TJ Feeder Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am just curious as to whether kids coming from public middle schools are given extra points in the admission process over kids in private.

There is a cap on the number of students that can attend TJ outside of Fairfax County. See the admissions site for more information.

http://www.tjhsst.edu/abouttj/admissions/eligibility.php

[Anonymous]

is kilmer you are referring to joyce kilmer in vienna?

[Anonymous]

The cap does not seem to answer the private school question. Say that a student lives in Fairfax County, but attends private school in Montgomery County, Maryland for 8th grade. It seems that the student would be considered as coming from Fairfax County for the TJ Admission. So, in that case, would there be any preference? In other words, does TJ like to spread admissions between schools that students are applying from?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:does TJ like to spread admissions between schools that students are applying from?

No

[Anonymous]

No, TJ does not give extra points for public versus private nor does it try to spread admissions around. In fact, if you look at the admissions statistics (available on FCAG), you will see that a slightly higher percentage of private students who apply get in. But this is not a big advantage, and over 80 percent of applicants are from public school. As a PP noted, taking geometry in 8th grade is the number one boost a student can have ... about two thirds of such applicants are admitted. Which is just a fancy way of saying that those applicants who are advanced at math and science get in .... not too hard to figure that out since it is a math and science magnet school!!

[Anonymous]

as a current tj student myself, i can both recommend and discourage applying to tj. as a learning institution, the place is fabulous. you probably wont find a better learning environment (for most kids) anywhere else in the country. the teachers are fantastic and the academics are superb. however, the super-competitive stereotype is very real. everyone is more capable than average and most work extremely hard. it's a lot harder to stand out for anything academic at tj. certainly possible, but more difficult.

my advice is this: if you're willing to put in the time and the effort, you stand to gain a lot from tj. but if you dont want to deal with the competition, stay at a base high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:as a current tj student myself

and what are you doing on a parenting board?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:as a current tj student myself, i can both recommend and discourage applying to tj. as a learning institution, the place is fabulous. you probably wont find a better learning environment (for most kids) anywhere else in the country. the teachers are fantastic and the academics are superb. however, the super-competitive stereotype is very real. everyone is more capable than average and most work extremely hard. it's a lot harder to stand out for anything academic at tj. certainly possible, but more difficult.

my advice is this: if you're willing to put in the time and the effort, you stand to gain a lot from tj. but if you dont want to deal with the competition, stay at a base high school.

Thanks for the input; I don't see any reason why a student's perspective wouldn't be very welcome here!

Of course, students do compete with one another at their base high schools as well, though probably not as intensely as at TJ. Motivated students don't abandon their ambitions just because they weren't admitted to TJ. Some may actually work harder than they would at TJ, since they aren't already carrying around a TJ "stamp of approval."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 5th grade daughter loves math and science, and would like to go to TJ. We are considering whether to keep her in public for middle school (need to learn more about our center), or do private. Does anyone know whether being in private or public school affects a student's chances of admission?

Unless you know the DD/DS does not want TJ keep using public school. The child can apply to TJ and privates for grade 9.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:as a current tj student myself, i can both recommend and discourage applying to tj. as a learning institution, the place is fabulous. you probably wont find a better learning environment (for most kids) anywhere else in the country. the teachers are fantastic and the academics are superb. however, the super-competitive stereotype is very real. everyone is more capable than average and most work extremely hard. it's a lot harder to stand out for anything academic at tj. certainly possible, but more difficult.

my advice is this: if you're willing to put in the time and the effort, you stand to gain a lot from tj. but if you dont want to deal with the competition, stay at a base high school.

Thanks for the input; I don't see any reason why a student's perspective wouldn't be very welcome here!

Of course, students do compete with one another at their base high schools as well, though probably not as intensely as at TJ. Motivated students don't abandon their ambitions just because they weren't admitted to TJ. Some may actually work harder than they would at TJ, since they aren't already carrying around a TJ "stamp of approval."

Privates can be as hard as TJ and present a just as good if not better learning environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Privates can be as hard as TJ and present a just as good if not better learning environment.

Not around metro DC

[Anonymous]

The lack of diversity at TJ is getting a lot of attention now:

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=341662&paper=71&cat=104

TJ seems to be turning into a factory for Asian students whose parents have come from countries with highly competitive secondary school entrance exams and who know the fire drill. In a way, it seems antithetical to what we used to celebrate about the American public school system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The lack of diversity at TJ is getting a lot of attention now:

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=341662&paper=71&cat=104

TJ seems to be turning into a factory for Asian students whose parents have come from countries with highly competitive secondary school entrance exams and who know the fire drill. In a way, it seems antithetical to what we used to celebrate about the American public school system.

Thanks for posting this link.

[Anonymous]

Just remember TJ is for your child...not you. I know so many parents who are so set on getting their child into TJ, that the kids start feeling the pressure...big time. If your child is lucky enough to be accepted, just make sure that they want to be there, and it is a good fit. The school is a pressure cooker. I know very bright, excellent students who have had a hard time there...one tried to take her life. TJ is not for everyone.

[Anonymous]

The number of middle school admittances to TJHSST for the 2009-10 were: (only 10 or greater shown below)

68 - Carson
66 - Longfellow
45 - Rocky Run
34 - Kilmer
31 - Frost
23 - Lake Braddock
14 - Hughes
10- Jackson