blair magnet quesiton

[Anonymous]

Different parent of rising 9th for Blair SMCS - if most of the cohort is interested in STEM topics and ECs how hard is it to say, be on the robotics team? Or the Math team? Are there "cuts" for these activities because they have so many kids that want to join? Especially if my child is not winning national competitions for Math team - will he be able to be participate or is it only for the superstars? My child would be "average" for the other STEM extracurriculars as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is transportation to Blair from Rockville/North Bethesda? I currently have a 7th grader, zoned for WJ.

Long and slow.

Well, depending on where you live, transportation TO Blair may be even better than to WJ. For example, if you live close to KP elementary, it is possible your kid may have a few more minutes to catch the Blair bus than the WJ bus.

Of course, evenings are very different since Blair has an extra period. But even then, depending on where you live, your kid may be back home by 4:00. But it may be very different if you live in a different corner of the cluster. The bus schedules are public - you can take a look at the websites for Blair and WJ, and compare yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Different parent of rising 9th for Blair SMCS - if most of the cohort is interested in STEM topics and ECs how hard is it to say, be on the robotics team? Or the Math team? Are there "cuts" for these activities because they have so many kids that want to join? Especially if my child is not winning national competitions for Math team - will he be able to be participate or is it only for the superstars? My child would be "average" for the other STEM extracurriculars as well.

Anyone can join and participate in robotics. There are tasks for beginners as well as those with plenty of experience and multiple teams to join including business, electronics, mechanics etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Different parent of rising 9th for Blair SMCS - if most of the cohort is interested in STEM topics and ECs how hard is it to say, be on the robotics team? Or the Math team? Are there "cuts" for these activities because they have so many kids that want to join? Especially if my child is not winning national competitions for Math team - will he be able to be participate or is it only for the superstars? My child would be "average" for the other STEM extracurriculars as well.

Science bowl team is super competitive. Maybe also for a few others that I'm not aware of, but math team, CS team (several of them with different focus area), robotic team are open to everyone.

[Anonymous]

I think many parents on this thread seem to be almost crippled by anxiety and have a great misunderstanding of what happens in high school. I guess most of you don't have older children.

Kids grow and they become leaders. Few start out like that.

The robotics club heads didn't come in having already won big awards. Many came in as freshman with no experience but lots of interest in the topic and they worked their way up until they understood the topic more deeply and then because they are smart and hardworking they started to do well in competitions.

As PP pointed out there are many different roles and if you're not really into engineering you might be a programming whiz and can help on that team. If you're not technically inclined maybe being on the business or design side might be your cup of tea. You can switch each year or even mid-year.

[Anonymous]

DS had 6 B's (all in 9th grade) in the magnet and received Banneker-Key semifinalist alongside competitive interviews to Yale and Duke. Bad GPA is not a death sentence if backed up with active EC involvement and solid awards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Different parent of rising 9th for Blair SMCS - if most of the cohort is interested in STEM topics and ECs how hard is it to say, be on the robotics team? Or the Math team? Are there "cuts" for these activities because they have so many kids that want to join? Especially if my child is not winning national competitions for Math team - will he be able to be participate or is it only for the superstars? My child would be "average" for the other STEM extracurriculars as well.

Anyone can join and participate in robotics. There are tasks for beginners as well as those with plenty of experience and multiple teams to join including business, electronics, mechanics etc.

If I recall, there's 2 groups for math team. One travels a fair bit, the other stays mostly at home and does in person training etc. My DD did the less competitive math team - the benefit is learning how to problem solve, not necessarily winning. And she ended up a math/stats major in college/grad school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS had 6 B's (all in 9th grade) in the magnet and received Banneker-Key semifinalist alongside competitive interviews to Yale and Duke. Bad GPA is not a death sentence if backed up with active EC involvement and solid awards.

How many years (decades?) ago was this?

[Anonymous]

There are also plenty of kids who got into both RMIB & Blair and chose one or the other for various reasons. Most Blair magnets go into STEM, but certainly not ALL. The Editor in Chief of The Yale Daily News is a former Blair magnet , at least upper leadership of Blair's robotics team & Editor of Silver Chips (Blair's newspaper). There are lots of kids with diverse interests who are also good stem.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:DC was invited to join the Blair math/science magnet - we attended the open house, we are not from TPMS magnet program. From doing research and talking to current families we have heard something to the effect of " don't come here if you want perfect grades and/or elite college admissions". What does the 'average/not superstar' Blair math/science student trajectory look like - do they get mostly B/C grades? Is it incredibly stressful to keep up with the pace of the classes? Are they able to do any extracurriculars or do they have to spend all their time studying? What kinds of colleges are they accepted to? Is it a disadvantage to be in the program as an average student for college admissions because the cohort is so strong? TIA !

My DC graduated from Blair magnet recently. I think I can answer your questions. I wouldn't say it is incredibly stressful, but the level of stress may be a more than home school due to longer hours, more commute, and more rigorous classes. But if you choose your schedule in a balanced way it can be a very rewarding and enjoyable experience, because you can take very interesting electives in your area of interest from very interesting teachers. I have been especially pleased with most of the teachers who are passionate about their subject areas. In my view teachers and interesting electives were the biggest pros of Blair magnet. In terms of grades, I think B's are not uncommon, but saying that students get mostly B's and C's would probably be exaggeration. In terms of college acceptances, a big chunk of students matriculate to either top colleges or UMD STEM with generous awards. But in my opinion the biggest advantage is not in terms of college matriculation, but rather in terms of college preparedness. My DC is having a successful college experience mostly due to Blair magnet background. I think being academically well-prepared when they are in college is especially important, because being away from home (even though that is something that may look attractive when they are in HS) is something they need to adjust initially. Struggling academically on top of that would make it more challenging. So Blair magnet is a big help in that aspect. Good luck.

Yes, it can be hard. I've heard only 30% of the SMCS students have an UW 4.0 which is much lower than most home schools.

That’s not accurate. The actual numbers for the class of 2024 are in this document: https://old.mbhs.edu/departments/magnet/ParentResources/MagnetProfile.pdf

About half have an UW 4.0 and 85% have 4.75 or higher weighted.

I feel this letter is negatively impacting the chance of college admission. Anyone who has below or around 4.75 gpa would actually appear to be the bottom of the class. Even if they get 4.8-4.9, colleges would think it’s not hard to achieve.

But they kind of are at the bottom of their class. It's just a matter of grade inflation. A 4.5 there today is like a 3.3 back in my day.

Does that mean a couple Bs would make the students the bottom of their class?

No. College don't split hairs like that.

Aside from perhaps a couple of students per year who are getting multiple Cs, every single student in the program is an EXCEPTIONAL student and getting some Bs is not going to make a difference in college admissions over someone with all As. Colleges know one might have had a harsher grading teacher or that three Bs in very challenging math will not make a difference. We know multiple students with Bs who have gotten into better colleges than kids with As. If you're going to stress out about that it's going to be a terrible experience for your child and for you so stop it.

Agree with this. Mine is one of them! 2 semester Bs. At T10. (Also got 1/2 tuition plus NM award plus department money at UMD).

What's department money at UMD?
Which departments do this? How much is available?

Departments can offer scholarship money as well as university. This comes a little later. Mine received money from music department. Then, as it got closer to decision date, they offered her more. Would have tried to double in music and math. Just wasn't sure she wanted to make the commitment to all the music ensembles. Chose an Ivy for more flexibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is in SMCS and I can say it is a great program that works well for highly motivated students. Not every kid is going to be great at every subject so if the rigor is high, you should expect occasional B/C's here and there which is not a reflection on thier ability. It is a hard program - no doubt.

But honestly, the greatest pressure my kid feels is not from their peers. Sadly, its from me. I freak out when I see a bad score and pile on the pressure. So, as I have watched my DC learn to deal with the pressures of the program and me, I am equally working on trying to be less of a pain on them and trust that they have things under control and I should offer help when asked. So, my advice is to choose the program, stay out of the way of your kid and let them shine the way they are inevitably going to.

I hear you. But, it sounds like you temper it with humor and understanding, so that's something. I explain it pragmatically in terms of netting that semester A if possible and just making sure they get the stuff so they have a solid foundation. And, I pushed for tutoring for one tough class last year when it was still free. I think feeling lost is stressful too! They realize a little later that the good GPA helped them to the next good thing. But, I try to be supportive and not just hawking the grades. I also trust them to manage it. Haven't accessed ParentVue since MS, and it's been fine. (Even with adhd kid)!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The word "average" stood out in your original post to me because the "average" magnet student represents probably 85-90 percent of the students. On the low end there are kids getting multiple Cs and there are usually only a few each year. The high end - like the genius kid who is in consideration for the Math Olympiad - is even more rare. There may be 1 or 2 of them in your child's grade or possibly none. If your child is "average" they are almost definitely highly gifted or PG and an incredibly hard worker and all those "average" magnet students do very well in college admissions if that's your concern.

Math Olympiad is not the only academic competition. There are physics Olympiad, chemistry Olympiad, computing Olympiad, biology Olympiad, science Olympiad, etc. Not to mention other non academic competitions like musical instruments.

Yes, mine didn't do any stem related competitions except Exploravision which they all do in FoT (which I'm now grateful for -- it was her only stem award)! She did a variety of performing arts activities and had national awards in 2 disciplines and regional in 2 others. It was a nice balance to the curriculum, she had no interest in more stem after school. She actually had no stem ECs at all -- lots of arts, sport, job, volunteer and a club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS had 6 B's (all in 9th grade) in the magnet and received Banneker-Key semifinalist alongside competitive interviews to Yale and Duke. Bad GPA is not a death sentence if backed up with active EC involvement and solid awards.

How many years (decades?) ago was this?

This year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS had 6 B's (all in 9th grade) in the magnet and received Banneker-Key semifinalist alongside competitive interviews to Yale and Duke. Bad GPA is not a death sentence if backed up with active EC involvement and solid awards.

How many years (decades?) ago was this?

This year.

Seems like you might be a coping 10th or 11th grade parent. I've heard of a few magnets with higher GPA rejected from UMD altogether.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS had 6 B's (all in 9th grade) in the magnet and received Banneker-Key semifinalist alongside competitive interviews to Yale and Duke. Bad GPA is not a death sentence if backed up with active EC involvement and solid awards.

How many years (decades?) ago was this?

This year.

Seems like you might be a coping 10th or 11th grade parent. I've heard of a few magnets with higher GPA rejected from UMD altogether.

“Coping 10th or 11th grade parent”? I can’t work out what that typo means. I’m very surprised to hear this as of also heard that some magnet kid with very high GPAs were rejected outright from UMD. Are the Banneker key finalists already announced?