Walt Whitman vs walter johnson

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I was specifically looking for mental health issues at WJ if they are similar to Whitman? None of these responses have been helpful. I know the test scores and not really care about the differences in them in regards to test scores.

You should have drawn an inference from the PP at WJ who suggested WJ kids need to take 12-14 AP courses to attend a good university.

[Anonymous]

WJ was very accepting to my HFA special ed kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I was specifically looking for mental health issues at WJ if they are similar to Whitman? None of these responses have been helpful. I know the test scores and not really care about the differences in them in regards to test scores.

You should have drawn an inference from the PP at WJ who suggested WJ kids need to take 12-14 AP courses to attend a good university.

And you think somehow they can take fewer AP courses at Whitman and sail right into Harvard? What a stupid inference that would be. WJ kids are competitive with Whitman kids for top colleges -- and I assume you understand that college admissions overall are extraordinarily competitive these days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I was specifically looking for mental health issues at WJ if they are similar to Whitman? None of these responses have been helpful. I know the test scores and not really care about the differences in them in regards to test scores.

Mental health issues are worst at Whitman and Wootton then Churchill and least WJ.
WJ is the "saner" W school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I was specifically looking for mental health issues at WJ if they are similar to Whitman? None of these responses have been helpful. I know the test scores and not really care about the differences in them in regards to test scores.

Mental health issues are worst at Whitman and Wootton then Churchill and least WJ.
WJ is the "saner" W school

NP here. Are you talking about issues due to academic pressures, social pressures, or something else? Do you know enough to place BCC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I was specifically looking for mental health issues at WJ if they are similar to Whitman? None of these responses have been helpful. I know the test scores and not really care about the differences in them in regards to test scores.

Mental health issues are worst at Whitman and Wootton then Churchill and least WJ.
WJ is the "saner" W school

NP here. Are you talking about issues due to academic pressures, social pressures, or something else? Do you know enough to place BCC?

Honestly who could possibly know enough to accurately describe each of these schools. My kid went to one of these and I'd be hesitant to say I can accurately characterize their school much less 5 others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I was specifically looking for mental health issues at WJ if they are similar to Whitman? None of these responses have been helpful. I know the test scores and not really care about the differences in them in regards to test scores.

You should have drawn an inference from the PP at WJ who suggested WJ kids need to take 12-14 AP courses to attend a good university.

And you think somehow they can take fewer AP courses at Whitman and sail right into Harvard? What a stupid inference that would be. WJ kids are competitive with Whitman kids for top colleges -- and I assume you understand that college admissions overall are extraordinarily competitive these days.

I don’t think that was their point. Pp was suggesting WJ is similarly cut throat if that’s the norm. That said, I have a good student at WJ who is on track for about 8 APs. I wouldn’t say 12-14 is the norm, unless a contender for Ivys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would check the school profiles. There's a huge difference between the two schools if you want your kid to go to college.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04427.pdf

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04424.pdf

WJ -
% of Students Meeting University System of Maryland Entrance Requirements = 67.1%
School average SAT: 1234
% of Graduates Scoring 3 or Higher on AP Test or Scoring 4 or Higher on IB Test: 70.8

Whitman -
% of Students Meeting University System of Maryland Entrance Requirements = 81.4%
School average SAT: 1339
% of Graduates Scoring 3 or Higher on AP Test or Scoring 4 or Higher on IB Test: 84.0

I prefer to use the data the county released by high school sorted by demographic cohort. This makes it easier to factor in SES differences and get a sense of how these schools really stack up.

For the largest cohort common to these two schools, Whitman has an average of 1299 vs WJ which had 1275. Basically, both are fine schools and it's just a matter of splitting hairs.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/reports/2017/1771102HS%20Princ_SAT%20Partic_Perf%20Class%20of%202017.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I was specifically looking for mental health issues at WJ if they are similar to Whitman? None of these responses have been helpful. I know the test scores and not really care about the differences in them in regards to test scores.

You should have drawn an inference from the PP at WJ who suggested WJ kids need to take 12-14 AP courses to attend a good university.

And you think somehow they can take fewer AP courses at Whitman and sail right into Harvard? What a stupid inference that would be. WJ kids are competitive with Whitman kids for top colleges -- and I assume you understand that college admissions overall are extraordinarily competitive these days.

I don’t think that was their point. Pp was suggesting WJ is similarly cut throat if that’s the norm. That said, I have a good student at WJ who is on track for about 8 APs. I wouldn’t say 12-14 is the norm, unless a contender for Ivys.

I agree and I have kids at WJ. 12-14 is not the norm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I was specifically looking for mental health issues at WJ if they are similar to Whitman? None of these responses have been helpful. I know the test scores and not really care about the differences in them in regards to test scores.

You're not smart enough to read between the lines. The highest achieving school, on paper, in terms of grades - Whitman - probably has the biggest stressors, most suicides / accidental overdoses and outsourcing for therapists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I was specifically looking for mental health issues at WJ if they are similar to Whitman? None of these responses have been helpful. I know the test scores and not really care about the differences in them in regards to test scores.

You should have drawn an inference from the PP at WJ who suggested WJ kids need to take 12-14 AP courses to attend a good university.

And you think somehow they can take fewer AP courses at Whitman and sail right into Harvard? What a stupid inference that would be. WJ kids are competitive with Whitman kids for top colleges -- and I assume you understand that college admissions overall are extraordinarily competitive these days.

I don’t think that was their point. Pp was suggesting WJ is similarly cut throat if that’s the norm. That said, I have a good student at WJ who is on track for about 8 APs. I wouldn’t say 12-14 is the norm, unless a contender for Ivys.

I agree and I have kids at WJ. 12-14 is not the norm.

+1. It’s not necessary to have 12-14 APs. That’s insane actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I was specifically looking for mental health issues at WJ if they are similar to Whitman? None of these responses have been helpful. I know the test scores and not really care about the differences in them in regards to test scores.

You're not smart enough to read between the lines. The highest achieving school, on paper, in terms of grades - Whitman - probably has the biggest stressors, most suicides / accidental overdoses and outsourcing for therapists.

Do you have data to support that? Google WJ and suicide. There are kids with mental health issues at both. It’s important to differentiate between the issues of the kid and the issues of the school.

My DC went to Whitman and was one of those for whom it was a great fit and not high stress, despite taking a lot of AP classes. I’m sure he would have done fine at WJ too.

OP you may want to talk to the guidance counselors at each school to get a sense of the fit for your child’s particular mental health challenges. I’m sure they’ve seen similar kids before and can provide some perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I think a kid with mental health challenges is going to have those no matter which school they are at. You can't insulate a kid by switching schools. I have three kids total, one who graduated from WJ, one at a magnet HS, and one entering WJ from a magnet MS.

We really like WJ, and think it's overall a happy school, but in our personal experience, we believe our two younger kids who have had mental health challenges would have had them regardless of the school. We have friends with kids in Whitman -- some of them have struggled and some of them have thrived and sailed right through. I believe from knowing the kids that the issues would have been the same irrespective of the school.

If you're concerned enough about your kid to consider moving schools, what other proactive steps have you taken? Is your child in therapy? Have they seen a psychiatrist or psychologist for an evaluation? If you have concerns, you should probably get a full neuropsychological examination and determine a) what your child's challenges are; b) whether medications are appropriate; c) what forms of therapy are appropriate; and d) whether your child needs accommodations in school (which are available for anxiety/depression, not just ADHD or learning disabilities).

You're looking for an answer from this board that I don't think you're going to find, because the answer is about your individual child and their needs, not about whether a particular high school will help them avoid mental health struggles.

Great post. It would make no sense to sell your house and move to a different Bethesda area school to avoid pressure. Just pay close attention to your kid and give them the resources they need. My kids all had a happy, engaged time at Whitman, as did most of their friends at both Whitman and WJ. But we know plenty of kids who have struggled at both and at all other area schools. Each kid and situation is different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I was specifically looking for mental health issues at WJ if they are similar to Whitman? None of these responses have been helpful. I know the test scores and not really care about the differences in them in regards to test scores.

You should have drawn an inference from the PP at WJ who suggested WJ kids need to take 12-14 AP courses to attend a good university.

And you think somehow they can take fewer AP courses at Whitman and sail right into Harvard? What a stupid inference that would be. WJ kids are competitive with Whitman kids for top colleges -- and I assume you understand that college admissions overall are extraordinarily competitive these days.

I don’t think that was their point. Pp was suggesting WJ is similarly cut throat if that’s the norm. That said, I have a good student at WJ who is on track for about 8 APs. I wouldn’t say 12-14 is the norm, unless a contender for Ivys.

I agree and I have kids at WJ. 12-14 is not the norm.

+1. It’s not necessary to have 12-14 APs. That’s insane actually.

It depends what you mean by ¨norm¨ The Apex (signature academic) program requires 9 AP classes as the minimum. [Program changed for class of 24 and on for those who had kids in the old program]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I was specifically looking for mental health issues at WJ if they are similar to Whitman? None of these responses have been helpful. I know the test scores and not really care about the differences in them in regards to test scores.

You should have drawn an inference from the PP at WJ who suggested WJ kids need to take 12-14 AP courses to attend a good university.

And you think somehow they can take fewer AP courses at Whitman and sail right into Harvard? What a stupid inference that would be. WJ kids are competitive with Whitman kids for top colleges -- and I assume you understand that college admissions overall are extraordinarily competitive these days.

I don’t think that was their point. Pp was suggesting WJ is similarly cut throat if that’s the norm. That said, I have a good student at WJ who is on track for about 8 APs. I wouldn’t say 12-14 is the norm, unless a contender for Ivys.

I agree and I have kids at WJ. 12-14 is not the norm.

+1. It’s not necessary to have 12-14 APs. That’s insane actually.

It depends what you mean by ¨norm¨ The Apex (signature academic) program requires 9 AP classes as the minimum. [Program changed for class of 24 and on for those who had kids in the old program]

Only on DCUM would a "signature academic program" be considered a "norm". It's for the top kids.