Will TC Williams hurt college apps?

[Anonymous]

We live in the city of Alexandria where TC Williams is the only public high school. Records show it to be one of the poorest HS's in the state. Child currently in private school and applying to private HSs. No guarantees that we will get into a private HS. Does anyone have any info on whether attending TC Willimas would hurt child's chances of getting into prestigious colleges? Hoping that there will be AP class experience when applying to colleges.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]We live in the city of Alexandria where TC Williams is the only public high school. Records show it to be one of the poorest HS's in the state. Child currently in private school and applying to private HSs. No guarantees that we will get into a private HS. Does anyone have any info on whether attending TC Willimas would hurt child's chances of getting into prestigious colleges? Hoping that there will be AP class experience when applying to colleges.[/quote]

I don't think it matters in that sense, as long as your kid does really well and stands out.

I think the biggest concern may be the possible negative influences at the school or the large size of the school, especially since your child has pretty much lived a sheltered life going to private school.

[Anonymous]

T.C. Williams has a reputation for sending the children at the school who come from supportive families to prestigious colleges and universities. It sends more kids to the University of Virginia than any of the private schools in the surrounding areas. It regularly sends its students to schools like UPenn, Georgetown, Yale, Princeton, MIT, USC, California at Berkeley, etc. Many schools see it as a bonus if a prospective student did well at a school like T.C. Williams. T.C. has a wide and rigorous course selection with classes taught by teachers who write for the Washington Post and scholastic journals.
One needs to look at the whole picture when comparing T.C. Williams to the other schools in the state. It is only ranked that low based on the flawed No Child Left Behind Act. 80% of T.C. Williams' graduates go to college and according to News Week, T.C. is in the top 15% of high schools in the country. If you still have reservations about T.C., I suggest you talk to the many successful graduates of the school that return to their city to give back to the community that gave so much to them.

[Anonymous]

TC has been identified by the State of Virginia as a "persistently low achieving" school. The main problem appears to be unruly students and inconsistent discipline, according to the teachers there:

http://www.acps.k12.va.us/tcw-transformation/vision-action-committee/teacher-comments-april2010.pdf

How do you think your child will handle such an environment? Those who do well at TC probably develop skills that put them at an advantage, both in the college admissions process and life, relative to students at private schools and tonier publics. Those who fall in with the wrong crowd, or are overwhelmed by the occaisional chaos, don't fare so well. You know best what's most likely for your child. TC has its boosters, but they tend to be parents whose kids fall in the first category.

[Anonymous]

When I look at official documents (including the state's own ranking of zero stars out of 5) and then hear about the school's top college record, something doesn't ring true. Anyone have stats on where the kids go to college?

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]When I look at official documents (including the state's own ranking of zero stars out of 5) and then hear about the school's top college record, something doesn't ring true. Anyone have stats on where the kids go to college?[/quote]

There may be information at the link below, but I haven't checked through all the links to know for certain.

http://www.acps.k12.va.us/tcw-transformation/

[Anonymous]

Hi! I am the president of TC's PTSA. My daughter is a sophomore, currently taking two AP courses. She (and we) have been thrilled with her experience. I am happy to speak to you to answer your questions about TC. Please contact me at [e-mail].

[Anonymous]

Here's a list of schools that 2009 graduates attended. There's probably a list somewhere for 2010...

http://www.acps.k12.va.us/news2009/nr2009061901.php

There are plenty of top schools listed.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the link, pp. Have to say that given the great size of the class, the list of colleges is not impressive. Other than the VA colleges, only 1 Ivy.

Sending more kids to UVA than the privates doesn't mean all that much given a class size of over 650 when private high schools generally have somewhere around 100 or so seniors each.

A really good stat to have would be where AP seniors get accepted.

[Anonymous]

If you child is white and way above average and/or athletic, then TC will be fine.

If your child is white and average and/or athletic, then TC will be ok. Not great, not good, just ok.

If you child is non-white and smart or average, go to private school.

TC Williams is funny- they boast they offer every AP course available if even one studetn wants to take the class but then again they can't even provide a basic education to the masses.

[Anonymous]

There are actually 2 Ivy League schools - Yale and University of Pennsylvania. It also doesn't list how many are going to each school.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the link, pp. Have to say that given the great size of the class, the list of colleges is not impressive. Other than the VA colleges, only 1 Ivy.

Sending more kids to UVA than the privates doesn't mean all that much given a class size of over 650 when private high schools generally have somewhere around 100 or so seniors each.

A really good stat to have would be where AP seniors get accepted.

[Anonymous]

Most TC families are not rich. Therefore, many of these families limit themselves to in-state schools. If money were no obstacle, then you'd see many more kids going to smaller liberal arts colleges and/or the Ivy League. UVA, Virginia Tech or other Virginia state schools are the top choices for many of the kids in the top five percent of the class.

[Anonymous]

I would urge you to read the profiles of students on the TC website, which can be accessed through the Alexandria City Public Schools website. One of the featured students won several national Intel science awards. TC is also educating students like Onelio Mencho-Aguilar, featured in the Washington Post several weeks ago. Onelio is the "Guatemalan Oliver Twist" referred to in this article -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/19/AR2010091904690.html. I think any teenager would benefit from getting to know students like him. That is what TC provides in serving students from over 60 countries -- invaluable lessons in how the world works, and how students with vastly different backgrounds can work on science projects, row together on the Potomac with the nationally-known crew team (see http://www.tcwcrew.org/news.htm) and learn from each other.

It is a big school, however, and students need to be self-motivated and self-directed. Those students needing special assistance and monitoring are probably better off in a smaller, more intimate school setting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It is a big school, however, and students need to be self-motivated and self-directed. Those students needing special assistance and monitoring are probably better off in a smaller, more intimate school setting.

This is the party line from the parents of the students who've done reasonably well at TC Williams. If your kid isn't a star, and you worry about the distinct possibility that he or she might fall through the cracks there, they'll characterize your child as "needing special assistance and monitoring." It sounds more clinical than "average kids get the short end of the stick."

[Anonymous]

They don't have the ability to monitor each student closely -- I agree. Parents can go online and see grades whenever they want, but if your child is getting a B, the teachers might not see that as a problem. I would think that in a smaller school, a B student (particularly if the parents are paying the bucks) might get more attention. Phrase it as you will (short end of the stick, whatever) but the reality is that self-motivated kids can be highly challenged at TC, and students who aren't self-motivated (or who lack self-confidence) can get lost. This is the advice that was given to us when DC was in 8th grade at a private K-8 and we were considering what to do. I guess it's become "the party line" because there is some truth to it. If you're looking for a school where teachers can focus on bringing out the best in "average" students, I don't think I'd pick TC. Then again, I wouldn't pick Sidwell or GDS either. I might pick a smaller, more nurturing private school.