What's it like for an "average" student at Thomas Jefferson?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My brother went to TJ. I went to our local HS, which is considered amongst the very best in Fairfax County. Back in middle school, I did well on the standardized test for the TJ application and made the first round of cuts, but didn't make the 2nd round of cuts, based on grades/teacher recommendations. My brother is definitely math/science-oriented whereas I am not. I graduated high school almost a decade ago, by the way.

Both my brother and I ended up as National Merit Finalists- I was one of just a few at my HS while he was one of many. Both of us went to top colleges. As someone else said, at TJ, basically everyone goes to a top school- UVa is almost like the default option for TJ students.

Both my brother and I have done great- we've been really fortunate to do exactly what we wanted to do (for us: really interesting and fulfilling government careers). I do not believe that being rejected from TJ held me back at all. I found my place at our nearby high school and did well there- it was the right place for me, actually.

My brother is much more intellectual than I am, and I am fully confident that TJ was the right place for him- he made lifelong friends there who shared his highly eclectic interests. (Some would call them "nerds"- and they've embraced that term, actually. ) Going to TJ and being one of many really smart people worked out just fine for my brother- it didn't negatively impact him in any way. If anything, being at TJ may have given him license to pursue his "nerdier" interests, certainly to his advantage later in life.

Neither one of us ended up with a big head- there are too many smart people in this area, either at TJ or at your local top Fairfax County high school (Langley/McLean/Madison, etc) to feel like you are anything else but a decent-sized fish in this big pond. I was glad I had the opportunities I've had growing up here and that the bar was set high for me.

You sound like an amazing sister or brother!

[Anonymous]

I don't have a kid in TJ, though maybe someday! But just weighing in... don't you have to test into TJ? So in theory, there are no average kids, just a whole bunch of kids who are varying degrees of really smart/talented? I would think that even the kids at TJ who weren't near the top of their class (or even the middle - someone has to finish last) would come out of high school really, really prepared for college, whatever college that would be. I'm also guessing that more kids get into Harvard or wherever from TJ than other schools, and that colleges know exactly who TJ is, so they get that a lower ranking at TJ might mean more than a higher ranking at another school. An A at TJ might mean more than an A somewhere else. I'm guessing that even the lower-ranked kids at TJ have pretty good college admissions prospects.

But I do imagine it could be hard for certain personality types to work really hard and still be at the bottom of the class. I can imagine it's like being graded on a curve where you get a D because you're the only person who missed more than 10% of the questions. I don't think I would have liked it. I attended a good high school in a very good school district, graduated 9th in my class of 454 and got the 2nd highest SAT scores in my school's history. I admit, I didn't always like the pressure to constantly perform, but I did like being near the top. (I did not, however, try to be closer to #1- that would have required taking honors chemistry and calculus, which I decided to save for college.) I'll admit, it was a relief to get to college and not have to be special anymore - I could fade into the background there and just enjoy learning.

[Anonymous]

"I'll admit, it was a relief to get to college and not have to be special anymore - I could fade into the background there and just enjoy learning."

I think this is what it is like for most students at TJ. A relief to no longer be special, rather just to be able to enjoy their intellectual pursuits. I didn't go to a magnet HS but I did go to a college that had this element to it. All of the kids there were genuinely interested in what they were learning, passionately so. We all recognized that we had different abilities and after a little adjustment at "no longer being special" we reveled in the sense of community and likemindedness that our University provided us. It was to be honest, the best time of my life.

[Anonymous]

I was talking to someone this weekend about the "Tiger Woods effect" on other golfers, and it made me think of this discussion. I suspect the same sort of thing (clear superstars de-motivating others) happens at every school. At TJ, it seems like kids that might be the superstars of non-magnet schools could be de-motivated when they realize they're not going to be anything special at TJ. I guess on a macro level though, maybe it's a good thing because kids that may have been de-motivated at non-magnet schools by the presence of superstars, will now potentially be re-motivated that their competitors have gone to TJ.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052702303960604575158122511930684.html
http://www.slate.com/id/2182671
http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2009/11/the_tiger_woods_effect.php

[Anonymous]

TJ Results went out last Friday, BTW...