RMIB for a Type B Kid

[Anonymous]

Trying to get a better sense of the vibe, for lack of a better word, at RMIB. DC is very intellectually curious, and was self-motivated to apply to RMIB because middle school has been very academically underwhelming, especially after CES, which was a great fit for him. The program itself seems like it will play to his strengths (analytical, strong writer), but I’m wondering if he will be surrounded by primarily type-A competitive kids. DS is really more of a laid-back thoughtful kid who is there to soak up knowledge rather than compete.

Our home school is strong, with a good academic peer group that’s not over-the-top intense, but I’m concerned about several more years of languishing with inadequate honors-for-all English and Science there in 9th/10th.

We don’t know anyone IRL in the RMIB program, so I thought I might ask here.

[Anonymous]

My DD is in RMIB, a sophomore. She is very non-STEM and is a strong writer and also an analytical thinker so she’s enjoying the non math and science classes so far.
She’s not a type A competitive type of person and it’s fine not to be. As long as your DC can stay on top of the work and be motivated to do well he will be fine.

[Anonymous]

Why does he care if the other students are "type A"?

Maybe they'll help him with his executive function.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why does he care if the other students are "type A"?

Maybe they'll help him with his executive function.

OP said nothing about his executive function being poor. The description sounds a lot like my kid who has exceptional executive function, but is in a different magnet.

OP, from my experience if he isn’t interested in the hyper competitive nature of some classmates, and remains chill, he’ll be fine. The only downside I’ve seen for my kid - and it’s a pretty big one - is a hit to his self esteem. When a lot of other kids constantly promote themselves and their achievements and strive for competitions and opportunities it impacts how he feels about his own abilities, even though it’s clear (to me) that he is doing very well and likely better than many of them he’s simply turned off by the self promotional stuff and doesn’t engage in competitive posturing.

[Anonymous]

My kid was like this and went to Kennedy, not RMIB. They thrived there.

[Anonymous]

I have a senior at RMIB. He doesn't feel the competitive vibe is terrible, but he also isn't really the type to engage with it. If anything, his high-achieving classmates have inspired him to work harder. The workload is heavy, but shouldn't be too bad for a strong writer (writing is not DS's favorite, though he has improved dramatically). The focus on analytical writing is outstanding preparation for college. Despite its reputation, RMIB doesn't have an exclusive humanities focus. Rather, it's well-balanced, with plenty of kids who prefer STEM or are good at both. Alumni regularly comment their experience at selective colleges is "easier."
In my opinion, the two downsides are: 1) the fact that the workload makes it hard to dedicate as much time to ECs and normal HS socializing as kids might like 2) the competition for college admissions is tremendous and kids are being compared to dozens of classmates with high stats (some with insane credentials on top of that) applying to the same schools. If you're not Ivy+ or bust, it's fine, but some strong kids might have better outcomes at their home school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does he care if the other students are "type A"?

Maybe they'll help him with his executive function.

OP said nothing about his executive function being poor. The description sounds a lot like my kid who has exceptional executive function, but is in a different magnet.

OP, from my experience if he isn’t interested in the hyper competitive nature of some classmates, and remains chill, he’ll be fine. The only downside I’ve seen for my kid - and it’s a pretty big one - is a hit to his self esteem. When a lot of other kids constantly promote themselves and their achievements and strive for competitions and opportunities it impacts how he feels about his own abilities, even though it’s clear (to me) that he is doing very well and likely better than many of them he’s simply turned off by the self promotional stuff and doesn’t engage in competitive posturing.

Your DC must be at Blair. Blair is notorious for its uber-competitive atmosphere. My RMIB kid knows a number of former CES classmates at Blair now--and they were incredibly competitive even in ES. RMIB certainly has high-achieving kids as well, but the vibe is okay overall.

[Anonymous]

A lot there are Type A, but not all.

I would not say DC is Type A, but they do care about their grades. They got straight As at RMIB.

They had the same issue your kid has -- went to CES (HGC at the time), then home MS which was super boring for them. They said they finished their work in class, including HW in like 15 min, and just read books.

DC is now in college and said they are glad they did RMIB even though it was a lot of work. They are a dual stem major in college and getting straight As. I think one needs to have good time management and organization skills to be successful at RMIB, which helps tremendously in college.

[Anonymous]

RMIB is probably the magnet with the most type A grinds. I think as long as your child works hard and has great executive functioning they will be okay. It's a big school and there are a lot of non-IB kids he can be friends with if the type a vibe is not what he wants.

[Anonymous]

OP your child sounds perfect for the school especially since it was his own interest and his strengths in writing and analytical thinking. A lot of the kids are in it for college so I think your child will be a good influence on the whole class.

[Anonymous]

I've had 2 kids at RMIB. Both are Type B and were already in the cluster. Both are hardworking, smart, and not prone to getting stressed out. They also were not super involved with extracurriculars.

Their closest friends were those who were also JW cluster students. Most of their friends were also pretty low key as far as ECs.

It's a fantastic education!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:RMIB is probably the magnet with the most type A grinds. I think as long as your child works hard and has great executive functioning they will be okay. It's a big school and there are a lot of non-IB kids he can be friends with if the type a vibe is not what he wants.

No, Blair is. RMIB is more of a mix.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why does he care if the other students are "type A"?

Maybe they'll help him with his executive function.

So weird (and wrong) to assume that someone who is considered type B has poor executive functioning. Really dumb

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trying to get a better sense of the vibe, for lack of a better word, at RMIB. DC is very intellectually curious, and was self-motivated to apply to RMIB because middle school has been very academically underwhelming, especially after CES, which was a great fit for him. The program itself seems like it will play to his strengths (analytical, strong writer), but I’m wondering if he will be surrounded by primarily type-A competitive kids. DS is really more of a laid-back thoughtful kid who is there to soak up knowledge rather than compete.

Our home school is strong, with a good academic peer group that’s not over-the-top intense, but I’m concerned about several more years of languishing with inadequate honors-for-all English and Science there in 9th/10th.

We don’t know anyone IRL in the RMIB program, so I thought I might ask here.

Hard to say until your kid starts there and depends on cohort and the type of vibe he enjoys.

[Anonymous]

What happened with trying to get better quality books or better curriculum in HS English? A thread a while back said their kid was reading a graphic novel (aka comic book in our dino era). Is that at every HS?