Are magnets worth it for college admission?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't speak for now, but I graduated from Blair in the late 90s. I got into every college I applied to, including some Ivys. I chose UMCP, because they gave me a full ride (banneker key scholarship, not sure if they have it anymore). Anyway, when I got to UMCP, I found many of my old magnet classmates there (I'd guess 40/100, at least). And they were the most represented school in all of MD with the full ride scholarship. If I were to guess, at least half of those attending from Blair got a full ride.

So yeah, a lot of us went to UMCP but there were very very good reasons for that. I have never regretted going there, and the magnet easily prepared me for my STEM career. A lot of my old classmates went onto to medical school from there, and a few have them have mentioned how relieved they were to not have undergrad debt in addition to med school debt. I don't think you should feel bad if you go to Blair/Poolesville and don't end up in an Ivy.

OP here.. this and the right above you poster are good to hear.

I'm hearing that UMD Honors for CS with merit is pretty hard to get into, and probably some of the other engineering majors. So, I guess from that perspective, and being able to handle the workload, being in a magnet is worth it.

And I agree that graduating with zero debt is a boon now a days. Many of us, my situation included, don't have family wealth, and while we make good money, we also live in a hcol area, so trying to pay for expensive privates would be difficult.

This is kind of new to me because my trajectory to college was a B rated state school from out west. We didn't have this many high achieving kids in my school, so I guess I was expecting more for college admissions for these magnet kids. But, also, times have changed for college admissions, too.

The above few posters are 100% correct, and so are you that times have changed. These days, you cannot interpret brand elite schools admissions as the proxy for high performance, not only because admissions at top schools amount to a lottery, but also because tuition is so insanely expensive that it takes those schools off the table for families like mine. Most of us do not have family wealth, and as you say, while we make good money, we also live in a hcol area and have (and have had) other financial obligations. Paying for e.g. Harvard or MIT is out of the question.

For that reason, many of our magnet kids didn't apply to those schools despite their qualifications.

That is the reality in 2023.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not about the college admissions.

for most people it is

Bottom line - if your kid is bright and if your home school is good. And if you want to optimize for college admissions, don’t do the magnets. Easier to shine in home school for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. I think for our children magnets were absolutely worth it for college admissions.

The pathway for both of my kids -> PHS SMCS -> UMD. We are Asian-American first gen immigrants. Our kids chose STEM careers. Both had perfect stats in GPA and SAT, NMS, ECs, Internships and research papers etc. We knew that they would not get into top private schools based on the fact that many of their peers in PHS look and achieve like them.

Apart from that, they also did not apply extensively. They applied to 6 schools in all. Since UMD was in-state and great for CS, Physics and Math (both did double majors, both had Math in common), that was their lowest bar in terms of where they wanted to apply. This did not leave very many colleges for them that were ranked higher for these majors. This is not a drawback but a boon. Imagine having a college like UMD as your safety. To be honest, UMD was very much their dream school, target and safety all rolled in one.

Having done STEM research internships during PHS (It is a SMCS requirement) and having written a paper based on that - they also found it easy to get future internships @ UMD right from the get go. Having been through the rigor, pace, and curriculum of SMCS and having so many AP and post-AP credits transfer, allowed them to juggle two hard majors, internships, and socializing in college with ease. They watched many of their college classmates - either do very poorly in hard courses or study very hard to stay afloat or do well but without any outside interests. In other words, the training and exposure they got at PHS made college seem easy.

The kind of professional training that the SMCS teaches these students in terms of advocating for oneself, building a network of peers, acquiring skill sets, acquiring credentials, creating and seeking opportunities, time management and organization is invaluable for college and professional life. They also were hugely networked at UMD with other area students from DMV because they had either competed with them in other arenas or had crossed paths with them.

Last, but not the least - since they are already in-state in a public university and the cost is already low. Therefore, even a small merit aid usually covers a significant amount of tuition if not all. This merit $$$ was like a payday for the work that they did in magnet HS.

For us, magnet STEM schools was worth it for succeeding in college and professional life. It made the college admission process easy too.

Of course, I don't mean to be glib and say that it was all easy. To be in the magnet track meant that my kids were performing academically at very high levels from ES. They were acing all kinds of tests that was being administered by MCPS- Raven, TerraNova, MAPS - and tests like JHU-CTY outside of school.

They were consistent from K-12, and also worked hard to have a well rounded resume - ECs, volunteer work, competitions, honor societies, internships, research papers, no discipline issues, consistent performance, no absenteeism, juggling leadership responsibilities, self advocating etc.

Can you further explain what are post-ap credits?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The MAJORITY of Magnet kids go to UMD.

Cite source, please. I'm not saying that they don't, but it would be good to see the cited numbers.

At the magnet information session, we were told that half of the magnet graduates to go UMD-CP.

Which magnet?

The Blair SMAC magnet.

Here's some information - forward to around 11:45:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7tIVLmhbXM

Thanks for that link.

Somethings to note:
-- 98 % get accepted to UMD who apply. Not 100%. That's kind of surprising to me. I'm seeing the same at other magnets, not everyone at magnets who apply to UMD get into UMD.
-- 20 get a full BK scholarship. That's impressive.

my kid got a full bk but from different mcps magnet

yes, of course, other kids get BK full ride, too.. I was just commenting on that YT video for Blair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. I think for our children magnets were absolutely worth it for college admissions.

The pathway for both of my kids -> PHS SMCS -> UMD. We are Asian-American first gen immigrants. Our kids chose STEM careers. Both had perfect stats in GPA and SAT, NMS, ECs, Internships and research papers etc. We knew that they would not get into top private schools based on the fact that many of their peers in PHS look and achieve like them.

Apart from that, they also did not apply extensively. They applied to 6 schools in all. Since UMD was in-state and great for CS, Physics and Math (both did double majors, both had Math in common), that was their lowest bar in terms of where they wanted to apply. This did not leave very many colleges for them that were ranked higher for these majors. This is not a drawback but a boon. Imagine having a college like UMD as your safety. To be honest, UMD was very much their dream school, target and safety all rolled in one.

Having done STEM research internships during PHS (It is a SMCS requirement) and having written a paper based on that - they also found it easy to get future internships @ UMD right from the get go. Having been through the rigor, pace, and curriculum of SMCS and having so many AP and post-AP credits transfer, allowed them to juggle two hard majors, internships, and socializing in college with ease. They watched many of their college classmates - either do very poorly in hard courses or study very hard to stay afloat or do well but without any outside interests. In other words, the training and exposure they got at PHS made college seem easy.

The kind of professional training that the SMCS teaches these students in terms of advocating for oneself, building a network of peers, acquiring skill sets, acquiring credentials, creating and seeking opportunities, time management and organization is invaluable for college and professional life. They also were hugely networked at UMD with other area students from DMV because they had either competed with them in other arenas or had crossed paths with them.

Last, but not the least - since they are already in-state in a public university and the cost is already low. Therefore, even a small merit aid usually covers a significant amount of tuition if not all. This merit $$$ was like a payday for the work that they did in magnet HS.

For us, magnet STEM schools was worth it for succeeding in college and professional life. It made the college admission process easy too.

Of course, I don't mean to be glib and say that it was all easy. To be in the magnet track meant that my kids were performing academically at very high levels from ES. They were acing all kinds of tests that was being administered by MCPS- Raven, TerraNova, MAPS - and tests like JHU-CTY outside of school.

They were consistent from K-12, and also worked hard to have a well rounded resume - ECs, volunteer work, competitions, honor societies, internships, research papers, no discipline issues, consistent performance, no absenteeism, juggling leadership responsibilities, self advocating etc.

Wow… that’s a really long post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not about the college admissions.

for most people it is

Bottom line - if your kid is bright and if your home school is good. And if you want to optimize for college admissions, don’t do the magnets. Easier to shine in home school for sure.

This can be complicated. My kid isn't the type who will be motivated to shine unless they're surrounded by similar or realistically, higher achieving peers. They've been in a magnet since 4th grade so for HS we were really averse to a non-magnet experience. Luckily they matched with one that they are excited about (not their initial #1 but it's working out well).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not about the college admissions.

for most people it is

Bottom line - if your kid is bright and if your home school is good. And if you want to optimize for college admissions, don’t do the magnets. Easier to shine in home school for sure.

This can be complicated. My kid isn't the type who will be motivated to shine unless they're surrounded by similar or realistically, higher achieving peers. They've been in a magnet since 4th grade so for HS we were really averse to a non-magnet experience. Luckily they matched with one that they are excited about (not their initial #1 but it's working out well).

I think this can be true for some kids. They just kind of go along with the masses, and unless they are put in with a higher achieving group, they won't try to achieve it on their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not about the college admissions.

for most people it is

Bottom line - if your kid is bright and if your home school is good. And if you want to optimize for college admissions, don’t do the magnets. Easier to shine in home school for sure.

This can be complicated. My kid isn't the type who will be motivated to shine unless they're surrounded by similar or realistically, higher achieving peers. They've been in a magnet since 4th grade so for HS we were really averse to a non-magnet experience. Luckily they matched with one that they are excited about (not their initial #1 but it's working out well).

I think this can be true for some kids. They just kind of go along with the masses, and unless they are put in with a higher achieving group, they won't try to achieve it on their own.

This was true for my kid. I saw her languish in MS, but then REALLY thrive at the Magnet HS. It was worth it completely. She would have continued to languish at our lackluster home high school, for sure.

The higher expectations and the higher achieving cohort in the Magnet inspired her to work harder. I'm not worried about college admissions. I'm more interested in my kid being engaged and learning in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not about the college admissions.

for most people it is

Bottom line - if your kid is bright and if your home school is good. And if you want to optimize for college admissions, don’t do the magnets. Easier to shine in home school for sure.

This can be complicated. My kid isn't the type who will be motivated to shine unless they're surrounded by similar or realistically, higher achieving peers. They've been in a magnet since 4th grade so for HS we were really averse to a non-magnet experience. Luckily they matched with one that they are excited about (not their initial #1 but it's working out well).

I think this can be true for some kids. They just kind of go along with the masses, and unless they are put in with a higher achieving group, they won't try to achieve it on their own.

This was true for my kid. I saw her languish in MS, but then REALLY thrive at the Magnet HS. It was worth it completely. She would have continued to languish at our lackluster home high school, for sure.

The higher expectations and the higher achieving cohort in the Magnet inspired her to work harder. I'm not worried about college admissions. I'm more interested in my kid being engaged and learning in high school.

OP here.. that is certainly a great reason to have your kid go to magnet. I think my kid is similar. My own kid slept their way through MS, bored out of their minds, and didn't find a good peer group there. Hated school. When they got into the magnet, it was more challenging, and they found a friend group that was more similar to them.

[Anonymous]

Can you further explain what are post-ap credits?

Post-AP credits are classes that you take that are beyond the highest AP level offered at your school. For example, my kid took Calc BC Junior year and is taking Multi-Variable Calc his senior year. No AP test for that. But he is taking the UMD exam (not sure if it's for UMD CP or the state of MD or all UMD schools, but it has something to do with UMD) to see if he will get college credit for the class if he goes to UMD next year.

[Anonymous]

Also, to comment on MCPS magnets going to UMD: Wheaton HS is the top feeder school for MCPS engineering. This isn't necessarily just Wheaton Engineering magnet, but students completing the engineering academy and anyone else enrolled in Wheaton for that matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, to comment on MCPS magnets going to UMD: Wheaton HS is the top feeder school for MCPS engineering. This isn't necessarily just Wheaton Engineering magnet, but students completing the engineering academy and anyone else enrolled in Wheaton for that matter.

I don’t believe that. Can you cite your source?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, to comment on MCPS magnets going to UMD: Wheaton HS is the top feeder school for MCPS engineering. This isn't necessarily just Wheaton Engineering magnet, but students completing the engineering academy and anyone else enrolled in Wheaton for that matter.

I don’t believe that. Can you cite your source?

Sure. Here it is: https://eng.umd.edu/2022-2023

We owe our success in building our next impressive incoming class, in part, to the students, faculty, and leadership from high schools across Maryland.

Maryland Engineering is pleased to acknowledge and celebrate our Top 25 Engineering Source Schools* for 2022–2023. These high schools represent top locations for in-state talent in our undergraduate engineering programs:

Name of High School Number of Students
Wheaton Senior High School 21

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, to comment on MCPS magnets going to UMD: Wheaton HS is the top feeder school for MCPS engineering. This isn't necessarily just Wheaton Engineering magnet, but students completing the engineering academy and anyone else enrolled in Wheaton for that matter.

I don’t believe that. Can you cite your source?

Sure. Here it is: https://eng.umd.edu/2022-2023

We owe our success in building our next impressive incoming class, in part, to the students, faculty, and leadership from high schools across Maryland.

Maryland Engineering is pleased to acknowledge and celebrate our Top 25 Engineering Source Schools* for 2022–2023. These high schools represent top locations for in-state talent in our undergraduate engineering programs:

Name of High School Number of Students
Wheaton Senior High School 21

FULL TABLE:

Maryland Engineering is pleased to acknowledge and celebrate our Top 25 Engineering Source Schools* for 2022–2023. These high schools represent top locations for in-state talent in our undergraduate engineering programs:

Name of High School Number of Students
Wheaton Senior High School 21
Eleanor Roosevelt High School 20
Sherwood High School 18
Winston Churchill High School 16
River Hill High School 15
Marriotts Ridge High School 15
Richard Montgomery High School 15
Poolesville High School 14
Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School 13
Reservoir High School 13
Northwest High School 13
Centennial High School 11
Springbrook High School 11
Rockville High School 11
Walter Johnson High School 10
James Hubert Blake High School 10
Paint Branch High School 10
Clarksburg High School 10
Montgomery Blair High School 9
Mount Hebron High School 9
Walt Whitman High School 8
Howard High School 7
Urbana High School 7
Glenelg High School 7
Colonel Zadok Magruder High School 7
Aberdeen High School 7
* Data collected October 3, 2022. Note that, owing to ties, there are 26 schools listed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, to comment on MCPS magnets going to UMD: Wheaton HS is the top feeder school for MCPS engineering. This isn't necessarily just Wheaton Engineering magnet, but students completing the engineering academy and anyone else enrolled in Wheaton for that matter.

I don’t believe that. Can you cite your source?

UUFF. The racist got rosted.