TJ admissions

[Anonymous]

A few years ago, my family knew nothing about TJ. We read all the information on the TJ website, our child applied and was accepted. Everything you need to know is right there on the website- plus, you and your child can go to open houses when they have them.

Did your child study in advance? If so, what are the tips to get in? Are there any TJ prep classes that are open and currently take students at this time?

OP, you asked this question on your other thread, and I’m answering here.

My child did not do any outside “studying”/prep for TJ. He studied for his regular school classes and did extremely well. He liked to read a lot from an early age- mostly fiction, not exclusively science-related- so he was a pretty good writer, which I believe helped him to express himself better in the writing required in the process.

He was also very involved in time consuming sports, so I think that kept him healthy and helped him to use his time wisely.

I would suggest that your child do as well as she can in school and also read a lot outside of school. Let her read whatever she likes, but fiction is best for learning good writing skills. I would not bother with prep classes- just a waste of time and money. If she reads a variety of books form many different genres during the time she might have gone to a prep class, she will be far better off.

Best wishes to you and your child!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most of the enrichment that people did was to get kids into Algebra 1 by 7th grade or to get them through Geometry in the summer easily. You are too late for most of that. RSM, Curie, and AoPS will offer summer classes, maybe over winter break, that might be useful for writing the TJ essay.

Your child is taking Algebra 1 in 7th grade, she is where she needs to be for math for TJ. She needs to get A’s in all of her classes this year and have A’s for the first quarter or two next year. That is about it.

Read the TJ admission page and look for the TJ info sessions in the fall. Go on YouTube and look for the essay prompts if you want.

Franklin does not have a lot of kids applying. If she is a straight A student and has thought about the essays in advance she should have a solid chance. The reason why Franklin’s TJ numbers are lower is because most of the kids interested in TJ from Franklin are at Carson.

DS is at Carson. Like the Longfellow poster, the TJ interested kids tried out for Mathcounts and Science Olympiad. I am sure that those are referenced in their portrait of a student essay. The kids who make those teams at Carson and Longfellow are the more advanced kids in math and science at the school. They probably have been doing some type of enrichment in STEM for a while. The Mathcounts and Science Olympiad are competitive, I know Carsons Mathcounts club has about 120 kids try out for 30 spots. I heard that Science Olympiad is the same. It sounds like Longfellow has a similar situation.

You have said she wants to do geometry this summer because her friends at Carson are doing it. I would have her ask of her friends at Carson have already been exposed to Geometry, ie have they done AoPS, RSM, Curie Geometry or a lot of math competition prep. Those kids will do fine in summer geometry because they have already learned most of the material. It is still a grind because of the amount of work kids need to do in a 5 week period and there is no leeway. Kids without prior exposure can do well in the class but it is hard. A good number of kids drop it fast because of the pace and difficulty. Others complete it but expunge the grade and retake it. DS is not taking Geometry this summer because he had camps he wants to do. He has been previously exposed to the subject and would probably get an A but he just isn’t interested in giving up the majority of his summer to take a math class. He has classmates who are taking it and are surprised that he is not. Different priorities, which is totally fine. Just make sure that she is aware of what the class requires before planning your entire summer around the class.

My child is quite solid with essays, we are just wondering if we need to prep for the problem solving essay because that is where I have heard most kids have difficulties on. If not, then I think we just need to focus on school, extracurriculars, and some essay prompts that people have sent llinks to. Again, if anyone does have more advice on how to get in... feel free to share! (please correct me if im wrong on anything I would be happy to take advice!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

A few years ago, my family knew nothing about TJ. We read all the information on the TJ website, our child applied and was accepted. Everything you need to know is right there on the website- plus, you and your child can go to open houses when they have them.

Did your child study in advance? If so, what are the tips to get in? Are there any TJ prep classes that are open and currently take students at this time?

OP, you asked this question on your other thread, and I’m answering here.

My child did not do any outside “studying”/prep for TJ. He studied for his regular school classes and did extremely well. He liked to read a lot from an early age- mostly fiction, not exclusively science-related- so he was a pretty good writer, which I believe helped him to express himself better in the writing required in the process.

He was also very involved in time consuming sports, so I think that kept him healthy and helped him to use his time wisely.

I would suggest that your child do as well as she can in school and also read a lot outside of school. Let her read whatever she likes, but fiction is best for learning good writing skills. I would not bother with prep classes- just a waste of time and money. If she reads a variety of books form many different genres during the time she might have gone to a prep class, she will be far better off.

Best wishes to you and your child!

Great, thank you for this!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a math essay that we should prepare for? Would you recommend prep classes or just focus on school?

There is a math and/or science essay. Usually not difficult but may have tricky wording or multiple steps. The answer includes explaining the answer, including all the steps.

Hi OP. My son is a freshman at TJ.

There is exactly ONE math based word-problem to solve as part of the admissions process. Last year, my son reported the problem was easy, but poorly-worded. Some of his classmates from AAP did not manage to finish the problem and they may have been unnecessarily confused. You can find past examples of the question on YouTube.

There is a “Portrait of a Graduate” worksheet to complete. My son is an active Scout and is active in charity through our church. Not sure if that helped.

40% of the admissions decision is “experience factors.” It’s difficult to define exactly what that means, but it apparently includes FARMS / being poor, being BIPOC, or being SPED.

Try hard to be a minority (but only URM) or poor or Special Needs. It helps.

My son came from a “high admission” / top-3 MS: Longfellow.

He has always been involved with the Math Counts league. Longfellow only accepts the top 30 kids into their MathCounts team. My son was between 20 and 30 on the team. It is likely that TJ values Science Olympiad, but the local team commitment was way too demanding so we did not pursue it.

TJ is over 80% minority students. My son is among the 19% white kids.

He is loving his TJ experience so far and is doing well. He really, really wanted to go.

If I may ask, did your son do any prep classes? What level of math was he on at the time? If you recommend any prep classes or what to study for the test, please let us know!

No prep classes. As far as the essay, all I know is he spoke with his Longfellow classmates at length about the essays they planned to write. Perhaps he picked up some ideas / tips from them?

There are myriad rumors about the “golden ticket” to TJ; one rumor was to participate in Science Olympiad, which at Longfellow meant excluding all other activities, so we never pursued it (plus, we were prepared and completely fine to let him attend McLean if he did not get into TJ. It just was not that important to us either way).

Another rumor was to make it onto one of the 30 competitive spots on the Longfellow Math Counts team, and he accomplished that on his own; during 3rd grade, his math teacher recommended him to out for the AMC-8 math competition. He has always had a knack for math (which is funny, since I’m terrible at math).

In any event: please let your child decide. Again, we did not have expectations; this adventure came entirely from him. And he is loving the challenge and thriving in the unique TJ environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the enrichment that people did was to get kids into Algebra 1 by 7th grade or to get them through Geometry in the summer easily. You are too late for most of that. RSM, Curie, and AoPS will offer summer classes, maybe over winter break, that might be useful for writing the TJ essay.

Your child is taking Algebra 1 in 7th grade, she is where she needs to be for math for TJ. She needs to get A’s in all of her classes this year and have A’s for the first quarter or two next year. That is about it.

Read the TJ admission page and look for the TJ info sessions in the fall. Go on YouTube and look for the essay prompts if you want.

Franklin does not have a lot of kids applying. If she is a straight A student and has thought about the essays in advance she should have a solid chance. The reason why Franklin’s TJ numbers are lower is because most of the kids interested in TJ from Franklin are at Carson.

DS is at Carson. Like the Longfellow poster, the TJ interested kids tried out for Mathcounts and Science Olympiad. I am sure that those are referenced in their portrait of a student essay. The kids who make those teams at Carson and Longfellow are the more advanced kids in math and science at the school. They probably have been doing some type of enrichment in STEM for a while. The Mathcounts and Science Olympiad are competitive, I know Carsons Mathcounts club has about 120 kids try out for 30 spots. I heard that Science Olympiad is the same. It sounds like Longfellow has a similar situation.

You have said she wants to do geometry this summer because her friends at Carson are doing it. I would have her ask of her friends at Carson have already been exposed to Geometry, ie have they done AoPS, RSM, Curie Geometry or a lot of math competition prep. Those kids will do fine in summer geometry because they have already learned most of the material. It is still a grind because of the amount of work kids need to do in a 5 week period and there is no leeway. Kids without prior exposure can do well in the class but it is hard. A good number of kids drop it fast because of the pace and difficulty. Others complete it but expunge the grade and retake it. DS is not taking Geometry this summer because he had camps he wants to do. He has been previously exposed to the subject and would probably get an A but he just isn’t interested in giving up the majority of his summer to take a math class. He has classmates who are taking it and are surprised that he is not. Different priorities, which is totally fine. Just make sure that she is aware of what the class requires before planning your entire summer around the class.

My child is quite solid with essays, we are just wondering if we need to prep for the problem solving essay because that is where I have heard most kids have difficulties on. If not, then I think we just need to focus on school, extracurriculars, and some essay prompts that people have sent llinks to. Again, if anyone does have more advice on how to get in... feel free to share! (please correct me if im wrong on anything I would be happy to take advice!)

If your child is in AAP at Franklin, she is getting very good writing instruction with lots of feedback. The US History and English teachers evidently work together to provide exceptional instruction in solid writing techniques. If your child uses those techniques on the problem-solving essay, she should be able to write a solid essay.

[Anonymous]

OP: My DD is quite good at most things. She has a passion for stem, is at the right track for math, and is quite creative with her essays. She did a TYE stem bootcamp, and is taking the AMC8 along with mathcounts. Our biggest disadvantage is that she is at Franklin MS. People there aren't really as academically bright as Carson (obviously) so our biggest worry is if she will get the right resources at Franklin to get into TJ. People have also been studying for this school for a while now. We just found out about the competition this year. Will she have enough time?

[Anonymous]

Since this is a 1.5% quota by school, your DD has a leg up in this competition by being in a school where academic competition is not too great. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP: My DD is quite good at most things. She has a passion for stem, is at the right track for math, and is quite creative with her essays. She did a TYE stem bootcamp, and is taking the AMC8 along with mathcounts. Our biggest disadvantage is that she is at Franklin MS. People there aren't really as academically bright as Carson (obviously) so our biggest worry is if she will get the right resources at Franklin to get into TJ. People have also been studying for this school for a while now. We just found out about the competition this year. Will she have enough time?

Wow. “Aren’t as academically bright.”
I’ve now lost any will to help you because you’re so rude. Based on this post, you also still clearly don’t understand the admissions process despite many attempts to explain it to you. I presume you’re also the same poster asking about Algebra 2 at FMS. It took me 15 seconds to find that online.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP: My DD is quite good at most things. She has a passion for stem, is at the right track for math, and is quite creative with her essays. She did a TYE stem bootcamp, and is taking the AMC8 along with mathcounts. Our biggest disadvantage is that she is at Franklin MS. People there aren't really as academically bright as Carson (obviously) so our biggest worry is if she will get the right resources at Franklin to get into TJ. People have also been studying for this school for a while now. We just found out about the competition this year. Will she have enough time?

Wow. “Aren’t as academically bright.”
I’ve now lost any will to help you because you’re so rude. Based on this post, you also still clearly don’t understand the admissions process despite many attempts to explain it to you. I presume you’re also the same poster asking about Algebra 2 at FMS. It took me 15 seconds to find that online.

Well, its not like as many kids go to TJ from Franklin as Carson... I would be lying if I said Franklin had as many opportunities as Carson did. I would be glad if you proved me wrong though. Because from many of these posts, it sounds like Carson kids have the main advantage here...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP: My DD is quite good at most things. She has a passion for stem, is at the right track for math, and is quite creative with her essays. She did a TYE stem bootcamp, and is taking the AMC8 along with mathcounts. Our biggest disadvantage is that she is at Franklin MS. People there aren't really as academically bright as Carson (obviously) so our biggest worry is if she will get the right resources at Franklin to get into TJ. People have also been studying for this school for a while now. We just found out about the competition this year. Will she have enough time?

Wow. “Aren’t as academically bright.”
I’ve now lost any will to help you because you’re so rude. Based on this post, you also still clearly don’t understand the admissions process despite many attempts to explain it to you. I presume you’re also the same poster asking about Algebra 2 at FMS. It took me 15 seconds to find that online.

Well, its not like as many kids go to TJ from Franklin as Carson... I would be lying if I said Franklin had as many opportunities as Carson did. I would be glad if you proved me wrong though. Because from many of these posts, it sounds like Carson kids have the main advantage here...

This argument has nothing to do with being more or less "bright", which is what your previous post said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP: My DD is quite good at most things. She has a passion for stem, is at the right track for math, and is quite creative with her essays. She did a TYE stem bootcamp, and is taking the AMC8 along with mathcounts. Our biggest disadvantage is that she is at Franklin MS. People there aren't really as academically bright as Carson (obviously) so our biggest worry is if she will get the right resources at Franklin to get into TJ. People have also been studying for this school for a while now. We just found out about the competition this year. Will she have enough time?

Wow. “Aren’t as academically bright.”
I’ve now lost any will to help you because you’re so rude. Based on this post, you also still clearly don’t understand the admissions process despite many attempts to explain it to you. I presume you’re also the same poster asking about Algebra 2 at FMS. It took me 15 seconds to find that online.

Well, its not like as many kids go to TJ from Franklin as Carson... I would be lying if I said Franklin had as many opportunities as Carson did. I would be glad if you proved me wrong though. Because from many of these posts, it sounds like Carson kids have the main advantage here...

This argument has nothing to do with being more or less "bright", which is what your previous post said.

It seems my previous post had the wrong message to what I was trying to deliver. I apologize for that. My DD does have friends at Carson though, and they seem to have the leg up for opportunities. The statistics do show Carson is one of many schools that send most kids to TJ, so I am just trying to say that we don't know if our DD will have the right resources to succeed in getting into TJ. We are just trying to find the most resources we can for her to succeed. This is something our daughter really wants to do, and we are just here to help her. I hope that clears things up.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for clarifying. As others have said, Franklin has a guaranteed number of spots. Your daughter will first be competing against other FMS students for one of those spots (based on grades, admissions “exam”, etc), so Carson competition is irrelevant. It sounds like she’s well-positioned among her FMS peers. If she doesn’t get one of those, then yes, she will be competing against a broader population that didn’t get in from their MS. In that scenario, the Carson kids may have pursued more opportunities to be competitive.

[Anonymous]

My DD started this year as a freshman. She's returning to her private school this semester. The cohort is unhealthy and she will be successful anywhere. Please look closely at the school and what you want for your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP: My DD is quite good at most things. She has a passion for stem, is at the right track for math, and is quite creative with her essays. She did a TYE stem bootcamp, and is taking the AMC8 along with mathcounts. Our biggest disadvantage is that she is at Franklin MS. People there aren't really as academically bright as Carson (obviously) so our biggest worry is if she will get the right resources at Franklin to get into TJ. People have also been studying for this school for a while now. We just found out about the competition this year. Will she have enough time?

Wow. “Aren’t as academically bright.”
I’ve now lost any will to help you because you’re so rude. Based on this post, you also still clearly don’t understand the admissions process despite many attempts to explain it to you. I presume you’re also the same poster asking about Algebra 2 at FMS. It took me 15 seconds to find that online.

Well, its not like as many kids go to TJ from Franklin as Carson... I would be lying if I said Franklin had as many opportunities as Carson did. I would be glad if you proved me wrong though. Because from many of these posts, it sounds like Carson kids have the main advantage here...

Most (not all) of the clubs are driven by parent volunteers. Nothing stops Franklin kids/parents to start the clubs and create opportunities!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP: My DD is quite good at most things. She has a passion for stem, is at the right track for math, and is quite creative with her essays. She did a TYE stem bootcamp, and is taking the AMC8 along with mathcounts. Our biggest disadvantage is that she is at Franklin MS. People there aren't really as academically bright as Carson (obviously) so our biggest worry is if she will get the right resources at Franklin to get into TJ. People have also been studying for this school for a while now. We just found out about the competition this year. Will she have enough time?

Wow. “Aren’t as academically bright.”
I’ve now lost any will to help you because you’re so rude. Based on this post, you also still clearly don’t understand the admissions process despite many attempts to explain it to you. I presume you’re also the same poster asking about Algebra 2 at FMS. It took me 15 seconds to find that online.

Well, its not like as many kids go to TJ from Franklin as Carson... I would be lying if I said Franklin had as many opportunities as Carson did. I would be glad if you proved me wrong though. Because from many of these posts, it sounds like Carson kids have the main advantage here...

That is because the kids who would be at Franklin who are interested in TJ are at Carson. Carson has more opportunities because the kids who have an early interest, or whose parents have an early interest in, TJ go to Carson. Carson will have a larger number of kids apply, and a larger percentage of kids rejected, for TJ. Carson STEM activities are competitive to enter into because there are a lot of kids at the school interested in math and science.

Your daughter needs to focus on what she is doing at Franklin and not worry about what the Carson kids are doing. You need to make sure that she is in the necessary classes, Honors/AAP math and science, Honors/AAP English or Social Studies, and getting As. As long as she completes Algebra 1 H by 8th grade and has above a 3.5 GPA in mainly Honors/AAP classes, she will probably be in a good place at Franklin.

What ES are you coming from? Oak Hill AAP kids are all on top of this in 6th grade, which is why most of them go to Carson if they are interested in TJ and not Franklin. The kids we know from Oak Hill AAP who are at Franklin are kids who had no interest in TJ, the rest are at Carson.

Your child sounds like someone who would be a good fit at TJ but the profile you are listing is one that is pretty common for kids whose parents are posting here. DS will be applying to TJ. He took the AMC8 last year and the AMC10 this year, he’ll be taking the AMC 8 as well. Mathcounts or science olympiad are pretty common. STEM summer camps and the like are pretty common. It doesn’t mean much at Carson because plenty of kids with those activities will nto be accepted. Your kid probably has a better chance out of Franklin since a lot fewer kids apply.