Official TJ Admissions Decisions Results for the Class of 2025

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:sorry meant to say "There is a 1.5% quota for each school and this does NOT add up to 100%."

Yes, which means these changes mainly impact the lower performing students and the top students will still end up at TJ like before. Just a few who may also be very gifted but didn't invest in prep now have a chance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://quillette.com/2021/08/19/as-us-schools-prioritize-diversity-over-merit-china-is-becoming-the-worlds-stem-leader/

Well written, relevant article.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Not sure I understand the 12 kids per school limit. There is a 1.5% quota for each school and this does add up to 100%. After 1.5% from the under represented schools are picked, the remaining FCPS quota is filled up based on merit across schools. So Carson has much more than 12 kids selected to TJ this year. Yes, it is less than last year.

Again, that isn't the case, because the application is too sparse to determine merit among the candidates. A ton of kids, ranging from the slightly above average, highly prepped kids to the truly brilliant will all have perfect GPAs and a good essay. If anything, the process seems to make it easier for the prepped kids to look the same as the highly gifted kids when competing for the TJ feeder school 1.5% or the at-large seats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
There are a limited number of seats. If 50 students have the same qualifications and there are 10 seats then randomly pick 10. The problem is easily solved but there's no reason those 40 kids should take the seats from equally gifted students in areas that spend less on prep classes but are equally gifted.

But the 50 kids only have the same qualifications because the system is rigged to make all above average, motivated kids look the same. A more comprehensive application would show which of those top 50 kids truly need TJ and which ones are above average, overly prepped kids. I hope they release the math level stats for TJ acceptance. If any Algebra I kids from Carson or Longfellow were admitted, it's pretty clear that at least for those schools, the process is highly flawed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://quillette.com/2021/08/19/as-us-schools-prioritize-diversity-over-merit-china-is-becoming-the-worlds-stem-leader/

Well written, relevant article.

Have to disagree with the premise since I don't equate prep and merit and also believe diversity is a strength that the author clearly undervalues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://quillette.com/2021/08/19/as-us-schools-prioritize-diversity-over-merit-china-is-becoming-the-worlds-stem-leader/

Well written, relevant article.

Have to disagree with the premise since I don't equate prep and merit and also believe diversity is a strength that the author clearly undervalues.

Read the article...not just the headline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://quillette.com/2021/08/19/as-us-schools-prioritize-diversity-over-merit-china-is-becoming-the-worlds-stem-leader/

Well written, relevant article.

Have to disagree with the premise since I don't equate prep and merit and also believe diversity is a strength that the author clearly undervalues.

Read the article...not just the headline.

I did. It's unfounded fearmongering. You need to read between the lines. The author confuses merit and prep and also undervalues diversity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://quillette.com/2021/08/19/as-us-schools-prioritize-diversity-over-merit-china-is-becoming-the-worlds-stem-leader/

Well written, relevant article.

Have to disagree with the premise since I don't equate prep and merit and also believe diversity is a strength that the author clearly undervalues.

Read the article...not just the headline.

I did. It's unfounded fearmongering. You need to read between the lines. The author confuses merit and prep and also undervalues diversity.

1. There is more than one author - three heads of math departments at top schools. 2. Why read between lines? Just read the lines. Data don't lie. 3. You don't need to agree with the article.


And most importantly how do you measure merit and

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://quillette.com/2021/08/19/as-us-schools-prioritize-diversity-over-merit-china-is-becoming-the-worlds-stem-leader/

Well written, relevant article.

Have to disagree with the premise since I don't equate prep and merit and also believe diversity is a strength that the author clearly undervalues.

Read the article...not just the headline.

I did. It's unfounded fearmongering. You need to read between the lines. The author confuses merit and prep and also undervalues diversity.

The people behind the TJ admissions debacle elevate diversity over everything else, including respecting the rights of Asian-American students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There are a limited number of seats. If 50 students have the same qualifications and there are 10 seats then randomly pick 10. The problem is easily solved but there's no reason those 40 kids should take the seats from equally gifted students in areas that spend less on prep classes but are equally gifted.

But the 50 kids only have the same qualifications because the system is rigged to make all above average, motivated kids look the same. A more comprehensive application would show which of those top 50 kids truly need TJ and which ones are above average, overly prepped kids. I hope they release the math level stats for TJ acceptance. If any Algebra I kids from Carson or Longfellow were admitted, it's pretty clear that at least for those schools, the process is highly flawed.

Why? What if they admitted. Kid who wrote an essay about his mad coding skills and how she struggles in math. Why can’t that kid get a spot at TJ. Why is math level the be all and end all for you? Because that’s what you’ve been prepping your kid for for the past 10 years??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There are a limited number of seats. If 50 students have the same qualifications and there are 10 seats then randomly pick 10. The problem is easily solved but there's no reason those 40 kids should take the seats from equally gifted students in areas that spend less on prep classes but are equally gifted.

But the 50 kids only have the same qualifications because the system is rigged to make all above average, motivated kids look the same. A more comprehensive application would show which of those top 50 kids truly need TJ and which ones are above average, overly prepped kids. I hope they release the math level stats for TJ acceptance. If any Algebra I kids from Carson or Longfellow were admitted, it's pretty clear that at least for those schools, the process is highly flawed.

Why? What if they admitted. Kid who wrote an essay about his mad coding skills and how she struggles in math. Why can’t that kid get a spot at TJ. Why is math level the be all and end all for you? Because that’s what you’ve been prepping your kid for for the past 10 years??

Yup. I think it’s pretty clear. There is at least one poster here upset because the new process won’t identify the “academic superstars” or the kids who “truly need TJ”. He probably has been thinking his ds would get into TJ since he was grade skipped in math in first grade. Or since he started aops studying algebra I in 5th grade or whatever. He thought he had it figured out.

I’m torn on this. On one hand I think I don’t want kids to feel so much pressure in the younger years of school. And I see the new admission process ending that parental arms race of creating “the true academic superstars sure to get into TJ”. I think it’s enough to be an above average student interested in stem.

On the other hand it would be nice to be able to identify the intellectually gifted and offer them what they need. I just think parents have completely made that impossible at this point. I mean this is a district in which parents think of their kid gets a perfect quant score they are gifted. And that’s just not true. Parents have really made the whole gifted thing impossible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://quillette.com/2021/08/19/as-us-schools-prioritize-diversity-over-merit-china-is-becoming-the-worlds-stem-leader/

Well written, relevant article.

Have to disagree with the premise since I don't equate prep and merit and also believe diversity is a strength that the author clearly undervalues.

Read the article...not just the headline.

I did. It's unfounded fearmongering. You need to read between the lines. The author confuses merit and prep and also undervalues diversity.

1. There is more than one author - three heads of math departments at top schools. 2. Why read between lines? Just read the lines. Data don't lie. 3. You don't need to agree with the article.


And most importantly how do you measure merit and

It's definitely not gained by purchasing an unfair advantage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There are a limited number of seats. If 50 students have the same qualifications and there are 10 seats then randomly pick 10. The problem is easily solved but there's no reason those 40 kids should take the seats from equally gifted students in areas that spend less on prep classes but are equally gifted.

But the 50 kids only have the same qualifications because the system is rigged to make all above average, motivated kids look the same. A more comprehensive application would show which of those top 50 kids truly need TJ and which ones are above average, overly prepped kids. I hope they release the math level stats for TJ acceptance. If any Algebra I kids from Carson or Longfellow were admitted, it's pretty clear that at least for those schools, the process is highly flawed.

Why? What if they admitted. Kid who wrote an essay about his mad coding skills and how she struggles in math. Why can’t that kid get a spot at TJ. Why is math level the be all and end all for you? Because that’s what you’ve been prepping your kid for for the past 10 years??

Yup. I think it’s pretty clear. There is at least one poster here upset because the new process won’t identify the “academic superstars” or the kids who “truly need TJ”. He probably has been thinking his ds would get into TJ since he was grade skipped in math in first grade. Or since he started aops studying algebra I in 5th grade or whatever. He thought he had it figured out.

I’m torn on this. On one hand I think I don’t want kids to feel so much pressure in the younger years of school. And I see the new admission process ending that parental arms race of creating “the true academic superstars sure to get into TJ”. I think it’s enough to be an above average student interested in stem.

On the other hand it would be nice to be able to identify the intellectually gifted and offer them what they need. I just think parents have completely made that impossible at this point. I mean this is a district in which parents think of their kid gets a perfect quant score they are gifted. And that’s just not true. Parents have really made the whole gifted thing impossible.

Completely agree but I think they can continue to improve and refine the process to those ends.

[Anonymous]

Those posters who try to make a case that there's such a thing as "truly gifted" and "truly deserving of a gifted education" despite having shown little interest in honing their STEM skills during their elementary school years have obviously never worked with STEM kids and have no clue what they're talking about.

By the time children are 11 or 12 years old those who are active in STEM (particularly in Math) have far outpaced those who are not; and whatever degree of innate giftedness (a vague and elitist concept, btw) really doesn't matter and shouldn't matter. Nobody gives a crap about potential at this age anymore, it's the record of engagement and academic success that matters. As it should.

That's why TJ's change is so disturbing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those posters who try to make a case that there's such a thing as "truly gifted" and "truly deserving of a gifted education" despite having shown little interest in honing their STEM skills during their elementary school years have obviously never worked with STEM kids and have no clue what they're talking about.

By the time children are 11 or 12 years old those who are active in STEM (particularly in Math) have far outpaced those who are not; and whatever degree of innate giftedness (a vague and elitist concept, btw) really doesn't matter and shouldn't matter. Nobody gives a crap about potential at this age anymore, it's the record of engagement and academic success that matters. As it should.

That's why TJ's change is so disturbing.

You literally just said that no one cares about potential at the age of ELEVEN or TWELVE.

Attitudes like that are precisely why the changes that were made are completely necessary.

This take is so laughable that I'm tempted to believe that it's a false flag intended to make status-quo adherents look stupid and out of touch.

Signed, been around TJ kids for over 20 years.