Magnet HS results and the waitpool

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP- My kid was in Global and it’s a great program but how far is the commute for you?

We live not too far from Shady Grove Metro Station. Both Blair and Poolesville are really far, and since the school bus stop is at the very end of the route, the ride takes forever. My kid takes the school bus to TPMS, and because it's the last stop, he doesn’t get home until 4:40 PM. Blair shares the same bus route as TPMS, so if he goes to Blair, he’d still be getting home at 4:40.

Since he gets home so late, it’s really hard for him to do any after-school activities. That’s actually one of the reasons I kind of regret sending him to TPMS.

I know Poolesville is the #1 high school in Maryland, but I’ve never met anyone who goes there, so it feels pretty unfamiliar. Honestly, I think Poolesville would be a better fit for my kid than Blair. He has a high MAP-M score (>290), but he’s not really into math, engineering, or computer science. He’s way more interested in animals, insects, and the environment.

Hi! There is a county bus that goes from right in front of Poolesville HS to Shady Grove - lots of magnet kids use it to get back and forth from school if they stay late or don’t want to wait to take the activity/magnet bus. Ask about it at the open house to get details. Sounds like GE would be a great fit for your kid. There are many GE kids who take SMC classes - the SMCS house is centered on their science, computer, and engineering block and the math classes are a separate track, so that might be a good option. And Poolesville hosts activities not only after school, but many clubs meet during lunch, so there are a lot of options to explore without getting overwhelmed with transportation issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s shocking that your kid didn’t get in with 290. I can’t imagine why not.

She said it was over 290. How many kids at TPMS have that score?!

There are multiple we know over that score especially those who were travelling to HS for their Maths.
For good or bad, kids now a days are highly competitive.

I’ve seen cases where students with MAP scores in the 290s didn’t get into Blair SMACS, and considering that the median MAP Math score for admitted students is 273, it seems like MAP scores alone aren’t the deciding factor. My kid told me that most of the students around him have scores in the 270s, which makes me think his peer group might not be the very top tier. I also heard that some 8th graders are taking Algebra 2.

My kid got into TPMS through the lottery (but got into CES based on their scores—99th percentile on the CogAT and MAP- m). I’ve also heard that one of the middle schools in the W cluster offers Algebra 2. Either way, there are just so many strong students in MCPS. My guess is that a 99th percentile MAP score elsewhere might be more like the 90th percentile in MCPS.

Like I mentioned before, my kid is great at writing essays. He loves insects and animals and has been raising and observing all kinds of bugs, spiders, and arthropods at home. He’s gone to nature center camps every year and spend weekends at nature centers, parks, and the natural history museum. He wrote all of that honestly in his essay, and it really fit the Global Ecology program perfectly. But in the end, he didn’t get invited to Blair. He did make the waitpool, maybe that’s because of his high MAP Math score?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s shocking that your kid didn’t get in with 290. I can’t imagine why not.

She said it was over 290. How many kids at TPMS have that score?!

There are multiple we know over that score especially those who were travelling to HS for their Maths.
For good or bad, kids now a days are highly competitive.

I’ve seen cases where students with MAP scores in the 290s didn’t get into Blair SMACS, and considering that the median MAP Math score for admitted students is 273, it seems like MAP scores alone aren’t the deciding factor. My kid told me that most of the students around him have scores in the 270s, which makes me think his peer group might not be the very top tier. I also heard that some 8th graders are taking Algebra 2.

My kid got into TPMS through the lottery (but got into CES based on their scores—99th percentile on the CogAT and MAP- m). I’ve also heard that one of the middle schools in the W cluster offers Algebra 2. Either way, there are just so many strong students in MCPS. My guess is that a 99th percentile MAP score elsewhere might be more like the 90th percentile in MCPS.

Like I mentioned before, my kid is great at writing essays. He loves insects and animals and has been raising and observing all kinds of bugs, spiders, and arthropods at home. He’s gone to nature center camps every year and spend weekends at nature centers, parks, and the natural history museum. He wrote all of that honestly in his essay, and it really fit the Global Ecology program perfectly. But in the end, he didn’t get invited to Blair. He did make the waitpool, maybe that’s because of his high MAP Math score?

It sounds like PHS ecology program is a better fit for your kid and he picked the better choice. SMACS curriculum at Blair does have labs and field trips, but really not impressive to me. It's not even comparable to my HS experience when I did it at a developing country 20+ years ago. But the math, cs and physics curriculum and choices are super, and teachers of these classes are absolutely the real treasure for maintaining the excellency of this program. So for kids that are really in love with math, coding, universe or engineering, SMACS is a better choice. For kids who want to become a doctor or a biologist, he/she should have a second thought.

[Anonymous]

My kid is in wait pool for GE in PHS . Do anyone of you think if there is still a chance of him getting into it ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s shocking that your kid didn’t get in with 290. I can’t imagine why not.

She said it was over 290. How many kids at TPMS have that score?!

There are multiple we know over that score especially those who were travelling to HS for their Maths.
For good or bad, kids now a days are highly competitive.

I’ve seen cases where students with MAP scores in the 290s didn’t get into Blair SMACS, and considering that the median MAP Math score for admitted students is 273, it seems like MAP scores alone aren’t the deciding factor. My kid told me that most of the students around him have scores in the 270s, which makes me think his peer group might not be the very top tier. I also heard that some 8th graders are taking Algebra 2.

My kid got into TPMS through the lottery (but got into CES based on their scores—99th percentile on the CogAT and MAP- m). I’ve also heard that one of the middle schools in the W cluster offers Algebra 2. Either way, there are just so many strong students in MCPS. My guess is that a 99th percentile MAP score elsewhere might be more like the 90th percentile in MCPS.

Like I mentioned before, my kid is great at writing essays. He loves insects and animals and has been raising and observing all kinds of bugs, spiders, and arthropods at home. He’s gone to nature center camps every year and spend weekends at nature centers, parks, and the natural history museum. He wrote all of that honestly in his essay, and it really fit the Global Ecology program perfectly. But in the end, he didn’t get invited to Blair. He did make the waitpool, maybe that’s because of his high MAP Math score?

It sounds like PHS ecology program is a better fit for your kid and he picked the better choice. SMACS curriculum at Blair does have labs and field trips, but really not impressive to me. It's not even comparable to my HS experience when I did it at a developing country 20+ years ago. But the math, cs and physics curriculum and choices are super, and teachers of these classes are absolutely the real treasure for maintaining the excellency of this program. So for kids that are really in love with math, coding, universe or engineering, SMACS is a better choice. For kids who want to become a doctor or a biologist, he/she should have a second thought.

DP. DC was accepted to SMACS and GE. They very much want to be a doctor, and biology is their favorite subject, but not field trips, they would never observe insects or ask to go to nature museum. But they are very interested genetics, evolution, "the logic" of human body, cells, immune system etc, as it were. Any advice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is in wait pool for GE in PHS . Do anyone of you think if there is still a chance of him getting into it ?

Yes. The chances are significant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is in wait pool for GE in PHS . Do anyone of you think if there is still a chance of him getting into it ?

DP, would you mind sharing your kid's MAP-M, MAP-R?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s shocking that your kid didn’t get in with 290. I can’t imagine why not.

She said it was over 290. How many kids at TPMS have that score?!

There are multiple we know over that score especially those who were travelling to HS for their Maths.
For good or bad, kids now a days are highly competitive.

I’ve seen cases where students with MAP scores in the 290s didn’t get into Blair SMACS, and considering that the median MAP Math score for admitted students is 273, it seems like MAP scores alone aren’t the deciding factor. My kid told me that most of the students around him have scores in the 270s, which makes me think his peer group might not be the very top tier. I also heard that some 8th graders are taking Algebra 2.

My kid got into TPMS through the lottery (but got into CES based on their scores—99th percentile on the CogAT and MAP- m). I’ve also heard that one of the middle schools in the W cluster offers Algebra 2. Either way, there are just so many strong students in MCPS. My guess is that a 99th percentile MAP score elsewhere might be more like the 90th percentile in MCPS.

Like I mentioned before, my kid is great at writing essays. He loves insects and animals and has been raising and observing all kinds of bugs, spiders, and arthropods at home. He’s gone to nature center camps every year and spend weekends at nature centers, parks, and the natural history museum. He wrote all of that honestly in his essay, and it really fit the Global Ecology program perfectly. But in the end, he didn’t get invited to Blair. He did make the waitpool, maybe that’s because of his high MAP Math score?

It sounds like PHS ecology program is a better fit for your kid and he picked the better choice. SMACS curriculum at Blair does have labs and field trips, but really not impressive to me. It's not even comparable to my HS experience when I did it at a developing country 20+ years ago. But the math, cs and physics curriculum and choices are super, and teachers of these classes are absolutely the real treasure for maintaining the excellency of this program. So for kids that are really in love with math, coding, universe or engineering, SMACS is a better choice. For kids who want to become a doctor or a biologist, he/she should have a second thought.

Is your child 9th or 10th? The bio electives at Blair are super and there are a ton of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s shocking that your kid didn’t get in with 290. I can’t imagine why not.

She said it was over 290. How many kids at TPMS have that score?!

There are multiple we know over that score especially those who were travelling to HS for their Maths.
For good or bad, kids now a days are highly competitive.

I’ve seen cases where students with MAP scores in the 290s didn’t get into Blair SMACS, and considering that the median MAP Math score for admitted students is 273, it seems like MAP scores alone aren’t the deciding factor. My kid told me that most of the students around him have scores in the 270s, which makes me think his peer group might not be the very top tier. I also heard that some 8th graders are taking Algebra 2.

My kid got into TPMS through the lottery (but got into CES based on their scores—99th percentile on the CogAT and MAP- m). I’ve also heard that one of the middle schools in the W cluster offers Algebra 2. Either way, there are just so many strong students in MCPS. My guess is that a 99th percentile MAP score elsewhere might be more like the 90th percentile in MCPS.

Like I mentioned before, my kid is great at writing essays. He loves insects and animals and has been raising and observing all kinds of bugs, spiders, and arthropods at home. He’s gone to nature center camps every year and spend weekends at nature centers, parks, and the natural history museum. He wrote all of that honestly in his essay, and it really fit the Global Ecology program perfectly. But in the end, he didn’t get invited to Blair. He did make the waitpool, maybe that’s because of his high MAP Math score?

It sounds like PHS ecology program is a better fit for your kid and he picked the better choice. SMACS curriculum at Blair does have labs and field trips, but really not impressive to me. It's not even comparable to my HS experience when I did it at a developing country 20+ years ago. But the math, cs and physics curriculum and choices are super, and teachers of these classes are absolutely the real treasure for maintaining the excellency of this program. So for kids that are really in love with math, coding, universe or engineering, SMACS is a better choice. For kids who want to become a doctor or a biologist, he/she should have a second thought.

DP. DC was accepted to SMACS and GE. They very much want to be a doctor, and biology is their favorite subject, but not field trips, they would never observe insects or ask to go to nature museum. But they are very interested genetics, evolution, "the logic" of human body, cells, immune system etc, as it were. Any advice?

If they don't like field trips SMACS. The field trips are fun if you like that sort of thing. If you don't it just gives you more things to make up because they don't cancel math or other classes on those days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s shocking that your kid didn’t get in with 290. I can’t imagine why not.

She said it was over 290. How many kids at TPMS have that score?!

There are multiple we know over that score especially those who were travelling to HS for their Maths.
For good or bad, kids now a days are highly competitive.

I’ve seen cases where students with MAP scores in the 290s didn’t get into Blair SMACS, and considering that the median MAP Math score for admitted students is 273, it seems like MAP scores alone aren’t the deciding factor. My kid told me that most of the students around him have scores in the 270s, which makes me think his peer group might not be the very top tier. I also heard that some 8th graders are taking Algebra 2.

My kid got into TPMS through the lottery (but got into CES based on their scores—99th percentile on the CogAT and MAP- m). I’ve also heard that one of the middle schools in the W cluster offers Algebra 2. Either way, there are just so many strong students in MCPS. My guess is that a 99th percentile MAP score elsewhere might be more like the 90th percentile in MCPS.

Like I mentioned before, my kid is great at writing essays. He loves insects and animals and has been raising and observing all kinds of bugs, spiders, and arthropods at home. He’s gone to nature center camps every year and spend weekends at nature centers, parks, and the natural history museum. He wrote all of that honestly in his essay, and it really fit the Global Ecology program perfectly. But in the end, he didn’t get invited to Blair. He did make the waitpool, maybe that’s because of his high MAP Math score?

It sounds like PHS ecology program is a better fit for your kid and he picked the better choice. SMACS curriculum at Blair does have labs and field trips, but really not impressive to me. It's not even comparable to my HS experience when I did it at a developing country 20+ years ago. But the math, cs and physics curriculum and choices are super, and teachers of these classes are absolutely the real treasure for maintaining the excellency of this program. So for kids that are really in love with math, coding, universe or engineering, SMACS is a better choice. For kids who want to become a doctor or a biologist, he/she should have a second thought.

Is your child 9th or 10th? The bio electives at Blair are super and there are a ton of them.

PP here. I have a lot of friends working at NIH, JHU, and other top labs in this area, and the majority of us agree the biology curriculum is less impressive. I myself had phd in math + phys in college, and working in CS domain now. Although the AI-related courses are very outdated, other courses I mentioned above are quite impressive. Those teachers are knowledgable, passionate, hands-on, and humble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s shocking that your kid didn’t get in with 290. I can’t imagine why not.

She said it was over 290. How many kids at TPMS have that score?!

There are multiple we know over that score especially those who were travelling to HS for their Maths.
For good or bad, kids now a days are highly competitive.

I’ve seen cases where students with MAP scores in the 290s didn’t get into Blair SMACS, and considering that the median MAP Math score for admitted students is 273, it seems like MAP scores alone aren’t the deciding factor. My kid told me that most of the students around him have scores in the 270s, which makes me think his peer group might not be the very top tier. I also heard that some 8th graders are taking Algebra 2.

My kid got into TPMS through the lottery (but got into CES based on their scores—99th percentile on the CogAT and MAP- m). I’ve also heard that one of the middle schools in the W cluster offers Algebra 2. Either way, there are just so many strong students in MCPS. My guess is that a 99th percentile MAP score elsewhere might be more like the 90th percentile in MCPS.

Like I mentioned before, my kid is great at writing essays. He loves insects and animals and has been raising and observing all kinds of bugs, spiders, and arthropods at home. He’s gone to nature center camps every year and spend weekends at nature centers, parks, and the natural history museum. He wrote all of that honestly in his essay, and it really fit the Global Ecology program perfectly. But in the end, he didn’t get invited to Blair. He did make the waitpool, maybe that’s because of his high MAP Math score?

It sounds like PHS ecology program is a better fit for your kid and he picked the better choice. SMACS curriculum at Blair does have labs and field trips, but really not impressive to me. It's not even comparable to my HS experience when I did it at a developing country 20+ years ago. But the math, cs and physics curriculum and choices are super, and teachers of these classes are absolutely the real treasure for maintaining the excellency of this program. So for kids that are really in love with math, coding, universe or engineering, SMACS is a better choice. For kids who want to become a doctor or a biologist, he/she should have a second thought.

Is your child 9th or 10th? The bio electives at Blair are super and there are a ton of them.

PP here. I have a lot of friends working at NIH, JHU, and other top labs in this area, and the majority of us agree the biology curriculum is less impressive. I myself had phd in math + phys in college, and working in CS domain now. Although the AI-related courses are very outdated, other courses I mentioned above are quite impressive. Those teachers are knowledgable, passionate, hands-on, and humble.

how does the blair biology curriculum compare to strong home HS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s shocking that your kid didn’t get in with 290. I can’t imagine why not.

She said it was over 290. How many kids at TPMS have that score?!

There are multiple we know over that score especially those who were travelling to HS for their Maths.
For good or bad, kids now a days are highly competitive.

I’ve seen cases where students with MAP scores in the 290s didn’t get into Blair SMACS, and considering that the median MAP Math score for admitted students is 273, it seems like MAP scores alone aren’t the deciding factor. My kid told me that most of the students around him have scores in the 270s, which makes me think his peer group might not be the very top tier. I also heard that some 8th graders are taking Algebra 2.

My kid got into TPMS through the lottery (but got into CES based on their scores—99th percentile on the CogAT and MAP- m). I’ve also heard that one of the middle schools in the W cluster offers Algebra 2. Either way, there are just so many strong students in MCPS. My guess is that a 99th percentile MAP score elsewhere might be more like the 90th percentile in MCPS.

Like I mentioned before, my kid is great at writing essays. He loves insects and animals and has been raising and observing all kinds of bugs, spiders, and arthropods at home. He’s gone to nature center camps every year and spend weekends at nature centers, parks, and the natural history museum. He wrote all of that honestly in his essay, and it really fit the Global Ecology program perfectly. But in the end, he didn’t get invited to Blair. He did make the waitpool, maybe that’s because of his high MAP Math score?

It sounds like PHS ecology program is a better fit for your kid and he picked the better choice. SMACS curriculum at Blair does have labs and field trips, but really not impressive to me. It's not even comparable to my HS experience when I did it at a developing country 20+ years ago. But the math, cs and physics curriculum and choices are super, and teachers of these classes are absolutely the real treasure for maintaining the excellency of this program. So for kids that are really in love with math, coding, universe or engineering, SMACS is a better choice. For kids who want to become a doctor or a biologist, he/she should have a second thought.

Is your child 9th or 10th? The bio electives at Blair are super and there are a ton of them.

PP here. I have a lot of friends working at NIH, JHU, and other top labs in this area, and the majority of us agree the biology curriculum is less impressive. I myself had phd in math + phys in college, and working in CS domain now. Although the AI-related courses are very outdated, other courses I mentioned above are quite impressive. Those teachers are knowledgable, passionate, hands-on, and humble.

how does the blair biology curriculum compare to strong home HS?

In addition to advanced bio which all magnet kids take in 10th, Blair offers cellular physiology, marine biology, neuroscience, genetic analysis, foundations of immunology

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s shocking that your kid didn’t get in with 290. I can’t imagine why not.

She said it was over 290. How many kids at TPMS have that score?!

There are multiple we know over that score especially those who were travelling to HS for their Maths.
For good or bad, kids now a days are highly competitive.

I’ve seen cases where students with MAP scores in the 290s didn’t get into Blair SMACS, and considering that the median MAP Math score for admitted students is 273, it seems like MAP scores alone aren’t the deciding factor. My kid told me that most of the students around him have scores in the 270s, which makes me think his peer group might not be the very top tier. I also heard that some 8th graders are taking Algebra 2.

My kid got into TPMS through the lottery (but got into CES based on their scores—99th percentile on the CogAT and MAP- m). I’ve also heard that one of the middle schools in the W cluster offers Algebra 2. Either way, there are just so many strong students in MCPS. My guess is that a 99th percentile MAP score elsewhere might be more like the 90th percentile in MCPS.

Like I mentioned before, my kid is great at writing essays. He loves insects and animals and has been raising and observing all kinds of bugs, spiders, and arthropods at home. He’s gone to nature center camps every year and spend weekends at nature centers, parks, and the natural history museum. He wrote all of that honestly in his essay, and it really fit the Global Ecology program perfectly. But in the end, he didn’t get invited to Blair. He did make the waitpool, maybe that’s because of his high MAP Math score?

It sounds like PHS ecology program is a better fit for your kid and he picked the better choice. SMACS curriculum at Blair does have labs and field trips, but really not impressive to me. It's not even comparable to my HS experience when I did it at a developing country 20+ years ago. But the math, cs and physics curriculum and choices are super, and teachers of these classes are absolutely the real treasure for maintaining the excellency of this program. So for kids that are really in love with math, coding, universe or engineering, SMACS is a better choice. For kids who want to become a doctor or a biologist, he/she should have a second thought.

Is your child 9th or 10th? The bio electives at Blair are super and there are a ton of them.

PP here. I have a lot of friends working at NIH, JHU, and other top labs in this area, and the majority of us agree the biology curriculum is less impressive. I myself had phd in math + phys in college, and working in CS domain now. Although the AI-related courses are very outdated, other courses I mentioned above are quite impressive. Those teachers are knowledgable, passionate, hands-on, and humble.

how does the blair biology curriculum compare to strong home HS?

In addition to advanced bio which all magnet kids take in 10th, Blair offers cellular physiology, marine biology, neuroscience, genetic analysis, foundations of immunology

Thank you. I saw the list of electives and they titles sound good on paper. I was just wondering about the quality of courses compared to what the student get at their home (W) school, since you seem to have some first hand experience with the kids in the program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s shocking that your kid didn’t get in with 290. I can’t imagine why not.

She said it was over 290. How many kids at TPMS have that score?!

There are multiple we know over that score especially those who were travelling to HS for their Maths.
For good or bad, kids now a days are highly competitive.

I’ve seen cases where students with MAP scores in the 290s didn’t get into Blair SMACS, and considering that the median MAP Math score for admitted students is 273, it seems like MAP scores alone aren’t the deciding factor. My kid told me that most of the students around him have scores in the 270s, which makes me think his peer group might not be the very top tier. I also heard that some 8th graders are taking Algebra 2.

My kid got into TPMS through the lottery (but got into CES based on their scores—99th percentile on the CogAT and MAP- m). I’ve also heard that one of the middle schools in the W cluster offers Algebra 2. Either way, there are just so many strong students in MCPS. My guess is that a 99th percentile MAP score elsewhere might be more like the 90th percentile in MCPS.

Like I mentioned before, my kid is great at writing essays. He loves insects and animals and has been raising and observing all kinds of bugs, spiders, and arthropods at home. He’s gone to nature center camps every year and spend weekends at nature centers, parks, and the natural history museum. He wrote all of that honestly in his essay, and it really fit the Global Ecology program perfectly. But in the end, he didn’t get invited to Blair. He did make the waitpool, maybe that’s because of his high MAP Math score?

It sounds like PHS ecology program is a better fit for your kid and he picked the better choice. SMACS curriculum at Blair does have labs and field trips, but really not impressive to me. It's not even comparable to my HS experience when I did it at a developing country 20+ years ago. But the math, cs and physics curriculum and choices are super, and teachers of these classes are absolutely the real treasure for maintaining the excellency of this program. So for kids that are really in love with math, coding, universe or engineering, SMACS is a better choice. For kids who want to become a doctor or a biologist, he/she should have a second thought.

Is your child 9th or 10th? The bio electives at Blair are super and there are a ton of them.

PP here. I have a lot of friends working at NIH, JHU, and other top labs in this area, and the majority of us agree the biology curriculum is less impressive. I myself had phd in math + phys in college, and working in CS domain now. Although the AI-related courses are very outdated, other courses I mentioned above are quite impressive. Those teachers are knowledgable, passionate, hands-on, and humble.

how does the blair biology curriculum compare to strong home HS?

In addition to advanced bio which all magnet kids take in 10th, Blair offers cellular physiology, marine biology, neuroscience, genetic analysis, foundations of immunology

Thank you. I saw the list of electives and they titles sound good on paper. I was just wondering about the quality of courses compared to what the student get at their home (W) school, since you seem to have some first hand experience with the kids in the program.

I don’t have experience with other schools but, I don’t think any of those classes are available elsewhere except marine biology. The teachers at Blair are excellent and the classes go into more depth than anywhere else. It is not, however, a program that focuses on APs.

[Anonymous]

PHS and Global more narrowly have an inferiority complex. I think PHS Poolesville SMCS is highly regarded by many of the kids go to Global as their last choice and have a chip on their shoulders for not getting in to other programs. There will be kids who really enjoy the subject and are into insects or animals or conservation but the vast majority will be there wishing they had gotten into RMIB or Blair or PHS SMCS