TJ Grades

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A couple facts. TJ GPA Last year ranged from about a 3.4 to about a 4.5-4.6 (weighted). If you search DCUM and look at last year's college list, you will see that 95% of the TJ kids (GPAs as low as 3.5) went to colleges that FCPS kids with a 4.2-4.4 would love to attend. And many of the schools that do not immediately jump out (like U Illinois Champagna) have a top 10 engineering or CS department. Even the VA Tech kids were accepted to engineering, not general college. Some went to VCU to take advantage of the early/guaranteed admission program to men school. Tons of kids at top privates. And because most TJ kids are not from families wealthy enough to pay full freight private, they are likely getting significant merit aid. I forget the number, but the amount of merit aid for last year's class was shocking.

So yes, colleges know that an even split A-B average at TJ (unweighted 3.5) is stronger than anunweighteed 4.2 at a base school-- or higher, depending on the course load rigor. And a B/C average at TJ is stronger than an A/B at the base school.

Again-- search DCUM, pull the list of where kids are attending college. With a few exceptions for the bottom 5% (weighted 3.4), TJ kids do incredibly well in college admissions. And many are doing so on the school's dime

What do you expect from a school with almost 140 NMSFs?

How do you get an unweighted 4.2? The bottom half at Tj is no better that the top 5-10% of fcps base schoold

You don't. That's a typo. Should say an unweighted 3.5 at TJ is worth a lot more than a perfect (or close to perfect) unweighted base school GPA with a full compliment of honors and Aps. Again-- search DCUM for where the where TJ kids are attending college. Top 90% is mind blowingly impressively-- especially in top STEM schools. And especially considering the amount of merit aid the pull in.

Also-- remember SATs count. And the average TJ kid has 400-500 point on the average Langley, Madison, Woodson, Oakton, etc kid.

I am not comparing averages to averages I am saying the top 5-10% of the kids: the kids that either just missed TJ or did not want to go, but could have.

The top 25-50 kids at Madison/Oakton/Langley/McLean/Woodson will do as well as the typical kid at TJ. The SAT will be similar. Remember. the average kid at Madison will not have an unweighted 3.8 GPA; probably closer to 3.0.

My DD is doing very well at Madison, will all honors and AP classes (where available), with nearly a straight A's. She does wish Madison had class options like astronomy, but does not want the workload of TJ; She is in marching band, which is a huge time sink in the fall. But she loves the marching band. We do not know how the SAT's will go. DD is already thinking of colleges. She wants a school with a good band and a good astronomy program.

At this point, I am pretty sure her safe school will be JMU; Other schools? I don't know. Depends on the SAT's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A couple facts. TJ GPA Last year ranged from about a 3.4 to about a 4.5-4.6 (weighted). If you search DCUM and look at last year's college list, you will see that 95% of the TJ kids (GPAs as low as 3.5) went to colleges that FCPS kids with a 4.2-4.4 would love to attend. And many of the schools that do not immediately jump out (like U Illinois Champagna) have a top 10 engineering or CS department. Even the VA Tech kids were accepted to engineering, not general college. Some went to VCU to take advantage of the early/guaranteed admission program to men school. Tons of kids at top privates. And because most TJ kids are not from families wealthy enough to pay full freight private, they are likely getting significant merit aid. I forget the number, but the amount of merit aid for last year's class was shocking.

So yes, colleges know that an even split A-B average at TJ (unweighted 3.5) is stronger than anunweighteed 4.2 at a base school-- or higher, depending on the course load rigor. And a B/C average at TJ is stronger than an A/B at the base school.

Again-- search DCUM, pull the list of where kids are attending college. With a few exceptions for the bottom 5% (weighted 3.4), TJ kids do incredibly well in college admissions. And many are doing so on the school's dime

What do you expect from a school with almost 140 NMSFs?

How do you get an unweighted 4.2? The bottom half at Tj is no better that the top 5-10% of fcps base schoold

You don't. That's a typo. Should say an unweighted 3.5 at TJ is worth a lot more than a perfect (or close to perfect) unweighted base school GPA with a full compliment of honors and Aps. Again-- search DCUM for where the where TJ kids are attending college. Top 90% is mind blowingly impressively-- especially in top STEM schools. And especially considering the amount of merit aid the pull in.

Also-- remember SATs count. And the average TJ kid has 400-500 point on the average Langley, Madison, Woodson, Oakton, etc kid.

I am not comparing averages to averages I am saying the top 5-10% of the kids: the kids that either just missed TJ or did not want to go, but could have.

The top 25-50 kids at Madison/Oakton/Langley/McLean/Woodson will do as well as the typical kid at TJ. The SAT will be similar. Remember. the average kid at Madison will not have an unweighted 3.8 GPA; probably closer to 3.0.

My DD is doing very well at Madison, will all honors and AP classes (where available), with nearly a straight A's. She does wish Madison had class options like astronomy, but does not want the workload of TJ; She is in marching band, which is a huge time sink in the fall. But she loves the marching band. We do not know how the SAT's will go. DD is already thinking of colleges. She wants a school with a good band and a good astronomy program.

At this point, I am pretty sure her safe school will be JMU; Other schools? I don't know. Depends on the SAT's.

This is an apples and oranges comparison. I do know that middle of the pack TJ (30-70th percent) consider UVA and WM safety schools. Interestingly, I don't think a single TJ kid went to JMU last year. Some went to GMU, and some to VCU pre-med track. Maybe 1-2 went to CNU. Lots went to VT-- mostly in engineering. But JUM was absent. Not sure why, since it is on par with or better than CNU and GMU.

Also, your DD may have decided to skip TJ because of the workload, and focus on other things. That's a legitimate way to go. But the kids who attend TJ definitely get an extra bump in admissions because they were willing to take on the heavy workload. (Or as I tell my kid, nothing worth having comes easily). Still, it sounds like your DD is doing very well, and will end up at a great school. In the end, that is what matters-- not where the TJ kids end up.

Good luck to her!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A couple facts. TJ GPA Last year ranged from about a 3.4 to about a 4.5-4.6 (weighted). If you search DCUM and look at last year's college list, you will see that 95% of the TJ kids (GPAs as low as 3.5) went to colleges that FCPS kids with a 4.2-4.4 would love to attend. And many of the schools that do not immediately jump out (like U Illinois Champagna) have a top 10 engineering or CS department. Even the VA Tech kids were accepted to engineering, not general college. Some went to VCU to take advantage of the early/guaranteed admission program to men school. Tons of kids at top privates. And because most TJ kids are not from families wealthy enough to pay full freight private, they are likely getting significant merit aid. I forget the number, but the amount of merit aid for last year's class was shocking.

So yes, colleges know that an even split A-B average at TJ (unweighted 3.5) is stronger than anunweighteed 4.2 at a base school-- or higher, depending on the course load rigor. And a B/C average at TJ is stronger than an A/B at the base school.

Again-- search DCUM, pull the list of where kids are attending college. With a few exceptions for the bottom 5% (weighted 3.4), TJ kids do incredibly well in college admissions. And many are doing so on the school's dime

What do you expect from a school with almost 140 NMSFs?

How do you get an unweighted 4.2? The bottom half at Tj is no better that the top 5-10% of fcps base schoold

You don't. That's a typo. Should say an unweighted 3.5 at TJ is worth a lot more than a perfect (or close to perfect) unweighted base school GPA with a full compliment of honors and Aps. Again-- search DCUM for where the where TJ kids are attending college. Top 90% is mind blowingly impressively-- especially in top STEM schools. And especially considering the amount of merit aid the pull in.

Also-- remember SATs count. And the average TJ kid has 400-500 point on the average Langley, Madison, Woodson, Oakton, etc kid.

I am not comparing averages to averages I am saying the top 5-10% of the kids: the kids that either just missed TJ or did not want to go, but could have.

The top 25-50 kids at Madison/Oakton/Langley/McLean/Woodson will do as well as the typical kid at TJ. The SAT will be similar. Remember. the average kid at Madison will not have an unweighted 3.8 GPA; probably closer to 3.0.

My DD is doing very well at Madison, will all honors and AP classes (where available), with nearly a straight A's. She does wish Madison had class options like astronomy, but does not want the workload of TJ; She is in marching band, which is a huge time sink in the fall. But she loves the marching band. We do not know how the SAT's will go. DD is already thinking of colleges. She wants a school with a good band and a good astronomy program.

At this point, I am pretty sure her safe school will be JMU; Other schools? I don't know. Depends on the SAT's.

This is an apples and oranges comparison. I do know that middle of the pack TJ (30-70th percent) consider UVA and WM safety schools. Interestingly, I don't think a single TJ kid went to JMU last year. Some went to GMU, and some to VCU pre-med track. Maybe 1-2 went to CNU. Lots went to VT-- mostly in engineering. But JUM was absent. Not sure why, since it is on par with or better than CNU and GMU.

Also, your DD may have decided to skip TJ because of the workload, and focus on other things. That's a legitimate way to go. But the kids who attend TJ definitely get an extra bump in admissions because they were willing to take on the heavy workload. (Or as I tell my kid, nothing worth having comes easily). Still, it sounds like your DD is doing very well, and will end up at a great school. In the end, that is what matters-- not where the TJ kids end up.

Good luck to her!

Actually the point of the comparison was you can't compare the schools overall. The comparison has to be on cohorts. You take the top 5-10% at most schools as a cohort to compare to the students at TJ, you would get similar outcomes.

Oh, and 15 kids from TJ were accepted to JMU. It was there save school: the school where you are 100% certain to be accepted.

For DD, that is where we sit now. That might change. If she ends up with 1400+ on the SAT's, the safe school can be a better school.

You know what would be interesting: to look at outcomes across the county: top 5% of HS students at base schools compared to TJ. I would love to see that. If you can show there is no advantage to TJ for college admission, then maybe TJ can go back to a STEM magnet rather than a path to an Ivy.

[Anonymous]

Oh, and 15 kids from TJ were accepted to JMU. It was there save school: the school where you are 100% certain to be accepted.

Three students from the most recent class actually enrolled at JMU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is currently in TJ, and is having a very hard time trying to "fit in". Not socially, but just get into the grove of things. Her report card is mostly made up of C's and B's. Is this normal?

TJ mom here: No. My DD is a senior at TJ. Freshman year was a breeze -- all As as many others at TJ. It gets much, much harder, and there is no place to hide as the hard math and Science courses are required. Getting more involved with the social aspect just means less time for the endless homework. There are many who thrive at TJ and do excellent. That is a real downer for those who do not. Maybe your DD is just not putting in enough time on the homework. But in my experience, those who are making mostly Cs drop out. Trust me -- it gets wa-ay harder. It is very difficult for a bright kid to be in the "bottom half" And no, the colleges are not as forgiving as you would think. GL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is currently in TJ, and is having a very hard time trying to "fit in". Not socially, but just get into the grove of things. Her report card is mostly made up of C's and B's. Is this normal?

TJ mom here: No. My DD is a senior at TJ. Freshman year was a breeze -- all As as many others at TJ. It gets much, much harder, and there is no place to hide as the hard math and Science courses are required. Getting more involved with the social aspect just means less time for the endless homework. There are many who thrive at TJ and do excellent. That is a real downer for those who do not. Maybe your DD is just not putting in enough time on the homework. But in my experience, those who are making mostly Cs drop out. Trust me -- it gets wa-ay harder. It is very difficult for a bright kid to be in the "bottom half" And no, the colleges are not as forgiving as you would think. GL.

u

+1. TJ mom here too. Freshman year-all As. Sophomore year now, kid feels much harder to maintain all As. It gets much harder. GL.

[Anonymous]

OP: some of TJ haters are screwing with you. Freshman year is not easy, especially when you factor in the transition from middle school. And a 4.0 for the year is not common. Counselors said at both orientation and BTS night that only a small handful of kids end up with an unweighted 4.0 their freshman year. And there would be no way for other parents to know what the GPA is for all 480 kids in the class (or that most kids get 4.0s, for the year which is just not true).


Overall, last year's class's weighted GPAs ranged 3.4 to 4.5 or 4.6. Here is the complete college list for c/o 2016, as released by the school. This is where kids actually attended, not the list of acceptances.

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/567859.page

Which is pretty impressive. Especially when you factor in the merit aid.

[Anonymous]

This question is for the Madison parent who posted earlier. Can you share information about the college acceptances for kids who are in top 5 to 10% in Madison? They probably have 4.4 or higher GPA, SAT scores equivalent to TJ average, taken most of the APs in the school and did not go to TJ for a variety of reasons (not wanting, no STEM interest, deserved but just missed, moved later etc). Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This question is for the Madison parent who posted earlier. Can you share information about the college acceptances for kids who are in top 5 to 10% in Madison? They probably have 4.4 or higher GPA, SAT scores equivalent to TJ average, taken most of the APs in the school and did not go to TJ for a variety of reasons (not wanting, no STEM interest, deserved but just missed, moved later etc). Thanks in advance.

Start a s/o.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This question is for the Madison parent who posted earlier. Can you share information about the college acceptances for kids who are in top 5 to 10% in Madison? They probably have 4.4 or higher GPA, SAT scores equivalent to TJ average, taken most of the APs in the school and did not go to TJ for a variety of reasons (not wanting, no STEM interest, deserved but just missed, moved later etc). Thanks in advance.

The information is not supplied. I would be interested to see this because, if we could show that the outcomes are just as good for for top kids anywhere, then maybe TJ could become less competitive and really focus on STEM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is currently in TJ, and is having a very hard time trying to "fit in". Not socially, but just get into the grove of things. Her report card is mostly made up of C's and B's. Is this normal?

TJ mom here: No. My DD is a senior at TJ. Freshman year was a breeze -- all As as many others at TJ. It gets much, much harder, and there is no place to hide as the hard math and Science courses are required. Getting more involved with the social aspect just means less time for the endless homework. There are many who thrive at TJ and do excellent. That is a real downer for those who do not. Maybe your DD is just not putting in enough time on the homework. But in my experience, those who are making mostly Cs drop out. Trust me -- it gets wa-ay harder. It is very difficult for a bright kid to be in the "bottom half" And no, the colleges are not as forgiving as you would think. GL.

u

+1. TJ mom here too. Freshman year-all As. Sophomore year now, kid feels much harder to maintain all As. It gets much harder. GL.

I am a freshman, and very few people I know have all A's. I do see freshman year getting easier, but I would say it is really hard in the first quarter. However, my report card is not as bad as most people because I put a lot of effort into work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is currently in TJ, and is having a very hard time trying to "fit in". Not socially, but just get into the grove of things. Her report card is mostly made up of C's and B's. Is this normal?

TJ mom here: No. My DD is a senior at TJ. Freshman year was a breeze -- all As as many others at TJ. It gets much, much harder, and there is no place to hide as the hard math and Science courses are required. Getting more involved with the social aspect just means less time for the endless homework. There are many who thrive at TJ and do excellent. That is a real downer for those who do not. Maybe your DD is just not putting in enough time on the homework. But in my experience, those who are making mostly Cs drop out. Trust me -- it gets wa-ay harder. It is very difficult for a bright kid to be in the "bottom half" And no, the colleges are not as forgiving as you would think. GL.

u

+1. TJ mom here too. Freshman year-all As. Sophomore year now, kid feels much harder to maintain all As. It gets much harder. GL.

I am a freshman, and very few people I know have all A's. I do see freshman year getting easier, but I would say it is really hard in the first quarter. However, my report card is not as bad as most people because I put a lot of effort into work.

This has been our experience too. My freshman DC is going to have a mix of As and Bs for first quarter. But grades are definitely trending up as he figures out how TJ works and "gets his feet under him." I think he can get mostly As for the year. That said, barring a miracle, I think he is going to end up with some sort of B in biology. And probablya B+ in Stats, because it is a semester class. His most recent test was good, but I don't think he has time to get his current lowish B up to an A. So straight As are probably not realistic. I've told him if he ends the year with 5As and 2Bs (B or B+, not B-) we will be very proud.

The biggest takeaway from the first quarter: there is a significant TJ learning curve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is currently in TJ, and is having a very hard time trying to "fit in". Not socially, but just get into the grove of things. Her report card is mostly made up of C's and B's. Is this normal?

TJ mom here: No. My DD is a senior at TJ. Freshman year was a breeze -- all As as many others at TJ. It gets much, much harder, and there is no place to hide as the hard math and Science courses are required. Getting more involved with the social aspect just means less time for the endless homework. There are many who thrive at TJ and do excellent. That is a real downer for those who do not. Maybe your DD is just not putting in enough time on the homework. But in my experience, those who are making mostly Cs drop out. Trust me -- it gets wa-ay harder. It is very difficult for a bright kid to be in the "bottom half" And no, the colleges are not as forgiving as you would think. GL.

u

+1. TJ mom here too. Freshman year-all As. Sophomore year now, kid feels much harder to maintain all As. It gets much harder. GL.

I am a freshman, and very few people I know have all A's. I do see freshman year getting easier, but I would say it is really hard in the first quarter. However, my report card is not as bad as most people because I put a lot of effort into work.

This has been our experience too. My freshman DC is going to have a mix of As and Bs for first quarter. But grades are definitely trending up as he figures out how TJ works and "gets his feet under him." I think he can get mostly As for the year. That said, barring a miracle, I think he is going to end up with some sort of B in biology. And probablya B+ in Stats, because it is a semester class. His most recent test was good, but I don't think he has time to get his current lowish B up to an A. So straight As are probably not realistic. I've told him if he ends the year with 5As and 2Bs (B or B+, not B-) we will be very proud.

The biggest takeaway from the first quarter: there is a significant TJ learning curve.

True. There are only handful of students who graduate with perfect 4.0 unweighted gpa for a given graduating class.

[Anonymous]

My daughter is a sophomore and had 5 As and 2 Bs last year. From what she has said and what the counselor said to me in a casual conversation, that is pretty typical.

Based on the first quarter grades, I think she is on track for that again BUT she has to work much, much harder to maintain those same grades. All the classes have substantially more homework than last year. The math in particular has a lot more homework. The parents of older kids all say that junior year is the killer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is a sophomore and had 5 As and 2 Bs last year. From what she has said and what the counselor said to me in a casual conversation, that is pretty typical.

Based on the first quarter grades, I think she is on track for that again BUT she has to work much, much harder to maintain those same grades. All the classes have substantially more homework than last year. The math in particular has a lot more homework. The parents of older kids all say that junior year is the killer.

When my kid was a junior, he usually got around 5 hrs of sleep a day with 7 APs & post APs plus honors English and doing clubs and competitions. It was brutal but an excellent training to do well at top colleges.