RM or WJ?
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Anonymous
RM magnet IB program - 9th and 10th - pre-IB 11th and 12th - IB Trust me, you require the first two years to actually ramp up for the IB portion. Regular RM IB - 9th and 10th - continue with the MYP 11th and 12th - Take IB along with the IB magnet students I guess you have to have the aptitude to do the IB program because if you are not doing well your GPA will go down the drain. You have to be a very strong candidate. Another thing is that RM also offers regular AP courses like every other school. So, even if yr kid does not go the IB route, they can still be doing the AP courses. It will not matter for college applications if they have taken IB or AP. |
Anonymous
| From what I gather (my kids aren't there yet though), RM pushes strong students to do the IB curriculum in 11th and 12th. Students who have more of a STEM/Tech tilt usually prefer the AP route because it is more flexible. I know 2 neighbors that have done 11 and 12 in IB and really enjoyed it. They were successful just doing the advanced MYP classes rather than the pre-IB...less burned out too. The work load is apparently quite challenging. |
Anonymous
| My kids are at WJ and we've been very happy there. Oldest was accepted last year to several excellent colleges and is attending one this Fall. He had a good experience at WJ. |
JK100
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| Hi, first time poster here... I have two RM IB kids (one graduated years ago and the second one is current IB senior) so maybe I can help. First of all, between, WJ and RM/IB you can't go wrong. Both are excellent programs. As someone said above, IB is a magnet program and you must be tested to get in. It's open county wide to 8th graders. Each year more or less than 1000 kids apply, about 100 kids get in. The application and testing process is pretty intensive. If you live within feeder school area, however, you can do one of two things -- you can apply and test in to IB program (just like other program kids) or use MYP program (no testing/no app) to join IB at 11th grade as someone stated above. Not too many kids use this path as I understand it - only about 10 or so. It should be noted however IB program pushes kids very, very hard. It is not for everyone. You need to make sure your child can and willing to put in time and effort. If you have specific questions, I can try to answer. Hope this is helpful. |
Anonymous
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Lots of good info on this thread about RM IB, thanks all.
Does RM have as robust AP activity as do other schools? In other words, does RM assume the more motivated students will go the pure IB route, so there is not a full set of AP classes? |
Anonymous
| It also has a full set of AP offerings for kids that do not want to structure of the IB program. Only about 20% of the school is in the IB prgram and there are over 2000 kids in the school. |
Anonymous
I'm curious about the MYP path for students that live within the cluster - here are a couple questions: 1) Wouldn't being in the 9th and 10th grade magnet program give the magnet kids a big head start over the cluster students who enter in 11th grade from MYP? I mean be definition the magnet kids are the most advanced, so you'd think those students are likely being taught more advanced concepts than what students are learning in the cluster's MYP program. 2) Relatedly, how do colleges view the cluster students who enter in 11th grade? In other words, are colleges likely to view the magnet students as having better credentials because their transcripts show 4 years of the magnet program? Also, do the cluster students generally achieve lower grades in the 11th and 12th grade given that they in classes with students who have been receiving more advanced teaching up to that point (and who tend to test very high)? 3) More generally, how is the magnet IB program perceived by colleges? For example, do admissions offices prefer middle or back of the pack magnet IB graduates over students who were in a high percentile at their local school? In theory, some really good students would seem likely to be getting grades at the back of the pack in the magnet IB who might have excelled at their local school - do admissions officers understand this? (Or does "grade inflation" within MCPS mask most of these issues such that grades become less important in admissions and colleges look more at standardized test scores?) |
Anonymous
| I am not sure anyone has the exact information you are asking for. Neighborhood kids successfully finish the IB program with the same diploma as the magnet kids. They are likely the top performers from the neighborhood and have been in the MYP program since 6th grade. A PP said that there are very few. I am not sure that number is correct just based on the number I know but maybe i just happen to know alot of them. What colleges think about 1 path vs another? If we knew exactly what colleges thought life would be better. I know many good students (mine!) choose not to do the IB program because there is much less flexibility...and enough work to make other activities difficult. Ap classes also provide challenge. |
Anonymous
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My daughters have both chosen to take the AP track instead of trying for IB. They liked the flexibility that it offers. There is a robust set of AP offerings. My current RM senior will graduate having taken 8 AP courses, which is considered a moderately rigorous courseload among her peers.
My daughters do know several kids who joined the IB diploma program in 11th grade, not having been in the magnet for 9th and 10th. From what I've observed and heard, those kids are not having any more trouble keeping up than those who came into the magnet program in 9th. Like PP, I don't know if there are a lot of such kids or I/my daughters just happen to know a lot of them. Non-IB students can also take IB classes - my senior is taking one this year. I don't know if they can take any IB class or if only certain ones are open to non-IB students. |
Anonymous
| Follow-up for the two PPs - to the extent you have any frame of reference to judge it, what did you think of the MYP program at JW/RM from 6-10? Did you feel it offered anything distinctive from a standard curriculum? |
Anonymous
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Hi, my two cents to your questions:
1) Short answer is not really. Not all MYP kids join IB start of Junior year for various reasons - not interested, too rigid, too hard...etc. Some of the IB kids drop out during 9th/10th grades so IB program can bring in kids from MYP program. 2) As far as I know, colleges don't care when kids enter IB program. Remember 9th and 10th grades are considered "pre-IB" and only the 11th and the 12th grades are considered IB. As long as kids meet the IB-d requirements and score well on tests and GPAs, when they join the IB program is irrelevant. 3) I am not sure if I can answer your question. Only the Adcom can really address that. Only other recommendation is compare these schools - look at their profiles (google or MCPS, challenge index (Jay M. - Wash Post), IB profile (you can find RM/IB tap, I think) and get better sense of each school. Don't forget to compare Wootton High which is another excellent HS. Good luck. |
Anonymous
Since my kids were both at JW, I don't have alot to compare to..but I would say no. It is still the MCPS curriculum with a few tweaks some of which are kind of contrived. We are happy with the school but the MYP doesn't really contribute to it. |
Anonymous
| Just take a look at the "at a glance sheets" WJ is a much better school. |
Anonymous
Specifically what on the "at a glance" sheets demonstrates that Walter Johnson is a much better school? |
Anonymous
WJ is an excellent school but not sure I want to go that far... 
There were 163 national merit semifinalists from MCPS last year (class of 2014). Bethesda-Chevy Chase: 7 Montgomery Blair: 36 Winston Churchill: 18 Clarksburg: 1 Walter Johnson: 8 Richard Montgomery: 42 Northwest: 2 Poolesville: 9 Quince Orchard: 3 Rockville: 1 Sherwood: 3 Springbrook: 1 Walt Whitman: 21 Thomas S. Wootton: 11 It's not the only measure of how good school is but it tells you something. |