Anyone have the list of colleges TJ's class of 2019 is headed to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TJ parent whiners here out in force here. "My kid can't possibly find the time to fill out the application to this school!"

I'm sure VT is fine with this. Historically, huge numbers of TJ students applied and only a few enrolled. Let Pitt get accept them and lose them instead. If a kid is actually interested in VT they can suffer the extreme agony of having to fill out the application. The TJ kids I know could whip off the essays in half an hour.

I think it would be silly for VT to be fine with this. VT emphasizes its strength in STEM (and this helped land Amazon), particularly Engineering, and TJ is perhaps the premier STEM high school in the country, and less than 3 per 1,000 kids in the entering class are coming from TJ. VT should be working hard to get more kids from TJ.

I don't think VT helped land Amazon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
TJ kids have Avery high admission rate to VT, especially considering most apply to the engineering school. If Pitts so third rate, what’s your opinion on why they want to go there and not VT? Because VT is 4th rate?

Pitt and VT are very similar for so many things. On paper, they are are almost siblings of each other: demographics (70% white, 10% Asian), rankings are a couple places of each other in many STEM majors. For example, both are solid 3rd-tier CS programs (and 3rd tier is very respectable and in demand; the import of which lessens significantly after the first/second job). Both are a 4 hour drive away from the geo center of FCPS

Given this, Pitt gets the nod because:
1) Pittsburgh v. Blacksburg. Major sports franchises, 2 other major universities, great urban city that's coming back
2) CMU gravity pulls in IT investment. Uber AI is there. Google (Waymo) is there. They are not there in Blacksburg.
3) Several TJ students (i know at least 1) are there for the direct medicine admit 8 year program. The med school is fantastic.
4) CS is a separate school, not part of engineering. They started this 2 or 3 years ago
5) Beautiful campus (VT is also nice)
6) And perhaps the biggest intangible: Pitt is appreciative of TJ and they *show* it. Great merit. Honors admission. They send stuff regularly - letters, data brochures, tchotkes (we even got a Google Cardboard to VR the Pitt campus!). Just like CMU next door (who asked the audience at Tartan Day "who's from TJ? We love you guys! We admit more from y'all than anywhere else"), it feels very good to be wanted. Conversely, we got squat from VT. Not a peep. As far as I know, unlike UVA who did a nice admitted-student briefing in FFX, there was no Hokie reception at all in the area. At least we did not get an invitation.

And unlike the drive south, no confederate flags were seen on the road trip to Pitt.

I think this may explain part of the decline in the number of TJ kids applying/attending VT -- nonwhite/non-Christian kids feel more comfortable in places other than Blacksburg.

Says someone who has never been to Blacksburg. Tech is an oasis of intellect and inclusion in SW VA. Not unlike Penn State in PA.

It is worth noting that Pitt offers enough merit aid so that Pitt is often cheaper. Also, they have rolling admissions....So students might be accepted before they even apply to Tech.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
TJ kids have Avery high admission rate to VT, especially considering most apply to the engineering school. If Pitts so third rate, what’s your opinion on why they want to go there and not VT? Because VT is 4th rate?

Pitt and VT are very similar for so many things. On paper, they are are almost siblings of each other: demographics (70% white, 10% Asian), rankings are a couple places of each other in many STEM majors. For example, both are solid 3rd-tier CS programs (and 3rd tier is very respectable and in demand; the import of which lessens significantly after the first/second job). Both are a 4 hour drive away from the geo center of FCPS

Given this, Pitt gets the nod because:
1) Pittsburgh v. Blacksburg. Major sports franchises, 2 other major universities, great urban city that's coming back
2) CMU gravity pulls in IT investment. Uber AI is there. Google (Waymo) is there. They are not there in Blacksburg.
3) Several TJ students (i know at least 1) are there for the direct medicine admit 8 year program. The med school is fantastic.
4) CS is a separate school, not part of engineering. They started this 2 or 3 years ago
5) Beautiful campus (VT is also nice)
6) And perhaps the biggest intangible: Pitt is appreciative of TJ and they *show* it. Great merit. Honors admission. They send stuff regularly - letters, data brochures, tchotkes (we even got a Google Cardboard to VR the Pitt campus!). Just like CMU next door (who asked the audience at Tartan Day "who's from TJ? We love you guys! We admit more from y'all than anywhere else"), it feels very good to be wanted. Conversely, we got squat from VT. Not a peep. As far as I know, unlike UVA who did a nice admitted-student briefing in FFX, there was no Hokie reception at all in the area. At least we did not get an invitation.

And unlike the drive south, no confederate flags were seen on the road trip to Pitt.

I think this may explain part of the decline in the number of TJ kids applying/attending VT -- nonwhite/non-Christian kids feel more comfortable in places other than Blacksburg.

+1

And I would add even if you are white, you might feel uncomfortable there if your familyis, say, originally from Boston or CA and just relocated to Fairfax County because mom/dad got jobs in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
TJ kids have Avery high admission rate to VT, especially considering most apply to the engineering school. If Pitts so third rate, what’s your opinion on why they want to go there and not VT? Because VT is 4th rate?

Pitt and VT are very similar for so many things. On paper, they are are almost siblings of each other: demographics (70% white, 10% Asian), rankings are a couple places of each other in many STEM majors. For example, both are solid 3rd-tier CS programs (and 3rd tier is very respectable and in demand; the import of which lessens significantly after the first/second job). Both are a 4 hour drive away from the geo center of FCPS

Given this, Pitt gets the nod because:
1) Pittsburgh v. Blacksburg. Major sports franchises, 2 other major universities, great urban city that's coming back
2) CMU gravity pulls in IT investment. Uber AI is there. Google (Waymo) is there. They are not there in Blacksburg.
3) Several TJ students (i know at least 1) are there for the direct medicine admit 8 year program. The med school is fantastic.
4) CS is a separate school, not part of engineering. They started this 2 or 3 years ago
5) Beautiful campus (VT is also nice)
6) And perhaps the biggest intangible: Pitt is appreciative of TJ and they *show* it. Great merit. Honors admission. They send stuff regularly - letters, data brochures, tchotkes (we even got a Google Cardboard to VR the Pitt campus!). Just like CMU next door (who asked the audience at Tartan Day "who's from TJ? We love you guys! We admit more from y'all than anywhere else"), it feels very good to be wanted. Conversely, we got squat from VT. Not a peep. As far as I know, unlike UVA who did a nice admitted-student briefing in FFX, there was no Hokie reception at all in the area. At least we did not get an invitation.

And unlike the drive south, no confederate flags were seen on the road trip to Pitt.

I think this may explain part of the decline in the number of TJ kids applying/attending VT -- nonwhite/non-Christian kids feel more comfortable in places other than Blacksburg.

Says someone who has never been to Blacksburg. Tech is an oasis of intellect and inclusion in SW VA. Not unlike Penn State in PA.

It is worth noting that Pitt offers enough merit aid so that Pitt is often cheaper. Also, they have rolling admissions....So students might be accepted before they even apply to Tech.

+1.

Apart from VT (and VT-affiliated business like Carillion Hospital), SW Virginia is very, very Southern and full of people who still fly the confederate flag outside their houses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
TJ kids have Avery high admission rate to VT, especially considering most apply to the engineering school. If Pitts so third rate, what’s your opinion on why they want to go there and not VT? Because VT is 4th rate?

Pitt and VT are very similar for so many things. On paper, they are are almost siblings of each other: demographics (70% white, 10% Asian), rankings are a couple places of each other in many STEM majors. For example, both are solid 3rd-tier CS programs (and 3rd tier is very respectable and in demand; the import of which lessens significantly after the first/second job). Both are a 4 hour drive away from the geo center of FCPS

Given this, Pitt gets the nod because:
1) Pittsburgh v. Blacksburg. Major sports franchises, 2 other major universities, great urban city that's coming back
2) CMU gravity pulls in IT investment. Uber AI is there. Google (Waymo) is there. They are not there in Blacksburg.
3) Several TJ students (i know at least 1) are there for the direct medicine admit 8 year program. The med school is fantastic.
4) CS is a separate school, not part of engineering. They started this 2 or 3 years ago
5) Beautiful campus (VT is also nice)
6) And perhaps the biggest intangible: Pitt is appreciative of TJ and they *show* it. Great merit. Honors admission. They send stuff regularly - letters, data brochures, tchotkes (we even got a Google Cardboard to VR the Pitt campus!). Just like CMU next door (who asked the audience at Tartan Day "who's from TJ? We love you guys! We admit more from y'all than anywhere else"), it feels very good to be wanted. Conversely, we got squat from VT. Not a peep. As far as I know, unlike UVA who did a nice admitted-student briefing in FFX, there was no Hokie reception at all in the area. At least we did not get an invitation.

And unlike the drive south, no confederate flags were seen on the road trip to Pitt.

I think this may explain part of the decline in the number of TJ kids applying/attending VT -- nonwhite/non-Christian kids feel more comfortable in places other than Blacksburg.

Says someone who has never been to Blacksburg. Tech is an oasis of intellect and inclusion in SW VA. Not unlike Penn State in PA.

It is worth noting that Pitt offers enough merit aid so that Pitt is often cheaper. Also, they have rolling admissions....So students might be accepted before they even apply to Tech.

+1.

Apart from VT (and VT-affiliated business like Carillion Hospital), SW Virginia is very, very Southern and full of people who still fly the confederate flag outside their houses.

Yes, but so is Western PA outside of State College and Pittsburgh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
TJ kids have Avery high admission rate to VT, especially considering most apply to the engineering school. If Pitts so third rate, what’s your opinion on why they want to go there and not VT? Because VT is 4th rate?

Pitt and VT are very similar for so many things. On paper, they are are almost siblings of each other: demographics (70% white, 10% Asian), rankings are a couple places of each other in many STEM majors. For example, both are solid 3rd-tier CS programs (and 3rd tier is very respectable and in demand; the import of which lessens significantly after the first/second job). Both are a 4 hour drive away from the geo center of FCPS

Given this, Pitt gets the nod because:
1) Pittsburgh v. Blacksburg. Major sports franchises, 2 other major universities, great urban city that's coming back
2) CMU gravity pulls in IT investment. Uber AI is there. Google (Waymo) is there. They are not there in Blacksburg.
3) Several TJ students (i know at least 1) are there for the direct medicine admit 8 year program. The med school is fantastic.
4) CS is a separate school, not part of engineering. They started this 2 or 3 years ago
5) Beautiful campus (VT is also nice)
6) And perhaps the biggest intangible: Pitt is appreciative of TJ and they *show* it. Great merit. Honors admission. They send stuff regularly - letters, data brochures, tchotkes (we even got a Google Cardboard to VR the Pitt campus!). Just like CMU next door (who asked the audience at Tartan Day "who's from TJ? We love you guys! We admit more from y'all than anywhere else"), it feels very good to be wanted. Conversely, we got squat from VT. Not a peep. As far as I know, unlike UVA who did a nice admitted-student briefing in FFX, there was no Hokie reception at all in the area. At least we did not get an invitation.

And unlike the drive south, no confederate flags were seen on the road trip to Pitt.

I think this may explain part of the decline in the number of TJ kids applying/attending VT -- nonwhite/non-Christian kids feel more comfortable in places other than Blacksburg.

Says someone who has never been to Blacksburg. Tech is an oasis of intellect and inclusion in SW VA. Not unlike Penn State in PA.

It is worth noting that Pitt offers enough merit aid so that Pitt is often cheaper. Also, they have rolling admissions....So students might be accepted before they even apply to Tech.

+1.

Apart from VT (and VT-affiliated business like Carillion Hospital), SW Virginia is very, very Southern and full of people who still fly the confederate flag outside their houses.

Yes, but so is Western PA outside of State College and Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh is a WAY, WAY bigger city than Blacksburg, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TJ parent whiners here out in force here. "My kid can't possibly find the time to fill out the application to this school!"

I'm sure VT is fine with this. Historically, huge numbers of TJ students applied and only a few enrolled. Let Pitt get accept them and lose them instead. If a kid is actually interested in VT they can suffer the extreme agony of having to fill out the application. The TJ kids I know could whip off the essays in half an hour.

I think it would be silly for VT to be fine with this. VT emphasizes its strength in STEM (and this helped land Amazon), particularly Engineering, and TJ is perhaps the premier STEM high school in the country, and less than 3 per 1,000 kids in the entering class are coming from TJ. VT should be working hard to get more kids from TJ.

I don't think VT helped land Amazon.

I know AAP, TJ, VT, etc were the primary reason got Hq2. Because that what the decision makers said. That the decision was based on NOVAs “StEM pipeline,’ K-college. And rather than Transit subsidies, VA offered a $1.1 BILLION dollar investment in VA STEm education, K—college.

Interesting read on the economic of the future and why the nerds will win.

https://www.washingtonian.com/2019/06/16/the-real-story-of-how-virginia-won-amazon-hq2/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
TJ kids have Avery high admission rate to VT, especially considering most apply to the engineering school. If Pitts so third rate, what’s your opinion on why they want to go there and not VT? Because VT is 4th rate?

Pitt and VT are very similar for so many things. On paper, they are are almost siblings of each other: demographics (70% white, 10% Asian), rankings are a couple places of each other in many STEM majors. For example, both are solid 3rd-tier CS programs (and 3rd tier is very respectable and in demand; the import of which lessens significantly after the first/second job). Both are a 4 hour drive away from the geo center of FCPS

Given this, Pitt gets the nod because:
1) Pittsburgh v. Blacksburg. Major sports franchises, 2 other major universities, great urban city that's coming back
2) CMU gravity pulls in IT investment. Uber AI is there. Google (Waymo) is there. They are not there in Blacksburg.
3) Several TJ students (i know at least 1) are there for the direct medicine admit 8 year program. The med school is fantastic.
4) CS is a separate school, not part of engineering. They started this 2 or 3 years ago
5) Beautiful campus (VT is also nice)
6) And perhaps the biggest intangible: Pitt is appreciative of TJ and they *show* it. Great merit. Honors admission. They send stuff regularly - letters, data brochures, tchotkes (we even got a Google Cardboard to VR the Pitt campus!). Just like CMU next door (who asked the audience at Tartan Day "who's from TJ? We love you guys! We admit more from y'all than anywhere else"), it feels very good to be wanted. Conversely, we got squat from VT. Not a peep. As far as I know, unlike UVA who did a nice admitted-student briefing in FFX, there was no Hokie reception at all in the area. At least we did not get an invitation.

And unlike the drive south, no confederate flags were seen on the road trip to Pitt.

I think this may explain part of the decline in the number of TJ kids applying/attending VT -- nonwhite/non-Christian kids feel more comfortable in places other than Blacksburg.

Says someone who has never been to Blacksburg. Tech is an oasis of intellect and inclusion in SW VA. Not unlike Penn State in PA.

It is worth noting that Pitt offers enough merit aid so that Pitt is often cheaper. Also, they have rolling admissions....So students might be accepted before they even apply to Tech.

+1. My TJ kid will finalize his app this week and submit before school starts. Expects an answer in mid to late October. If he gets in, like 98%-99% of TJ kids do (while applying to 8 year med and engineering), there is zero reason to apply VT. Especially since there is now a sizable contingent of TJ students and Pitt and alums, and they are coming back and giving Pitt great word of mouth. And they all say Pitt continues to take care of TJ kids once on campus— research, honors college, internships etc.

Pitt made a decision 5-6 years ago to throw anything and everything they could at TJ to create a TJ-Pitt pipeline. And they bet big that 100 TJ kids on campus at one time would burnish the schools STEM cred. And it seems to be working. The base school STEM kids I know are all also applying to Pitt as a safety to a reach. I’d be interest to see the NOVA heat map.

Fact is, a school gets better by attracting talent. And TJ is a proxy for talent. You don’t have to seek out talent one by one, school by school, when there is a huge pool of talent in your backyard. A school gets worse by putting up barriers that keep talent out. And my over-enrolling. It will be interesting to see what VT does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
TJ kids have Avery high admission rate to VT, especially considering most apply to the engineering school. If Pitts so third rate, what’s your opinion on why they want to go there and not VT? Because VT is 4th rate?

Pitt and VT are very similar for so many things. On paper, they are are almost siblings of each other: demographics (70% white, 10% Asian), rankings are a couple places of each other in many STEM majors. For example, both are solid 3rd-tier CS programs (and 3rd tier is very respectable and in demand; the import of which lessens significantly after the first/second job). Both are a 4 hour drive away from the geo center of FCPS

Given this, Pitt gets the nod because:
1) Pittsburgh v. Blacksburg. Major sports franchises, 2 other major universities, great urban city that's coming back
2) CMU gravity pulls in IT investment. Uber AI is there. Google (Waymo) is there. They are not there in Blacksburg.
3) Several TJ students (i know at least 1) are there for the direct medicine admit 8 year program. The med school is fantastic.
4) CS is a separate school, not part of engineering. They started this 2 or 3 years ago
5) Beautiful campus (VT is also nice)
6) And perhaps the biggest intangible: Pitt is appreciative of TJ and they *show* it. Great merit. Honors admission. They send stuff regularly - letters, data brochures, tchotkes (we even got a Google Cardboard to VR the Pitt campus!). Just like CMU next door (who asked the audience at Tartan Day "who's from TJ? We love you guys! We admit more from y'all than anywhere else"), it feels very good to be wanted. Conversely, we got squat from VT. Not a peep. As far as I know, unlike UVA who did a nice admitted-student briefing in FFX, there was no Hokie reception at all in the area. At least we did not get an invitation.

And unlike the drive south, no confederate flags were seen on the road trip to Pitt.

I think this may explain part of the decline in the number of TJ kids applying/attending VT -- nonwhite/non-Christian kids feel more comfortable in places other than Blacksburg.

Says someone who has never been to Blacksburg. Tech is an oasis of intellect and inclusion in SW VA. Not unlike Penn State in PA.

It is worth noting that Pitt offers enough merit aid so that Pitt is often cheaper. Also, they have rolling admissions....So students might be accepted before they even apply to Tech.

+1. My TJ kid will finalize his app this week and submit before school starts. Expects an answer in mid to late October. If he gets in, like 98%-99% of TJ kids do (while applying to 8 year med and engineering), there is zero reason to apply VT. Especially since there is now a sizable contingent of TJ students and Pitt and alums, and they are coming back and giving Pitt great word of mouth. And they all say Pitt continues to take care of TJ kids once on campus— research, honors college, internships etc.

Pitt made a decision 5-6 years ago to throw anything and everything they could at TJ to create a TJ-Pitt pipeline. And they bet big that 100 TJ kids on campus at one time would burnish the schools STEM cred. And it seems to be working. The base school STEM kids I know are all also applying to Pitt as a safety to a reach. I’d be interest to see the NOVA heat map.

Fact is, a school gets better by attracting talent. And TJ is a proxy for talent. You don’t have to seek out talent one by one, school by school, when there is a huge pool of talent in your backyard. A school gets worse by putting up barriers that keep talent out. And my over-enrolling. It will be interesting to see what VT does.

I wouldn't consider the bottom 1/4 of TJ STEM talent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
TJ kids have Avery high admission rate to VT, especially considering most apply to the engineering school. If Pitts so third rate, what’s your opinion on why they want to go there and not VT? Because VT is 4th rate?

Pitt and VT are very similar for so many things. On paper, they are are almost siblings of each other: demographics (70% white, 10% Asian), rankings are a couple places of each other in many STEM majors. For example, both are solid 3rd-tier CS programs (and 3rd tier is very respectable and in demand; the import of which lessens significantly after the first/second job). Both are a 4 hour drive away from the geo center of FCPS

Given this, Pitt gets the nod because:
1) Pittsburgh v. Blacksburg. Major sports franchises, 2 other major universities, great urban city that's coming back
2) CMU gravity pulls in IT investment. Uber AI is there. Google (Waymo) is there. They are not there in Blacksburg.
3) Several TJ students (i know at least 1) are there for the direct medicine admit 8 year program. The med school is fantastic.
4) CS is a separate school, not part of engineering. They started this 2 or 3 years ago
5) Beautiful campus (VT is also nice)
6) And perhaps the biggest intangible: Pitt is appreciative of TJ and they *show* it. Great merit. Honors admission. They send stuff regularly - letters, data brochures, tchotkes (we even got a Google Cardboard to VR the Pitt campus!). Just like CMU next door (who asked the audience at Tartan Day "who's from TJ? We love you guys! We admit more from y'all than anywhere else"), it feels very good to be wanted. Conversely, we got squat from VT. Not a peep. As far as I know, unlike UVA who did a nice admitted-student briefing in FFX, there was no Hokie reception at all in the area. At least we did not get an invitation.

And unlike the drive south, no confederate flags were seen on the road trip to Pitt.

I think this may explain part of the decline in the number of TJ kids applying/attending VT -- nonwhite/non-Christian kids feel more comfortable in places other than Blacksburg.

Says someone who has never been to Blacksburg. Tech is an oasis of intellect and inclusion in SW VA. Not unlike Penn State in PA.

It is worth noting that Pitt offers enough merit aid so that Pitt is often cheaper. Also, they have rolling admissions....So students might be accepted before they even apply to Tech.

+1. My TJ kid will finalize his app this week and submit before school starts. Expects an answer in mid to late October. If he gets in, like 98%-99% of TJ kids do (while applying to 8 year med and engineering), there is zero reason to apply VT. Especially since there is now a sizable contingent of TJ students and Pitt and alums, and they are coming back and giving Pitt great word of mouth. And they all say Pitt continues to take care of TJ kids once on campus— research, honors college, internships etc.

Pitt made a decision 5-6 years ago to throw anything and everything they could at TJ to create a TJ-Pitt pipeline. And they bet big that 100 TJ kids on campus at one time would burnish the schools STEM cred. And it seems to be working. The base school STEM kids I know are all also applying to Pitt as a safety to a reach. I’d be interest to see the NOVA heat map.

Fact is, a school gets better by attracting talent. And TJ is a proxy for talent. You don’t have to seek out talent one by one, school by school, when there is a huge pool of talent in your backyard. A school gets worse by putting up barriers that keep talent out. And my over-enrolling. It will be interesting to see what VT does.

I wouldn't consider the bottom 1/4 of TJ STEM talent.

First— the bottom 15% of TJ are the ones who drops back. There are a few stragglers with a sub 3.5W GPA. TJ doesn’t automatically pass and they counsel below a 3.0 UW out. Just making it through the depth and breadth and rigor of the curriculum is tough. In case you missed the nearly complete list of where TJ kids are going. Second, Pitt is getting a lot of talent, not just the bottom 1/4. Kids interested in med school and engineering who don’t have an unlimited budget. Just like VT. The kids listed from this years senior class included a lot of “talent”. Just like the VT list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I wouldn't consider the bottom 1/4 of TJ STEM talent.

Bottom 25% of TJ == Top 10% elsewhere.

Besides it is the 50% to 25% band (aside from Medicine) that are going to VT/Pitt. And once there, will probably be at the top.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I wouldn't consider the bottom 1/4 of TJ STEM talent.

Bottom 25% of TJ == Top 10% elsewhere.

Besides it is the 50% to 25% band (aside from Medicine) that are going to VT/Pitt. And once there, will probably be at the top.

Typical TJ parent tripe. Just because a kid attended TJ does not mean the kid is above average. The bottom 1/4 has proven themselves not in the same league as the top 1/3. They attend Pitt because it is an automatic admit and they have no better alternatives, which is the very definition of a safety school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
TJ kids have Avery high admission rate to VT, especially considering most apply to the engineering school. If Pitts so third rate, what’s your opinion on why they want to go there and not VT? Because VT is 4th rate?

Pitt and VT are very similar for so many things. On paper, they are are almost siblings of each other: demographics (70% white, 10% Asian), rankings are a couple places of each other in many STEM majors. For example, both are solid 3rd-tier CS programs (and 3rd tier is very respectable and in demand; the import of which lessens significantly after the first/second job). Both are a 4 hour drive away from the geo center of FCPS

Given this, Pitt gets the nod because:
1) Pittsburgh v. Blacksburg. Major sports franchises, 2 other major universities, great urban city that's coming back
2) CMU gravity pulls in IT investment. Uber AI is there. Google (Waymo) is there. They are not there in Blacksburg.
3) Several TJ students (i know at least 1) are there for the direct medicine admit 8 year program. The med school is fantastic.
4) CS is a separate school, not part of engineering. They started this 2 or 3 years ago
5) Beautiful campus (VT is also nice)
6) And perhaps the biggest intangible: Pitt is appreciative of TJ and they *show* it. Great merit. Honors admission. They send stuff regularly - letters, data brochures, tchotkes (we even got a Google Cardboard to VR the Pitt campus!). Just like CMU next door (who asked the audience at Tartan Day "who's from TJ? We love you guys! We admit more from y'all than anywhere else"), it feels very good to be wanted. Conversely, we got squat from VT. Not a peep. As far as I know, unlike UVA who did a nice admitted-student briefing in FFX, there was no Hokie reception at all in the area. At least we did not get an invitation.

And unlike the drive south, no confederate flags were seen on the road trip to Pitt.

I think this may explain part of the decline in the number of TJ kids applying/attending VT -- nonwhite/non-Christian kids feel more comfortable in places other than Blacksburg.

Says someone who has never been to Blacksburg. Tech is an oasis of intellect and inclusion in SW VA. Not unlike Penn State in PA.

It is worth noting that Pitt offers enough merit aid so that Pitt is often cheaper. Also, they have rolling admissions....So students might be accepted before they even apply to Tech.

+1.

Apart from VT (and VT-affiliated business like Carillion Hospital), SW Virginia is very, very Southern and full of people who still fly the confederate flag outside their houses.

Yes, but so is Western PA outside of State College and Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh is a WAY, WAY bigger city than Blacksburg, though.

Yep, one is a city and metro area with major sports teams, multiple colleges, etc. Blacksburg is a college town centered around VT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I wouldn't consider the bottom 1/4 of TJ STEM talent.

Bottom 25% of TJ == Top 10% elsewhere.

Besides it is the 50% to 25% band (aside from Medicine) that are going to VT/Pitt. And once there, will probably be at the top.

Since UVA now rejects over half of TJ applicants, it is safe to say very few TJ grads in the lower 1/2 can even get in the state flagship university. Pretty much all of the top 10% in FCPS schools can at least get into UVA.

[Anonymous]

This is not a ding against other schools.

You have to live it to understand it. Those that have one at TJ and one at the base school will understand.

The rigor at TJ is simply different. Those that have gone through 4 years of it are prepared differently.
This is not just about pure ability.