Any tips on maximizing chances of admission to the Blair Math/Science Magnet?

[Anonymous]

My DS will be applying this year, he's pretty smart but still nervous about getting in due to the limited number of spots.

[Anonymous]

Ace the entrance test.

[Anonymous]

For the Eleanor Roosevelt test people use tutors. I was told to find someone who has tutored specifically for the test and ask how many have passed. Blair similar?

[Anonymous]

They really are looking for kids who love math and science. My kid loves computer science, but that wasn't enough (he's in a different magnet now, and it's probably for the best). So on the application form, do your best to demonstrate a track record of winning science fairs, attending science events at UMD, growing his own vegetable garden, hanging out at Air and Space, or whatever applies. I think they get a lot of applicants whose parents want them to go there, and you want to stand out from those kids.

[Anonymous]

I don't have any advice for the OP other than make sure your child wants this and not just you. I am 5 days into MCPS, so I have no advice in circles of kids just starting K.

But, WOW, racism is evidently alive and well. Not all math and science kids are Asian. I attended an out-of-state magnet 1st-12th and am now a white, female scientist. The previous poster's stereotypes are offensive.

OP: good luck to your kid.

[Anonymous]

OP, there's a small part of the entrance test where your kid has to rank his desire to do the magnet on a scale of 1 to 10. If he really wants this, it's important to put 10 (I think 10 is the highest, but it might be 1, so have him double check!!!). On the other hand, if you want this more than he does, this is his chance to put 1 and you'll never know the real reason he didn't get in. MoCo seems to view this as a sort of escape hatch for kids who are being pushed into the magnet against their will, while accepting the kids who want it most.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't have any advice for the OP other than make sure your child wants this and not just you. I am 5 days into MCPS, so I have no advice in circles of kids just starting K.

But, WOW, racism is evidently alive and well. Not all math and science kids are Asian. I attended an out-of-state magnet 1st-12th and am now a white, female scientist. The previous poster's stereotypes are offensive.

OP: good luck to your kid.

Why is it racist to suggest that many Asians excel in math and science? Maybe it would be less offensive if someone posted that Asians suck at math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, there's a small part of the entrance test where your kid has to rank his desire to do the magnet on a scale of 1 to 10. If he really wants this, it's important to put 10 (I think 10 is the highest, but it might be 1, so have him double check!!!). On the other hand, if you want this more than he does, this is his chance to put 1 and you'll never know the real reason he didn't get in. MoCo seems to view this as a sort of escape hatch for kids who are being pushed into the magnet against their will, while accepting the kids who want it most.

My son and his best friend attended TP magnet and both applied to Blair magnet with similar GPAs (3.8+) and performed similarly well on the admission test (both boys scored above the median score of accepted students in each test category). My son wasn't accepted but his friend was. When trying to understand the different outcomes, the friend's mother told me that when she had picked the boys up from the testing site she heard my son say that he'd put down a 1 when told to write down their desire to attend Blair (with 1 being something like -- I'm only here because my parents are forcing me -- and 10 being something like I'll die if I don't go to Blair) and her son had laughed that he'd put down a 1 too but then added a zero . . .

[Anonymous]

If DC is in a non-MOCO school, can we rent in MOCO to apply to Blair without giving up the spot in the other school? We'd obvs move to MOCO if DC got in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If DC is in a non-MOCO school, can we rent in MOCO to apply to Blair without giving up the spot in the other school? We'd obvs move to MOCO if DC got in.

Of course you could apply to Blair without giving up the spot in the other school if you fulfill the MoCo residency requirements. For example, when you apply to Blair, you have to prove that you're a MoCo resident and will also have to indicate which school DC is currently enrolled and the assigned high school. You may be able to pull this off if DC attends non-MoCo private school but it's unlikely that you'd be able to do so if DC attends non-MoCo public or charter school because it would or at least should be apparent that you're gaming the system (applying for a program for which you are not eligible regardless of your intention to actually move to MoCo if DC gets in). This isn't something that I'd personally do but a couple of my DC-based coworkers applied to Blair and RM using this tack and neither was successful in getting their kids into either program. They don't think their residency shenigans were discovered but that MoCo favors its own public and private school students when filling spots in these programs which may be something else you may want to consider before going down this path.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, there's a small part of the entrance test where your kid has to rank his desire to do the magnet on a scale of 1 to 10. If he really wants this, it's important to put 10 (I think 10 is the highest, but it might be 1, so have him double check!!!). On the other hand, if you want this more than he does, this is his chance to put 1 and you'll never know the real reason he didn't get in. MoCo seems to view this as a sort of escape hatch for kids who are being pushed into the magnet against their will, while accepting the kids who want it most.

My son and his best friend attended TP magnet and both applied to Blair magnet with similar GPAs (3.8+) and performed similarly well on the admission test (both boys scored above the median score of accepted students in each test category). My son wasn't accepted but his friend was. When trying to understand the different outcomes, the friend's mother told me that when she had picked the boys up from the testing site she heard my son say that he'd put down a 1 when told to write down their desire to attend Blair (with 1 being something like -- I'm only here because my parents are forcing me -- and 10 being something like I'll die if I don't go to Blair) and her son had laughed that he'd put down a 1 too but then added a zero . . .

is this question asked only for H/s magnet, or is it also asked for MS and ES?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, there's a small part of the entrance test where your kid has to rank his desire to do the magnet on a scale of 1 to 10. If he really wants this, it's important to put 10 (I think 10 is the highest, but it might be 1, so have him double check!!!). On the other hand, if you want this more than he does, this is his chance to put 1 and you'll never know the real reason he didn't get in. MoCo seems to view this as a sort of escape hatch for kids who are being pushed into the magnet against their will, while accepting the kids who want it most.

My son and his best friend attended TP magnet and both applied to Blair magnet with similar GPAs (3.8+) and performed similarly well on the admission test (both boys scored above the median score of accepted students in each test category). My son wasn't accepted but his friend was. When trying to understand the different outcomes, the friend's mother told me that when she had picked the boys up from the testing site she heard my son say that he'd put down a 1 when told to write down their desire to attend Blair (with 1 being something like -- I'm only here because my parents are forcing me -- and 10 being something like I'll die if I don't go to Blair) and her son had laughed that he'd put down a 1 too but then added a zero . . .

is this question asked only for H/s magnet, or is it also asked for MS and ES?

It's definitely also asked for the Takoma MS magnet. Not sure about the elementary HGCs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, there's a small part of the entrance test where your kid has to rank his desire to do the magnet on a scale of 1 to 10. If he really wants this, it's important to put 10 (I think 10 is the highest, but it might be 1, so have him double check!!!). On the other hand, if you want this more than he does, this is his chance to put 1 and you'll never know the real reason he didn't get in. MoCo seems to view this as a sort of escape hatch for kids who are being pushed into the magnet against their will, while accepting the kids who want it most.

My son and his best friend attended TP magnet and both applied to Blair magnet with similar GPAs (3.8+) and performed similarly well on the admission test (both boys scored above the median score of accepted students in each test category). My son wasn't accepted but his friend was. When trying to understand the different outcomes, the friend's mother told me that when she had picked the boys up from the testing site she heard my son say that he'd put down a 1 when told to write down their desire to attend Blair (with 1 being something like -- I'm only here because my parents are forcing me -- and 10 being something like I'll die if I don't go to Blair) and her son had laughed that he'd put down a 1 too but then added a zero . . .

is this question asked only for H/s magnet, or is it also asked for MS and ES?

It's asked for MS magnets (Takoma Park, Eastern & Roberto Clemente) but not ES magnets (Center Program for the Highly Gifted).

[Anonymous]

OP here, did anyone's child benefit from studying beforehand (beyond the prep questions on the website/from the counselor's office)?