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a math essay that we should prepare for? Would you recommend prep classes or just focus on school?

There is a math and/or science essay. Usually not difficult but may have tricky wording or multiple steps. The answer includes explaining the answer, including all the steps.

Hi OP. My son is a freshman at TJ.

There is exactly ONE math based word-problem to solve as part of the admissions process. Last year, my son reported the problem was easy, but poorly-worded. Some of his classmates from AAP did not manage to finish the problem and they may have been unnecessarily confused. You can find past examples of the question on YouTube.

There is a “Portrait of a Graduate” worksheet to complete. My son is an active Scout and is active in charity through our church. Not sure if that helped.

40% of the admissions decision is “experience factors.” It’s difficult to define exactly what that means, but it apparently includes FARMS / being poor, being BIPOC, or being SPED.

Try hard to be a minority (but only URM) or poor or Special Needs. It helps.

My son came from a “high admission” / top-3 MS: Longfellow.

He has always been involved with the Math Counts league. Longfellow only accepts the top 30 kids into their MathCounts team. My son was between 20 and 30 on the team. It is likely that TJ values Science Olympiad, but the local team commitment was way too demanding so we did not pursue it.

TJ is over 80% minority students. My son is among the 19% white kids.

He is loving his TJ experience so far and is doing well. He really, really wanted to go.

If I may ask, did your son do any prep classes? What level of math was he on at the time? If you recommend any prep classes or what to study for the test, please let us know!

OP is this you again? Every poster has already told you - the new system is designed to cut down or even eliminate the need for prep for the application process.

Study the portrait of a graduate stuff and make sure your kid thinks ahead of time about how they relate to them. Beyond that, getting As in the classes your child is taking is what’s needed. Don’t skip to algebra two as it will be harder to get As and there are not bonus points for being doubly advanced in math. It is a process highly open to luck and chance. So prepare your kid that it may not happen.

Many of these posts are self-serving. People will lie to give their kids an advantage. I wouldn't trust what they are writing. For example, the new process is fairly objective, especially compared to the old process, which was easily gamed.

Yes I agree… that’s why I’m skeptical about whoever says my kid shouldn’t study, because some start studying in 5th grade. This is a highly competitive school.