TJ admissions related - how to get student interested in STEM?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would you push your disinterested kid into taking a seat from someone who really wants to be there? This is why so many kids are on anxiety meds.

SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!

[Anonymous]

OP - read this to get an idea of the work intensity. There's an industry to help kids survive TJ.

https://www.kryptontutors.com/tjprep

Many parents with high level science and math degrees provide extra tutoring for their kids to survive TJ. Those who don't have those skills often pay for tutoring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are being strongly suggested to consider enrolling in TJHSST after having submitted the application and the high likelihood of receiving an offer based on our middle school 1.5% quota allocation. DC is reasonable with grades and is currently enrolled in Algebra 1. But DC is lacking strong motivation to accept a TJ offer, with the understanding that it will be more demanding than their base high school and may leave little time for activities like playing their favorite basketball or continuing saxophone practice outside of school. On one hand I hear people saying a C grade at TJ is worth more than an A at base school, and will more or less require the same effort. Is this true from a college admission standpoint? Also how does one motivate their student to be interested in STEM when they are more interested in basketball and saxophone? Are subjects like math, physics, chemistry, etc., more difficult at TJ than at base school, and why?

tldr: If your child is gifted and up to the task, TJ is worth considering, it is more than just a STEM school. If your kid is going to get Cs at TJ, they really shouldn't go.

There is going to be a chorus of people telling you not to apply if your kid doesn't have a "passion" for STEM, etc. This is bullshit.
They MUST be academically advanced enough to be able to handle the courseload and rigor; a TJ "C" is NOT as good as a base school "A"
If you are FARM eligible, then coming from a place like TJ with a good test score and solid grades will make your child very attractive to top colleges.
But make no mistake. A TJ "B" is likely more work than a base school "A" if you are coming from a school that is sending the minimum 1.5%
But if they can handle that and keep up their grades with maybe half A's and half B's, then TJ does not require some burning passion for STEM for you to get a lot out of the experience.

The talent and curriculum at TJ is not exclusively focused on STEM.
It's not like everyone is on the math team or participating in a science bowl.
There is higher participation than at other schools but it's not 20% or anything like that.

The benefits that TJ offers is that the level of rigor is high enough that a TJ "A" is worth more than a base school "A"
It is an opportunity to challenge yourself and prove yourself in a way that you cannot at base schools.
The rigor will also better prepare you for college.

TJ also has a senior research project that can really give the best students a head start on academic research. But if you aren't there academically, it is a wasted opportunity.

Additional comments:
If your child is good at basketball, they will likely have a better chance at making the varsity basketball team than at any other school in fairfax.
If your child is a good saxophone player, TJ has one of the best marching bands in the area. It's really quite competitive.
If you aren't part of a community that really understands the college application process but you have a gifted child that could be go to a great school if you only knew a bit more about the process, there is a lot of information available in the TJ community to help steer your gifted child on the best pathway forward.
But if your kid is academically most well suited for a place like UVA, TJ offers few college placement benefits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s no way of knowing the likelihood of any kid to get an offer even with the quota of seats per school.
I wouldn’t push my kids to go if they aren’t fully invested and it isn’t their idea to apply…
also a C at TJ is not the same as an A at the base school.

+1

4 kids applied from DD's school (including her) last cycle. 1 waitlisted, 2 rejected (including my DD), and 1 got in. The one who got in had a mixture of As and Bs at the time of application, same course rigor and math level as DD, who had all A+s. DD got a perfect score on the PSAT 9, the kid who got in was 90th percentile. Unsure of the kid who got in's ECs for the Portrait of a Graduate but DDs were really good. Everyone said she should have gotten in.

So you never know.

I don’t understand how 4 kids could apply and only one be accepted. Each MS is guaranteed a seat for any child in the top 1.5% of their grade. If your daughter had perfect scores and meet the other requirements, she should have been accepted into TJ. What was missing from her application because something was not there. Or she was at a private school and there are no guaranteed seats.

The PSAT means nothing because it is not a part of the TJ process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are being strongly suggested to consider enrolling in TJHSST after having submitted the application and the high likelihood of receiving an offer based on our middle school 1.5% quota allocation. DC is reasonable with grades and is currently enrolled in Algebra 1. But DC is lacking strong motivation to accept a TJ offer, with the understanding that it will be more demanding than their base high school and may leave little time for activities like playing their favorite basketball or continuing saxophone practice outside of school. On one hand I hear people saying a C grade at TJ is worth more than an A at base school, and will more or less require the same effort. Is this true from a college admission standpoint? Also how does one motivate their student to be interested in STEM when they are more interested in basketball and saxophone? Are subjects like math, physics, chemistry, etc., more difficult at TJ than at base school, and why?

tldr: If your child is gifted and up to the task, TJ is worth considering, it is more than just a STEM school. If your kid is going to get Cs at TJ, they really shouldn't go.

There is going to be a chorus of people telling you not to apply if your kid doesn't have a "passion" for STEM, etc. This is bullshit.
They MUST be academically advanced enough to be able to handle the courseload and rigor; a TJ "C" is NOT as good as a base school "A"
If you are FARM eligible, then coming from a place like TJ with a good test score and solid grades will make your child very attractive to top colleges.
But make no mistake. A TJ "B" is likely more work than a base school "A" if you are coming from a school that is sending the minimum 1.5%
But if they can handle that and keep up their grades with maybe half A's and half B's, then TJ does not require some burning passion for STEM for you to get a lot out of the experience.

The talent and curriculum at TJ is not exclusively focused on STEM.
It's not like everyone is on the math team or participating in a science bowl.
There is higher participation than at other schools but it's not 20% or anything like that.

The benefits that TJ offers is that the level of rigor is high enough that a TJ "A" is worth more than a base school "A"
It is an opportunity to challenge yourself and prove yourself in a way that you cannot at base schools.
The rigor will also better prepare you for college.

TJ also has a senior research project that can really give the best students a head start on academic research. But if you aren't there academically, it is a wasted opportunity.

Additional comments:
If your child is good at basketball, they will likely have a better chance at making the varsity basketball team than at any other school in fairfax.
If your child is a good saxophone player, TJ has one of the best marching bands in the area. It's really quite competitive.
If you aren't part of a community that really understands the college application process but you have a gifted child that could be go to a great school if you only knew a bit more about the process, there is a lot of information available in the TJ community to help steer your gifted child on the best pathway forward.
But if your kid is academically most well suited for a place like UVA, TJ offers few college placement benefits.

The TJ mission statement would beg to differ.
Further, we all benefit when an academic institution identifies and nurtures exceptional talent in science and technology. Our future depends on it. Taking a spot for the sake of it is squandering a critical public resource.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s no way of knowing the likelihood of any kid to get an offer even with the quota of seats per school.
I wouldn’t push my kids to go if they aren’t fully invested and it isn’t their idea to apply…
also a C at TJ is not the same as an A at the base school.

+1

4 kids applied from DD's school (including her) last cycle. 1 waitlisted, 2 rejected (including my DD), and 1 got in. The one who got in had a mixture of As and Bs at the time of application, same course rigor and math level as DD, who had all A+s. DD got a perfect score on the PSAT 9, the kid who got in was 90th percentile. Unsure of the kid who got in's ECs for the Portrait of a Graduate but DDs were really good. Everyone said she should have gotten in.

So you never know.

I don’t understand how 4 kids could apply and only one be accepted. Each MS is guaranteed a seat for any child in the top 1.5% of their grade. If your daughter had perfect scores and meet the other requirements, she should have been accepted into TJ. What was missing from her application because something was not there. Or she was at a private school and there are no guaranteed seats.

The PSAT means nothing because it is not a part of the TJ process.

She came from a LCPS middle school that is definitely not known for its academics, so few kids applied.

The kid who got in is Asian, shes black/latina. Make of that what you will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s no way of knowing the likelihood of any kid to get an offer even with the quota of seats per school.
I wouldn’t push my kids to go if they aren’t fully invested and it isn’t their idea to apply…
also a C at TJ is not the same as an A at the base school.

+1

4 kids applied from DD's school (including her) last cycle. 1 waitlisted, 2 rejected (including my DD), and 1 got in. The one who got in had a mixture of As and Bs at the time of application, same course rigor and math level as DD, who had all A+s. DD got a perfect score on the PSAT 9, the kid who got in was 90th percentile. Unsure of the kid who got in's ECs for the Portrait of a Graduate but DDs were really good. Everyone said she should have gotten in.

So you never know.

I don’t understand how 4 kids could apply and only one be accepted. Each MS is guaranteed a seat for any child in the top 1.5% of their grade. If your daughter had perfect scores and meet the other requirements, she should have been accepted into TJ. What was missing from her application because something was not there. Or she was at a private school and there are no guaranteed seats.

The PSAT means nothing because it is not a part of the TJ process.

DP. At our MS that is not TJ focused, 50 kids applied. I was very surprised there were that many. Obviously, most did not get in. Only a handful, including my DC and some of his friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are being strongly suggested to consider enrolling in TJHSST after having submitted the application and the high likelihood of receiving an offer based on our middle school 1.5% quota allocation. DC is reasonable with grades and is currently enrolled in Algebra 1. But DC is lacking strong motivation to accept a TJ offer, with the understanding that it will be more demanding than their base high school and may leave little time for activities like playing their favorite basketball or continuing saxophone practice outside of school. On one hand I hear people saying a C grade at TJ is worth more than an A at base school, and will more or less require the same effort. Is this true from a college admission standpoint? Also how does one motivate their student to be interested in STEM when they are more interested in basketball and saxophone? Are subjects like math, physics, chemistry, etc., more difficult at TJ than at base school, and why?

tldr: If your child is gifted and up to the task, TJ is worth considering, it is more than just a STEM school. If your kid is going to get Cs at TJ, they really shouldn't go.

There is going to be a chorus of people telling you not to apply if your kid doesn't have a "passion" for STEM, etc. This is bullshit.
They MUST be academically advanced enough to be able to handle the courseload and rigor; a TJ "C" is NOT as good as a base school "A"
If you are FARM eligible, then coming from a place like TJ with a good test score and solid grades will make your child very attractive to top colleges.
But make no mistake. A TJ "B" is likely more work than a base school "A" if you are coming from a school that is sending the minimum 1.5%
But if they can handle that and keep up their grades with maybe half A's and half B's, then TJ does not require some burning passion for STEM for you to get a lot out of the experience.

The talent and curriculum at TJ is not exclusively focused on STEM.
It's not like everyone is on the math team or participating in a science bowl.
There is higher participation than at other schools but it's not 20% or anything like that.

The benefits that TJ offers is that the level of rigor is high enough that a TJ "A" is worth more than a base school "A"
It is an opportunity to challenge yourself and prove yourself in a way that you cannot at base schools.
The rigor will also better prepare you for college.

TJ also has a senior research project that can really give the best students a head start on academic research. But if you aren't there academically, it is a wasted opportunity.

Additional comments:
If your child is good at basketball, they will likely have a better chance at making the varsity basketball team than at any other school in fairfax.
If your child is a good saxophone player, TJ has one of the best marching bands in the area. It's really quite competitive.
If you aren't part of a community that really understands the college application process but you have a gifted child that could be go to a great school if you only knew a bit more about the process, there is a lot of information available in the TJ community to help steer your gifted child on the best pathway forward.
But if your kid is academically most well suited for a place like UVA, TJ offers few college placement benefits.

The TJ mission statement would beg to differ.
Further, we all benefit when an academic institution identifies and nurtures exceptional talent in science and technology. Our future depends on it. Taking a spot for the sake of it is squandering a critical public resource.

I generally agree with you that we should cultivate as many great scientists as we can because we have a lot of problems that we can only science our way out of.
But they have already sort of abandoned that goal with the new admissions process.
I am giving advice to a mother of a child who is concerned that her kid will drown at TJ and whether the effort will be worth it.

The public resource you are talking about has already been squandered.
their school has to send 1/5% of their students and it sounds like several of those students would not get in on a purely meritocratic basis.
Let's at least make sure the kids that go know what they are getting themselves into and what they can expect to get out of it.

And for the record, TJ has never been laser focused on math and science.
Some of its most prominent alumni are lawyers and entertainers and authors.
There is an alumni that is on the short list for the supreme court, if and when a spot open up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s no way of knowing the likelihood of any kid to get an offer even with the quota of seats per school.
I wouldn’t push my kids to go if they aren’t fully invested and it isn’t their idea to apply…
also a C at TJ is not the same as an A at the base school.

+1

4 kids applied from DD's school (including her) last cycle. 1 waitlisted, 2 rejected (including my DD), and 1 got in. The one who got in had a mixture of As and Bs at the time of application, same course rigor and math level as DD, who had all A+s. DD got a perfect score on the PSAT 9, the kid who got in was 90th percentile. Unsure of the kid who got in's ECs for the Portrait of a Graduate but DDs were really good. Everyone said she should have gotten in.

So you never know.

I don’t understand how 4 kids could apply and only one be accepted. Each MS is guaranteed a seat for any child in the top 1.5% of their grade. If your daughter had perfect scores and meet the other requirements, she should have been accepted into TJ. What was missing from her application because something was not there. Or she was at a private school and there are no guaranteed seats.

The PSAT means nothing because it is not a part of the TJ process.

She came from a LCPS middle school that is definitely not known for its academics, so few kids applied.

The kid who got in is Asian, shes black/latina. Make of that what you will.

But I thought the current essay exam was unpreppable.
Isn't that what the boosters have been saying?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are being strongly suggested to consider enrolling in TJHSST after having submitted the application and the high likelihood of receiving an offer based on our middle school 1.5% quota allocation. DC is reasonable with grades and is currently enrolled in Algebra 1. But DC is lacking strong motivation to accept a TJ offer, with the understanding that it will be more demanding than their base high school and may leave little time for activities like playing their favorite basketball or continuing saxophone practice outside of school. On one hand I hear people saying a C grade at TJ is worth more than an A at base school, and will more or less require the same effort. Is this true from a college admission standpoint? Also how does one motivate their student to be interested in STEM when they are more interested in basketball and saxophone? Are subjects like math, physics, chemistry, etc., more difficult at TJ than at base school, and why?

It is not true that a C at TH is worst more than an A at base school from a college admissions standpoint. Maybe from a learning standpoint. The subjects are more difficult than at base school, because the whole purpose of the school is to challenge students who wouldn't be challenged at their base schools. I don't think TJ would be the best place for your son.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s no way of knowing the likelihood of any kid to get an offer even with the quota of seats per school.
I wouldn’t push my kids to go if they aren’t fully invested and it isn’t their idea to apply…
also a C at TJ is not the same as an A at the base school.

+1

4 kids applied from DD's school (including her) last cycle. 1 waitlisted, 2 rejected (including my DD), and 1 got in. The one who got in had a mixture of As and Bs at the time of application, same course rigor and math level as DD, who had all A+s. DD got a perfect score on the PSAT 9, the kid who got in was 90th percentile. Unsure of the kid who got in's ECs for the Portrait of a Graduate but DDs were really good. Everyone said she should have gotten in.

So you never know.

I don’t understand how 4 kids could apply and only one be accepted. Each MS is guaranteed a seat for any child in the top 1.5% of their grade. If your daughter had perfect scores and meet the other requirements, she should have been accepted into TJ. What was missing from her application because something was not there. Or she was at a private school and there are no guaranteed seats.

The PSAT means nothing because it is not a part of the TJ process.

She came from a LCPS middle school that is definitely not known for its academics, so few kids applied.

The kid who got in is Asian, shes black/latina. Make of that what you will.

Looks like you didn't prepare for the "portrait of a graduate" essay. Tut tut. What was her AMC 8 score?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s no way of knowing the likelihood of any kid to get an offer even with the quota of seats per school.
I wouldn’t push my kids to go if they aren’t fully invested and it isn’t their idea to apply…
also a C at TJ is not the same as an A at the base school.

+1

4 kids applied from DD's school (including her) last cycle. 1 waitlisted, 2 rejected (including my DD), and 1 got in. The one who got in had a mixture of As and Bs at the time of application, same course rigor and math level as DD, who had all A+s. DD got a perfect score on the PSAT 9, the kid who got in was 90th percentile. Unsure of the kid who got in's ECs for the Portrait of a Graduate but DDs were really good. Everyone said she should have gotten in.

So you never know.

I don’t understand how 4 kids could apply and only one be accepted. Each MS is guaranteed a seat for any child in the top 1.5% of their grade. If your daughter had perfect scores and meet the other requirements, she should have been accepted into TJ. What was missing from her application because something was not there. Or she was at a private school and there are no guaranteed seats.

The PSAT means nothing because it is not a part of the TJ process.

She came from a LCPS middle school that is definitely not known for its academics, so few kids applied.

The kid who got in is Asian, shes black/latina. Make of that what you will.

Looks like you didn't prepare for the "portrait of a graduate" essay. Tut tut. What was her AMC 8 score?

AMC 8 is not used for TJ, it has no impact on the application.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are being strongly suggested to consider enrolling in TJHSST after having submitted the application and the high likelihood of receiving an offer based on our middle school 1.5% quota allocation. DC is reasonable with grades and is currently enrolled in Algebra 1. But DC is lacking strong motivation to accept a TJ offer, with the understanding that it will be more demanding than their base high school and may leave little time for activities like playing their favorite basketball or continuing saxophone practice outside of school. On one hand I hear people saying a C grade at TJ is worth more than an A at base school, and will more or less require the same effort. Is this true from a college admission standpoint? Also how does one motivate their student to be interested in STEM when they are more interested in basketball and saxophone? Are subjects like math, physics, chemistry, etc., more difficult at TJ than at base school, and why?

TJ is much, much harder than base school - I had a child in each. And my base schooler got into UVA with a 4.3wGPA, my TJ child did not and had much higher SAT scores (colleges were test optional in 2022 if that matters) but doing great at VT.

[Anonymous]

Re basketball and saxophone:

Your kid will not have time to get As and make the basketball team at TJ. Practices are every day for four hours a day and you need to factor in their studying and group projects.

Don’t do it. If your kid can’t handle it it’s not worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - read this to get an idea of the work intensity. There's an industry to help kids survive TJ.

https://www.kryptontutors.com/tjprep

Many parents with high level science and math degrees provide extra tutoring for their kids to survive TJ. Those who don't have those skills often pay for tutoring.

Note that not all kids require this type of tutoring. My kid, who is doing very well at TJ, has not done outside prep, does not receive tutoring, and considers the workload to be reasonable. I’m sure there are other kids like him. Of course, I’m not sure how this cuts—there are some (perhaps many) kids at TJ who are just very smart and efficient.

Going to TJ means that you’ll be in that environment. In many ways, it’s great to be surrounded by other intelligent, motivated kids who are really interested in academics and learning. That’s probably the biggest advantage of going to TJ. At the same time, though, if your kid is not as innately intelligent or motivated, you (or, more accurately, they) will have to consider whether they really want to be in that environment. And that’s the bottom line—if your kid is not interested in STEM, or even rigorous academics generally, TJ really won’t be a good fit. These are the things any prospective TJ student should think about, and ultimately it should be their decision based on whether they think it is a good fit for them.