If a kid will fall in top 30-50% in TJ, is going to TJ a better idea

[Anonymous]

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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.

It doesn’t help because you get to tell people you went to TJ.

It helps because what you got to do at TJ set you up to have a significantly more advanced experience at whatever college you attended, made you more attractive as a candidate for internships along the way (in some cases even resulting in corporations creating opportunities specifically for you), and set you up to have more immediate success at whatever initial job you end up at because you got to enjoy a greater level of rigor and develop stronger personal habits at an earlier and more formative age.

Never mind the fact that you spent those four *significantly-more-critical-than-college* years surrounded by a supremely bright group of kids that cares about school at a 100% rate.

But if it is tj-grad applicant v. Non-tj-grad applicant up for a job, it comes down to last school attended, stats, and experience.

This is different from posters saying tj was on resume for many years. That’s weird.

Yeah - the delta would come into play in the experience (probably indicated in the cover letter) you mentioned plus the interview. Real companies don’t make decisions entirely on stats anymore - this isn’t 1995.

The job market for new grads or inters sucks. You’re not getting interviews without stats or experience or something specific and narrow (7% disability hires, etc).

Like graduating from a universally acclaimed STEM focused high school.

Appreciate the setup there.

Yeah, employers really want kids who went to TJ. But I do wonder why TJ kids are working in restaurants and stores when they have tried for internships and research.

Because for the first time ever they come from
economically disadvantaged families and actually need to contribute to the family income by getting valuable early work experience in some cases?

Tap out, friend. You’re out of your depth.

Blaming all things (cheating, jobs) that don’t fit your narrative on the lower income TJ kids. That’s gross

Please show me where I blamed the cheating on the lower-income TJ kids.

Read the words. I did almost the *exact* opposite.

And your use of the word “blaming” indicates that you think it’s somehow “less-than” to work to support your family when needed.

That’s gross.

It’s like you’re compelled to respond to every TJ post that isn’t glowing. How many hours a day are you on doing this?!

Believe it or not, winning arguments on here doesn't take up too much of my time.

Also, while I am the same responder in the last several posts, you'd be wrong to assume that I'm the only one who understands the positivity of TJ and recognizes the attempts to tear it down by people who want to give their kid a better shot of getting in.

There's also an idiot on here who constantly references "test buying" - I disavow that person.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

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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.

It doesn’t help because you get to tell people you went to TJ.

It helps because what you got to do at TJ set you up to have a significantly more advanced experience at whatever college you attended, made you more attractive as a candidate for internships along the way (in some cases even resulting in corporations creating opportunities specifically for you), and set you up to have more immediate success at whatever initial job you end up at because you got to enjoy a greater level of rigor and develop stronger personal habits at an earlier and more formative age.

Never mind the fact that you spent those four *significantly-more-critical-than-college* years surrounded by a supremely bright group of kids that cares about school at a 100% rate.

But if it is tj-grad applicant v. Non-tj-grad applicant up for a job, it comes down to last school attended, stats, and experience.

This is different from posters saying tj was on resume for many years. That’s weird.

Yeah - the delta would come into play in the experience (probably indicated in the cover letter) you mentioned plus the interview. Real companies don’t make decisions entirely on stats anymore - this isn’t 1995.

The job market for new grads or inters sucks. You’re not getting interviews without stats or experience or something specific and narrow (7% disability hires, etc).

Like graduating from a universally acclaimed STEM focused high school.

Appreciate the setup there.

Yeah, employers really want kids who went to TJ. But I do wonder why TJ kids are working in restaurants and stores when they have tried for internships and research.

Because for the first time ever they come from
economically disadvantaged families and actually need to contribute to the family income by getting valuable early work experience in some cases?

Tap out, friend. You’re out of your depth.

Blaming all things (cheating, jobs) that don’t fit your narrative on the lower income TJ kids. That’s gross

Please show me where I blamed the cheating on the lower-income TJ kids.

Read the words. I did almost the *exact* opposite.

And your use of the word “blaming” indicates that you think it’s somehow “less-than” to work to support your family when needed.

That’s gross.

It’s like you’re compelled to respond to every TJ post that isn’t glowing. How many hours a day are you on doing this?!

Believe it or not, winning arguments on here doesn't take up too much of my time.

Also, while I am the same responder in the last several posts, you'd be wrong to assume that I'm the only one who understands the positivity of TJ and recognizes the attempts to tear it down by people who want to give their kid a better shot of getting in.

There's also an idiot on here who constantly references "test buying" - I disavow that person.

I strongly suggest you spend some of your free time working on humility. You come across as if TJ defines you (personally) as better than others for life and believe everyone also believes this.

Sending hugs and hope you have other outlets and sources of self worth.

[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:

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.

It doesn’t help because you get to tell people you went to TJ.

It helps because what you got to do at TJ set you up to have a significantly more advanced experience at whatever college you attended, made you more attractive as a candidate for internships along the way (in some cases even resulting in corporations creating opportunities specifically for you), and set you up to have more immediate success at whatever initial job you end up at because you got to enjoy a greater level of rigor and develop stronger personal habits at an earlier and more formative age.

Never mind the fact that you spent those four *significantly-more-critical-than-college* years surrounded by a supremely bright group of kids that cares about school at a 100% rate.

But if it is tj-grad applicant v. Non-tj-grad applicant up for a job, it comes down to last school attended, stats, and experience.

This is different from posters saying tj was on resume for many years. That’s weird.

Yeah - the delta would come into play in the experience (probably indicated in the cover letter) you mentioned plus the interview. Real companies don’t make decisions entirely on stats anymore - this isn’t 1995.

The job market for new grads or inters sucks. You’re not getting interviews without stats or experience or something specific and narrow (7% disability hires, etc).

Like graduating from a universally acclaimed STEM focused high school.

Appreciate the setup there.

Yeah, employers really want kids who went to TJ. But I do wonder why TJ kids are working in restaurants and stores when they have tried for internships and research.

Because for the first time ever they come from
economically disadvantaged families and actually need to contribute to the family income by getting valuable early work experience in some cases?

Tap out, friend. You’re out of your depth.

Blaming all things (cheating, jobs) that don’t fit your narrative on the lower income TJ kids. That’s gross

Please show me where I blamed the cheating on the lower-income TJ kids.

Read the words. I did almost the *exact* opposite.

And your use of the word “blaming” indicates that you think it’s somehow “less-than” to work to support your family when needed.

That’s gross.

It’s like you’re compelled to respond to every TJ post that isn’t glowing. How many hours a day are you on doing this?!

Believe it or not, winning arguments on here doesn't take up too much of my time.

Also, while I am the same responder in the last several posts, you'd be wrong to assume that I'm the only one who understands the positivity of TJ and recognizes the attempts to tear it down by people who want to give their kid a better shot of getting in.

There's also an idiot on here who constantly references "test buying" - I disavow that person.

I strongly suggest you spend some of your free time working on humility. You come across as if TJ defines you (personally) as better than others for life and believe everyone also believes this.

Sending hugs and hope you have other outlets and sources of self worth.

“When the facts are on your side, pound the facts.

When the law’s on your side, pound the law.

When neither’s on your side, pound the table.”

[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:

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.

It doesn’t help because you get to tell people you went to TJ.

It helps because what you got to do at TJ set you up to have a significantly more advanced experience at whatever college you attended, made you more attractive as a candidate for internships along the way (in some cases even resulting in corporations creating opportunities specifically for you), and set you up to have more immediate success at whatever initial job you end up at because you got to enjoy a greater level of rigor and develop stronger personal habits at an earlier and more formative age.

Never mind the fact that you spent those four *significantly-more-critical-than-college* years surrounded by a supremely bright group of kids that cares about school at a 100% rate.

But if it is tj-grad applicant v. Non-tj-grad applicant up for a job, it comes down to last school attended, stats, and experience.

This is different from posters saying tj was on resume for many years. That’s weird.

Yeah - the delta would come into play in the experience (probably indicated in the cover letter) you mentioned plus the interview. Real companies don’t make decisions entirely on stats anymore - this isn’t 1995.

The job market for new grads or inters sucks. You’re not getting interviews without stats or experience or something specific and narrow (7% disability hires, etc).

Like graduating from a universally acclaimed STEM focused high school.

Appreciate the setup there.

Yeah, employers really want kids who went to TJ. But I do wonder why TJ kids are working in restaurants and stores when they have tried for internships and research.

Because for the first time ever they come from
economically disadvantaged families and actually need to contribute to the family income by getting valuable early work experience in some cases?

Tap out, friend. You’re out of your depth.

Blaming all things (cheating, jobs) that don’t fit your narrative on the lower income TJ kids. That’s gross

Please show me where I blamed the cheating on the lower-income TJ kids.

Read the words. I did almost the *exact* opposite.

And your use of the word “blaming” indicates that you think it’s somehow “less-than” to work to support your family when needed.

That’s gross.

It’s like you’re compelled to respond to every TJ post that isn’t glowing. How many hours a day are you on doing this?!

Believe it or not, winning arguments on here doesn't take up too much of my time.

Also, while I am the same responder in the last several posts, you'd be wrong to assume that I'm the only one who understands the positivity of TJ and recognizes the attempts to tear it down by people who want to give their kid a better shot of getting in.

There's also an idiot on here who constantly references "test buying" - I disavow that person.

I strongly suggest you spend some of your free time working on humility. You come across as if TJ defines you (personally) as better than others for life and believe everyone also believes this.

Sending hugs and hope you have other outlets and sources of self worth.

“When the facts are on your side, pound the facts.

When the law’s on your side, pound the law.

When neither’s on your side, pound the table.”

I feel sorry for you. I really do.

[Anonymous]

TJ really does need to raise the bar on requiring higher math courses for admission, though. Kids coming in with just algebra are behind the curve, and stay behind the curve. I suspect most of the students sent back to base school could not keep up with TJ math. And that weakness affects success in the advanced STEM classes, and so on.
I am also a little worried that the current plan to have everyone take “algebra” in 6th grade will backfire. You really can only teach what the brain is ready to handle and for a lot of 12 year olds, algebra is too much, yet. But of course FCPS can teach watered down math and call it “algebra” and that still won’t mean students are prepared for TJ. Maybe it’s time to bring back a math assessment for TJ admissions.

[Anonymous]

The new admission system resulted in school provided math tutoring for kids who were in 9th and far behind.

[Anonymous]

DP

Keep the allotment (maybe tweaked to account for center schools) if your woke sensibilities requires it but bring back objective testing so that we don't send these unprepared kids into the deep end of the pool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DP

Keep the allotment (maybe tweaked to account for center schools) if your woke sensibilities requires it but bring back objective testing so that we don't send these unprepared kids into the deep end of the pool.

What if the testing results would leave allotted seats unfilled from a school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP

Keep the allotment (maybe tweaked to account for center schools) if your woke sensibilities requires it but bring back objective testing so that we don't send these unprepared kids into the deep end of the pool.

What if the testing results would leave allotted seats unfilled from a school?

Same thing that happens now but possibly to a greater extent.
The unallotted seats go back to the general pool.
If you wanted to relax the standards for those schools i would be OK with that as long as the families know where their kid stands in relation to the rest of the class.

Class of 2025 was a disaster. All these families that basically got in through a lottery thought their kids were qualified because everybody kept telling them "you belong here" and then they showed up and started getting C's
Not every schools fills their allotment right now because families realize that getting in doesn't mean shit from their school and they are trying to figure out if their kid is really a good fit or just a sacrifice to the diversity gods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP

Keep the allotment (maybe tweaked to account for center schools) if your woke sensibilities requires it but bring back objective testing so that we don't send these unprepared kids into the deep end of the pool.

What if the testing results would leave allotted seats unfilled from a school?

Same thing that happens now but possibly to a greater extent.
The unallotted seats go back to the general pool.
If you wanted to relax the standards for those schools i would be OK with that as long as the families know where their kid stands in relation to the rest of the class.

Class of 2025 was a disaster. All these families that basically got in through a lottery thought their kids were qualified because everybody kept telling them "you belong here" and then they showed up and started getting C's
Not every schools fills their allotment right now because families realize that getting in doesn't mean shit from their school and they are trying to figure out if their kid is really a good fit or just a sacrifice to the diversity gods.

It's not just kids from the under-represented schools going back to base. The kids from under-represented schools may be disproportionately going back but there are kids going back to feeder schools too. And frankly even more would like go back to their base school but don't go back for various reasons. Emotional reason, social reason, ego reasons, parent reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP

Keep the allotment (maybe tweaked to account for center schools) if your woke sensibilities requires it but bring back objective testing so that we don't send these unprepared kids into the deep end of the pool.

What if the testing results would leave allotted seats unfilled from a school?

Same thing that happens now but possibly to a greater extent.
The unallotted seats go back to the general pool.
If you wanted to relax the standards for those schools i would be OK with that as long as the families know where their kid stands in relation to the rest of the class.

Class of 2025 was a disaster. All these families that basically got in through a lottery thought their kids were qualified because everybody kept telling them "you belong here" and then they showed up and started getting C's
Not every schools fills their allotment right now because families realize that getting in doesn't mean shit from their school and they are trying to figure out if their kid is really a good fit or just a sacrifice to the diversity gods.

This is a complete overreaction to what happened with 2025.

Their numbers were a touch off from previous classes but otherwise, they were a coherent, fun class that dealt with a staggering amount of abuse that they didn't deserve.

They didn't choose the method by which they were selected, but they were still vilified by a lot of really sad, pathetic adults in this community when they were 14 frickin' years old.

They deserved better and there's no reason to continue to bash them in service of your narrative with respect to an outcome that is done and no longer up for debate. The admissions process might get tweaked somewhat - indeed, it already has - but the tweaks aren't going to come as a response to anything that goes on in here and the Fairfax GOP is not a serious enough entity to put up School Board candidates that will have any hope of winning elections in 2027. The Dems course corrected and returned relative moderates to the Board in the 2023 elections.

Stop harassing and bullying kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP

Keep the allotment (maybe tweaked to account for center schools) if your woke sensibilities requires it but bring back objective testing so that we don't send these unprepared kids into the deep end of the pool.

What if the testing results would leave allotted seats unfilled from a school?

Same thing that happens now but possibly to a greater extent.
The unallotted seats go back to the general pool.
If you wanted to relax the standards for those schools i would be OK with that as long as the families know where their kid stands in relation to the rest of the class.

Class of 2025 was a disaster. All these families that basically got in through a lottery thought their kids were qualified because everybody kept telling them "you belong here" and then they showed up and started getting C's
Not every schools fills their allotment right now because families realize that getting in doesn't mean shit from their school and they are trying to figure out if their kid is really a good fit or just a sacrifice to the diversity gods.

This is a complete overreaction to what happened with 2025.

Their numbers were a touch off from previous classes but otherwise, they were a coherent, fun class that dealt with a staggering amount of abuse that they didn't deserve.

They didn't choose the method by which they were selected, but they were still vilified by a lot of really sad, pathetic adults in this community when they were 14 frickin' years old.

They deserved better and there's no reason to continue to bash them in service of your narrative with respect to an outcome that is done and no longer up for debate. The admissions process might get tweaked somewhat - indeed, it already has - but the tweaks aren't going to come as a response to anything that goes on in here and the Fairfax GOP is not a serious enough entity to put up School Board candidates that will have any hope of winning elections in 2027. The Dems course corrected and returned relative moderates to the Board in the 2023 elections.

Stop harassing and bullying kids.

New Poster:

Just b/c you throw in your last line doesn't mean it's true. No one is harassing anyone. TJ was advertising for those freshman how they were having school provided, free, during the school day tutoring for low level math classes for the new students because they were behind. That's not vilifying anyone...it is stating facts and saying how this does a disserve to kids who should have been admitted based on merit alone but were not and kids who were admitted based on allotment when they should not have been. Offering this type of tutoring service at TJ is not "a touch off" numbers. It shows kids were in over their heads in a significant enough way that the admin needed to step in and try and help. Is this offered at other FCPS schools when grades dip in a class?

And as for what other gobbledygook you wrote...please explain exactly how the kids showed they were a coherent and fun class? What does that even mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP

Keep the allotment (maybe tweaked to account for center schools) if your woke sensibilities requires it but bring back objective testing so that we don't send these unprepared kids into the deep end of the pool.

What if the testing results would leave allotted seats unfilled from a school?

Same thing that happens now but possibly to a greater extent.
The unallotted seats go back to the general pool.
If you wanted to relax the standards for those schools i would be OK with that as long as the families know where their kid stands in relation to the rest of the class.

Class of 2025 was a disaster. All these families that basically got in through a lottery thought their kids were qualified because everybody kept telling them "you belong here" and then they showed up and started getting C's
Not every schools fills their allotment right now because families realize that getting in doesn't mean shit from their school and they are trying to figure out if their kid is really a good fit or just a sacrifice to the diversity gods.

This is a complete overreaction to what happened with 2025.

Their numbers were a touch off from previous classes but otherwise, they were a coherent, fun class that dealt with a staggering amount of abuse that they didn't deserve.

They didn't choose the method by which they were selected, but they were still vilified by a lot of really sad, pathetic adults in this community when they were 14 frickin' years old.

They deserved better and there's no reason to continue to bash them in service of your narrative with respect to an outcome that is done and no longer up for debate. The admissions process might get tweaked somewhat - indeed, it already has - but the tweaks aren't going to come as a response to anything that goes on in here and the Fairfax GOP is not a serious enough entity to put up School Board candidates that will have any hope of winning elections in 2027. The Dems course corrected and returned relative moderates to the Board in the 2023 elections.

Stop harassing and bullying kids.

The SAT score for the class of 2025 dropped by 80 points from 1520 to 1440.
This is AFTER over 50 students returned to their base school.

FCPS board set many of them up for failure.
The admissions process was fine before but if you are going to change, then rushing it through the way they did almost guaranteed the disaster we ended up with.

The FCPS board is still run by woke far left liberals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP

Keep the allotment (maybe tweaked to account for center schools) if your woke sensibilities requires it but bring back objective testing so that we don't send these unprepared kids into the deep end of the pool.

What if the testing results would leave allotted seats unfilled from a school?

Same thing that happens now but possibly to a greater extent.
The unallotted seats go back to the general pool.
If you wanted to relax the standards for those schools i would be OK with that as long as the families know where their kid stands in relation to the rest of the class.

Class of 2025 was a disaster. All these families that basically got in through a lottery thought their kids were qualified because everybody kept telling them "you belong here" and then they showed up and started getting C's
Not every schools fills their allotment right now because families realize that getting in doesn't mean shit from their school and they are trying to figure out if their kid is really a good fit or just a sacrifice to the diversity gods.

This is a complete overreaction to what happened with 2025.

Their numbers were a touch off from previous classes but otherwise, they were a coherent, fun class that dealt with a staggering amount of abuse that they didn't deserve.

They didn't choose the method by which they were selected, but they were still vilified by a lot of really sad, pathetic adults in this community when they were 14 frickin' years old.

They deserved better and there's no reason to continue to bash them in service of your narrative with respect to an outcome that is done and no longer up for debate. The admissions process might get tweaked somewhat - indeed, it already has - but the tweaks aren't going to come as a response to anything that goes on in here and the Fairfax GOP is not a serious enough entity to put up School Board candidates that will have any hope of winning elections in 2027. The Dems course corrected and returned relative moderates to the Board in the 2023 elections.

Stop harassing and bullying kids.

You are the ones that decided to use 14 frickin' years old in a woke social experiment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP

Keep the allotment (maybe tweaked to account for center schools) if your woke sensibilities requires it but bring back objective testing so that we don't send these unprepared kids into the deep end of the pool.

What if the testing results would leave allotted seats unfilled from a school?

Same thing that happens now but possibly to a greater extent.
The unallotted seats go back to the general pool.
If you wanted to relax the standards for those schools i would be OK with that as long as the families know where their kid stands in relation to the rest of the class.

Class of 2025 was a disaster. All these families that basically got in through a lottery thought their kids were qualified because everybody kept telling them "you belong here" and then they showed up and started getting C's
Not every schools fills their allotment right now because families realize that getting in doesn't mean shit from their school and they are trying to figure out if their kid is really a good fit or just a sacrifice to the diversity gods.

This is a complete overreaction to what happened with 2025.

Their numbers were a touch off from previous classes but otherwise, they were a coherent, fun class that dealt with a staggering amount of abuse that they didn't deserve.

They didn't choose the method by which they were selected, but they were still vilified by a lot of really sad, pathetic adults in this community when they were 14 frickin' years old.

They deserved better and there's no reason to continue to bash them in service of your narrative with respect to an outcome that is done and no longer up for debate. The admissions process might get tweaked somewhat - indeed, it already has - but the tweaks aren't going to come as a response to anything that goes on in here and the Fairfax GOP is not a serious enough entity to put up School Board candidates that will have any hope of winning elections in 2027. The Dems course corrected and returned relative moderates to the Board in the 2023 elections.

Stop harassing and bullying kids.

The SAT score for the class of 2025 dropped by 80 points from 1520 to 1440.
This is AFTER over 50 students returned to their base school.

FCPS board set many of them up for failure.
The admissions process was fine before but if you are going to change, then rushing it through the way they did almost guaranteed the disaster we ended up with.

The FCPS board is still run by woke far left liberals.

For the millionth time - so what?

You folks quote this stat ad nauseam as if it's of any consequence on its own. It's not. It doesn't make a single argument for you.

Yes, when you stop overselecting for test taking ability, scores are going to drop from otherworldly to excellent. Congratulations.

But no one has made an argument for why those SAT scores matter that isn't circular.