TJ. vs the privates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wrote this on the other TJ/private thread. If your kid is a math/compsci genius, then send to TJ. Otherwise, send to private.

Perhaps, but they also have to be hungry.

Our friend's DS loved math. Was happy and thriving in the advanced classes such that they decided to send her to TJ, where her love of math was destroyed by the spirit-crushing competitive nature of the student body who treated every homework, quiz and test like the Hunger Games. The girl will now head to university and swears to take as little math as possible to get her degree in anything but STEM.

Which is why it is qualified with "GENIUS." I had 2 TJ kids - one stronger than average in math and one a math genius who was taking calculus in 9th grade. The first had an experience like your friend's DS and the second thrived at TJ. If you can easily afford it, then for most kids the big 3 private school will be the better experience.

[Anonymous]

I believe with the exception of MIT, the number of elite college admits : student body size is a bit lower at TJ than it is at the Big 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe with the exception of MIT, the number of elite college admits : student body size is a bit lower at TJ than it is at the Big 3.

I meant as a ratio of student size to elite admits. They have good numbers at TJ, but each class is 420-450 kids or so whereas the Big 3 graduating classes are 1/4th the size I think.

[Anonymous]

depends on the kid. My husband went to TJ (granted it was awhile ago) and loved it, but he was born a STEM-nerd. I would not want my daughter to go there because she's much more well-rounded with a strong interest in the humanities.

[Anonymous]

A lot of students are such academic superstars that they would do well at either TJ/Blair or a Big 3-type private. But you'd be delusional to think that all or even most who do well at one would automatically do well at the other. They've got some similarities but are quite different in other ways.

[Anonymous]

The only thing to really know is DC private parents have a massive inferiority complex when it comes to TJ. And probably for good reason.

[Anonymous]

Meh, I doubt that many DC private parents care about TJ or vice versa. They're not really competing directly against each other, because I doubt that the top college admissions offices are typically comparing students from those schools when making decisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe with the exception of MIT, the number of elite college admits : student body size is a bit lower at TJ than it is at the Big 3.

MANY more recruited athletes and legacies at privates...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only thing to really know is DC private parents have a massive inferiority complex when it comes to TJ. And probably for good reason.

Please get over it. Most DC private school parents don't live in VA and are not Asian so they don't even consider TJ. VA has the worst private schools in the area, so there really isn't much choice for southerners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Meh, I doubt that many DC private parents care about TJ or vice versa. They're not really competing directly against each other, because I doubt that the top college admissions offices are typically comparing students from those schools when making decisions.

Not when you consider that only a certain number of kids will be accepted to the top colleges from the greater DC metro area. So kids from all the private schools are competing against the kids from the public schools, specially TJ, and vice versa.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh, I doubt that many DC private parents care about TJ or vice versa. They're not really competing directly against each other, because I doubt that the top college admissions offices are typically comparing students from those schools when making decisions.

Not when you consider that only a certain number of kids will be accepted to the top colleges from the greater DC metro area. So kids from all the private schools are competing against the kids from the public schools, specially TJ, and vice versa.

The public schools in the DC area may be pitted against each other, but I suspect that private school students are likely competing against other private school applicants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh, I doubt that many DC private parents care about TJ or vice versa. They're not really competing directly against each other, because I doubt that the top college admissions offices are typically comparing students from those schools when making decisions.

Not when you consider that only a certain number of kids will be accepted to the top colleges from the greater DC metro area. So kids from all the private schools are competing against the kids from the public schools, specially TJ, and vice versa.

The public schools in the DC area may be pitted against each other, but I suspect that private school students are likely competing against other private school applicants.

If that makes you feel more secure about having kids at a private then sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only thing to really know is DC private parents have a massive inferiority complex when it comes to TJ. And probably for good reason.

Actually it is the other way around.

[Anonymous]

It's not a matter of feeling secure, but rather the track record that the top private schools have of getting a certain number of their students admitted to top colleges over any multi-year stretch. Based on this track record, I don't know why you would think that private and public school applicants are being compared in any apples-to-apples kind of way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh, I doubt that many DC private parents care about TJ or vice versa. They're not really competing directly against each other, because I doubt that the top college admissions offices are typically comparing students from those schools when making decisions.

Not when you consider that only a certain number of kids will be accepted to the top colleges from the greater DC metro area. So kids from all the private schools are competing against the kids from the public schools, specially TJ, and vice versa.

The public schools in the DC area may be pitted against each other, but I suspect that private school students are likely competing against other private school applicants.

Yes, they're in a special admissions file marked "Snowflakes, Legacies and Donor Admits"