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:

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?

College isn’t the long game. The point is that the delta between what you’re getting at TJ versus your base school vastly outpaces the delta between the school you’ll get into with and without TJ. If there even is one.

It is a bad choice to make a decision about what high school to attend based on what college may or may not be accessible from that high school. And I reject the notion that that’s an opinion.

We know. Trust us, we know you think this. You’re still wrong, but keep saying it.

Who can value education so much that TJ is so important but then not value education as much when evaluating colleges?

Once again, I think you are talking to the wrong person. This is not a dialogue between just you and me. My views are not unique to me. A lot of parents of students at TJ rationally believe that their children are better off going to TJ even if their college admissions slip half a tier.
The only school that seems to really penalize TJ is UVA.

[Anonymous]

TJ academics seem to have gotten harder again over the past year with the addition of more APs. Why are things going back to the high stress years of prepandemic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:TJ academics seem to have gotten harder again over the past year with the addition of more APs. Why are things going back to the high stress years of prepandemic?

The rigor was already there. They mostly took honors classes that were being taught at the AP level or harder and turned them into AP classes.
They are also enforcing the minimum GPA requirement and sending kids with low GPAs back to their base school and picking up a lot of froshmores through the froshmore admission process.
The low stress environment may have had less to do with the pandemic than with the previous principal's desire to reduce the differentiation between the kids admitted under the new admissions process. A lot of those kids were grossly underprepared for TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

College isn’t the long game. The point is that the delta between what you’re getting at TJ versus your base school vastly outpaces the delta between the school you’ll get into with and without TJ. If there even is one.

It is a bad choice to make a decision about what high school to attend based on what college may or may not be accessible from that high school. And I reject the notion that that’s an opinion.

We know. Trust us, we know you think this. You’re still wrong, but keep saying it.

Who can value education so much that TJ is so important but then not value education as much when evaluating colleges?

DP

The error you’re making here is presuming that prestige or selectivity correlates with quality of education. When it comes to college, increasingly it does not.

And further, forward-thinking employers are paying less attention to where you did your undergrad and more attention to demonstrations of your raw skill set… and TJ again creates the bigger delta there by a long shot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

College isn’t the long game. The point is that the delta between what you’re getting at TJ versus your base school vastly outpaces the delta between the school you’ll get into with and without TJ. If there even is one.

It is a bad choice to make a decision about what high school to attend based on what college may or may not be accessible from that high school. And I reject the notion that that’s an opinion.

We know. Trust us, we know you think this. You’re still wrong, but keep saying it.

Who can value education so much that TJ is so important but then not value education as much when evaluating colleges?

DP

The error you’re making here is presuming that prestige or selectivity correlates with quality of education. When it comes to college, increasingly it does not.

And further, forward-thinking employers are paying less attention to where you did your undergrad and more attention to demonstrations of your raw skill set… and TJ again creates the bigger delta there by a long shot.

I’m an attorney. We wouldn’t give a crap where you went to HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

College isn’t the long game. The point is that the delta between what you’re getting at TJ versus your base school vastly outpaces the delta between the school you’ll get into with and without TJ. If there even is one.

It is a bad choice to make a decision about what high school to attend based on what college may or may not be accessible from that high school. And I reject the notion that that’s an opinion.

We know. Trust us, we know you think this. You’re still wrong, but keep saying it.

Who can value education so much that TJ is so important but then not value education as much when evaluating colleges?

DP

The error you’re making here is presuming that prestige or selectivity correlates with quality of education. When it comes to college, increasingly it does not.

And further, forward-thinking employers are paying less attention to where you did your undergrad and more attention to demonstrations of your raw skill set… and TJ again creates the bigger delta there by a long shot.

I’m an attorney. We wouldn’t give a crap where you went to HS.

By and large, TJ kids aren’t trying to be lawyers. But go off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

College isn’t the long game. The point is that the delta between what you’re getting at TJ versus your base school vastly outpaces the delta between the school you’ll get into with and without TJ. If there even is one.

It is a bad choice to make a decision about what high school to attend based on what college may or may not be accessible from that high school. And I reject the notion that that’s an opinion.

We know. Trust us, we know you think this. You’re still wrong, but keep saying it.

Who can value education so much that TJ is so important but then not value education as much when evaluating colleges?

DP

The error you’re making here is presuming that prestige or selectivity correlates with quality of education. When it comes to college, increasingly it does not.

And further, forward-thinking employers are paying less attention to where you did your undergrad and more attention to demonstrations of your raw skill set… and TJ again creates the bigger delta there by a long shot.

I’m an attorney. We wouldn’t give a crap where you went to HS.

Different Poster.
This is start to make sense. You sound like you never experienced TJ firsthand and maybe never associated with TJ.
Are you advocating for something here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

College isn’t the long game. The point is that the delta between what you’re getting at TJ versus your base school vastly outpaces the delta between the school you’ll get into with and without TJ. If there even is one.

It is a bad choice to make a decision about what high school to attend based on what college may or may not be accessible from that high school. And I reject the notion that that’s an opinion.

We know. Trust us, we know you think this. You’re still wrong, but keep saying it.

Who can value education so much that TJ is so important but then not value education as much when evaluating colleges?

DP

The error you’re making here is presuming that prestige or selectivity correlates with quality of education. When it comes to college, increasingly it does not.

And further, forward-thinking employers are paying less attention to where you did your undergrad and more attention to demonstrations of your raw skill set… and TJ again creates the bigger delta there by a long shot.

I’m an attorney. We wouldn’t give a crap where you went to HS.

Different Poster.
This is start to make sense. You sound like you never experienced TJ firsthand and maybe never associated with TJ.
Are you advocating for something here?

Wait…is it former TJ-related employers who pay less attention to where an applicant went to undergrad and put more credibility into the TJ experience for a 22 year old?

[Anonymous]

You started this thread, reply to your own posts, and flood this forum with nonsense. Is there no limit to your lies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You started this thread, reply to your own posts, and flood this forum with nonsense. Is there no limit to your lies?

Which post do you think was sockpuppeted? There are lots of people who have opposing thoughts on TJs pros and cons. Do you believe otherwise?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

College isn’t the long game. The point is that the delta between what you’re getting at TJ versus your base school vastly outpaces the delta between the school you’ll get into with and without TJ. If there even is one.

It is a bad choice to make a decision about what high school to attend based on what college may or may not be accessible from that high school. And I reject the notion that that’s an opinion.

We know. Trust us, we know you think this. You’re still wrong, but keep saying it.

Who can value education so much that TJ is so important but then not value education as much when evaluating colleges?

DP

The error you’re making here is presuming that prestige or selectivity correlates with quality of education. When it comes to college, increasingly it does not.

And further, forward-thinking employers are paying less attention to where you did your undergrad and more attention to demonstrations of your raw skill set… and TJ again creates the bigger delta there by a long shot.

I’m an attorney. We wouldn’t give a crap where you went to HS.

I'm also an attorney. We wouldn't give a crap where you went to college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

College isn’t the long game. The point is that the delta between what you’re getting at TJ versus your base school vastly outpaces the delta between the school you’ll get into with and without TJ. If there even is one.

It is a bad choice to make a decision about what high school to attend based on what college may or may not be accessible from that high school. And I reject the notion that that’s an opinion.

We know. Trust us, we know you think this. You’re still wrong, but keep saying it.

Who can value education so much that TJ is so important but then not value education as much when evaluating colleges?

DP

The error you’re making here is presuming that prestige or selectivity correlates with quality of education. When it comes to college, increasingly it does not.

And further, forward-thinking employers are paying less attention to where you did your undergrad and more attention to demonstrations of your raw skill set… and TJ again creates the bigger delta there by a long shot.

I’m an attorney. We wouldn’t give a crap where you went to HS.

I'm also an attorney. We wouldn't give a crap where you went to college.

Agreed! The most important would be your last place of education and only then until you’ve had a career related full time job placement. Then we are more interested in experience, longevity/why left, etc.

The further back, the less important UNLESS it relates to a connection with the person: I see you went to x college. I did, too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

College isn’t the long game. The point is that the delta between what you’re getting at TJ versus your base school vastly outpaces the delta between the school you’ll get into with and without TJ. If there even is one.

It is a bad choice to make a decision about what high school to attend based on what college may or may not be accessible from that high school. And I reject the notion that that’s an opinion.

We know. Trust us, we know you think this. You’re still wrong, but keep saying it.

Who can value education so much that TJ is so important but then not value education as much when evaluating colleges?

DP

The error you’re making here is presuming that prestige or selectivity correlates with quality of education. When it comes to college, increasingly it does not.

And further, forward-thinking employers are paying less attention to where you did your undergrad and more attention to demonstrations of your raw skill set… and TJ again creates the bigger delta there by a long shot.

I’m an attorney. We wouldn’t give a crap where you went to HS.

I'm also an attorney. We wouldn't give a crap where you went to college.

Agreed! The most important would be your last place of education and only then until you’ve had a career related full time job placement. Then we are more interested in experience, longevity/why left, etc.

The further back, the less important UNLESS it relates to a connection with the person: I see you went to x college. I did, too!

Exactly - my wife is Mayo Clinic/Hopkins trained surgeon- you would be shocked where she went to college (it's VA and not one people on DCUM even think about for 1s)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

College isn’t the long game. The point is that the delta between what you’re getting at TJ versus your base school vastly outpaces the delta between the school you’ll get into with and without TJ. If there even is one.

It is a bad choice to make a decision about what high school to attend based on what college may or may not be accessible from that high school. And I reject the notion that that’s an opinion.

We know. Trust us, we know you think this. You’re still wrong, but keep saying it.

Who can value education so much that TJ is so important but then not value education as much when evaluating colleges?

DP

The error you’re making here is presuming that prestige or selectivity correlates with quality of education. When it comes to college, increasingly it does not.

And further, forward-thinking employers are paying less attention to where you did your undergrad and more attention to demonstrations of your raw skill set… and TJ again creates the bigger delta there by a long shot.

I’m an attorney. We wouldn’t give a crap where you went to HS.

I'm also an attorney. We wouldn't give a crap where you went to college.

Agreed! The most important would be your last place of education and only then until you’ve had a career related full time job placement. Then we are more interested in experience, longevity/why left, etc.

The further back, the less important UNLESS it relates to a connection with the person: I see you went to x college. I did, too!

Exactly - my wife is Mayo Clinic/Hopkins trained surgeon- you would be shocked where she went to college (it's VA and not one people on DCUM even think about for 1s)

Then what’s with people saying going to TJ from 9th-12th helps in job apps? Unless you have no experience or are still in college, why would your HS name/stats still be on your resume? My college sophomore dropped it off the resume half way thru freshman year in college. It clutters the resume up with less relevant/irrelevant info.

[Anonymous]

TJ alum often do help TJ grads find jobs.
More AP exams is actually dumbing down the TJ curriculum which was already harder than AP classes. AP at TJ is usually AP content PLUS a more rigorous content added bc the AP stuff alone is too easy.
My kid is at TJ and loves it AND has had strong college admissions outcomes. Do not worry.
Go to TJ if you can because the rigor makes TJ kids very well prepared for undergraduate classes… many report college feeling much easier.
Go to TJ and if you do not like it or find it too stressful, transfer back to base school, do not hesitate to have a pleasant high school experience! But TJ kids stay because in truth they really love it.
Yes many TJ kids cheat on assessments and they are bright little cheaters so it’s hard to catch them. Often they get mediocre college recs as result of their suspect integrity and maybe that’s why they aren’t getting into top colleges as much. However the honest kids are doing just fine and having success in the admissions game.