Is Blair SMAC ok for non-stem kid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Blair mom of artsy kid here. Don't listen to the knee jerk "No" people. They are likely fishing for your spot! This really depends on your kid.

My kid was more of an RM kid. She did go to TPMS magnet over Eastern because it was closer and she wanted to give STEM a go. She came out loving math, not super keen on science and so-so on CS. Also, still loving literature, theatre, history, film and music. In the end w/ HS, she decided that the RM commute would be too much and chose Blair. At Blair, there are a certain number of STEM classes needed for the magnet in addition to what a kid would normally take. 2 years of CS, which can open the door for interesting classes design based elective classes, R&E which is like physics meets shop, a few extra science classes, and the same amount of math as normal (because everyone takes 4 years anyway) unless you want extra, and a research class or two, depending on if your kid does the sr. project. There are some interesting electives -- marine biology, optics, race/gender in STEM, etc. My kid was meh about science and got really turned off on CS by a student teacher (who is now at PHS I think, hope he mellowed a bit!) but loved math. She did mostly math electives to finish out her magnet requirements and did not do the project. She is at an Ivy doing a blend of math, arts and music.

The Blair magnet day has an extra period, so kids can take electives. Mine was able to take music and arts most years. Also AP history electives. Almost all the AP teachers my kid had were good. I would say half the day is STEM, but 1/4 of that would have been required/recommended classes anyway.

So, if you think your kid might blossom in that kind of setting, give it a go! I suggest going to the open house and asking LOTS of questions before deciding either way. Congrats on the admit, and good luck!

Totally agree. The newspaper is run mostly by CAP and Stem kids. Same with Debate. You can join ANY club you want. Lots of stem kids play a sport or do music. There is room for everyone. I agree NOT to listen to the distractors that want yours kids spot. We thought mine would choose RMIB, but they liked Blair better overall. It’s a great school. The program wants diversity NOT just the top Math kids. Many top math kids got rejected. You should give it a go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a child who had to choose between Blair SMAC and CAP a couple of years ago. They were about as “non-STEM” as you could get. They chose CAP and I think that was the right decision, despite everyone on this board saying you’ve got to be an idiot to pass up a SMAC spot and they would never amount to anything if they chose CAP.

How did they even get picked? Probably high cogat scores, great recommendations from MS science and math teachers, maybe the magnet wanted to round out their program. They’ve taken AP math and science classes while at CAP and found them very fast paced and did not enjoy the classes. So I’m glad they didn’t do SMAC.

You know your kid better than the magnet coordinators who selected your kid. We think ours made the right decision. I guess you could always send your kid to SMAC and let them go back to their home school if that doesn’t work out, but a lot of kids have a hard time with that decision/adjustment afterwards. Again, you know your kid and should make the decision based on their interests and abilities, not what DCUM says on this forum.

DC also considering CAP over SMAC. How has the CAP experience been?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blair mom of artsy kid here. Don't listen to the knee jerk "No" people. They are likely fishing for your spot! This really depends on your kid.

My kid was more of an RM kid. She did go to TPMS magnet over Eastern because it was closer and she wanted to give STEM a go. She came out loving math, not super keen on science and so-so on CS. Also, still loving literature, theatre, history, film and music. In the end w/ HS, she decided that the RM commute would be too much and chose Blair. At Blair, there are a certain number of STEM classes needed for the magnet in addition to what a kid would normally take. 2 years of CS, which can open the door for interesting classes design based elective classes, R&E which is like physics meets shop, a few extra science classes, and the same amount of math as normal (because everyone takes 4 years anyway) unless you want extra, and a research class or two, depending on if your kid does the sr. project. There are some interesting electives -- marine biology, optics, race/gender in STEM, etc. My kid was meh about science and got really turned off on CS by a student teacher (who is now at PHS I think, hope he mellowed a bit!) but loved math. She did mostly math electives to finish out her magnet requirements and did not do the project. She is at an Ivy doing a blend of math, arts and music.

The Blair magnet day has an extra period, so kids can take electives. Mine was able to take music and arts most years. Also AP history electives. Almost all the AP teachers my kid had were good. I would say half the day is STEM, but 1/4 of that would have been required/recommended classes anyway.

So, if you think your kid might blossom in that kind of setting, give it a go! I suggest going to the open house and asking LOTS of questions before deciding either way. Congrats on the admit, and good luck!

Totally agree. The newspaper is run mostly by CAP and Stem kids. Same with Debate. You can join ANY club you want. Lots of stem kids play a sport or do music. There is room for everyone. I agree NOT to listen to the distractors that want yours kids spot. We thought mine would choose RMIB, but they liked Blair better overall. It’s a great school. The program wants diversity NOT just the top Math kids. Many top math kids got rejected. You should give it a go.

Excuse me, for your last sentence, that's not the case at least for this year's selection. My kid was in math competition in early elementary, does it very well, attending various levels of math contest (AMC series, AIME, mathcounts, math league, arml, UMD math contest, etc.), and got to know math-strong kids over the county. So far we haven't heard any rejection from Blair SMACS to these kids. They are all in. As a matter of fact, nearly all TPMS math varsity team kids are in. Totaling the numbers up, it's 40+ strongly math/STEM oriented kids already that are very likely accepting Blair's offer. I'm not saying that Blair SMACS are not for math/STEM kids, but considering you have at least 40 kids ahead of your kid (assuming OP's kid was not exposed to math competitions previously), it's brutal from the very beginning. Be prepared.

Chances are OP's kid could open a new door and find himself/herself is actually interested or talented or both in STEM field after joining the program. However, if that's not the case, it's cruel to the kid. It's a gamble at this point and I'd say listen to the kid's own opinion.

[Anonymous]

OP, The math team/science bowl group at Blair is only one group. Don't let people give you the impression that the students are one-dimensional. There are a lot of brilliant hardcore math kids in the program but there are also kids who happen to be talented but like to spend their free time doing other things.

It's not a contest like PP described. What do you mean 40 kids "ahead"? There are several different magnet math tracks and kids have success in all of them including the slower one.

You don't need to be exposed to or interested in math competitions to do well there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blair mom of artsy kid here. Don't listen to the knee jerk "No" people. They are likely fishing for your spot! This really depends on your kid.

My kid was more of an RM kid. She did go to TPMS magnet over Eastern because it was closer and she wanted to give STEM a go. She came out loving math, not super keen on science and so-so on CS. Also, still loving literature, theatre, history, film and music. In the end w/ HS, she decided that the RM commute would be too much and chose Blair. At Blair, there are a certain number of STEM classes needed for the magnet in addition to what a kid would normally take. 2 years of CS, which can open the door for interesting classes design based elective classes, R&E which is like physics meets shop, a few extra science classes, and the same amount of math as normal (because everyone takes 4 years anyway) unless you want extra, and a research class or two, depending on if your kid does the sr. project. There are some interesting electives -- marine biology, optics, race/gender in STEM, etc. My kid was meh about science and got really turned off on CS by a student teacher (who is now at PHS I think, hope he mellowed a bit!) but loved math. She did mostly math electives to finish out her magnet requirements and did not do the project. She is at an Ivy doing a blend of math, arts and music.

The Blair magnet day has an extra period, so kids can take electives. Mine was able to take music and arts most years. Also AP history electives. Almost all the AP teachers my kid had were good. I would say half the day is STEM, but 1/4 of that would have been required/recommended classes anyway.

So, if you think your kid might blossom in that kind of setting, give it a go! I suggest going to the open house and asking LOTS of questions before deciding either way. Congrats on the admit, and good luck!

Totally agree. The newspaper is run mostly by CAP and Stem kids. Same with Debate. You can join ANY club you want. Lots of stem kids play a sport or do music. There is room for everyone. I agree NOT to listen to the distractors that want yours kids spot. We thought mine would choose RMIB, but they liked Blair better overall. It’s a great school. The program wants diversity NOT just the top Math kids. Many top math kids got rejected. You should give it a go.

Excuse me, for your last sentence, that's not the case at least for this year's selection. My kid was in math competition in early elementary, does it very well, attending various levels of math contest (AMC series, AIME, mathcounts, math league, arml, UMD math contest, etc.), and got to know math-strong kids over the county. So far we haven't heard any rejection from Blair SMACS to these kids. They are all in. As a matter of fact, nearly all TPMS math varsity team kids are in. Totaling the numbers up, it's 40+ strongly math/STEM oriented kids already that are very likely accepting Blair's offer. I'm not saying that Blair SMACS are not for math/STEM kids, but considering you have at least 40 kids ahead of your kid (assuming OP's kid was not exposed to math competitions previously), it's brutal from the very beginning. Be prepared.

Chances are OP's kid could open a new door and find himself/herself is actually interested or talented or both in STEM field after joining the program. However, if that's not the case, it's cruel to the kid. It's a gamble at this point and I'd say listen to the kid's own opinion.

Ive had 2 go through Blair’s Stem magnet, and I think the person should let their kid go to. It’s a great program. You do not have to take all the high high math come 11/12, they could concentrate on science for example. They are qualified enough to get in, so they should try. We were very happy with the English and Social studies there too. And there is a reason Blair always blows away the other schools in NMSF, even though English is more important in that test, because the people going are in fact, very well rounded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, The math team/science bowl group at Blair is only one group. Don't let people give you the impression that the students are one-dimensional. There are a lot of brilliant hardcore math kids in the program but there are also kids who happen to be talented but like to spend their free time doing other things.

It's not a contest like PP described. What do you mean 40 kids "ahead"? There are several different magnet math tracks and kids have success in all of them including the slower one.

You don't need to be exposed to or interested in math competitions to do well there.

I'm the pp above. True that there are a ton of clubs/teams, and you don't necessarily need to stick to math/science team. But the whole environment is very competitive and contest oriented in a lot cases. I'd describe it as positive competitive, as I've constantly seen kids encourage each other and sharing information to boost everyone up, instead of hiding and treating one another as enemies. That's what I like about the program. But if the kid is not a competitive type, or quiet, likely the kid would feel alone or stressed.

Check out their newsletter and magnet websites. You can easily get a good feeling of the "competitive environment".

[Anonymous]

None of my kids were even on the math team, and yes, straight A function kids. Lots don’t do math team. There are science clubs, computer clubs, robotics, debate , crew, dancing, theater, etc…. Just because you are good at something doesn’t mean you have to be on the team. More kids are NOT on the math team or science bowl than are on it. We found blair to be very collaborative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blair mom of artsy kid here. Don't listen to the knee jerk "No" people. They are likely fishing for your spot! This really depends on your kid.

My kid was more of an RM kid. She did go to TPMS magnet over Eastern because it was closer and she wanted to give STEM a go. She came out loving math, not super keen on science and so-so on CS. Also, still loving literature, theatre, history, film and music. In the end w/ HS, she decided that the RM commute would be too much and chose Blair. At Blair, there are a certain number of STEM classes needed for the magnet in addition to what a kid would normally take. 2 years of CS, which can open the door for interesting classes design based elective classes, R&E which is like physics meets shop, a few extra science classes, and the same amount of math as normal (because everyone takes 4 years anyway) unless you want extra, and a research class or two, depending on if your kid does the sr. project. There are some interesting electives -- marine biology, optics, race/gender in STEM, etc. My kid was meh about science and got really turned off on CS by a student teacher (who is now at PHS I think, hope he mellowed a bit!) but loved math. She did mostly math electives to finish out her magnet requirements and did not do the project. She is at an Ivy doing a blend of math, arts and music.

The Blair magnet day has an extra period, so kids can take electives. Mine was able to take music and arts most years. Also AP history electives. Almost all the AP teachers my kid had were good. I would say half the day is STEM, but 1/4 of that would have been required/recommended classes anyway.

So, if you think your kid might blossom in that kind of setting, give it a go! I suggest going to the open house and asking LOTS of questions before deciding either way. Congrats on the admit, and good luck!

Totally agree. The newspaper is run mostly by CAP and Stem kids. Same with Debate. You can join ANY club you want. Lots of stem kids play a sport or do music. There is room for everyone. I agree NOT to listen to the distractors that want yours kids spot. We thought mine would choose RMIB, but they liked Blair better overall. It’s a great school. The program wants diversity NOT just the top Math kids. Many top math kids got rejected. You should give it a go.

Excuse me, for your last sentence, that's not the case at least for this year's selection. My kid was in math competition in early elementary, does it very well, attending various levels of math contest (AMC series, AIME, mathcounts, math league, arml, UMD math contest, etc.), and got to know math-strong kids over the county. So far we haven't heard any rejection from Blair SMACS to these kids. They are all in. As a matter of fact, nearly all TPMS math varsity team kids are in. Totaling the numbers up, it's 40+ strongly math/STEM oriented kids already that are very likely accepting Blair's offer. I'm not saying that Blair SMACS are not for math/STEM kids, but considering you have at least 40 kids ahead of your kid (assuming OP's kid was not exposed to math competitions previously), it's brutal from the very beginning. Be prepared.

Chances are OP's kid could open a new door and find himself/herself is actually interested or talented or both in STEM field after joining the program.
However, if that's not the case, it's cruel to the kid. It's a gamble at this point and I'd say listen to the kid's own opinion.

I’m pretty certain this poster just had a child get into Blair, and has no first hand knowledge. The 40+ thing is crazy. Blair is a great school and program and has lots to offer. If your child got it, and you as a family like it, then go for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone is going to tell you your kid won’t like it do theirs gets in. No one wants to go to RM right now. Don’t buy it. If your kid was strong enough to get in, go!

I’m PP and have a junior in the program. Just speaking from experience with two DCs having been in magnets. DC is a total math kid and loves Blair, but it really is consuming. Just saying that a magnet for magnet’s sake, especially a pretty hard-core one like this, isn’t always the best path for a smart kid interested in different things and the opportunity for rigor is there without it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blair mom of artsy kid here. Don't listen to the knee jerk "No" people. They are likely fishing for your spot! This really depends on your kid.

My kid was more of an RM kid. She did go to TPMS magnet over Eastern because it was closer and she wanted to give STEM a go. She came out loving math, not super keen on science and so-so on CS. Also, still loving literature, theatre, history, film and music. In the end w/ HS, she decided that the RM commute would be too much and chose Blair. At Blair, there are a certain number of STEM classes needed for the magnet in addition to what a kid would normally take. 2 years of CS, which can open the door for interesting classes design based elective classes, R&E which is like physics meets shop, a few extra science classes, and the same amount of math as normal (because everyone takes 4 years anyway) unless you want extra, and a research class or two, depending on if your kid does the sr. project. There are some interesting electives -- marine biology, optics, race/gender in STEM, etc. My kid was meh about science and got really turned off on CS by a student teacher (who is now at PHS I think, hope he mellowed a bit!) but loved math. She did mostly math electives to finish out her magnet requirements and did not do the project. She is at an Ivy doing a blend of math, arts and music.

The Blair magnet day has an extra period, so kids can take electives. Mine was able to take music and arts most years. Also AP history electives. Almost all the AP teachers my kid had were good. I would say half the day is STEM, but 1/4 of that would have been required/recommended classes anyway.

So, if you think your kid might blossom in that kind of setting, give it a go! I suggest going to the open house and asking LOTS of questions before deciding either way. Congrats on the admit, and good luck!

Totally agree. The newspaper is run mostly by CAP and Stem kids. Same with Debate. You can join ANY club you want. Lots of stem kids play a sport or do music. There is room for everyone. I agree NOT to listen to the distractors that want yours kids spot. We thought mine would choose RMIB, but they liked Blair better overall. It’s a great school. The program wants diversity NOT just the top Math kids. Many top math kids got rejected. You should give it a go.

Excuse me, for your last sentence, that's not the case at least for this year's selection. My kid was in math competition in early elementary, does it very well, attending various levels of math contest (AMC series, AIME, mathcounts, math league, arml, UMD math contest, etc.), and got to know math-strong kids over the county. So far we haven't heard any rejection from Blair SMACS to these kids. They are all in. As a matter of fact, nearly all TPMS math varsity team kids are in. Totaling the numbers up, it's 40+ strongly math/STEM oriented kids already that are very likely accepting Blair's offer. I'm not saying that Blair SMACS are not for math/STEM kids, but considering you have at least 40 kids ahead of your kid (assuming OP's kid was not exposed to math competitions previously), it's brutal from the very beginning. Be prepared.

Chances are OP's kid could open a new door and find himself/herself is actually interested or talented or both in STEM field after joining the program.
However, if that's not the case, it's cruel to the kid. It's a gamble at this point and I'd say listen to the kid's own opinion.

I’m pretty certain this poster just had a child get into Blair, and has no first hand knowledge. The 40+ thing is crazy. Blair is a great school and program and has lots to offer. If your child got it, and you as a family like it, then go for it.

I've heard it said in years past that about half of the Blair SMCS kids were at TPMS. This may also be true because kids already in a magnet may be more likely to accept an offer. There will be a lot of waitlist movement before the dust settles.

[Anonymous]

Pushing SMAC kid to IB is one thing but I wouldn't do it the other way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pushing SMAC kid to IB is one thing but I wouldn't do it the other way.

But what's an IB kid exactly? My DD loves math and science, but definitely enjoys history and explicitly says she wants to be a good writer. She is in at Blair SMAC but not at RMIB. Will she come out of SMAC being a strong writer and still enjoying history because those classes are still engaging and rigorous?

[Anonymous]

We found the English & social studies at Blair to be very very good. My 2 enjoyed the whole ‘package’.

[Anonymous]

NP. I don't think that's the worry people were expressing. Blair has excellent English and history classes. I think they think that if you're not a STEM kid your child will struggle in the magnet STEM classes.

IMO if your child got in they will be fine as long as they enjoy the subject as your child does. If you go in disliking STEM that's a different problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blair mom of artsy kid here. Don't listen to the knee jerk "No" people. They are likely fishing for your spot! This really depends on your kid.

My kid was more of an RM kid. She did go to TPMS magnet over Eastern because it was closer and she wanted to give STEM a go. She came out loving math, not super keen on science and so-so on CS. Also, still loving literature, theatre, history, film and music. In the end w/ HS, she decided that the RM commute would be too much and chose Blair. At Blair, there are a certain number of STEM classes needed for the magnet in addition to what a kid would normally take. 2 years of CS, which can open the door for interesting classes design based elective classes, R&E which is like physics meets shop, a few extra science classes, and the same amount of math as normal (because everyone takes 4 years anyway) unless you want extra, and a research class or two, depending on if your kid does the sr. project. There are some interesting electives -- marine biology, optics, race/gender in STEM, etc. My kid was meh about science and got really turned off on CS by a student teacher (who is now at PHS I think, hope he mellowed a bit!) but loved math. She did mostly math electives to finish out her magnet requirements and did not do the project. She is at an Ivy doing a blend of math, arts and music.

The Blair magnet day has an extra period, so kids can take electives. Mine was able to take music and arts most years. Also AP history electives. Almost all the AP teachers my kid had were good. I would say half the day is STEM, but 1/4 of that would have been required/recommended classes anyway.

So, if you think your kid might blossom in that kind of setting, give it a go! I suggest going to the open house and asking LOTS of questions before deciding either way. Congrats on the admit, and good luck!

Totally agree. The newspaper is run mostly by CAP and Stem kids. Same with Debate. You can join ANY club you want. Lots of stem kids play a sport or do music. There is room for everyone. I agree NOT to listen to the distractors that want yours kids spot. We thought mine would choose RMIB, but they liked Blair better overall. It’s a great school. The program wants diversity NOT just the top Math kids. Many top math kids got rejected. You should give it a go.

Excuse me, for your last sentence, that's not the case at least for this year's selection. My kid was in math competition in early elementary, does it very well, attending various levels of math contest (AMC series, AIME, mathcounts, math league, arml, UMD math contest, etc.), and got to know math-strong kids over the county. So far we haven't heard any rejection from Blair SMACS to these kids. They are all in. As a matter of fact, nearly all TPMS math varsity team kids are in. Totaling the numbers up, it's 40+ strongly math/STEM oriented kids already that are very likely accepting Blair's offer. I'm not saying that Blair SMACS are not for math/STEM kids, but considering you have at least 40 kids ahead of your kid (assuming OP's kid was not exposed to math competitions previously), it's brutal from the very beginning. Be prepared.

Chances are OP's kid could open a new door and find himself/herself is actually interested or talented or both in STEM field after joining the program. However, if that's not the case, it's cruel to the kid. It's a gamble at this point and I'd say listen to the kid's own opinion.

Earlier PP here. Math competitions aren't necessary. Only functions is really brutal content wise (& Discrete, but that's more teacher than content). It doesn't have to always be a competition! Blair wants more creativity and collaboration.