Tjhsst is it worth it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of TJ student who does not spend a whole lot of time studying but does okay, I can say that the amount learned is phenomenal, but your child is unlikely to get straight As unless they study 12-16 hours a day (including weekends). If you and your student can let go of needing to have straight As, they can have a good time, but academic ego needs to be checked at the door of TJ because there is so much to learn and all the students are so talented. Guaranteed many kids will be smarter than yours in at least one area, and probably every area. A good learning experience but also humbling.

I could say a lot more, but I did want to respond to the bolded part. I've had a kid at TJ who did have straight A's, in a very challenging curriculum while doing varsity sports and serving as an officer in 2 clubs. He usually went to bed by 11pm and took Fridays/Saturdays off from studying. Just wanted to point out that some kids can do it.

But I do know that many can't. I have another child who went to TJ who graduated in the bottom half of the class, but is thriving in college. To the TJ senior who posted above - your experience sounds much like my other child's. Please know that when you go to college you get to start over again and that no college will ever be as hard as TJ was. It will seem much easier to you and that will give a great advantage over the other students.

[Anonymous]

I am concerned that my son will regret giving up his teenage years for academic challenge and stimulation. It is sad that in order for him to be challenged it needs to be this over-the-top.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am concerned that my son will regret giving up his teenage years for academic challenge and stimulation. It is sad that in order for him to be challenged it needs to be this over-the-top.

Agree it's sad. But for all that straight As while doing 2 sports and running clubs while not studying 2 days week mom says, her kid's experience (assuming it is real) is highly, hughly unusual. Only a very small handful of kids get out of TJ each year with an UW 4.0 (like 1-3). And most kids are busing their butts. I tell my kids that's TJ is an amazing opportunity for an amazing opportunity. But that like most things in life worth having, it comes at a high cost. And for almost all kids, there is a high cost. Is it worth it? That depends entirely on your kid, and to a larger extent your family. Because one member of the family doing TJ effects the whole family. For example-- Summer vacation? Only one free week this year if your kid does summer school (and most do rising freshman and sophomore do summer school) and plays a fall sport or does band. Don't live near TJ? (and most students don't, given how Wetsern county heavy it is). Prepare to spend a lot of time in the car.

Your kids should do TJ if that's what they want. But make sure they go in with eyes open and realistic expectations. Be very clear with them how much free time they will be giving up and that they should not be going in expecting straight As. Also, assess how well you kid copes with stress and pressure. And be very aware that TJ can take it's toll on parents, and even siblings, too.

[Anonymous]

I could say a lot more, but I did want to respond to the bolded part. I've had a kid at TJ who did have straight A's, in a very challenging curriculum while doing varsity sports and serving as an officer in 2 clubs. He usually went to bed by 11pm and took Fridays/Saturdays off from studying. Just wanted to point out that some kids can do it.

My kid was like this, too. He was not a club officer, but also did a non-school related sport some evenings and most weekends in addition to his varsity sport at school. And he had friends who were like this also, so it is not as rare as some might think. I think some kids have not yet learned to use their time efficiently, so studying takes up more time than it really needs to.

He's at a top school right now in a STEM major and finds that he was extremely well prepared, so he is glad for his years at TJ.

[Anonymous]

TJHSST actually ruined my entire life. I became very sad when I did not make it in. DO not try out because if you do not make it in, then you may suffer clinical depression. Not making it in made me feel very sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:TJHSST actually ruined my entire life. I became very sad when I did not make it in. DO not try out because if you do not make it in, then you may suffer clinical depression. Not making it in made me feel very sad.

You should be happy. TJ is Torture Jail House Silently (TJHS).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Give me your two cents for and against.

It's depend on the child. My daughter graduated last year from TJ and got mostly As while there. The school was a good fit for her because of her willingness to put in the time and work hard. My son was 2 years behind and also got accepted to TJ, but he decided with our encouragement to stay at his base school. The boy is bright but not especially hard working and is more susceptible to stress. He's doing very well at his base school and enjoy participating in many STEM clubs & activities. His GPA is probably much higher than it would have been if he had gone to TJ...It was a good decision for both of my kids.

[Anonymous]

I guess I can post this both as an alumna and a mother now in FCPS. Was it worth it? In hindsight, no.

I went to TJ mainly because I was (in hindsight) heavily pressured into it by my parents who felt it was the best school in the country and would give me the most opportunity. My parents pushed me hard toward the sciences and really discouraged creative thinking, writing, etc. Truthfully, I don't think it was worth it -- for me -- because I went to college, got a STEM degree, worked for three years as an engineer, finally had a come to Jesus moment when I realized that just because I have the ability to do something it doesn't mean I should. I quit engineering and went to business school. I'm a strategy consultant and love my work, but I probably would have had less angst and unhappiness if I wasn't pushed so hard in the TJ direction.

With my kids, I am pretty hands off. I have one who has shown some interest, but I am letting him drive the entire process. I'm not paying for prep classes and we don't do Saturday school like I did. I actually try to encourage my kids to focus on sports since I think that's probably better for their physical and mental health.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will confer confidence and open doors like no other school in this region can. It is a valuable badge to have in the wallet for a lifetime.

My TJ diploma hasn't been relevant since I was admitted to college. The contacts that have helped me in my career came from college, grad school and beyond.

Bump. Interesting to hear from grads themselves vs parents.

[Anonymous]

My kid graduated from TJ recently with 4.0 unweighted GPA with ton of APs and post APs. He also headed one academic team and another non-academic group and participated in other various activities while at TJ.

He thinks TJ was difficult but that it was worth it since TJ prepared him well for a challenging major at a challenging university and, that he thinks he will never be surrounded by so many smart, creative and ambitious kids. Not in grad school and certainly not at work. (He interned at a large tech company (Silicon Valley) and also at a quantitative finance company).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid graduated from TJ recently with 4.0 unweighted GPA with ton of APs and post APs. He also headed one academic team and another non-academic group and participated in other various activities while at TJ.

He thinks TJ was difficult but that it was worth it since TJ prepared him well for a challenging major at a challenging university and, that he thinks he will never be surrounded by so many smart, creative and ambitious kids. Not in grad school and certainly not at work. (He interned at a large tech company (Silicon Valley) and also at a quantitative finance company).

Most TJ grads end up in the top 5-10% of their Universities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid graduated from TJ recently with 4.0 unweighted GPA with ton of APs and post APs. He also headed one academic team and another non-academic group and participated in other various activities while at TJ.

He thinks TJ was difficult but that it was worth it since TJ prepared him well for a challenging major at a challenging university and, that he thinks he will never be surrounded by so many smart, creative and ambitious kids. Not in grad school and certainly not at work. (He interned at a large tech company (Silicon Valley) and also at a quantitative finance company).

Most TJ grads end up in the top 5-10% of their Universities.

I would like to see statistics on that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid graduated from TJ recently with 4.0 unweighted GPA with ton of APs and post APs. He also headed one academic team and another non-academic group and participated in other various activities while at TJ.

He thinks TJ was difficult but that it was worth it since TJ prepared him well for a challenging major at a challenging university and, that he thinks he will never be surrounded by so many smart, creative and ambitious kids. Not in grad school and certainly not at work. (He interned at a large tech company (Silicon Valley) and also at a quantitative finance company).

Most TJ grads end up in the top 5-10% of their Universities.

I would like to see statistics on that.

Top universities have this information. They track top 5~10% students and determine which HS thee students came from. I am familiar with only one year's data for one university. Would love to see the top universities release this information for the last 10 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid graduated from TJ recently with 4.0 unweighted GPA with ton of APs and post APs. He also headed one academic team and another non-academic group and participated in other various activities while at TJ.

He thinks TJ was difficult but that it was worth it since TJ prepared him well for a challenging major at a challenging university and, that he thinks he will never be surrounded by so many smart, creative and ambitious kids. Not in grad school and certainly not at work. (He interned at a large tech company (Silicon Valley) and also at a quantitative finance company).

Most TJ grads end up in the top 5-10% of their Universities.

I would like to see statistics on that.

I would too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid graduated from TJ recently with 4.0 unweighted GPA with ton of APs and post APs. He also headed one academic team and another non-academic group and participated in other various activities while at TJ.

He thinks TJ was difficult but that it was worth it since TJ prepared him well for a challenging major at a challenging university and, that he thinks he will never be surrounded by so many smart, creative and ambitious kids. Not in grad school and certainly not at work. (He interned at a large tech company (Silicon Valley) and also at a quantitative finance company).

Most TJ grads end up in the top 5-10% of their Universities.

I would like to see statistics on that.

Top universities have this information. They track top 5~10% students and determine which HS thee students came from. I am familiar with only one year's data for one university. Would love to see the top universities release this information for the last 10 years.

Top universities refuse to release this information since it will likely show a certain group succeeding in general and certain groups failing in general and universities do not want that information becoming public. Perhaps, Harvard University will be forced to release this information as part of the discovery process for the current litigation.