If a kid will fall in top 30-50% in TJ, is going to TJ a better idea

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of TJ kid here.

Overall agree that TJ is worth it only if ur kid is someone who is truly academically advanced in math.

Otherwise base school is a much better option.

My own kid got a 1550+ on the SAT but at the same time struggled in courses like Calc B/C and landed with multiple Bs.


That def didn’t help with college admissions

Also getting into clubs is also very competitive- my kid was “denied” in clubs like TJ rocket and TJ TSA.


DC still landed up at a very good school ( U Wisconsin ) but overall TJ was a pain - for us.

Balanced view. Not the one TJ booster who sees no downside at all to TJ except for the bottom who should transfer out anyway.

No downside at all? I keep saying that for most kids it is a trade-off. A near absolute benefit for the kids at the top a near absolute detriment for kids near the bottom and a trade-off for most of the kids in the middle. Unless UVA is your goal, then TJ is almost certainly a bad idea.

You've only looked at the downside for the very bottom TJ kids. There is a huge detriment in college results just below the top at TJ on down. Club-enrollment issues, commute, grade deflation/GPA dings, etc. I know it is impossible for you to acknowledge, but no matter how stem forward a kid is, TJ comes with negatives (and negative college results) for many TJ kids. You're compared to others from the same school and that doesn't mean just in your kid's HS graduating class. Colleges look at typical applicants from TJ when evaluating every TJ applicant. So a kid at the very top who applies there - even if they don't accept the spot - has an impact on all other applicants from the same school.

[Anonymous]

One more thing we realized ( parent of TJ kid who went to Wisconsin) is that colleges don’t care about the fact that the kid went to TJ where good grades are so hard to come by.

Basically colleges look at overall GPA and which courses were taken. Thats all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One more thing we realized ( parent of TJ kid who went to Wisconsin) is that colleges don’t care about the fact that the kid went to TJ where good grades are so hard to come by.

Basically colleges look at overall GPA and which courses were taken. Thats all.

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One more thing we realized ( parent of TJ kid who went to Wisconsin) is that colleges don’t care about the fact that the kid went to TJ where good grades are so hard to come by.

Basically colleges look at overall GPA and which courses were taken. Thats all.

Do you and your son regret it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of TJ kid here.

Overall agree that TJ is worth it only if ur kid is someone who is truly academically advanced in math.

Otherwise base school is a much better option.

My own kid got a 1550+ on the SAT but at the same time struggled in courses like Calc B/C and landed with multiple Bs.


That def didn’t help with college admissions

Also getting into clubs is also very competitive- my kid was “denied” in clubs like TJ rocket and TJ TSA.


DC still landed up at a very good school ( U Wisconsin ) but overall TJ was a pain - for us.

Balanced view. Not the one TJ booster who sees no downside at all to TJ except for the bottom who should transfer out anyway.

No downside at all? I keep saying that for most kids it is a trade-off. A near absolute benefit for the kids at the top a near absolute detriment for kids near the bottom and a trade-off for most of the kids in the middle. Unless UVA is your goal, then TJ is almost certainly a bad idea.

You've only looked at the downside for the very bottom TJ kids. There is a huge detriment in college results just below the top at TJ on down. Club-enrollment issues, commute, grade deflation/GPA dings, etc. I know it is impossible for you to acknowledge, but no matter how stem forward a kid is, TJ comes with negatives (and negative college results) for many TJ kids. You're compared to others from the same school and that doesn't mean just in your kid's HS graduating class. Colleges look at typical applicants from TJ when evaluating every TJ applicant. So a kid at the very top who applies there - even if they don't accept the spot - has an impact on all other applicants from the same school.

Yes. College admission results are part of the tradeoff. Higher rigor and preparation for college is the other part.

Depending on what you consider a good school, a third of the class at TJ used to get into UVA or better before they changed the admissions criteria. Most of the rest were still getting into good engineering schools that were not top USNWR but top engineering like Georgia Tech, Purdue, UIUC. Almost everyone got into at least Virginia Tech, Penn State or U Pitt.

More recently, UVA has been applying a TJ penalty in its admissions process. Most other top colleges and universities understand what TJ is.

What makes last year and this year look so bad is that there are many kids at TJ right now that would never have gotten admitted under the old admissions process.
And those kids would frequently be better off at their base school.
It is hard to overstate how much of a difference this makes. The average SAT score dropped from the 99th percentile to the 90th percentile. The kids are still bright but a kid at the 90th percentile will drown in a setting that is geared towards the 99th percentile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One more thing we realized ( parent of TJ kid who went to Wisconsin) is that colleges don’t care about the fact that the kid went to TJ where good grades are so hard to come by.

Basically colleges look at overall GPA and which courses were taken. Thats all.

Yes.

Is your kid a recent grad, like post covid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One more thing we realized ( parent of TJ kid who went to Wisconsin) is that colleges don’t care about the fact that the kid went to TJ where good grades are so hard to come by.

Basically colleges look at overall GPA and which courses were taken. Thats all.

Categorically false.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One more thing we realized ( parent of TJ kid who went to Wisconsin) is that colleges don’t care about the fact that the kid went to TJ where good grades are so hard to come by.

Basically colleges look at overall GPA and which courses were taken. Thats all.

Do you and your son regret it?

We dont regret it as we dont know what the base experience would have been. But overall TJ years bring back more stress than a 'happy HS memory'.

Kid def says that in College his level of preparation is so much better than 99% of the kids. But again, that's well and good if the kid is actually able to get into the school of their choice.

My son wanted to go to UVA - but was rejected. Maybe from base school he would have made the cut for UVA? Who knows? In the end it worked out well at Wisconsin.


I wanted to share so that parents have the full picture.

The interesting/sad thing is that many parents know this about TJ but STILL get overcome by the TJ Brand Prestige and pressure their kids to go to TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 2c' - Take the 4 years of guaranteed great education at TJ vs the crapshoot that Ivy league or T20 admission is!

So true and not to mention how much better it is today since they got rid of all the cheaters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2c' - Take the 4 years of guaranteed great education at TJ vs the crapshoot that Ivy league or T20 admission is!

So true and not to mention how much better it is today since they got rid of all the cheaters.

There is rampant cheating at the school now. Are you saying they got rid of the cheaters just today?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One more thing we realized ( parent of TJ kid who went to Wisconsin) is that colleges don’t care about the fact that the kid went to TJ where good grades are so hard to come by.

Basically colleges look at overall GPA and which courses were taken. Thats all.

Do you and your son regret it?

We dont regret it as we dont know what the base experience would have been. But overall TJ years bring back more stress than a 'happy HS memory'.

Kid def says that in College his level of preparation is so much better than 99% of the kids. But again, that's well and good if the kid is actually able to get into the school of their choice.

My son wanted to go to UVA - but was rejected. Maybe from base school he would have made the cut for UVA? Who knows? In the end it worked out well at Wisconsin.


I wanted to share so that parents have the full picture.

The interesting/sad thing is that many parents know this about TJ but STILL get overcome by the TJ Brand Prestige and pressure their kids to go to TJ.

I’ve posted before how we did turn TJ down for a kid and it was not easy at the time. Other friends were admitted and it was hard as a parent- let alone a kid - not to feel the pull about the build up of how great of an opportunity it was going to be (from NON current parents but by parents of rising freshman).

You can’t just say take TJ versus a crapshoot of an ivy admittance from base because:

- TJ likely means (for the majority) a gpa hit. you see the above poster’s kid didn’t even get accepted to uva.

You need to go in with eyes open that it will be a difficult 4 years, long/late nights, dropping grades, long commute and an entirely different HS experience which can change who your kid becomes (good and bad ways).

For us, we were not willing to sacrifice my kid’s potential happiness (for increased stress and anxiety). Yes, mine is going to an ivy from base and likely would have had good college admission outcomes regardless where kid went (VERY unique applicant, high stats, research, internships, big awards, and good application presentation) but we didn’t know that 4 years ago. Back then, I only knew I wasn’t willing to put the inevitable stress on a happy, bright kid, even one who likes and excels at STEM.

Kid is still happy, still bright, and HS was pleasant both fo kid and for our household. Just encouraging everyone to look at various angles because all that glitters is not gold.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One more thing we realized ( parent of TJ kid who went to Wisconsin) is that colleges don’t care about the fact that the kid went to TJ where good grades are so hard to come by.

Basically colleges look at overall GPA and which courses were taken. Thats all.

Do you and your son regret it?

We dont regret it as we dont know what the base experience would have been. But overall TJ years bring back more stress than a 'happy HS memory'.

Kid def says that in College his level of preparation is so much better than 99% of the kids. But again, that's well and good if the kid is actually able to get into the school of their choice.

My son wanted to go to UVA - but was rejected. Maybe from base school he would have made the cut for UVA? Who knows? In the end it worked out well at Wisconsin.


I wanted to share so that parents have the full picture.

The interesting/sad thing is that many parents know this about TJ but STILL get overcome by the TJ Brand Prestige and pressure their kids to go to TJ.

I’ve posted before how we did turn TJ down for a kid and it was not easy at the time. Other friends were admitted and it was hard as a parent- let alone a kid - not to feel the pull about the build up of how great of an opportunity it was going to be (from NON current parents but by parents of rising freshman).

You can’t just say take TJ versus a crapshoot of an ivy admittance from base because:

- TJ likely means (for the majority) a gpa hit. you see the above poster’s kid didn’t even get accepted to uva.

You need to go in with eyes open that it will be a difficult 4 years, long/late nights, dropping grades, long commute and an entirely different HS experience which can change who your kid becomes (good and bad ways).

For us, we were not willing to sacrifice my kid’s potential happiness (for increased stress and anxiety). Yes, mine is going to an ivy from base and likely would have had good college admission outcomes regardless where kid went (VERY unique applicant, high stats, research, internships, big awards, and good application presentation) but we didn’t know that 4 years ago. Back then, I only knew I wasn’t willing to put the inevitable stress on a happy, bright kid, even one who likes and excels at STEM.

Kid is still happy, still bright, and HS was pleasant both fo kid and for our household. Just encouraging everyone to look at various angles because all that glitters is not gold.

I think it's common wisdom that if your goal is UVA, then you should probably not go to TJ.
I think it's common wisdom that your GPA is very likely to be lower at TJ than your base school.
I think it's common wisdom that the rigor at TJ will make high school more academically challenging and perhaps more frustrating.

I think it is ALSO common wisdom that going to TJ will prepare you for college in a way that few other places will.
So, if going to the best possible undergrad is your end game then you should probably think long and hard about going to TJ regardless of your ability or enthusiasm.
But if you want to be challenged to meet your academic potential BEFORE you go away to college, then TJ might be the right place for those with high academic ability.

Different families will reach different conclusions depending on the kid.

But if your kid is not a top student getting somewhere around the 99th percentile in standardized tests, TJ may not be for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One more thing we realized ( parent of TJ kid who went to Wisconsin) is that colleges don’t care about the fact that the kid went to TJ where good grades are so hard to come by.

Basically colleges look at overall GPA and which courses were taken. Thats all.

Do you and your son regret it?

We dont regret it as we dont know what the base experience would have been. But overall TJ years bring back more stress than a 'happy HS memory'.

Kid def says that in College his level of preparation is so much better than 99% of the kids. But again, that's well and good if the kid is actually able to get into the school of their choice.

My son wanted to go to UVA - but was rejected. Maybe from base school he would have made the cut for UVA? Who knows? In the end it worked out well at Wisconsin.


I wanted to share so that parents have the full picture.

The interesting/sad thing is that many parents know this about TJ but STILL get overcome by the TJ Brand Prestige and pressure their kids to go to TJ.

I’ve posted before how we did turn TJ down for a kid and it was not easy at the time. Other friends were admitted and it was hard as a parent- let alone a kid - not to feel the pull about the build up of how great of an opportunity it was going to be (from NON current parents but by parents of rising freshman).

You can’t just say take TJ versus a crapshoot of an ivy admittance from base because:

- TJ likely means (for the majority) a gpa hit. you see the above poster’s kid didn’t even get accepted to uva.

You need to go in with eyes open that it will be a difficult 4 years, long/late nights, dropping grades, long commute and an entirely different HS experience which can change who your kid becomes (good and bad ways).

For us, we were not willing to sacrifice my kid’s potential happiness (for increased stress and anxiety). Yes, mine is going to an ivy from base and likely would have had good college admission outcomes regardless where kid went (VERY unique applicant, high stats, research, internships, big awards, and good application presentation) but we didn’t know that 4 years ago. Back then, I only knew I wasn’t willing to put the inevitable stress on a happy, bright kid, even one who likes and excels at STEM.

Kid is still happy, still bright, and HS was pleasant both fo kid and for our household. Just encouraging everyone to look at various angles because all that glitters is not gold.

I think it's common wisdom that if your goal is UVA, then you should probably not go to TJ.
I think it's common wisdom that your GPA is very likely to be lower at TJ than your base school.
I think it's common wisdom that the rigor at TJ will make high school more academically challenging and perhaps more frustrating.

I think it is ALSO common wisdom that going to TJ will prepare you for college in a way that few other places will.
So, if going to the best possible undergrad is your end game then you should probably think long and hard about going to TJ regardless of your ability or enthusiasm.
But if you want to be challenged to meet your academic potential BEFORE you go away to college, then TJ might be the right place for those with high academic ability.

Different families will reach different conclusions depending on the kid.

But if your kid is not a top student getting somewhere around the 99th percentile in standardized tests, TJ may not be for you.

If going to the best possible undergrad is your endgame, you are stuck in a very outdated mentality that is not going to serve you or your kid at all. And you're not guaranteed to get a better outcome from your base school and it might even be worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One more thing we realized ( parent of TJ kid who went to Wisconsin) is that colleges don’t care about the fact that the kid went to TJ where good grades are so hard to come by.

Basically colleges look at overall GPA and which courses were taken. Thats all.

Do you and your son regret it?

We dont regret it as we dont know what the base experience would have been. But overall TJ years bring back more stress than a 'happy HS memory'.

Kid def says that in College his level of preparation is so much better than 99% of the kids. But again, that's well and good if the kid is actually able to get into the school of their choice.

My son wanted to go to UVA - but was rejected. Maybe from base school he would have made the cut for UVA? Who knows? In the end it worked out well at Wisconsin.


I wanted to share so that parents have the full picture.

The interesting/sad thing is that many parents know this about TJ but STILL get overcome by the TJ Brand Prestige and pressure their kids to go to TJ.

I’ve posted before how we did turn TJ down for a kid and it was not easy at the time. Other friends were admitted and it was hard as a parent- let alone a kid - not to feel the pull about the build up of how great of an opportunity it was going to be (from NON current parents but by parents of rising freshman).

You can’t just say take TJ versus a crapshoot of an ivy admittance from base because:

- TJ likely means (for the majority) a gpa hit. you see the above poster’s kid didn’t even get accepted to uva.

You need to go in with eyes open that it will be a difficult 4 years, long/late nights, dropping grades, long commute and an entirely different HS experience which can change who your kid becomes (good and bad ways).

For us, we were not willing to sacrifice my kid’s potential happiness (for increased stress and anxiety). Yes, mine is going to an ivy from base and likely would have had good college admission outcomes regardless where kid went (VERY unique applicant, high stats, research, internships, big awards, and good application presentation) but we didn’t know that 4 years ago. Back then, I only knew I wasn’t willing to put the inevitable stress on a happy, bright kid, even one who likes and excels at STEM.

Kid is still happy, still bright, and HS was pleasant both fo kid and for our household. Just encouraging everyone to look at various angles because all that glitters is not gold.

I think it's common wisdom that if your goal is UVA, then you should probably not go to TJ.
I think it's common wisdom that your GPA is very likely to be lower at TJ than your base school.
I think it's common wisdom that the rigor at TJ will make high school more academically challenging and perhaps more frustrating.

I think it is ALSO common wisdom that going to TJ will prepare you for college in a way that few other places will.
So, if going to the best possible undergrad is your end game then you should probably think long and hard about going to TJ regardless of your ability or enthusiasm.
But if you want to be challenged to meet your academic potential BEFORE you go away to college, then TJ might be the right place for those with high academic ability.

Different families will reach different conclusions depending on the kid.

But if your kid is not a top student getting somewhere around the 99th percentile in standardized tests, TJ may not be for you.

A talking point that's getting repeated over and over and over again. What does this person have to gain from dissuading people from applying to TJ and accepting their offer of admission? Are they planning to show up at Freshmen Preview Night with a sign? Remind them to leave their waitlisted 8th grader at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One more thing we realized ( parent of TJ kid who went to Wisconsin) is that colleges don’t care about the fact that the kid went to TJ where good grades are so hard to come by.

Basically colleges look at overall GPA and which courses were taken. Thats all.

Do you and your son regret it?

We dont regret it as we dont know what the base experience would have been. But overall TJ years bring back more stress than a 'happy HS memory'.

Kid def says that in College his level of preparation is so much better than 99% of the kids. But again, that's well and good if the kid is actually able to get into the school of their choice.

My son wanted to go to UVA - but was rejected. Maybe from base school he would have made the cut for UVA? Who knows? In the end it worked out well at Wisconsin.


I wanted to share so that parents have the full picture.

The interesting/sad thing is that many parents know this about TJ but STILL get overcome by the TJ Brand Prestige and pressure their kids to go to TJ.

I’ve posted before how we did turn TJ down for a kid and it was not easy at the time. Other friends were admitted and it was hard as a parent- let alone a kid - not to feel the pull about the build up of how great of an opportunity it was going to be (from NON current parents but by parents of rising freshman).

You can’t just say take TJ versus a crapshoot of an ivy admittance from base because:

- TJ likely means (for the majority) a gpa hit. you see the above poster’s kid didn’t even get accepted to uva.

You need to go in with eyes open that it will be a difficult 4 years, long/late nights, dropping grades, long commute and an entirely different HS experience which can change who your kid becomes (good and bad ways).

For us, we were not willing to sacrifice my kid’s potential happiness (for increased stress and anxiety). Yes, mine is going to an ivy from base and likely would have had good college admission outcomes regardless where kid went (VERY unique applicant, high stats, research, internships, big awards, and good application presentation) but we didn’t know that 4 years ago. Back then, I only knew I wasn’t willing to put the inevitable stress on a happy, bright kid, even one who likes and excels at STEM.

Kid is still happy, still bright, and HS was pleasant both fo kid and for our household. Just encouraging everyone to look at various angles because all that glitters is not gold.

I think it's common wisdom that if your goal is UVA, then you should probably not go to TJ.
I think it's common wisdom that your GPA is very likely to be lower at TJ than your base school.
I think it's common wisdom that the rigor at TJ will make high school more academically challenging and perhaps more frustrating.

I think it is ALSO common wisdom that going to TJ will prepare you for college in a way that few other places will.
So, if going to the best possible undergrad is your end game then you should probably think long and hard about going to TJ regardless of your ability or enthusiasm.
But if you want to be challenged to meet your academic potential BEFORE you go away to college, then TJ might be the right place for those with high academic ability.

Different families will reach different conclusions depending on the kid.

But if your kid is not a top student getting somewhere around the 99th percentile in standardized tests, TJ may not be for you.

If going to the best possible undergrad is your endgame, you are stuck in a very outdated mentality that is not going to serve you or your kid at all. And you're not guaranteed to get a better outcome from your base school and it might even be worse.

I think it is the opposite: the long game (college) is more important than HS for bright kids. Are you thinking the top base school kids enter college and are floundering? That in a sea of undergraduates, only TJ students (regardless of rank) are the most successful?

UVA is NOT the measuring stick. IF highly ranked colleges are important to your family, then think long and hard about TJ. If you’re the type to worry about things later OR the TJ opportunities are worth it over all else, then go to TJ.

Tons and tons of non tj kids are well prepared for college. It is one of many ways to be prepared for college. Unless we are reading how only TJ grads are college valedictorians and how professors lament having to teach down to all non TJ grads. If so, sources?