TC Williams or private?

[Anonymous]

My child has been accepted to a good private high school and we are trying to decide whether to send her to a private school or to TC Williams. She has high aspirations as far as college goes and does very well in school. I often hear that TC sends lots of kids to really good colleges, including ivy leagues, but the latest list of schools is not all that impressive (http://www.acps.k12.va.us/news2014/nr2014061602.php). I've also heard that the kids get a "bump" for being from an urban public school. Is this true or an urban legend? Any insight regarding college admissions from TC Williams for high achieving kids as well as any general feedback would be most appreciated.

[Anonymous]

Let your kid decide. Your kid will know where they will fit in best.

[Anonymous]

Keep in mind that the choice of college is largely about money. Students at public high schools are usually from families who make less money than those at private high schools, so they need to choose colleges that give them more aid. For this reason the lists of colleges that private school graduates attend will always look more prestigious, but it's not an apples to apples comparison. Maybe a lot of those kids going to JMU also got into Georgetown, but didn't get enough aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child has been accepted to a good private high school and we are trying to decide whether to send her to a private school or to TC Williams. She has high aspirations as far as college goes and does very well in school. I often hear that TC sends lots of kids to really good colleges, including ivy leagues, but the latest list of schools is not all that impressive (http://www.acps.k12.va.us/news2014/nr2014061602.php). I've also heard that the kids get a "bump" for being from an urban public school. Is this true or an urban legend? Any insight regarding college admissions from TC Williams for high achieving kids as well as any general feedback would be most appreciated.

The list looks decent to me, but you can't really look at it in a vacuum. You'd see more kids getting into Ivies and schools like UVA and W&M from schools in FCPS and APS with smaller graduating classes, but the real question is whether TC helped or hindered individual students in achieving their goals.

[Anonymous]

I've had one kid go to TC and end up at an Ivy League college, and another at a top DC private who is at a top 20 university. I would say go to TC if your kid is outspoken and extroverted. Our DC who went to the private is quieter and not as competitive. DC at the private benefited from the college counselor, who could let the college know what a wonderful, amazing person they were. Expect to take more control of the college application process if your student ends up at TC, as they (obviously) have many more students and more pressing concerns than making sure your DC gets into Brown over UVA, for example.

[Anonymous]

OP how is that list not impressive? Brown, MIT, the Naval Academy, Princeton? Not to mention lots of great state schools and liberal arts colleges. What more do you want? Families I know whose kids go to TC do really well there. But it's a big school and easy to get lost in the crowd. What does your child think?

[Anonymous]

Having been in your shoes with my kids going to TC, in my heart of heart I say go private. I still regret my decision years later. TCWHS is slowly improving academically, yet now is having frank problems with the number of students in spite of opening the new TC campus in 2007. So crowding in the halls is a problem, especially in the international school and troubles sometimes follow. Just too many kids coming into Alexandria City right now for the number of buildings and as it is, ACPS gets the bulk of taxpayer monies. Lots of fiscal needs coming to a head in Alexandria City currently and for next ten years. Yikes.

"I've also heard that the kids get a "bump" for being from an urban public school. Is this true or an urban legend?"

I heard that too. Yale or jail theme. I think Ivy's and good Universities have so many applications from similar high school that at this point it's more legend.

Good luck to you and your daughter.

[Anonymous]

TC is spectacular in so many respects, but perhaps not so much for a kid that doesn't manage own navigation well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:TC is spectacular in so many respects, but perhaps not so much for a kid that doesn't manage own navigation well.

That would be about 80 to 90 percent of TC Williams students and "spectacular" does not apply.

[Anonymous]

Private if you have the financial means...without a doubt.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you for all of the thoughtful responses. A couple of you asked what my child wants to do. She is leaning towards TC but I think that is because she plays sports there and she wants to go with what she knows - which is natural but may or may not be what is actually best for her in the future. For the posters who have or recently had kids at TC, how was Minnie Howard? If your kid was a high achiever, did he/she feel like they got a good education and were well prepared for college?

[Anonymous]

Minnie Howard is packed; classrooms, lunch room in dire straights. Re-do in the works for possibly 2017 vs 2018. Education wise same as TCWHS. Kids go down to TC for some classes. Female sports are great for camaraderie but more iffy than local privates for hitting the winner's mark. My kid went to TCW, graduated 2015. No Ivy, top 5% of class, all around well rounded, lots of volunteer, interviewed well but that wasn't enough. Going to UVA.

[Anonymous]

Recent anecdote: My niece and nephew went to TC. One is at Princeton; the other graduated from Yale a few years ago and is in a graduate program at Cal Tech. Both felt very well prepared for college. Both are highly motivated, self-starter types.

Not so recent anecdote: I went to TC and then to UVA as an Echols Scholar with nearly a year of college credit (AP exams). I was very well prepared. Better prepared then some of my classmates who attended DC-area privates. Went to law school at Yale. I'm a highly motivated, self-starter type.

Future anecdote: My kids will be at Minnie Howard next year and TC proper in 2017 - 2018. Both are highly motivated, self-starter types. I'm confident they'll do well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Recent anecdote: My niece and nephew went to TC. One is at Princeton; the other graduated from Yale a few years ago and is in a graduate program at Cal Tech. Both felt very well prepared for college. Both are highly motivated, self-starter types.

Not so recent anecdote: I went to TC and then to UVA as an Echols Scholar with nearly a year of college credit (AP exams). I was very well prepared. Better prepared then some of my classmates who attended DC-area privates. Went to law school at Yale. I'm a highly motivated, self-starter type.

Future anecdote: My kids will be at Minnie Howard next year and TC proper in 2017 - 2018. Both are highly motivated, self-starter types. I'm confident they'll do well.

Now we're talking. Pp, thank you so much. How did your tc classmates and your niece's and nephew's tc classmates do post high school? Similar experience? Did you all enjoy your high school years?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Minnie Howard is packed; classrooms, lunch room in dire straights. Re-do in the works for possibly 2017 vs 2018. Education wise same as TCWHS. Kids go down to TC for some classes. Female sports are great for camaraderie but more iffy than local privates for hitting the winner's mark. My kid went to TCW, graduated 2015. No Ivy, top 5% of class, all around well rounded, lots of volunteer, interviewed well but that wasn't enough. Going to UVA.

Is s/he prepared for uva?