TJ Admissions Prep Recommendations

[Anonymous]

My son is a 7th grader. We're just starting to look into the admissions process for various schools, including TJ.

My assumption, which could be wrong, is that many of the students who apply to TJ do some sort of test prep course first. Is that true? Which one has the best reputation? I saw that there is even a company called TJ Test Prep, but is that really a reputable company?

Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

My son wasn't going to do a prep class but at the last minute he signed up for this one: https://www.tjtestprep.com/ (I think that's the one you mentioned - the company is EduAvenues). He probably knew like 10-15 kids at his major TJ feeder middle school that did the same program.

It's self-paced and he had friends that had been doing it for months. I think it was worthwhile for him even though he only did it for a month or so... just good to get a feel for what the questions would be like and get the juices flowing thinking about answers to prompts.

[Anonymous]

^^ PP again - I guess we'll find out tomorrow if it paid off...

[Anonymous]

Your son should focus on the portrait of a graduate skills that they ask about for the Taj essays. He still has time to join clubs and other activities so that he will have stem related things to write about.

[Anonymous]

Another TJ prep questions thread.
This is why we can't have nice thing.

[Anonymous]

Don’t bother. We didn’t.

My child is finishing freshman year and thriving @ TJ.

If it’s meant to be, your child will find their way to TJ on their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is a 7th grader. We're just starting to look into the admissions process for various schools, including TJ.

My assumption, which could be wrong, is that many of the students who apply to TJ do some sort of test prep course first. Is that true? Which one has the best reputation? I saw that there is even a company called TJ Test Prep, but is that really a reputable company?

Thanks in advance!

The test isn't really a test. Just take a few practice exams so you can get the timing down and think of a couple of answers beforehand so you don't get caught flat footed.

[Anonymous]

I've heard Curie is outstanding. A few years ago they stated that over a third of the entering class were their customers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've heard Curie is outstanding. A few years ago they stated that over a third of the entering class were their customers.

Problem with that approach is:

Curie prep (or any admissions-prep) will ONLY prepare your child for admission, while TJ is an intense, 4-year education requiring exceptional, daily, dedication by your child. No prep class can prep for that.

You should let the admissions process play-out naturally; if your child is supposed to be at TJ, they will get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've heard Curie is outstanding. A few years ago they stated that over a third of the entering class were their customers.

Problem with that approach is:

Curie prep (or any admissions-prep) will ONLY prepare your child for admission, while TJ is an intense, 4-year education requiring exceptional, daily, dedication by your child. No prep class can prep for that.

You should let the admissions process play-out naturally; if your child is supposed to be at TJ, they will get in.

If the admissions process was matched to that, your point would be valid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've heard Curie is outstanding. A few years ago they stated that over a third of the entering class were their customers.

Problem with that approach is:

Curie prep (or any admissions-prep) will ONLY prepare your child for admission, while TJ is an intense, 4-year education requiring exceptional, daily, dedication by your child. No prep class can prep for that.

You should let the admissions process play-out naturally; if your child is supposed to be at TJ, they will get in.

Curie is not test prep. It is academic enrichment that also offers test prep but you're not going to curie in elementary school to prep for the test. The kids that are still there in 8th grade frequently have all the dedication and habits you describe.

[Anonymous]

Move your kid to a middle school that doesn’t typically have a lot of kids apply to TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've heard Curie is outstanding. A few years ago they stated that over a third of the entering class were their customers.

Problem with that approach is:

Curie prep (or any admissions-prep) will ONLY prepare your child for admission, while TJ is an intense, 4-year education requiring exceptional, daily, dedication by your child. No prep class can prep for that.

You should let the admissions process play-out naturally; if your child is supposed to be at TJ, they will get in.

TJ has around 2,000 applicants who meet the requirements to attend TJ. They select 25% of those kids, not every kid that would thrive at TJ is selected because there is not space. The process, whether it was the old process, the older process, or the current process, is going to miss some kids who would thrive and include kids who leave the school because it was a bad fit. It isn't perfect.

The only prep that we are doing is working with a writing tutor. DS is not a great writer and I don't think that the schools actually do a good job preparing kids to write well. He is going to work with a tutor to improve his writing and ability to address prompts. We have found that he needs help at home with school assignments and after a week or so of us reviewing material and asking questions, he is better able to address the prompts he is given by his Teachers in different subjects. We are hoping that some extra time working 1-1 with a tutor will help him improve, which should benefit him when taking the TJ tests and in school overall.

[Anonymous]

We did a Fairfax Collegiate class. The best thing about it was it gave the kids some time and space to research and understand TJ. They were doing it, to help them write better essays. But I think if you also view it as a time to think about whether the opportunities there are interesting (or not) then it might be worth the time.

I think my kid getting some feedback on his writing was helpful. Middle school English hasn't been that challenging, so it's good to get a tougher set of eyes getting feedback. So it feels worthwhile, beyond just the test.

Anything that will help your student think strategically or critically about how they communicate, and to have some skills writing persuasive papers would probably help. The TJ test doesn't look at spelling or grammar (which I was surprised to hear). But that's what the FCPS person giving the admission presentation said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Move your kid to a middle school that doesn’t typically have a lot of kids apply to TJ.

If they're in the top 1.5% they're in. Moving to a lesser school is for the lower achieving students.