Stem magnet - Blair vs Eleanor roosevelt

[Anonymous]

Considering I think 46 out of the 100 in last years class were National Merit Semi Finalist..whatever prep you think these basically typical students are relying on must be amazing!

[Anonymous]

The National Merit Semi Finalists from Blair are overwhelmingly magnet students. They are also overwhelmingly from Asian immigrant families. Their success has little to do with Blair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The National Merit Semi Finalists from Blair are overwhelmingly magnet students. They are also overwhelmingly from Asian immigrant families. Their success has little to do with Blair.

The academic successes posted by Blair do seem to be associated with the magnet. The magnet is a program that is insulated from the rest of Blair and magnet students keep to themselves even when taking nonmagnet classes with the general population.

My DC found the magnet useful as a window into Asian cram schools. There was little challenging material taught in the program that is now open to anyone from Blair who wants to take advanced magnet classes. It is a magnet in that it may be challenging compared to normal classes offered at Blair. But it is not challenging compared to what is offered at 'W' schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The National Merit Semi Finalists from Blair are overwhelmingly magnet students. They are also overwhelmingly from Asian immigrant families. Their success has little to do with Blair.

The academic successes posted by Blair do seem to be associated with the magnet. The magnet is a program that is insulated from the rest of Blair and magnet students keep to themselves even when taking nonmagnet classes with the general population.

My DC found the magnet useful as a window into Asian cram schools. There was little challenging material taught in the program that is now open to anyone from Blair who wants to take advanced magnet classes. It is a magnet in that it may be challenging compared to normal classes offered at Blair. But it is not challenging compared to what is offered at 'W' schools.

Anybody can compare classes offered at Blair for the magnet program to classes offered at Whitman and establish that your assertion is factually incorrect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The National Merit Semi Finalists from Blair are overwhelmingly magnet students. They are also overwhelmingly from Asian immigrant families. Their success has little to do with Blair.

The academic successes posted by Blair do seem to be associated with the magnet. The magnet is a program that is insulated from the rest of Blair and magnet students keep to themselves even when taking nonmagnet classes with the general population.

My DC found the magnet useful as a window into Asian cram schools. There was little challenging material taught in the program that is now open to anyone from Blair who wants to take advanced magnet classes. It is a magnet in that it may be challenging compared to normal classes offered at Blair. But it is not challenging compared to what is offered at 'W' schools.

We live in the western part of the county and my child has found the magnet VERY challenging. They take 8 classes instead of 7 with a longer school day. They complete a whole year of physics in a semester and a whole year of chem in a semester. He took pre-calc at the same time as his sister at a non-magnet school and it was a whole different class. He would really have found more challenge at Whitman?

[Anonymous]

Yes, average students might find the magnet challenging. Whitman was far more challenging for similar coursework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have only my anecdotal evidence from families I have known at the schools. The kids who went to ER were brighter and more motivated than their peers, but not exceptionally gifted. The kids at Blair are going to invent something or cure a disease some day. Blair had something like 40 National Merit Semifinalists last year. The kids I knew who went to ER were bright, hard working kids. The kids at Blair were off the charts gifted. Even if you moved to Montgomery County, your child would ave to apply to the Blair magnet and compete against extremely bright kids. Your child might be extremely bright too, and get in. But i wouldn't move with the assumption that he or she would get in.

Yah this is complete hyperbole. A small number "off the charts gifted" kids have come through Blair over the years no doubt but that is no where near the normal magnet kid. Most are more harder working and well rounded than super gifted. The average state school honors dorm will far and away exceed the talent pool of any given year's class at most magnet schools including Blair.

Signed
Blair Magnet graduate

Agree with all of this except the well rounded part. Most of the kids are very focused on science and math and all their after school activities like math circle and science bowl that focus on that and they hardly socialize with others in the program on weekends because they all live so far away. I am not exaggerating. I knew only one kid who played a sport but his mother told me she was going to pull him out of Blair because it wasn't a great fit. I'm sure there are some that are well rounded but I met very few.

My DC is graduating from the magnet and I agree with the above. I also agree with a previous poster who said the remaining at some high schools might be a better experience. The Blair magnet isn't what it once was.

You are right. It is BETTER now.

Yes, it is much better for an average student who is well prepped.

Agree. The one off-the-charts brilliant teen I know who was in the TP program, decided instead to return to his home W school for high school.

[Anonymous]

I think that one of the Blair trolls has found this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, average students might find the magnet challenging. Whitman was far more challenging for similar coursework.

What method of comparison did you use?

[Anonymous]

Blair SMAC is one of the best in the county. Only second to RMIB but it's almost as good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, average students might find the magnet challenging. Whitman was far more challenging for similar coursework.

So Whitman offers these courses?:

Cellular Physiology
Introductory Genetic Analysis
Thermodynamics
Optics
Materials Science
Introduction to Aritificial Intelligence with LISP
Complex Analysis
....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Blair SMAC is one of the best in the county. Only second to RMIB but it's almost as good.

This statement makes no sense. They are both great programs, but they are not even in the same subject areas and appeal to completely different kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The National Merit Semi Finalists from Blair are overwhelmingly magnet students. They are also overwhelmingly from Asian immigrant families. Their success has little to do with Blair.

I don't know what the statistics are on that, but my non-Asian Blair SMAC student is a NMSF. FWIW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, average students might find the magnet challenging. Whitman was far more challenging for similar coursework.

I have one kid in each of these schools, and I can assure you that Whitman is far LESS challenging. Its course offerings bear no resemblance to those at Blair.

[Anonymous]

I too have a non-Asian Blair NMSF