When people talk about academic rigor at TJ, it's no joke

[Anonymous]

My child has Bs in all High school level math classes so far. Do you think he can apply for fresh more next year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Hard work but good grades.
It's hard work for Bs in some cases.

Of course, Bs are good grades - that's what "B" means...

C and D are good grades too. Other that there is A+ , A, A- , B+ , and then comes the B. That's what "B" means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TJ parent, and I agree. My son loves TJ! But it’s challenging.

For the parents of 7th and 8th graders, consider: DS took the required freshman Intro to Research Statistics (RS) last year; TJ teaches that year-long course in one semester.

RS2 is AP statistics. It’s just as intense for classes such as first-year English. For example, here is an assigned English work from his class last year (no, I am not joking. Read it):

https://www.psmjournals.org/index.php/biolres/article/view/72/44

Please apply for TJ because your child is truly ready. But most of all: please apply only if your child truly wants to take on the challenge TJ offers.

Everyone else in AP statistics takes it with no prerequisite class. How can RS 1 be a "year-long class" that doesn't meet the par of AP statistics?

Starting this year, there is no separate RS1 course. There are stats topics for a quarter included in the expanded year long Algebra-2 course. Separately, there is a stand alone AP stats course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child has Bs in all High school level math classes so far. Do you think he can apply for fresh more next year?

He can apply but I would not expect him to get in. Moreover TJ is not going to be a good fit for a kid getting B’s in a base school’s math classes. TJ fits best for kids who coasted in getting As in math at their base school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child has Bs in all High school level math classes so far. Do you think he can apply for fresh more next year?

Have them take the SAT and if they crush it (1500 or so) then perhaps. Absent that, almost certainly they will not get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child has Bs in all High school level math classes so far. Do you think he can apply for fresh more next year?

Teacher recommendations are the most important thing. My child applied as froshmore after base HS teacher from 9th grade gave this suggestion and offered to write it. Did not take SAT and more than half of the froshmores also did not take SAT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child has Bs in all High school level math classes so far. Do you think he can apply for fresh more next year?

Teacher recommendations are the most important thing. My child applied as froshmore after base HS teacher from 9th grade gave this suggestion and offered to write it. Did not take SAT and more than half of the froshmores also did not take SAT.

Getting in is one thing. Being successful there is another. Kids earning Bs in STEM at base school should think long and hard about applying as a froshmore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child has Bs in all High school level math classes so far. Do you think he can apply for fresh more next year?

Teacher recommendations are the most important thing. My child applied as froshmore after base HS teacher from 9th grade gave this suggestion and offered to write it. Did not take SAT and more than half of the froshmores also did not take SAT.

Getting in is one thing. Being successful there is another. Kids earning Bs in STEM at base school should think long and hard about applying as a froshmore.

Froshmores consistently do well at TJ. The froshmore process should be THE process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will put kid in good stead for college. Everyone in my incoming MIT class expected to be in the top half of the class. This was asked at orientation. "Raise your hand if you expect to be in the top half..". Most everyone raised their hand. Speaker said, "Look around. Think about that,"
People sheepishly started lowering their hands..

College is different.

My kid went through Stuyvesant HS half asleep. Boy, was he humbled by the math department at UChicago.

I hate to be arrogant, but this is not a thing that happens coming from TJ. The only schools where TJ kids generally find things more difficult than high school are MIT and Caltech. Otherwise, kids almost universally report that things are MUCH easier in college than at TJ

You're an arrogant, ignorant fool.

No, I agree with the earlier PP. Some rigorous high schools can be much harder than regular undergrad.

My kids went to a different magnet (not TJ) and I have heard them saying this too (i.e., HS was harder than college). But that doesn't mean your kid will do exceedingly well in college. Many of these high performing kids will continue with post college education - PhD, med school, law school...etc. and high accomplishments in college is a must. And that is very difficult. Also, your kid will find out there are a lot of smart kids in college (not just magnet kids) but from regular public schools. Competition to rise to the top is fierce.

I went to Stuyvesant and college success could be measured by executive function. The ADHD kids at Stuyvesant did less wiel in college than others but nobody thought college was hard except the mit kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Hard work but good grades.
It's hard work for Bs in some cases.

Of course, Bs are good grades - that's what "B" means...

Maybe for your kid, but when half the grades given in highschools seem to be As, Bs are no bueno

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will put kid in good stead for college. Everyone in my incoming MIT class expected to be in the top half of the class. This was asked at orientation. "Raise your hand if you expect to be in the top half..". Most everyone raised their hand. Speaker said, "Look around. Think about that,"
People sheepishly started lowering their hands..

College is different.

My kid went through Stuyvesant HS half asleep. Boy, was he humbled by the math department at UChicago.

I hate to be arrogant, but this is not a thing that happens coming from TJ. The only schools where TJ kids generally find things more difficult than high school are MIT and Caltech. Otherwise, kids almost universally report that things are MUCH easier in college than at TJ

Parent of TJ grad who went to a T10. Definitely said TJ was harder.

It depends on if you want to get by or be academically rigorous. Colleges offer a wide range of options from easy to hard, and generally assign less homework and leave it to the student to decide how much effort to put in and how much to learn.

Some T10 students graduate with the level of coursework that other T10 students do sophomore year

Most engineers graduate with similar coursework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 2 kids at Langley. They were both studying this weekend. Both did not study in middle school either.

My junior is studying for his SATs and has a full AP course load. He is trying to get 1500 and gets 700-750 on subjects but can’t seem to consistently score 1500 so is stressed out.

The difference between 1500 and 1600 is luck and speed. College admissions don't care. Don't waste time on SAT instead of doing well in classes and ECS.

It's not luck. Maybe speed but a 1500 does not typically luck into a 1600.

[Anonymous]

Sorry if this has already been answered but for a kid at TJ who is in the bottom half of the class, how does that impact college admissions?

My child would fit in with those TJ kids socially (according to TJ students), and I think I would rather he have a good high school experience and go to less-prestigious college than have a bad high school experience (socially) and get into a really good college. But I don't know where TJ students in the bottom half of the class go to college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child has Bs in all High school level math classes so far. Do you think he can apply for fresh more next year?

Teacher recommendations are the most important thing. My child applied as froshmore after base HS teacher from 9th grade gave this suggestion and offered to write it. Did not take SAT and more than half of the froshmores also did not take SAT.

Getting in is one thing. Being successful there is another. Kids earning Bs in STEM at base school should think long and hard about applying as a froshmore.

Froshmores consistently do well at TJ. The froshmore process should be THE process.

Nope. Froshmores struggle since they missout on freshman TJ courses that prep them for harder courses in following years. The real question is, why admit unqualified students as freshmen knowing they end up back at base school? Froshmore admissions should be banned and the number of freshmen returning to base school should be made public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child has Bs in all High school level math classes so far. Do you think he can apply for fresh more next year?

Teacher recommendations are the most important thing. My child applied as froshmore after base HS teacher from 9th grade gave this suggestion and offered to write it. Did not take SAT and more than half of the froshmores also did not take SAT.

Getting in is one thing. Being successful there is another. Kids earning Bs in STEM at base school should think long and hard about applying as a froshmore.

Froshmores consistently do well at TJ. The froshmore process should be THE process.

Nope. Froshmores struggle since they missout on freshman TJ courses that prep them for harder courses in following years. The real question is, why admit unqualified students as freshmen knowing they end up back at base school? Froshmore admissions should be banned and the number of freshmen returning to base school should be made public.

My child is a froshmore as are 14 total that year. The majority of them ended up being in the top 10% and my child is in top 3% by GPA. 11 of the 14 had admits to HYPSM + Caltech.

Most froshmores, including my son found it pretty comfortable. None of the froshmores struggled. They were a tight knit group and used to meet monthly outside of school.

Froshmore process is fantastic in identifying the right children who would thrive at TJ. Unlike the freshman process which is adminstered by the folks at Gatehouse, froshmore is by teachers at TJ.