TJ Admissions

[Anonymous]

I am sure this question has been beaten to death on these forums. We just moved to VA. My DC is going into 6th grade. He has always excelled in academics. He is bright and capable of getting into TJ but I don't know what exactly should we prepare him for. Should we enroll him in external preparation programs etc? What sort of extra curricular activities can benefit him? Does TJ assign any special value to JH CTY or Duke Tip programs.

[Anonymous]

I would encourage your child to read and let him pursue whatever interests him. Have him participate in extra curricular activities which reflect his interest in science, technology or math. You should not have to enroll him in any programs to prepare him for the test. My son is graduating this year from TJ and he did not do anything extra to prepare for the entrance test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would encourage your child to read and let him pursue whatever interests him. Have him participate in extra curricular activities which reflect his interest in science, technology or math. You should not have to enroll him in any programs to prepare him for the test. My son is graduating this year from TJ and he did not do anything extra to prepare for the entrance test.

Good advice here. My child, a TJ student, also did not do any TJ test prep other than reading the information on the TJ admissions site. The test is not that hard for a good student. It also helps to get good grades- my child earned straight A's for all of seventh and eighth grades. For extracurriculars, my child played a team sport which required 2-3 hours after school each day and weekend time, too. I think the sport participation showed the ability to commit a lot of time to an out of school passion and still do well in academics.

[Anonymous]

TJ admissions are somewhat of a crap shot. There are 3 qualified students for every slot, so they just have to guess. Sometimes the results are wacky. TJ mom.

[Anonymous]

The first, and most important, question is whether your child loves math and science so much that he wants to do it all day, every day. Look at the courses available at TJ, compare them to your local high school, and think hard about which would make your child happier during high school.

Then be prepared, because as PP said, even some very highly qualified students don't get it.

My child got very high test scores with no prep. It was not a hard test, as it only goes through Algebra. So I think kids should not prep for the test: if you have to prep to get in, the work at TJ will be too hard.

If you have to force yourself to do special math and science activities just to get in, it is not the right place for you, either. Do what you love and the high school will follow, or something like that.

Most kids admitted to TJ have taken Algebra in 7th grade and Geometry in 8th. (As did mine.) Some take Geometry over the summer and Algebra 2 in 8th. However, the minimum requirement is only Algebra by 8th.

My kid also got straight As in middle school. And my child did not get in. This is where prep could be useful: if your child really, really, desperately wants to go (mine didn't), make sure he reads TJ's website in detail and thinks about those essays and SIS (mine didn't.).

But you have 2+ years until then. For now, enjoy being a kid.

[Anonymous]

My child did get into TJ. It is a mystery to me. Yes, had straight As, but did not take Geometry. Only took Algebra I. Did not score high on the test. Excellent recs, however.

[Anonymous]

We did not prep our children. Both of them got in.

[Anonymous]

OP: It is your childs 7th grade that is key. The test is in 8th, but mostly they are looking at 7th. We prepped. We did activites. DS got in. (I say we b/c I had to drive encourage etc) But really, it does have to come from the child. He will be the one doing all the work, both in MS and at TJ. If he does not feel like doing STEM, then maybe it is not the best school for him. If so, he will not mind doing the extra work. GL.

[Anonymous]

Our DC is rising 8th and has done Algebra 1 Honors (straight As in that and all other AAP classes) and many math/science things in 7th grade, as well as many other things (sports, plays, Model UN, etc.). We hope they do consider that.

[Anonymous]

The essays they write after the exam is very important. It is one of the reasons why we believe our child was accepted at TJ. He took Algebra in 8th grade, straight A's, very into robotics/programming and loved to read. Anyway, he has loved his 4 years there but is looking forward to college Graduation is next week!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our DC is rising 8th and has done Algebra 1 Honors (straight As in that and all other AAP classes) and many math/science things in 7th grade, as well as many other things (sports, plays, Model UN, etc.). We hope they do consider that.

Good luck! We had one in and one out. I would take a test prep course -- a short one for $250, not the $1000 one. The course is a great help in other ways also.