Is a non-STEM kid at TJ possible?

[Anonymous]

TJ does not allow independent research as part of the research practicum. He will still need to complete the prerequisite courses for and then apply to one of the established labs. Acceptance into RP comes after that and the mentors align with the topic of the lab the student is accepted into.

Lots of kids do independent research with college professors though, they just need to set it up on their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, he should major in statistics or similar with econometrics / political science / political economics courses on the side. It's very common for students aiming for top PhD programs to take and do well in PhD level courses at their undergrad institution.

This is also a good read for future social scientists: https://www.amazon.com/Regression-Stories-Analytical-Methods-Research/dp/110702398X#averageCustomerReviewsAnchor

Thank you for the above recommendations. I'll send the links to him. I don't know if he's interested in grad school at this time, but who knows how he'll feel in a decade when he's about to get out of undergrad. He already has some idea of what he wants his senior thesis to be and it is definitely in the area of econometric modeling in political science.

Your kid sounds like a perfect fit for TJ, even if he is non-STEM. I think he'll enjoy it a lot.

[Anonymous]

Yes…we have some great non-STEM students who will go far. You do need to learn the stem curricula but the humanities classes are great.

[Anonymous]

Let's see if he makes it. I'm sure he'll be competing with many kids who have done Math or Science or both Olympiads and have a ton of math/science related competitive experiences that they'll highlight on the essays. My son's done well in other academic areas, QuizBowl, IAC, NHD, but there are no math or science clubs/competitions/awards in his profile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, he’s advanced in math and will be taking Algebra 2 HN in 8th grade. He breezed through Algebra HN and Geometry HN, and we’ll see how he does in Algebra 2 HN, but I’m not worried at the moment. Given how naturally math comes to him with minimal effort, I would expect him to have a strong affinity for it. However, he has no interest in joining any of the math competition teams at his middle school.

He’s focused on pursuing the Research Practicum path and doing independent research tied to a non-STEM, policy-related area. Based on what some parents have noted above, that seems no more implausible than students completing STEM projects and then applying to college as political science majors. So it sounds like my kid could pursue a non-STEM research project and still apply as a poli-sci major or something along those lines.

It’s also great to hear that the humanities department is so strong. That will absolutely make his day. He also plans to pursue two languages. He’ll already have three years of Spanish completed before entering TJ and hopes to study German while there.

I know his profile is very different from the stereotypical TJ student, but if students are increasingly moving into non-STEM future paths, I’m starting to better understand his perspective on why TJ may not actually be a bad fit for him.

TJ is in theory a STEM school but its just a school for smart kids and they measure smart by their math and writing ability.

This year - just writing...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let's see if he makes it. I'm sure he'll be competing with many kids who have done Math or Science or both Olympiads and have a ton of math/science related competitive experiences that they'll highlight on the essays. My son's done well in other academic areas, QuizBowl, IAC, NHD, but there are no math or science clubs/competitions/awards in his profile.

It’s possible to get in without formal math and science clubs, mine did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's see if he makes it. I'm sure he'll be competing with many kids who have done Math or Science or both Olympiads and have a ton of math/science related competitive experiences that they'll highlight on the essays. My son's done well in other academic areas, QuizBowl, IAC, NHD, but there are no math or science clubs/competitions/awards in his profile.

It’s possible to get in without formal math and science clubs, mine did.

Mine did too. I wondered if being an outlier helped, instead of presenting the same carefully curated activity portfolio shared by many. Of maybe it truly is a lottery. Nobody knows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's see if he makes it. I'm sure he'll be competing with many kids who have done Math or Science or both Olympiads and have a ton of math/science related competitive experiences that they'll highlight on the essays. My son's done well in other academic areas, QuizBowl, IAC, NHD, but there are no math or science clubs/competitions/awards in his profile.

It’s possible to get in without formal math and science clubs, mine did.

Mine did too. I wondered if being an outlier helped, instead of presenting the same carefully curated activity portfolio shared by many. Of maybe it truly is a lottery. Nobody knows.

I think there could be an aspect of not wanting people who overly curate their life to obtain a certain thing (TJ) are there some kids were truly passionate about all of these things? Of course, and they probably presented it well in the SPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's see if he makes it. I'm sure he'll be competing with many kids who have done Math or Science or both Olympiads and have a ton of math/science related competitive experiences that they'll highlight on the essays. My son's done well in other academic areas, QuizBowl, IAC, NHD, but there are no math or science clubs/competitions/awards in his profile.

It’s possible to get in without formal math and science clubs, mine did.

Mine did too. I wondered if being an outlier helped, instead of presenting the same carefully curated activity portfolio shared by many. Of maybe it truly is a lottery. Nobody knows.

I think there could be an aspect of not wanting people who overly curate their life to obtain a certain thing (TJ) are there some kids were truly passionate about all of these things? Of course, and they probably presented it well in the SPS

My kid, now a TJ junior, didn’t do any math or science competitive activities (or the little bit he did he wasn’t very successful and certainly wouldn’t have mentioned it in his essays).

[Anonymous]

This is helpful. My kid has been worried about the lack of math/science clubs. He's maxed out his schedule and doesn't want to quit the clubs he has joined because he has real interest in them, so I know this has been bothering him. Good to know that there are outliers who get in without that experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's see if he makes it. I'm sure he'll be competing with many kids who have done Math or Science or both Olympiads and have a ton of math/science related competitive experiences that they'll highlight on the essays. My son's done well in other academic areas, QuizBowl, IAC, NHD, but there are no math or science clubs/competitions/awards in his profile.

It’s possible to get in without formal math and science clubs, mine did.

Mine too. TJ senior. Not from a feeder school though - a mid tier one in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

My information is about 25 years old but I went to TJ as a student who was strong in math (took calc BC as a junior, 760 math SAT, back in the late 90s) but didn't have any particular love of math. I loved English, and music, and psychology. I particularly disliked science and tehcnology, to be honest, but was able to pass those classes with only moderate difficulty and avoided any advanced science options that were not strictly necessary for graduation. Went on to major in history and english lit. I'm now a novelist. There were enough kids there like me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, he should major in statistics or similar with econometrics / political science / political economics courses on the side. It's very common for students aiming for top PhD programs to take and do well in PhD level courses at their undergrad institution.

This is also a good read for future social scientists: https://www.amazon.com/Regression-Stories-Analytical-Methods-Research/dp/110702398X#averageCustomerReviewsAnchor

Thank you for the above recommendations. I'll send the links to him. I don't know if he's interested in grad school at this time, but who knows how he'll feel in a decade when he's about to get out of undergrad. He already has some idea of what he wants his senior thesis to be and it is definitely in the area of econometric modeling in political science.

Your kid sounds like a perfect fit for TJ, even if he is non-STEM. I think he'll enjoy it a lot.

How desperate are you, replying to your own three previous posts! get a life. TJ is science and technology! STEM!