Top Tier Boarding school vs. TJ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One prep school thing to do is row crew. What does TJ have? An excellent crew roster. Another prep school thing? Tennis. What does TJ have? The best tennis players in the state. Golf? Same. How about Model UN? Possibly the best HS Model UN in the country. Percentage of NMSF is highest in the country. Most of the kids get gold medals on national language exams. Plus they are all good at science and math - and some are well beyond that. Not a bad place and not all kids there are unusual except in their intelligence. There are a lot of nice, polite, typically acting and looking kids who would do great anywhere.

Keep telling yourself it's the same (or equivalent). You can post all day, but that doesn't make it true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One prep school thing to do is row crew. What does TJ have? An excellent crew roster. Another prep school thing? Tennis. What does TJ have? The best tennis players in the state. Golf? Same. How about Model UN? Possibly the best HS Model UN in the country. Percentage of NMSF is highest in the country. Most of the kids get gold medals on national language exams. Plus they are all good at science and math - and some are well beyond that. Not a bad place and not all kids there are unusual except in their intelligence. There are a lot of nice, polite, typically acting and looking kids who would do great anywhere.

TJ's swim team is very good, Quizbowl team placed second nationally and has very strong debate teams that regularly beat top private teams in DC area tournaments. They win the most scholastic writing awards from the area as well.

I used to work for an organization that put on a quiz bowl yoke thing for HS students. The TJ kids were soooo arrogant.

Of course these were the Quiz bowl type kids ....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"WTF is St. Paul's? Never heard of it."

Google is your friend. Also re boarding school, if you don't get it, you don't get it.

Ok so it's a BS. But why is it in the same sentence as Exeter? I went to HYP and know many people from Exeter, Choate, PA, etc. Never heard of St. Paul's before that post. Reminds me of the ridiculous UMD vs Stanford post.

Then, clearly you were not in Cottage, Skull and Bones or the Porcellian club b/c that's where the St. Paul's kids are likely to be found at P, Y, or H. It's a very good school but with the reputation of being the school for the bluest of blue bloods.

The top boarding schools are usually referred to by the acronym HADES = Hotchkiss, Andover, Deerfield, Exeter, St. Paul's.

No I was not. When I googled it I first saw some school in Baltimore. That's why I compared to UMD. Moral: don't google when the baby wakes you up at 4am.

Anyway, still didn't know anyone who went there. Smaller school? More humble alum who don't go around blabbing about their BS experience?

[Anonymous]

Wow. If there is one thing I have gotten out of this thread, it is that moving heaven and Earth to get my kids into excellent publics was so worth it. The type of snobbish, judgey, look down your nose and insult other people, mean girl (even if I'm a guy), who you are matters more than the kind of person you are attitude is exactly what I do not want kids exposed to at private.

And for the record, I see a lot of people defending TJ by saying that it is a strong school with smart kids with resorting to being nasty about BS. But several people in the BS crew seem intent on making nasty, snippy remarks that disparage TJ kids. They seem to think putting down somebody else's kid or school somehow makes your own kid or school better. It doesn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One prep school thing to do is row crew. What does TJ have? An excellent crew roster. Another prep school thing? Tennis. What does TJ have? The best tennis players in the state. Golf? Same. How about Model UN? Possibly the best HS Model UN in the country. Percentage of NMSF is highest in the country. Most of the kids get gold medals on national language exams. Plus they are all good at science and math - and some are well beyond that. Not a bad place and not all kids there are unusual except in their intelligence. There are a lot of nice, polite, typically acting and looking kids who would do great anywhere.

TJ's swim team is very good, Quizbowl team placed second nationally and has very strong debate teams that regularly beat top private teams in DC area tournaments. They win the most scholastic writing awards from the area as well.

I used to work for an organization that put on a quiz bowl yoke thing for HS students. The TJ kids were soooo arrogant.

Took after their parents... Just look at this thread.

[Anonymous]

Kind of seems like the BS crowd is more arrogant. Most TJ posts seem to be providing info about TJ so that OP who is trying to decide between TJ (or something like it) and BS can have information.

As to other questions, one of our DC chose TJ over Big 3 privates. (DC's choice, not the parents, but it has been fine). This happens a lot... It may not happen so much that students already at Big 3 leave for TJ, but a lot of FCPS AAP students apply to TJ and privates, and anecdotally the admit rate is high - every kid I know (dozens) got in to Big 3 from FCPS AAP. Probably helps to come from public in the HS admissions process.

As to BS, kids do leave TJ for places like HADES for 10th and 11th grade. Not many but some.

And parents do have kids in both BS and TJ, believe it not.

[Anonymous]

Some people choose Tj over private because they are saving for college. Try paying for an ivy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some people choose Tj over private because they are saving for college. Try paying for an ivy

I don't think too many BS families worry about that. Different league.

[Anonymous]

Top BS vs TJ are very different. The upper classes are not accepting new members as easily as the myth woul lead you to believe. But TJ does offer mainly middle class students a chance to shine in a very competitive world. And there are a few students there who will make it to the top. As far as admissions to college it does open many doors. But the teachers at TJ are not in the same LEAGUE as a top BS. that is changing as some of the dead wood is being retired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"WTF is St. Paul's? Never heard of it."

Google is your friend. Also re boarding school, if you don't get it, you don't get it.

Ok so it's a BS. But why is it in the same sentence as Exeter? I went to HYP and know many people from Exeter, Choate, PA, etc. Never heard of St. Paul's before that post. Reminds me of the ridiculous UMD vs Stanford post.

Then, clearly you were not in Cottage, Skull and Bones or the Porcellian club b/c that's where the St. Paul's kids are likely to be found at P, Y, or H. It's a very good school but with the reputation of being the school for the bluest of blue bloods.

The top boarding schools are usually referred to by the acronym HADES = Hotchkiss, Andover, Deerfield, Exeter, St. Paul's.

No I was not. When I googled it I first saw some school in Baltimore. That's why I compared to UMD. Moral: don't google when the baby wakes you up at 4am.

Anyway, still didn't know anyone who went there. Smaller school? More humble alum who don't go around blabbing about their BS experience?

I know generations of people that went to SPS from attending an Ivy. During the 70-80s one to the top feeders for HPY--current day top feeder for HPY. Not sure how it was possible for you not to meet any graduates.

[Anonymous]

I would do TJ in a heartbeat for free over 50+k per year for boarding school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"WTF is St. Paul's? Never heard of it."

Google is your friend. Also re boarding school, if you don't get it, you don't get it.

Ok so it's a BS. But why is it in the same sentence as Exeter? I went to HYP and know many people from Exeter, Choate, PA, etc. Never heard of St. Paul's before that post. Reminds me of the ridiculous UMD vs Stanford post.

It's hard to take seriously the opinion of someone claiming to be well informed about private schools who hasn't heard of St Pauls. Guess your kid wasn't invited to apply for the summer program after junior year?

[Anonymous]

Depends on whether you want your kid to be where the rich kids are or the smart kids are. And whether you want your kid to be where you are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One prep school thing to do is row crew. What does TJ have? An excellent crew roster. Another prep school thing? Tennis. What does TJ have? The best tennis players in the state. Golf? Same. How about Model UN? Possibly the best HS Model UN in the country. Percentage of NMSF is highest in the country. Most of the kids get gold medals on national language exams. Plus they are all good at science and math - and some are well beyond that. Not a bad place and not all kids there are unusual except in their intelligence. There are a lot of nice, polite, typically acting and looking kids who would do great anywhere.

TJ's swim team is very good, Quizbowl team placed second nationally and has very strong debate teams that regularly beat top private teams in DC area tournaments. They win the most scholastic writing awards from the area as well.

I used to work for an organization that put on a quiz bowl yoke thing for HS students. The TJ kids were soooo arrogant.

They have the best quizbowl team in the country if you look at their record for the past 20 years. Why are private/BS not very good at quizbowls? They are likely to do well since 60-70% of the questions cover literature, arts, music, history etc. Only about 20-25% cover science & math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One prep school thing to do is row crew. What does TJ have? An excellent crew roster. Another prep school thing? Tennis. What does TJ have? The best tennis players in the state. Golf? Same. How about Model UN? Possibly the best HS Model UN in the country. Percentage of NMSF is highest in the country. Most of the kids get gold medals on national language exams. Plus they are all good at science and math - and some are well beyond that. Not a bad place and not all kids there are unusual except in their intelligence. There are a lot of nice, polite, typically acting and looking kids who would do great anywhere.

TJ's swim team is very good, Quizbowl team placed second nationally and has very strong debate teams that regularly beat top private teams in DC area tournaments. They win the most scholastic writing awards from the area as well.

I used to work for an organization that put on a quiz bowl yoke thing for HS students. The TJ kids were soooo arrogant.

They have the best quizbowl team in the country if you look at their record for the past 20 years. Why are private/BS not very good at quizbowls? They are likely to do well since 60-70% of the questions cover literature, arts, music, history etc. Only about 20-25% cover science & math.

I think you missed PP's point.