Reasons why one would not accept TJ offer?

[Anonymous]

I think the kids are more well-rounded coming out of our local base HS, and I care about social things - wanted my kid to be with friends from the neighborhood and at a school closer to our house more than I care about prestige. He never applied in the first place because he agreed with me on these things. He's in 9th grade now and trust me - my husband and I don't use this loosely - but we think one of his friends is an actual genius. We've only said that about one other kid - a third grader who pushed up to our middle son's 5th grade AAP math class, and I think still knows more than the 5th graders. Anyway, this friend is applying to TJ for 10th grade, and they are idiots if they don't accept him. That said - I don't know if it wouldn't behoove him to stay at the base and be #1 there for college admissions. I hear the kids from TJ have a harder time getting into UVA because they think it's their safety school. ANYWAY - not my circus, not my monkey - so I'll mind my own business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the kids are more well-rounded coming out of our local base HS, and I care about social things - wanted my kid to be with friends from the neighborhood and at a school closer to our house more than I care about prestige. He never applied in the first place because he agreed with me on these things. He's in 9th grade now and trust me - my husband and I don't use this loosely - but we think one of his friends is an actual genius. We've only said that about one other kid - a third grader who pushed up to our middle son's 5th grade AAP math class, and I think still knows more than the 5th graders. Anyway, this friend is applying to TJ for 10th grade, and they are idiots if they don't accept him. That said - I don't know if it wouldn't behoove him to stay at the base and be #1 there for college admissions. I hear the kids from TJ have a harder time getting into UVA because they think it's their safety school. ANYWAY - not my circus, not my monkey - so I'll mind my own business.

Very good points.

My child was at base in 9th grade and at TJ afterwards. The primary reason is social for the move.

My child cared very much about 2 activities. A sport that would be too competitive for child to be able to be on the team at base. Child likes it very much but weak in that sport. Child was able to play at TJ. Another activity had literally one other child who is interested in at base. Child had (well I had to remind child) to remind teachers about due dates to apply to that activity. It was lonely. At TJ, it is tough to get into the top 30 in that activity and there are nearly 100 who are interested. This is a fantastic social experience and the one of the most enjoyable parts of TJ for child.

Anyway went to TJ for the social aspects and HS experience in our case, but not due to prestige or college admissions perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter applied on a whim and ultimately decided not to go because she wanted a more typical high school experience.

+1 Well said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the kids are more well-rounded coming out of our local base HS, and I care about social things - wanted my kid to be with friends from the neighborhood and at a school closer to our house more than I care about prestige. He never applied in the first place because he agreed with me on these things. He's in 9th grade now and trust me - my husband and I don't use this loosely - but we think one of his friends is an actual genius. We've only said that about one other kid - a third grader who pushed up to our middle son's 5th grade AAP math class, and I think still knows more than the 5th graders. Anyway, this friend is applying to TJ for 10th grade, and they are idiots if they don't accept him. That said - I don't know if it wouldn't behoove him to stay at the base and be #1 there for college admissions. I hear the kids from TJ have a harder time getting into UVA because they think it's their safety school. ANYWAY - not my circus, not my monkey - so I'll mind my own business.

Very good points.

My child was at base in 9th grade and at TJ afterwards. The primary reason is social for the move.

My child cared very much about 2 activities. A sport that would be too competitive for child to be able to be on the team at base. Child likes it very much but weak in that sport. Child was able to play at TJ. Another activity had literally one other child who is interested in at base. Child had (well I had to remind child) to remind teachers about due dates to apply to that activity. It was lonely. At TJ, it is tough to get into the top 30 in that activity and there are nearly 100 who are interested. This is a fantastic social experience and the one of the most enjoyable parts of TJ for child.

Anyway went to TJ for the social aspects and HS experience in our case, but not due to prestige or college admissions perspective.

+1
# We came for the sports!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the kids are more well-rounded coming out of our local base HS, and I care about social things - wanted my kid to be with friends from the neighborhood and at a school closer to our house more than I care about prestige. He never applied in the first place because he agreed with me on these things. He's in 9th grade now and trust me - my husband and I don't use this loosely - but we think one of his friends is an actual genius. We've only said that about one other kid - a third grader who pushed up to our middle son's 5th grade AAP math class, and I think still knows more than the 5th graders. Anyway, this friend is applying to TJ for 10th grade, and they are idiots if they don't accept him. That said - I don't know if it wouldn't behoove him to stay at the base and be #1 there for college admissions. I hear the kids from TJ have a harder time getting into UVA because they think it's their safety school. ANYWAY - not my circus, not my monkey - so I'll mind my own business.

Very good points.

My child was at base in 9th grade and at TJ afterwards. The primary reason is social for the move.

My child cared very much about 2 activities. A sport that would be too competitive for child to be able to be on the team at base. Child likes it very much but weak in that sport. Child was able to play at TJ. Another activity had literally one other child who is interested in at base. Child had (well I had to remind child) to remind teachers about due dates to apply to that activity. It was lonely. At TJ, it is tough to get into the top 30 in that activity and there are nearly 100 who are interested. This is a fantastic social experience and the one of the most enjoyable parts of TJ for child.

Anyway went to TJ for the social aspects and HS experience in our case, but not due to prestige or college admissions perspective.

I really don’t see the justification to maintain a magnet school and provide transportation if one of the main remaining benefits is that it allows some kids to make sports teams they couldn’t make at their base schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the kids are more well-rounded coming out of our local base HS, and I care about social things - wanted my kid to be with friends from the neighborhood and at a school closer to our house more than I care about prestige. He never applied in the first place because he agreed with me on these things. He's in 9th grade now and trust me - my husband and I don't use this loosely - but we think one of his friends is an actual genius. We've only said that about one other kid - a third grader who pushed up to our middle son's 5th grade AAP math class, and I think still knows more than the 5th graders. Anyway, this friend is applying to TJ for 10th grade, and they are idiots if they don't accept him. That said - I don't know if it wouldn't behoove him to stay at the base and be #1 there for college admissions. I hear the kids from TJ have a harder time getting into UVA because they think it's their safety school. ANYWAY - not my circus, not my monkey - so I'll mind my own business.

Very good points.

My child was at base in 9th grade and at TJ afterwards. The primary reason is social for the move.

My child cared very much about 2 activities. A sport that would be too competitive for child to be able to be on the team at base. Child likes it very much but weak in that sport. Child was able to play at TJ. Another activity had literally one other child who is interested in at base. Child had (well I had to remind child) to remind teachers about due dates to apply to that activity. It was lonely. At TJ, it is tough to get into the top 30 in that activity and there are nearly 100 who are interested. This is a fantastic social experience and the one of the most enjoyable parts of TJ for child.

Anyway went to TJ for the social aspects and HS experience in our case, but not due to prestige or college admissions perspective.

I really don’t see the justification to maintain a magnet school and provide transportation if one of the main remaining benefits is that it allows some kids to make sports teams they couldn’t make at their base schools.

There is also the fact that base was ridiculously easy even while taking the most rigorous course load possible. In all of 9th grade, child probably put maybe 5 hours of effort at home for the entire year on all classes combined. All the home work used to be finished at school itself. In 3 of the courses ended up with over 100% due to bonus points.

So yes there is a need for TJ for some children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If math grade is low, can the course be retaken in summer, like how it is allowed in regular high school?

I doubt there are enough TJ students with low grades in math to warrant this.

Tj says they have students with GPA as low as 3.2 weighted/ 2.7 unweighted. Doesn't it take quite a number of Cs to get that low of a GPA?

Thought saw in other post that kids must maintain 3.0 average?

Yes, it is.
Regulation 3355.15

" An enrolled student must maintain a cumulative B average (unweighted 3.0 grade point
average) at the end of each school year to remain a student in good standing at
TJHSST."

How can the supposedly no.1 stem magnet school admit students who are struggling to maintain bare minimum GPA?

Equity took priority over excellence

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the kids are more well-rounded coming out of our local base HS, and I care about social things - wanted my kid to be with friends from the neighborhood and at a school closer to our house more than I care about prestige. He never applied in the first place because he agreed with me on these things. He's in 9th grade now and trust me - my husband and I don't use this loosely - but we think one of his friends is an actual genius. We've only said that about one other kid - a third grader who pushed up to our middle son's 5th grade AAP math class, and I think still knows more than the 5th graders. Anyway, this friend is applying to TJ for 10th grade, and they are idiots if they don't accept him. That said - I don't know if it wouldn't behoove him to stay at the base and be #1 there for college admissions. I hear the kids from TJ have a harder time getting into UVA because they think it's their safety school. ANYWAY - not my circus, not my monkey - so I'll mind my own business.

Very good points.

My child was at base in 9th grade and at TJ afterwards. The primary reason is social for the move.

My child cared very much about 2 activities. A sport that would be too competitive for child to be able to be on the team at base. Child likes it very much but weak in that sport. Child was able to play at TJ. Another activity had literally one other child who is interested in at base. Child had (well I had to remind child) to remind teachers about due dates to apply to that activity. It was lonely. At TJ, it is tough to get into the top 30 in that activity and there are nearly 100 who are interested. This is a fantastic social experience and the one of the most enjoyable parts of TJ for child.

Anyway went to TJ for the social aspects and HS experience in our case, but not due to prestige or college admissions perspective.

I really don’t see the justification to maintain a magnet school and provide transportation if one of the main remaining benefits is that it allows some kids to make sports teams they couldn’t make at their base schools.

There is also the fact that base was ridiculously easy even while taking the most rigorous course load possible. In all of 9th grade, child probably put maybe 5 hours of effort at home for the entire year on all classes combined. All the home work used to be finished at school itself. In 3 of the courses ended up with over 100% due to bonus points.

So yes there is a need for TJ for some children.

How are the grades at TJ now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the kids are more well-rounded coming out of our local base HS, and I care about social things - wanted my kid to be with friends from the neighborhood and at a school closer to our house more than I care about prestige. He never applied in the first place because he agreed with me on these things. He's in 9th grade now and trust me - my husband and I don't use this loosely - but we think one of his friends is an actual genius. We've only said that about one other kid - a third grader who pushed up to our middle son's 5th grade AAP math class, and I think still knows more than the 5th graders. Anyway, this friend is applying to TJ for 10th grade, and they are idiots if they don't accept him. That said - I don't know if it wouldn't behoove him to stay at the base and be #1 there for college admissions. I hear the kids from TJ have a harder time getting into UVA because they think it's their safety school. ANYWAY - not my circus, not my monkey - so I'll mind my own business.

Very good points.

My child was at base in 9th grade and at TJ afterwards. The primary reason is social for the move.

My child cared very much about 2 activities. A sport that would be too competitive for child to be able to be on the team at base. Child likes it very much but weak in that sport. Child was able to play at TJ. Another activity had literally one other child who is interested in at base. Child had (well I had to remind child) to remind teachers about due dates to apply to that activity. It was lonely. At TJ, it is tough to get into the top 30 in that activity and there are nearly 100 who are interested. This is a fantastic social experience and the one of the most enjoyable parts of TJ for child.

Anyway went to TJ for the social aspects and HS experience in our case, but not due to prestige or college admissions perspective.

I really don’t see the justification to maintain a magnet school and provide transportation if one of the main remaining benefits is that it allows some kids to make sports teams they couldn’t make at their base schools.

There is also the fact that base was ridiculously easy even while taking the most rigorous course load possible. In all of 9th grade, child probably put maybe 5 hours of effort at home for the entire year on all classes combined. All the home work used to be finished at school itself. In 3 of the courses ended up with over 100% due to bonus points.

So yes there is a need for TJ for some children.

How are the grades at TJ now?

Grades are good, but now child has to put in the effort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the kids are more well-rounded coming out of our local base HS, and I care about social things - wanted my kid to be with friends from the neighborhood and at a school closer to our house more than I care about prestige. He never applied in the first place because he agreed with me on these things. He's in 9th grade now and trust me - my husband and I don't use this loosely - but we think one of his friends is an actual genius. We've only said that about one other kid - a third grader who pushed up to our middle son's 5th grade AAP math class, and I think still knows more than the 5th graders. Anyway, this friend is applying to TJ for 10th grade, and they are idiots if they don't accept him. That said - I don't know if it wouldn't behoove him to stay at the base and be #1 there for college admissions. I hear the kids from TJ have a harder time getting into UVA because they think it's their safety school. ANYWAY - not my circus, not my monkey - so I'll mind my own business.

Very good points.

My child was at base in 9th grade and at TJ afterwards. The primary reason is social for the move.

My child cared very much about 2 activities. A sport that would be too competitive for child to be able to be on the team at base. Child likes it very much but weak in that sport. Child was able to play at TJ. Another activity had literally one other child who is interested in at base. Child had (well I had to remind child) to remind teachers about due dates to apply to that activity. It was lonely. At TJ, it is tough to get into the top 30 in that activity and there are nearly 100 who are interested. This is a fantastic social experience and the one of the most enjoyable parts of TJ for child.

Anyway went to TJ for the social aspects and HS experience in our case, but not due to prestige or college admissions perspective.

I really don’t see the justification to maintain a magnet school and provide transportation if one of the main remaining benefits is that it allows some kids to make sports teams they couldn’t make at their base schools.

There is also the fact that base was ridiculously easy even while taking the most rigorous course load possible. In all of 9th grade, child probably put maybe 5 hours of effort at home for the entire year on all classes combined. All the home work used to be finished at school itself. In 3 of the courses ended up with over 100% due to bonus points.

So yes there is a need for TJ for some children.

How are the grades at TJ now?

It is an inverted bell or U-shaped curve, with bottom half of class struggling with Cs & Ds requiring math remediation, the distant top half with mostly As, and a nominal number in the middle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Yes, they had very large events for Hispanic Heritage Month and Black History Month. You do not see this in most high schools.

Maybe they should celebrate American culture too, here and there. Especially for a school with so many immigrants - they want to learn about the US too, not just other countries.

American culture is celebrated every day, every minute, every second, etc... not just at TJ, but all FCPS schools. You know how? Student don't just "celebrate" American culture, instead they live it!
As a TJ community, we take time every month and pay special tribute to each unique culture through collective participation, contribution, and mutual respect. It is much more involved that what one would have noticed at other FCPS schools. Whether it be Black History month, Hispanic Heritage month, Chinese Lunar New Year, Indian Diwali & Holi, Thanksgiving & Christmas, etc., we are looking to take the time and effort to celebrate our unique cultural backgrounds collectively.

TJ diversity celebration events are the best. I volunteer and get there early for the unique ethnic food We are from Caribbean, and love spicy dishes. Mine and my DS's favorite is these steamed rice cakes with white spicy sauce with peanuts. I tried making them at home, and dont taste even close

Praise the lord! They might as well change the name to TJ School of Diversity. Holi celebration with hundreds of TJ kids was something. The TJ parking lot was in a riot of color, echoing with laughter and joyous shouts. Students in white t-shirts, were hurling vibrant Holi color powders into the air, creating like a kaleidoscope of hues, never seen anything like this. Faces smeared with colors, laughter in the air, breaking down barriers and bringing people together in a joyous celebration of life, love, and unity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If math grade is low, can the course be retaken in summer, like how it is allowed in regular high school?

I doubt there are enough TJ students with low grades in math to warrant this.

Tj says they have students with GPA as low as 3.2 weighted/ 2.7 unweighted. Doesn't it take quite a number of Cs to get that low of a GPA?

Thought saw in other post that kids must maintain 3.0 average?

Yes, it is.
Regulation 3355.15

" An enrolled student must maintain a cumulative B average (unweighted 3.0 grade point
average) at the end of each school year to remain a student in good standing at
TJHSST."

How can the supposedly no.1 stem magnet school admit students who are struggling to maintain bare minimum GPA?

Equity took priority over excellence

good news is middle school math classes have entered TJ in the form of remediation. not all middle schools teach math equally well, so remediation is the equalizer

[Anonymous]

Maybe worth a visit and speaking to the teachers as well. One positive about not going to TJ maybe college admission process. Each school can only take a certain number of students. UVA and ivys have to diversify intake schools so at a school like TJ you might have stiff competition vs students from another school. Eg if a certain school can only take 20 students from TJ.



=Anonymous]I understand every middle school will be given a few seats, but last year no one at our middle school accepted the offer. I could be mistaken, as I also heard one kid attended for a year, and returned to base high school. DC took the admissions test this month, and we think there is a good chance we will be made an offer. What I want to understand is why would one not accept a TJ offer? I hear everyone saying how much harder one has to study, but is it significantly more than what a student at base high school enrolled in all honors courses would need to study? How much time would be available to do sports? Trying to figure out if DC would be better off going to our high school with known friends and teammates, or tryout TJ, but definitely want to avoid the hassle of transferring if TJ isnt the right fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe worth a visit and speaking to the teachers as well. One positive about not going to TJ maybe college admission process. Each school can only take a certain number of students. UVA and ivys have to diversify intake schools so at a school like TJ you might have stiff competition vs students from another school. Eg if a certain school can only take 20 students from TJ.



=Anonymous]I understand every middle school will be given a few seats, but last year no one at our middle school accepted the offer. I could be mistaken, as I also heard one kid attended for a year, and returned to base high school. DC took the admissions test this month, and we think there is a good chance we will be made an offer. What I want to understand is why would one not accept a TJ offer? I hear everyone saying how much harder one has to study, but is it significantly more than what a student at base high school enrolled in all honors courses would need to study? How much time would be available to do sports? Trying to figure out if DC would be better off going to our high school with known friends and teammates, or tryout TJ, but definitely want to avoid the hassle of transferring if TJ isnt the right fit.

Have you read this thread in full? It is a great overview of all your questions. If you jumped in near the end go back and read all / most of the pages. Lots of useful replies given.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If math grade is low, can the course be retaken in summer, like how it is allowed in regular high school?

I doubt there are enough TJ students with low grades in math to warrant this.

Tj says they have students with GPA as low as 3.2 weighted/ 2.7 unweighted. Doesn't it take quite a number of Cs to get that low of a GPA?

Thought saw in other post that kids must maintain 3.0 average?

Yes, it is.
Regulation 3355.15

" An enrolled student must maintain a cumulative B average (unweighted 3.0 grade point
average) at the end of each school year to remain a student in good standing at
TJHSST."

How can the supposedly no.1 stem magnet school admit students who are struggling to maintain bare minimum GPA?

Equity took priority over excellence

good news is middle school math classes have entered TJ in the form of remediation. not all middle schools teach math equally well, so remediation is the equalizer

I've heard teaching is much better at the wealthier schiools.