College admissions really does start in middle school

[Anonymous]

Sty most kids done with all APs in 10th. Most only take those on a full schedule across all classes then it is off to IB. They steal all your Cornell slots. NYU slots. U Chi spots. Williams spots. Columbia slots. Wake up! You lost the game not being born in the right city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sty most kids done with all APs in 10th. Most only take those on a full schedule across all classes then it is off to IB. They steal all your Cornell slots. NYU slots. U Chi spots. Williams spots. Columbia slots. Wake up! You lost the game not being born in the right city.

The kids from the DMV public magnets do pretty well too. Thomas Jefferson has been one of the top 10 feeder HSs for Harvard over the last 15 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest thing is math placement. If you don’t get into an advanced track early on, you probably won’t be able to take AP calculus in high school, which is a problem if you want to major in STEM.

It also matters when it comes to extracurriculars like sports, music, or STEM competitions. It’s extremely hard to do well in those activities if you don’t start early well before high school

I guess but if you don't qualify for the advanced math track, then you don't qualify for it for a reason. Probably that you're not good at math. So maybe STEM isn't for you.

This is why it’s so bad for kids to attend so-called high-performing public schools, and why rich people send their kids private instead. At a lower-performing public or a private school, a kid can grow up as late as age 14 or 15, decide he’s interested in STEM, and go on to major in it. In FCPS, if your mom doesn’t push you into the hyper-accelerated track by age 10, it’s all over for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest thing is math placement. If you don’t get into an advanced track early on, you probably won’t be able to take AP calculus in high school, which is a problem if you want to major in STEM.

It also matters when it comes to extracurriculars like sports, music, or STEM competitions. It’s extremely hard to do well in those activities if you don’t start early well before high school

I guess but if you don't qualify for the advanced math track, then you don't qualify for it for a reason. Probably that you're not good at math. So maybe STEM isn't for you.

This is why it’s so bad for kids to attend so-called high-performing public schools, and why rich people send their kids private instead. At a lower-performing public or a private school, a kid can grow up as late as age 14 or 15, decide he’s interested in STEM, and go on to major in it. In FCPS, if your mom doesn’t push you into the hyper-accelerated track by age 10, it’s all over for you.

Yes! It’s fine to be mediocre as long as you’re rich.

[Anonymous]

TJ is also a real school. Like Sty the cream is filling the top shelf. Some kids just have it. Some try and don’t. Such is life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of these super advanced MCPS kids do not impress admissions people. It is perfectly fine to take Calc as a senior. Once again it is the stupid DMV bias here. Get out of your bubble.

Oh. I must have missed the part where MCPS kids are banned from elite universities and don’t excel in NMSF and win national awards.

Some kid who takes calculus in the womb in DMV is not seen as being any better than a kid who takes it as a senior, all other things being equal. Yet so many people here get their panties in a bunch because their kids aren't taking calc and physics and whatever soon enough. Doesn't matter.

Stuy, Bronx Science, Dalton, Trinity, Horace Mann, Scarsdale, Millburn kids don't do any of this.

Don’t do any of what? Top NYC HS families are most certainly obsessed with mad cancer track math placement and recruitable sports since middle school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of these super advanced MCPS kids do not impress admissions people. It is perfectly fine to take Calc as a senior. Once again it is the stupid DMV bias here. Get out of your bubble.

Oh. I must have missed the part where MCPS kids are banned from elite universities and don’t excel in NMSF and win national awards.

Some kid who takes calculus in the womb in DMV is not seen as being any better than a kid who takes it as a senior, all other things being equal. Yet so many people here get their panties in a bunch because their kids aren't taking calc and physics and whatever soon enough. Doesn't matter.

Stuy, Bronx Science, Dalton, Trinity, Horace Mann, Scarsdale, Millburn kids don't do any of this.

Don’t do any of what? Top NYC HS families are most certainly obsessed with mad cancer track math placement and recruitable sports since middle school

Nope. Most kids at these schools take a normal academic track. Usually calc as a senior, occasionally as a junior. And most of them are smarter than your kids. But they and their parents don't wear it on their sleeves and compete to see who can accelerate more. Acceleration is really not that exciting. The schools are doing you a disservice.

And no, all kids at top NYC privates are not getting into top colleges just because of money. Lots of super smart kids there (mixed in with some money).

And to the other poster, if you have never heard of Scarsdale or Millburn then you really need to leave your DMV bubble. Two of the top publics in America. Rather than saying "never heard of them," look them up.

So many people advertising their lack of global knowledge here. Lots of know-it-alls without any experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sty most kids done with all APs in 10th. Most only take those on a full schedule across all classes then it is off to IB. They steal all your Cornell slots. NYU slots. U Chi spots. Williams spots. Columbia slots. Wake up! You lost the game not being born in the right city.

The kids from the DMV public magnets do pretty well too. Thomas Jefferson has been one of the top 10 feeder HSs for Harvard over the last 15 years.

What is the average SAT score and uw/weighted GPA for those getting into Harvard from TJ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sty most kids done with all APs in 10th. Most only take those on a full schedule across all classes then it is off to IB. They steal all your Cornell slots. NYU slots. U Chi spots. Williams spots. Columbia slots. Wake up! You lost the game not being born in the right city.

The kids from the DMV public magnets do pretty well too. Thomas Jefferson has been one of the top 10 feeder HSs for Harvard over the last 15 years.

What is the average SAT score and uw/weighted GPA for those getting into Harvard from TJ?

1240
3.14

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It actually starts with marriage. Pick a partner with the best possible genes. Then have them eat a ton of choline and DHA (but not EPA) during pregnancy and breastfeeding period. Etc. etc.

Did you also do a gene screening test to screen out any potential partner carrying any undesirable genes?

Obviously. It's important your partner has the genetic capability to detect satire, otherwise you won't have compatible senses of humor.

DP. 👏

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of these super advanced MCPS kids do not impress admissions people. It is perfectly fine to take Calc as a senior. Once again it is the stupid DMV bias here. Get out of your bubble.

Oh. I must have missed the part where MCPS kids are banned from elite universities and don’t excel in NMSF and win national awards.

Some kid who takes calculus in the womb in DMV is not seen as being any better than a kid who takes it as a senior, all other things being equal. Yet so many people here get their panties in a bunch because their kids aren't taking calc and physics and whatever soon enough. Doesn't matter.

Stuy, Bronx Science, Dalton, Trinity, Horace Mann, Scarsdale, Millburn kids don't do any of this.

Don’t do any of what? Top NYC HS families are most certainly obsessed with mad cancer track math placement and recruitable sports since middle school

Nope. Most kids at these schools take a normal academic track. Usually calc as a senior, occasionally as a junior. And most of them are smarter than your kids. But they and their parents don't wear it on their sleeves and compete to see who can accelerate more. Acceleration is really not that exciting. The schools are doing you a disservice.

And no, all kids at top NYC privates are not getting into top colleges just because of money. Lots of super smart kids there (mixed in with some money).

And to the other poster, if you have never heard of Scarsdale or Millburn then you really need to leave your DMV bubble. Two of the top publics in America. Rather than saying "never heard of them," look them up.

So many people advertising their lack of global knowledge here. Lots of know-it-alls without any experience.

Yup, never heard of those public schools, despite growing up in New York and attending Ivies for undergrad and grad school.

But I had plenty of university classmates from the public magnets Stuy and Bronx Science, and it's enough to know that you have no idea what you're talking about when you say students there aren't accelerated in their math programming. You might try reading their web pages to educate yourself rather than spouting off misinformation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest thing is math placement. If you don’t get into an advanced track early on, you probably won’t be able to take AP calculus in high school, which is a problem if you want to major in STEM.

It also matters when it comes to extracurriculars like sports, music, or STEM competitions. It’s extremely hard to do well in those activities if you don’t start early well before high school

One thing I've noticed is that private schools all have algebra in 8th, geometry in 10th, and algebra 2 in 11th. Algebra is required to do well on SATs so this is critical. Many public schools don't start algebra 1 until 9th.

Algebra 1 in 8th is the average track in private school. Algebra 1 in 7th is for top 1/3 and algebra 1 in 6th is for the really smart ones.

All of the publics here do Algebra 1 in 7th for super smart kids and algebra in 8th is the “advanced” track. Algebra 1 in 6th is not done by publics

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sty most kids done with all APs in 10th. Most only take those on a full schedule across all classes then it is off to IB. They steal all your Cornell slots. NYU slots. U Chi spots. Williams spots. Columbia slots. Wake up! You lost the game not being born in the right city.

The kids from the DMV public magnets do pretty well too. Thomas Jefferson has been one of the top 10 feeder HSs for Harvard over the last 15 years.

What is the average SAT score and uw/weighted GPA for those getting into Harvard from TJ?

1240
3.14

?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sty most kids done with all APs in 10th. Most only take those on a full schedule across all classes then it is off to IB. They steal all your Cornell slots. NYU slots. U Chi spots. Williams spots. Columbia slots. Wake up! You lost the game not being born in the right city.

The kids from the DMV public magnets do pretty well too. Thomas Jefferson has been one of the top 10 feeder HSs for Harvard over the last 15 years.

This is verifiable b.s. TJ sent 6 out of 500 students to Harvard in 2024, barely 1% and hardly impressive when the Harvard admission rate is 4%. All the NYC top privates send at least 10% to Harvard every year. polarislist.com

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest thing is math placement. If you don’t get into an advanced track early on, you probably won’t be able to take AP calculus in high school, which is a problem if you want to major in STEM.

It also matters when it comes to extracurriculars like sports, music, or STEM competitions. It’s extremely hard to do well in those activities if you don’t start early well before high school

One thing I've noticed is that private schools all have algebra in 8th, geometry in 10th, and algebra 2 in 11th. Algebra is required to do well on SATs so this is critical. Many public schools don't start algebra 1 until 9th.

Algebra 1 in 8th is the average track in private school. Algebra 1 in 7th is for top 1/3 and algebra 1 in 6th is for the really smart ones.

All of the publics here do Algebra 1 in 7th for super smart kids and algebra in 8th is the “advanced” track. Algebra 1 in 6th is not done by publics

Not true. MCPS offers some kids Algebra 1 in 6. I believe some of the Virginia publics do that for exceptional students as well. In MCPS Algebra 1 in 7th may not be what the majority of students take, but it's hardly so rare as to be restricted to the "super smart" of the school either.