Anyone rejecting TJ admission?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of posts from parents saying will be blamed if don’t let kid go or blamed if make kid go. Let the kid decide and they learn from their decisions.

DC’s now close friend was once hesitant to finishing high school with advanced diploma, and was leaning toward taking over their dad’s lawn mowing business. However, after their dad succeeded in getting some sense into their head, they not only completed high school with a couple of AP courses but also went on to attend a four-year college. Whether heading to base school or TJ, kids don’t always make the best decisions on their own, and parents can play a crucial role in guiding them toward life-changing choices.

Steering your kid back toward the college track is not at all the same thing as talking them into taking on the challenge of TJ if that's not the HS experience a kid wants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College admissions is not as good from TJ.

College admissions committees know which kids are advanced and taking the most rigorous courses at TJ. Any student who needs to take a credit recovery course over the summer for math will be at a major disadvantage as the colleges will know this.

If your student will be in the top 10-25% of students they will likely have better college outcomes (although not guaranteed). Just going to TJ won’t give any students an advantage in college admissions. Students need to take a lot of AP courses to be in the top 25% of their class. Students also need to take part in clubs and leadership positions for an advantage to getting into college. If a student won’t have time to participate meaningful in clubs/sports teams/leadership positions due to the academic rigor of TJ their college admissions decisions will be negatively affected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid decided not to go. Didn't have a lot of friends going, commute was long, and didn't like the over competitive vibe of the kids from middle school. Love the 8th period club time and the research programs. The electives were cool. But it is a huge time commitment and life is less stressful without the commute.

Friend circle is always changing. Commute is a real issue. Why don't make TJ boarding school or provide boarding option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid decided not to go. Didn't have a lot of friends going, commute was long, and didn't like the over competitive vibe of the kids from middle school. Love the 8th period club time and the research programs. The electives were cool. But it is a huge time commitment and life is less stressful without the commute.

Friend circle is always changing. Commute is a real issue. Why don't make TJ boarding school or provide boarding option.

Public schools offering bus transportation to attend TJ, is a privilege by itself, one that many hardworking students in developing countries can only dream of.

As a child, I, along with friends from my village, chose to walk to an elementary school in the next village simply because it had a teacher who taught English alongside the regular subjects in our local language. The walk took us across dusty dirt roads and through rice fields, often under the blazing sun or during unexpected downpours. Yet, our passion for learning English made the journey feel worthwhile. Though we had the option of attending the school in our own village, our determination to learn a global language inspired us to choose the more difficult path every single day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are turning it down - my kid would not be able to go back to the school he would otherwise go to.

He did the research on his options. I think he is making a reasonable choice although there is definitely part of me that wishes he would go.

My son never wanted to go, just prepared for the test (on his own) so he could tell people he got in.

if he regrets the decision and blames me, maybe that will make him listen to me later.

Please send more offers our way. We have many ambitious students on wait-list at our school.

PP here my kid is ambitious but not a grind. Those are two different things. I actually think it is possible TJ is not a great idea. TJ makes it harder to get into an Ivy, may do a number on self esteem in a world where swagger is more important than book smarts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are turning it down - my kid would not be able to go back to the school he would otherwise go to.

He did the research on his options. I think he is making a reasonable choice although there is definitely part of me that wishes he would go.

My son never wanted to go, just prepared for the test (on his own) so he could tell people he got in.

if he regrets the decision and blames me, maybe that will make him listen to me later.

Please send more offers our way. We have many ambitious students on wait-list at our school.

PP here my kid is ambitious but not a grind. Those are two different things. I actually think it is possible TJ is not a great idea. TJ makes it harder to get into an Ivy, may do a number on self esteem in a world where swagger is more important than book smarts.

It absolutely is not a great idea for some (most) kids. For others though it’s an amazing experience. A parent’s job is to try to help their child weigh which camp they fall into.

[Anonymous]

OP here. My kid would work hard and we have barely reminded about her school work during middle school. She barely did any prep for the TJ test.

I am still on the fence about it. If college outcomes are better at base school, is this really worth all the extra effort. I also wonder if base high school matters when making the choice. We are not at Langley /Mclean /oakton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is totally not stressed getting a mix of Bs and As was at risk of a few Cs at one point. I'd love it if he were more stressed but here we are.

It really is ok. Remember:

C’s earn degrees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is totally not stressed getting a mix of Bs and As was at risk of a few Cs at one point. I'd love it if he were more stressed but here we are.

It really is ok. Remember:

C’s earn degrees.

Make offers to unqualified, and then have them accept Cs as OK?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My kid would work hard and we have barely reminded about her school work during middle school. She barely did any prep for the TJ test.

I am still on the fence about it. If college outcomes are better at base school, is this really worth all the extra effort. I also wonder if base high school matters when making the choice. We are not at Langley /Mclean /oakton.

Does she love her MS, have good friends there and feel torn about leaving it for TJ? If so, either way is probably going to work out fine based on what you said. If she is really excited to give it a try though and excited about the prospect of going to somewhere other than her base school then it would sound like she should give it a shot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My kid would work hard and we have barely reminded about her school work during middle school. She barely did any prep for the TJ test.

I am still on the fence about it. If college outcomes are better at base school, is this really worth all the extra effort. I also wonder if base high school matters when making the choice. We are not at Langley /Mclean /oakton.

You kid will be better off at TJ given her strong study habits. Base school still matters and needs to be credible enough, if you're not mapped to L/M. Leave it up to her but she seems a great fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My kid would work hard and we have barely reminded about her school work during middle school. She barely did any prep for the TJ test.

I am still on the fence about it. If college outcomes are better at base school, is this really worth all the extra effort. I also wonder if base high school matters when making the choice. We are not at Langley /Mclean /oakton.

You kid will be better off at TJ given her strong study habits. Base school still matters and needs to be credible enough, if you're not mapped to L/M. Leave it up to her but she seems a great fit.

Why sockpuppet - reply to your own posts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid decided not to go. Didn't have a lot of friends going, commute was long, and didn't like the over competitive vibe of the kids from middle school. Love the 8th period club time and the research programs. The electives were cool. But it is a huge time commitment and life is less stressful without the commute.

Friend circle is always changing. Commute is a real issue. Why don't make TJ boarding school or provide boarding option.

Public schools offering bus transportation to attend TJ, is a privilege by itself, one that many hardworking students in developing countries can only dream of.

As a child, I, along with friends from my village, chose to walk to an elementary school in the next village simply because it had a teacher who taught English alongside the regular subjects in our local language. The walk took us across dusty dirt roads and through rice fields, often under the blazing sun or during unexpected downpours. Yet, our passion for learning English made the journey feel worthwhile. Though we had the option of attending the school in our own village, our determination to learn a global language inspired us to choose the more difficult path every single day.

privilege blindspot

[Anonymous]

Some brilliant kids already show their potential by middle school—especially those who consistently perform well in competitions like MathCounts or Science Olympiad. The high achievers tend to be the same each year, and you often see their names repeatedly in these competitions. These are often the students who end up in the top 10 percent applying to elite colleges like the Ivies or MIT.

If your child is already strong in sports or other extracurriculars and can maintain a good GPA, especially without needing to put in extreme effort, that’s a great balance. (Many TJ students, for example, are strong in both academics and sports.)

However, if your child already has impressive extracurriculars but needs to put a lot of effort into maintaining a good GPA at TJ, then they simply may not have enough time to fully invest in extracurriculars. In the end, it’s up to your child’s choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC got in. I am worried about burn out and stress. I am wondering if this is worth it. Looking for perspectives.

Just learn at her own pace. Don't compare with others. She will be fine.