TJ or Edison, which do you think would get your high achieiving kid into a better college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems to me that there are just some people so hell bent on the idea that TJ is the be all and end all of education for their little prince or princess, no amount of logic is going to convince them that their prince or princess might actually have a better chance of being accepted to a competitive college is they sent them to a "lower" performing HS. They have drunk the TJ kool aid and can't get enough it. For those parents, I'd be curious as to where you actually went to college (and where you applied) to see if you actually have any first hand experience with competitive college admissions. And, for the record, I am the earlier poster that went to UC Berkeley, and subsequently an Ivy League law school and has a close friend who used to work in Yale admissions (after attending Yale and subsequently attending another Ivy League school).

I am also not suggesting, by any stretch of imagination, that a parent shouldn't send their kid to TJ to game the college admissions system. At the end of the day, challenge your kid as much as he or she wants to be challenged and let the chips fall where they may. Who cares whether they make it to the Ivy League, UVA, George Mason, or community college. Help them to succeed in the path best suited for them and put down the TJ kool aid.

Stop bragging about the UC Berkeley and "Ivy League Law School". Many TJ kids turn down UC Berkeley to attend UVA/William and Mary. In fact, many TJ kids turn down Ivy League schools to attend UVA/William and Mary. Also, most parents do not send their kids to TJ to game the college admissions system. If what you say is true, parents would not agree to send their kids to UVA or William and Mary after their kids are accepted to Ivy League schools or similar top schools. That defeats the purpose of "gaming the college admissions system". Parents send their kids to TJ to receive challenging education and to have opportunity to take courses/participate in research that are not available at other schools. Is that hard to understand?

I'm not bragging about it. I'm mentioning it because I have actual experience with the admissions process at some of the country's most competitive institutions of higher learning. Do you?

Just because you went to Edison and attended UC Berkeley, that doesn't make you an expert on TJ or TJ college acceptances. It looks like you don't know much about TJ so don't pretend like you are an expert on TJ.

One, I didn't attend Edison or any HS in this area. Two, I don't think TJ is some sort of secret that only select insiders understand. It's not hard to understand TJ and what it is. Personally, I think it's a great school, and if my kid is motivated to go there and challenge themselves, I'll be all for it. But, I'm not going to do it because I think it will suddenly make their college admissions chances a lot better. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. It really probably depends on the particular student.

Many TJ kids turn down UC Berkeley to attend UVA/William and Mary. In fact, many TJ kids turn down Ivy League schools to attend UVA/William and Mary. Also, most parents do not send their kids to TJ to game the college admissions system. If what you say is true, parents would not agree to send their kids to UVA or William and Mary after their kids are accepted to Ivy League schools or similar top schools. That defeats the purpose of "gaming the college admissions system".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems to me that there are just some people so hell bent on the idea that TJ is the be all and end all of education for their little prince or princess, no amount of logic is going to convince them that their prince or princess might actually have a better chance of being accepted to a competitive college is they sent them to a "lower" performing HS. They have drunk the TJ kool aid and can't get enough it. For those parents, I'd be curious as to where you actually went to college (and where you applied) to see if you actually have any first hand experience with competitive college admissions. And, for the record, I am the earlier poster that went to UC Berkeley, and subsequently an Ivy League law school and has a close friend who used to work in Yale admissions (after attending Yale and subsequently attending another Ivy League school).

I am also not suggesting, by any stretch of imagination, that a parent shouldn't send their kid to TJ to game the college admissions system. At the end of the day, challenge your kid as much as he or she wants to be challenged and let the chips fall where they may. Who cares whether they make it to the Ivy League, UVA, George Mason, or community college. Help them to succeed in the path best suited for them and put down the TJ kool aid.

Stop bragging about the UC Berkeley and "Ivy League Law School". Many TJ kids turn down UC Berkeley to attend UVA/William and Mary. In fact, many TJ kids turn down Ivy League schools to attend UVA/William and Mary. Also, most parents do not send their kids to TJ to game the college admissions system. If what you say is true, parents would not agree to send their kids to UVA or William and Mary after their kids are accepted to Ivy League schools or similar top schools. That defeats the purpose of "gaming the college admissions system". Parents send their kids to TJ to receive challenging education and to have opportunity to take courses/participate in research that are not available at other schools. Is that hard to understand?

I'm not bragging about it. I'm mentioning it because I have actual experience with the admissions process at some of the country's most competitive institutions of higher learning. Do you?

Just because you went to Edison and attended UC Berkeley, that doesn't make you an expert on TJ or TJ college acceptances. It looks like you don't know much about TJ so don't pretend like you are an expert on TJ.

One, I didn't attend Edison or any HS in this area. Two, I don't think TJ is some sort of secret that only select insiders understand. It's not hard to understand TJ and what it is. Personally, I think it's a great school, and if my kid is motivated to go there and challenge themselves, I'll be all for it. But, I'm not going to do it because I think it will suddenly make their college admissions chances a lot better. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. It really probably depends on the particular student.

Many TJ kids turn down UC Berkeley to attend UVA/William and Mary. In fact, many TJ kids turn down Ivy League schools to attend UVA/William and Mary. Also, most parents do not send their kids to TJ to game the college admissions system. If what you say is true, parents would not agree to send their kids to UVA or William and Mary after their kids are accepted to Ivy League schools or similar top schools. That defeats the purpose of "gaming the college admissions system".

I don't really know what point you're making. Yes, people turn down Ivy League schools or out of state schools every day to go to state schools, not only in VA, but in states across the country. There can be many reasons why one would turn down an Ivy League school, cost likely being a major reason. And, of course, there are non-Ivy League schools that are just as well regarded as the Ivies.

And, I have never suggested that most parents send their kids to TJ to game the college admissions system. The only point I have ever really made is that you take two kids who are otherwise equal in all respects, the one from the "lesser" HS will have an advantage in the college admissions process. There are others who have suggested the contrary, that the kid from TJ would have the upper hand, and I simply think they're wrong. Again, I don't think that is a reason to not send your kid to TJ - there is probably a good likelihood that sending a kid to TJ will result in a more advanced curriculum that will further enhance their intellectual abilities, resulting in higher test scores than if they had stayed in their base HS, and improving their college admissions chances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I don't really know what point you're making. Yes, people turn down Ivy League schools or out of state schools every day to go to state schools, not only in VA, but in states across the country. There can be many reasons why one would turn down an Ivy League school, cost likely being a major reason. And, of course, there are non-Ivy League schools that are just as well regarded as the Ivies.

And, I have never suggested that most parents send their kids to TJ to game the college admissions system. The only point I have ever really made is that you take two kids who are otherwise equal in all respects, the one from the "lesser" HS will have an advantage in the college admissions process. There are others who have suggested the contrary, that the kid from TJ would have the upper hand, and I simply think they're wrong. Again, I don't think that is a reason to not send your kid to TJ - there is probably a good likelihood that sending a kid to TJ will result in a more advanced curriculum that will further enhance their intellectual abilities, resulting in higher test scores than if they had stayed in their base HS, and improving their college admissions chances.

Another good post. It's amazing how some observations that have as much, if not more, merit as any others expressed on this thread have generated such hostility and many personal attacks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems to me that there are just some people so hell bent on the idea that TJ is the be all and end all of education for their little prince or princess, no amount of logic is going to convince them that their prince or princess might actually have a better chance of being accepted to a competitive college is they sent them to a "lower" performing HS. They have drunk the TJ kool aid and can't get enough it. For those parents, I'd be curious as to where you actually went to college (and where you applied) to see if you actually have any first hand experience with competitive college admissions. And, for the record, I am the earlier poster that went to UC Berkeley, and subsequently an Ivy League law school and has a close friend who used to work in Yale admissions (after attending Yale and subsequently attending another Ivy League school).

I am also not suggesting, by any stretch of imagination, that a parent shouldn't send their kid to TJ to game the college admissions system. At the end of the day, challenge your kid as much as he or she wants to be challenged and let the chips fall where they may. Who cares whether they make it to the Ivy League, UVA, George Mason, or community college. Help them to succeed in the path best suited for them and put down the TJ kool aid.

Stop bragging about the UC Berkeley and "Ivy League Law School". Many TJ kids turn down UC Berkeley to attend UVA/William and Mary. In fact, many TJ kids turn down Ivy League schools to attend UVA/William and Mary. Also, most parents do not send their kids to TJ to game the college admissions system. If what you say is true, parents would not agree to send their kids to UVA or William and Mary after their kids are accepted to Ivy League schools or similar top schools. That defeats the purpose of "gaming the college admissions system". Parents send their kids to TJ to receive challenging education and to have opportunity to take courses/participate in research that are not available at other schools. Is that hard to understand?

I'm not bragging about it. I'm mentioning it because I have actual experience with the admissions process at some of the country's most competitive institutions of higher learning. Do you?

Just because you went to Edison and attended UC Berkeley, that doesn't make you an expert on TJ or TJ college acceptances. It looks like you don't know much about TJ so don't pretend like you are an expert on TJ.

One, I didn't attend Edison or any HS in this area. Two, I don't think TJ is some sort of secret that only select insiders understand. It's not hard to understand TJ and what it is. Personally, I think it's a great school, and if my kid is motivated to go there and challenge themselves, I'll be all for it. But, I'm not going to do it because I think it will suddenly make their college admissions chances a lot better. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. It really probably depends on the particular student.

You say you didn't grow up around here, didn't attend high school, college or graduate school around here and that you just recently moved here. You also say that TJ parents send their kids to TJ to game the college admissions thinking that will increase kids'chances of admissions to selective colleges. You also say that in fact, TJ lowers the chances for admission to selective college compared to school like Edison given the same qualifications.
So, you are saying TJ parents are "gaming the process" and they are too dumb to know such gaming will in fact result in lower chances for their kids and TJ parents are too dumb to even know that their efforts at "gaming " the process is actually lowering the chances.

You are not only insulting the TJ parents by painting them as "gaming the college admissions" but implying their gaming is actually harming college chances and they are too ignorant to know that based on the sole fact that you went to UC Berkeley. This area is full of professionals who attended top colleges/graduate schools/professional schools. Good number of TJ parents attended top colleges, graduate schools or professional schools. So, even though they attended top colleges and top graduate or professional schools, they are too dumb to know the truth that you know because you attended UC Berkeley. I personally met partners at top DC law firms who have children attending TJ or had a child graduate from TJ. Those parents attended Harvard and Yale for undergraduate programs. I also met a senior associate at another large firm in DC who attended TJ and graduated from Harvard Law School and this person wants to send her kids to TJ. I suppose all these people are "gaming the college admissions" and too dumb or ignorant to know that attending TJ would be actually harmful in college admissions and ignorant to even know that fact.

You are entitled to your opinion but don't insult TJ parents by saying they are gaming the college admissions or imply they are too dumb for sending their kids to TJ thinking that would increase college chances when you say that would actually hurt the college chances. You are free to send your kid to any high school you wish but there is no need to insult TJ parents. They are entitled to their own opinions and views whether you agree or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I don't really know what point you're making. Yes, people turn down Ivy League schools or out of state schools every day to go to state schools, not only in VA, but in states across the country. There can be many reasons why one would turn down an Ivy League school, cost likely being a major reason. And, of course, there are non-Ivy League schools that are just as well regarded as the Ivies.

And, I have never suggested that most parents send their kids to TJ to game the college admissions system. The only point I have ever really made is that you take two kids who are otherwise equal in all respects, the one from the "lesser" HS will have an advantage in the college admissions process. There are others who have suggested the contrary, that the kid from TJ would have the upper hand, and I simply think they're wrong. Again, I don't think that is a reason to not send your kid to TJ - there is probably a good likelihood that sending a kid to TJ will result in a more advanced curriculum that will further enhance their intellectual abilities, resulting in higher test scores than if they had stayed in their base HS, and improving their college admissions chances.

Another good post. It's amazing how some observations that have as much, if not more, merit as any others expressed on this thread have generated such hostility and many personal attacks.

OP here. I think the previous poster is in agreement with my DH. DH thinks our children will have a better chance of getting into a better college if our children attended Edison vs TJ.

My thought was more that if our smart child went to Edison, he could probably graduate top 10% fairly easily. Because of the competitive nature of TJ, I would not be as confident that he would do as well at TJ. Our child may only be average at TJ.

DH attended a very average high school while I attended a competitive high school. We both did well in college and moved on to top grad schools. At the end of the day, a motivated child will probably do just fine whether he went to Edison or TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems to me that there are just some people so hell bent on the idea that TJ is the be all and end all of education for their little prince or princess, no amount of logic is going to convince them that their prince or princess might actually have a better chance of being accepted to a competitive college is they sent them to a "lower" performing HS. They have drunk the TJ kool aid and can't get enough it. For those parents, I'd be curious as to where you actually went to college (and where you applied) to see if you actually have any first hand experience with competitive college admissions. And, for the record, I am the earlier poster that went to UC Berkeley, and subsequently an Ivy League law school and has a close friend who used to work in Yale admissions (after attending Yale and subsequently attending another Ivy League school).

I am also not suggesting, by any stretch of imagination, that a parent shouldn't send their kid to TJ to game the college admissions system. At the end of the day, challenge your kid as much as he or she wants to be challenged and let the chips fall where they may. Who cares whether they make it to the Ivy League, UVA, George Mason, or community college. Help them to succeed in the path best suited for them and put down the TJ kool aid.

Stop bragging about the UC Berkeley and "Ivy League Law School". Many TJ kids turn down UC Berkeley to attend UVA/William and Mary. In fact, many TJ kids turn down Ivy League schools to attend UVA/William and Mary. Also, most parents do not send their kids to TJ to game the college admissions system. If what you say is true, parents would not agree to send their kids to UVA or William and Mary after their kids are accepted to Ivy League schools or similar top schools. That defeats the purpose of "gaming the college admissions system". Parents send their kids to TJ to receive challenging education and to have opportunity to take courses/participate in research that are not available at other schools. Is that hard to understand?

I'm not bragging about it. I'm mentioning it because I have actual experience with the admissions process at some of the country's most competitive institutions of higher learning. Do you?

Just because you went to Edison and attended UC Berkeley, that doesn't make you an expert on TJ or TJ college acceptances. It looks like you don't know much about TJ so don't pretend like you are an expert on TJ.

One, I didn't attend Edison or any HS in this area. Two, I don't think TJ is some sort of secret that only select insiders understand. It's not hard to understand TJ and what it is. Personally, I think it's a great school, and if my kid is motivated to go there and challenge themselves, I'll be all for it. But, I'm not going to do it because I think it will suddenly make their college admissions chances a lot better. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. It really probably depends on the particular student.

You say you didn't grow up around here, didn't attend high school, college or graduate school around here and that you just recently moved here. You also say that TJ parents send their kids to TJ to game the college admissions thinking that will increase kids'chances of admissions to selective colleges. You also say that in fact, TJ lowers the chances for admission to selective college compared to school like Edison given the same qualifications.
So, you are saying TJ parents are "gaming the process" and they are too dumb to know such gaming will in fact result in lower chances for their kids and TJ parents are too dumb to even know that their efforts at "gaming " the process is actually lowering the chances.

You are not only insulting the TJ parents by painting them as "gaming the college admissions" but implying their gaming is actually harming college chances and they are too ignorant to know that based on the sole fact that you went to UC Berkeley. This area is full of professionals who attended top colleges/graduate schools/professional schools. Good number of TJ parents attended top colleges, graduate schools or professional schools. So, even though they attended top colleges and top graduate or professional schools, they are too dumb to know the truth that you know because you attended UC Berkeley. I personally met partners at top DC law firms who have children attending TJ or had a child graduate from TJ. Those parents attended Harvard and Yale for undergraduate programs. I also met a senior associate at another large firm in DC who attended TJ and graduated from Harvard Law School and this person wants to send her kids to TJ. I suppose all these people are "gaming the college admissions" and too dumb or ignorant to know that attending TJ would be actually harmful in college admissions and ignorant to even know that fact.

You are entitled to your opinion but don't insult TJ parents by saying they are gaming the college admissions or imply they are too dumb for sending their kids to TJ thinking that would increase college chances when you say that would actually hurt the college chances. You are free to send your kid to any high school you wish but there is no need to insult TJ parents. They are entitled to their own opinions and views whether you agree or not.

I seriously question your reading comprehension skills. Please point me to one thing I have posted to suggest that parents who send their kids to TJ are gaming the college admissions process or are stupid for sending their kids to TJ. I have never posted anything to that effect, and, if by chance, I am forgetting something I wrote that suggested that, I recant. I think TJ is a great school and if one of my children is motivated to go to TJ, I will be fully behind it. The only point I have been making is that when you have 2 otherwise identical children, the kid from the "lesser" HS will have the admissions advantage than the kid from the "better" HS. That, in my view, was the question the OP was essentially asking. I don't think that is a reason to discourage a child from attending TJ, and I'm not knocking TJ. Let me repeat - IT IS A GREAT SCHOOL. But, I do think that someone who thinks that you take 2 otherwise identical kids, one at TJ and one at Edison, and the admissions advantage goes to the TJ kid simply isn't that familiar with college admissions at competitive universities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I don't really know what point you're making. Yes, people turn down Ivy League schools or out of state schools every day to go to state schools, not only in VA, but in states across the country. There can be many reasons why one would turn down an Ivy League school, cost likely being a major reason. And, of course, there are non-Ivy League schools that are just as well regarded as the Ivies.

And, I have never suggested that most parents send their kids to TJ to game the college admissions system. The only point I have ever really made is that you take two kids who are otherwise equal in all respects, the one from the "lesser" HS will have an advantage in the college admissions process. There are others who have suggested the contrary, that the kid from TJ would have the upper hand, and I simply think they're wrong. Again, I don't think that is a reason to not send your kid to TJ - there is probably a good likelihood that sending a kid to TJ will result in a more advanced curriculum that will further enhance their intellectual abilities, resulting in higher test scores than if they had stayed in their base HS, and improving their college admissions chances.

Another good post. It's amazing how some observations that have as much, if not more, merit as any others expressed on this thread have generated such hostility and many personal attacks.

OP here. I think the previous poster is in agreement with my DH. DH thinks our children will have a better chance of getting into a better college if our children attended Edison vs TJ.

My thought was more that if our smart child went to Edison, he could probably graduate top 10% fairly easily. Because of the competitive nature of TJ, I would not be as confident that he would do as well at TJ. Our child may only be average at TJ.

DH attended a very average high school while I attended a competitive high school. We both did well in college and moved on to top grad schools. At the end of the day, a motivated child will probably do just fine whether he went to Edison or TJ.

OP again. I just wanted to add that I think it would be difficult for a student to be identical at both TJ and Edison. As others have pointed out, the course load at TJ is more rigorous with many more advanced classes. A student ranked at #10 at Edison would not have the same course load as a student ranked #10 at TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I don't really know what point you're making. Yes, people turn down Ivy League schools or out of state schools every day to go to state schools, not only in VA, but in states across the country. There can be many reasons why one would turn down an Ivy League school, cost likely being a major reason. And, of course, there are non-Ivy League schools that are just as well regarded as the Ivies.

And, I have never suggested that most parents send their kids to TJ to game the college admissions system. The only point I have ever really made is that you take two kids who are otherwise equal in all respects, the one from the "lesser" HS will have an advantage in the college admissions process. There are others who have suggested the contrary, that the kid from TJ would have the upper hand, and I simply think they're wrong. Again, I don't think that is a reason to not send your kid to TJ - there is probably a good likelihood that sending a kid to TJ will result in a more advanced curriculum that will further enhance their intellectual abilities, resulting in higher test scores than if they had stayed in their base HS, and improving their college admissions chances.

Another good post. It's amazing how some observations that have as much, if not more, merit as any others expressed on this thread have generated such hostility and many personal attacks.

OP here. I think the previous poster is in agreement with my DH. DH thinks our children will have a better chance of getting into a better college if our children attended Edison vs TJ.

My thought was more that if our smart child went to Edison, he could probably graduate top 10% fairly easily. Because of the competitive nature of TJ, I would not be as confident that he would do as well at TJ. Our child may only be average at TJ.

DH attended a very average high school while I attended a competitive high school. We both did well in college and moved on to top grad schools. At the end of the day, a motivated child will probably do just fine whether he went to Edison or TJ.

OP again. I just wanted to add that I think it would be difficult for a student to be identical at both TJ and Edison. As others have pointed out, the course load at TJ is more rigorous with many more advanced classes. A student ranked at #10 at Edison would not have the same course load as a student ranked #10 at TJ.

And, I totally agree with that. One of the reasons why, if I had a motivated student, I would probably send them to TJ over Edison. The more advanced curriculum would likely result in them improving their intellectual abilities and achieving higher test scores. At the same time, a student at Edison that is a high achiever might find themselves able to achieve quite a lot in AP courses and have time to become a bit more well-rounded student with more extracurricular activities. Many colleges like well-rounded students that are also high achievers. I'm not saying that isn't possible at TJ either. Different children will excel in different environments. There is no one size fits all for education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I don't really know what point you're making. Yes, people turn down Ivy League schools or out of state schools every day to go to state schools, not only in VA, but in states across the country. There can be many reasons why one would turn down an Ivy League school, cost likely being a major reason. And, of course, there are non-Ivy League schools that are just as well regarded as the Ivies.

And, I have never suggested that most parents send their kids to TJ to game the college admissions system. The only point I have ever really made is that you take two kids who are otherwise equal in all respects, the one from the "lesser" HS will have an advantage in the college admissions process. There are others who have suggested the contrary, that the kid from TJ would have the upper hand, and I simply think they're wrong. Again, I don't think that is a reason to not send your kid to TJ - there is probably a good likelihood that sending a kid to TJ will result in a more advanced curriculum that will further enhance their intellectual abilities, resulting in higher test scores than if they had stayed in their base HS, and improving their college admissions chances.

Another good post. It's amazing how some observations that have as much, if not more, merit as any others expressed on this thread have generated such hostility and many personal attacks.

OP here. I think the previous poster is in agreement with my DH. DH thinks our children will have a better chance of getting into a better college if our children attended Edison vs TJ.

My thought was more that if our smart child went to Edison, he could probably graduate top 10% fairly easily. Because of the competitive nature of TJ, I would not be as confident that he would do as well at TJ. Our child may only be average at TJ.

DH attended a very average high school while I attended a competitive high school. We both did well in college and moved on to top grad schools. At the end of the day, a motivated child will probably do just fine whether he went to Edison or TJ.

OP again. I just wanted to add that I think it would be difficult for a student to be identical at both TJ and Edison. As others have pointed out, the course load at TJ is more rigorous with many more advanced classes. A student ranked at #10 at Edison would not have the same course load as a student ranked #10 at TJ.

And, I totally agree with that. One of the reasons why, if I had a motivated student, I would probably send them to TJ over Edison. The more advanced curriculum would likely result in them improving their intellectual abilities and achieving higher test scores. At the same time, a student at Edison that is a high achiever might find themselves able to achieve quite a lot in AP courses and have time to become a bit more well-rounded student with more extracurricular activities. Many colleges like well-rounded students that are also high achievers. I'm not saying that isn't possible at TJ either. Different children will excel in different environments. There is no one size fits all for education.

Are you the Edison/Berkeley/Ivy Law School grad? How was your peer group? About how many top motivated students were there at the school?

For the record, I want to move to a better school pyramid and get out of Edison. DH wants to stay in our Edison pyramid for various reasons. On top of the other main reasons DH wants to stay (short commute, likes our house, doesn't want to move, live below our means, etc), DH stated that our kids probably have a better chance of getting into a competitive college from Edison.

I personally would prefer my child to attend a better school, whether it be Langley, Yorktown or TJ. DH seems to want to keep our child in the inferior school to game the system as others have stated on this thread. He does think the end goal is getting into a good college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I don't really know what point you're making. Yes, people turn down Ivy League schools or out of state schools every day to go to state schools, not only in VA, but in states across the country. There can be many reasons why one would turn down an Ivy League school, cost likely being a major reason. And, of course, there are non-Ivy League schools that are just as well regarded as the Ivies.

And, I have never suggested that most parents send their kids to TJ to game the college admissions system. The only point I have ever really made is that you take two kids who are otherwise equal in all respects, the one from the "lesser" HS will have an advantage in the college admissions process. There are others who have suggested the contrary, that the kid from TJ would have the upper hand, and I simply think they're wrong. Again, I don't think that is a reason to not send your kid to TJ - there is probably a good likelihood that sending a kid to TJ will result in a more advanced curriculum that will further enhance their intellectual abilities, resulting in higher test scores than if they had stayed in their base HS, and improving their college admissions chances.

Another good post. It's amazing how some observations that have as much, if not more, merit as any others expressed on this thread have generated such hostility and many personal attacks.

OP here. I think the previous poster is in agreement with my DH. DH thinks our children will have a better chance of getting into a better college if our children attended Edison vs TJ.

My thought was more that if our smart child went to Edison, he could probably graduate top 10% fairly easily. Because of the competitive nature of TJ, I would not be as confident that he would do as well at TJ. Our child may only be average at TJ.

DH attended a very average high school while I attended a competitive high school. We both did well in college and moved on to top grad schools. At the end of the day, a motivated child will probably do just fine whether he went to Edison or TJ.

OP again. I just wanted to add that I think it would be difficult for a student to be identical at both TJ and Edison. As others have pointed out, the course load at TJ is more rigorous with many more advanced classes. A student ranked at #10 at Edison would not have the same course load as a student ranked #10 at TJ.

And, I totally agree with that. One of the reasons why, if I had a motivated student, I would probably send them to TJ over Edison. The more advanced curriculum would likely result in them improving their intellectual abilities and achieving higher test scores. At the same time, a student at Edison that is a high achiever might find themselves able to achieve quite a lot in AP courses and have time to become a bit more well-rounded student with more extracurricular activities. Many colleges like well-rounded students that are also high achievers. I'm not saying that isn't possible at TJ either. Different children will excel in different environments. There is no one size fits all for education.

Edison is an IB school, so a high-achiever at Edison is not likely to achieve "a lot" in AP courses, absent a decision by FCPS to scale back the number of IB schools in the county. The expectation would be that he or she would pursue an IB diploma, which is writing-intensive. That's another reason why an apples-to-apples comparison of an Edison student and TJ student is difficult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[
For the record, I want to move to a better school pyramid and get out of Edison. DH wants to stay in our Edison pyramid for various reasons. On top of the other main reasons DH wants to stay (short commute, likes our house, doesn't want to move, live below our means, etc), DH stated that our kids probably have a better chance of getting into a competitive college from Edison.

I personally would prefer my child to attend a better school, whether it be Langley, Yorktown or TJ. DH seems to want to keep our child in the inferior school to game the system as others have stated on this thread. He does think the end goal is getting into a good college.

I disagree with your premise that the education one receives at Edison is "inferior" to Langley or Yorktown. TJ is a different animal and I would agree that it is significantly more advanced. The FCPS curriculum is available at both Edison and Langley... and I'm sure it's not too much different than what is offered at Yorktown. Do you really think there aren't any smart kids at Edison? I would rather not have my kids surrounded by wealth and the pressure to always have more. I hope your husband doesn't cave.... he sounds like a wise fellow.

I find it interesting how solid you are in your assumption that your child will be in the top 10% and/or will have the option to go to TJ. You might be surprised to find out that your kid is really middle of the road for this area. Seriously. DH and I were always tops in our schools, even had top level entrance exams for grad school. My kids are no slouches, but they have plenty of company.

I previously said that I hoped your husband doesn't cave... but the more I think about it, maybe you should move.... you would probably be more at home in a Langley/Yorktown district. Communities with schools like Edison, Hayfield, South Lakes and Herndon don't see themselves as "inferior" and don't need people like you to look down on them/us.

[Anonymous]

Wouldn't it be ironic if OP's kid doesn't get into AAP, didn't get into TJ, is in the bottom half of the class at Langley (b/c you know -- 50% of the kids ARE in the bottom of the class), and ends up at JMU (which is a perfectly fine school, but not in the halls of Langley)?

Don't you need a lot more data before you can be making such big decisions, OP?

[Anonymous]

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I don't really know what point you're making. Yes, people turn down Ivy League schools or out of state schools every day to go to state schools, not only in VA, but in states across the country. There can be many reasons why one would turn down an Ivy League school, cost likely being a major reason. And, of course, there are non-Ivy League schools that are just as well regarded as the Ivies.

And, I have never suggested that most parents send their kids to TJ to game the college admissions system. The only point I have ever really made is that you take two kids who are otherwise equal in all respects, the one from the "lesser" HS will have an advantage in the college admissions process. There are others who have suggested the contrary, that the kid from TJ would have the upper hand, and I simply think they're wrong. Again, I don't think that is a reason to not send your kid to TJ - there is probably a good likelihood that sending a kid to TJ will result in a more advanced curriculum that will further enhance their intellectual abilities, resulting in higher test scores than if they had stayed in their base HS, and improving their college admissions chances.

Another good post. It's amazing how some observations that have as much, if not more, merit as any others expressed on this thread have generated such hostility and many personal attacks.

OP here. I think the previous poster is in agreement with my DH. DH thinks our children will have a better chance of getting into a better college if our children attended Edison vs TJ.

My thought was more that if our smart child went to Edison, he could probably graduate top 10% fairly easily. Because of the competitive nature of TJ, I would not be as confident that he would do as well at TJ. Our child may only be average at TJ.

DH attended a very average high school while I attended a competitive high school. We both did well in college and moved on to top grad schools. At the end of the day, a motivated child will probably do just fine whether he went to Edison or TJ.

OP again. I just wanted to add that I think it would be difficult for a student to be identical at both TJ and Edison. As others have pointed out, the course load at TJ is more rigorous with many more advanced classes. A student ranked at #10 at Edison would not have the same course load as a student ranked #10 at TJ.

And, I totally agree with that. One of the reasons why, if I had a motivated student, I would probably send them to TJ over Edison. The more advanced curriculum would likely result in them improving their intellectual abilities and achieving higher test scores. At the same time, a student at Edison that is a high achiever might find themselves able to achieve quite a lot in AP courses and have time to become a bit more well-rounded student with more extracurricular activities. Many colleges like well-rounded students that are also high achievers. I'm not saying that isn't possible at TJ either. Different children will excel in different environments. There is no one size fits all for education.

Are you the Edison/Berkeley/Ivy Law School grad? How was your peer group? About how many top motivated students were there at the school?

For the record, I want to move to a better school pyramid and get out of Edison. DH wants to stay in our Edison pyramid for various reasons. On top of the other main reasons DH wants to stay (short commute, likes our house, doesn't want to move, live below our means, etc), DH stated that our kids probably have a better chance of getting into a competitive college from Edison.

I personally would prefer my child to attend a better school, whether it be Langley, Yorktown or TJ. DH seems to want to keep our child in the inferior school to game the system as others have stated on this thread. He does think the end goal is getting into a good college.

I am the Berkeley/Ivy League law school graduate but I never went to Edison or any HS in this area. I think someone started suggesting I went to Edison as some sort of personal attack back a few pages. I think we can substitute Edison for any of Fairfax County's "lesser" high schools and the discussion is pretty much the same. My personal opinion is that a motivated student can excel in any of the high schools in Fairfax County. I think there are pluses and minuses for a motivated child to be at a school like Edison, where their motivated peer group will be small vs. a school like TJ or McLean where the motivated peer group will be larger. I wouldn't personally make the decision about where to send my kid to HS based on gaming the college admissions system, but based on the environment in which I thought my child would be able to excel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't it be ironic if OP's kid doesn't get into AAP, didn't get into TJ, is in the bottom half of the class at Langley (b/c you know -- 50% of the kids ARE in the bottom of the class), and ends up at JMU (which is a perfectly fine school, but not in the halls of Langley)?

Don't you need a lot more data before you can be making such big decisions, OP?

I don't think the bottom 50% at Langley sails into JMU. It's more likely an option for the kids in the second third at Langley.

Sorry to burst that bubble as well.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:
I don't really know what point you're making. Yes, people turn down Ivy League schools or out of state schools every day to go to state schools, not only in VA, but in states across the country. There can be many reasons why one would turn down an Ivy League school, cost likely being a major reason. And, of course, there are non-Ivy League schools that are just as well regarded as the Ivies.

And, I have never suggested that most parents send their kids to TJ to game the college admissions system. The only point I have ever really made is that you take two kids who are otherwise equal in all respects, the one from the "lesser" HS will have an advantage in the college admissions process. There are others who have suggested the contrary, that the kid from TJ would have the upper hand, and I simply think they're wrong. Again, I don't think that is a reason to not send your kid to TJ - there is probably a good likelihood that sending a kid to TJ will result in a more advanced curriculum that will further enhance their intellectual abilities, resulting in higher test scores than if they had stayed in their base HS, and improving their college admissions chances.

Another good post. It's amazing how some observations that have as much, if not more, merit as any others expressed on this thread have generated such hostility and many personal attacks.

OP here. I think the previous poster is in agreement with my DH. DH thinks our children will have a better chance of getting into a better college if our children attended Edison vs TJ.

My thought was more that if our smart child went to Edison, he could probably graduate top 10% fairly easily. Because of the competitive nature of TJ, I would not be as confident that he would do as well at TJ. Our child may only be average at TJ.

DH attended a very average high school while I attended a competitive high school. We both did well in college and moved on to top grad schools. At the end of the day, a motivated child will probably do just fine whether he went to Edison or TJ.

OP again. I just wanted to add that I think it would be difficult for a student to be identical at both TJ and Edison. As others have pointed out, the course load at TJ is more rigorous with many more advanced classes. A student ranked at #10 at Edison would not have the same course load as a student ranked #10 at TJ.

And, I totally agree with that. One of the reasons why, if I had a motivated student, I would probably send them to TJ over Edison. The more advanced curriculum would likely result in them improving their intellectual abilities and achieving higher test scores. At the same time, a student at Edison that is a high achiever might find themselves able to achieve quite a lot in AP courses and have time to become a bit more well-rounded student with more extracurricular activities. Many colleges like well-rounded students that are also high achievers. I'm not saying that isn't possible at TJ either. Different children will excel in different environments. There is no one size fits all for education.

Edison is an IB school, so a high-achiever at Edison is not likely to achieve "a lot" in AP courses, absent a decision by FCPS to scale back the number of IB schools in the county. The expectation would be that he or she would pursue an IB diploma, which is writing-intensive. That's another reason why an apples-to-apples comparison of an Edison student and TJ student is difficult.

My mistake. I was thinking Edison was AP for some reason, not IB. You are correct. And, I generally agree with your sentiment that it's not going to be quite so easy to compare students from TJ and Edison. But, I also think that if you take 3 students - one that went to TJ, one that took AP classes, and one that took IB classes, and they have the same SAT/ACT scores and grades, those students are likely to be viewed similarly by college admissions boards. All three challenged themselves to the maximum extent possible given what was offered at their school and appear to have accomplished similar levels of academic achievement. Other things like extracurriculars may be items that will distinguish the students from each other in that situation.