Is TJ worth it for student aiming aiming for top schools like HPSM, Duke, Caltech?

[Anonymous]

Here's the best way to answer this question:

The age range at which you are choosing what high school to go to (ages 12-14) is NOT an appropriate age range to be thinking about what college you want to go to.

When you are talking about HPYSM, Caltech, and whatever, you're not talking about fit - you're talking about prestige. And when you do that, you're doing a disservice to your kid.

And by all means, you as a parent have every right to do a disservice to your kid - just understand that that's what you're doing. I'm not telling you how to raise your kid - I'm telling you that raising them that way is a bad idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things in bottom quartile of TJ can be bleak. Kids going full pay to "ag schools" in Texas. Dark af. Should have stayed home for high school.

DC had a TJ friend who went to one of those. Apparently the kid visited the school before senior year and was offered a full ride + research opportunities + the whole 9 yards to go there. Honestly doesn’t sound too bad to me.

Have seen a number of kids do this at schools like Alabama, Florida, UGA, etc, and go on to phenomenal grad schools. It's a great way to save money if you're planning on advanced degrees. Those big state schools will back up the Brinks truck to get a TJ kid to show up.

Those students are not at the bottom of the class!!! They could go practically anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP it might not be worth it. Firstly, unless your kid is a superstar right now (well above public school peers) there are no guarantees your DS will finish strong at TJ given how exceptional the kids are. I had a TJ kid who was a great student in his public school but struggled a lot to stay above middle of the pack at TJ. He got completely shut out from HPSM and Duke. Did get into Cornell and some other good privates but chose UVA. All that stress and extra work to not get a boost at HPSMD was a bit frustrating, especially because he could have gotten into UVA from his public school. But like PPs have mentioned, the work ethic and exposure to real competition that you get from TJ sets kids up well beyond simply where they go to college.

How do I know if my child (sophomore) is top 25% of their class at TJ? Is yale not a school top TJ kids aspire to? I noticed HPSM, Duke caltech mentioned

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP it might not be worth it. Firstly, unless your kid is a superstar right now (well above public school peers) there are no guarantees your DS will finish strong at TJ given how exceptional the kids are. I had a TJ kid who was a great student in his public school but struggled a lot to stay above middle of the pack at TJ. He got completely shut out from HPSM and Duke. Did get into Cornell and some other good privates but chose UVA. All that stress and extra work to not get a boost at HPSMD was a bit frustrating, especially because he could have gotten into UVA from his public school. But like PPs have mentioned, the work ethic and exposure to real competition that you get from TJ sets kids up well beyond simply where they go to college.

How do I know if my child (sophomore) is top 25% of their class at TJ? Is yale not a school top TJ kids aspire to? I noticed HPSM, Duke caltech mentioned

Knowing whether your child is up there is hard because TJ doesn’t publish ranks, so at best you’re just getting a rough estimate. I assume Yale isn’t mentioned just because it doesn’t have as established a STEM reputation as the other schools. Plenty of TJ kids still apply there every year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP it might not be worth it. Firstly, unless your kid is a superstar right now (well above public school peers) there are no guarantees your DS will finish strong at TJ given how exceptional the kids are. I had a TJ kid who was a great student in his public school but struggled a lot to stay above middle of the pack at TJ. He got completely shut out from HPSM and Duke. Did get into Cornell and some other good privates but chose UVA. All that stress and extra work to not get a boost at HPSMD was a bit frustrating, especially because he could have gotten into UVA from his public school. But like PPs have mentioned, the work ethic and exposure to real competition that you get from TJ sets kids up well beyond simply where they go to college.

I think picking TJ to get a leg up on college is a bad idea. But picking it if your kid wants to go and feels like it will be a great “fit” for them academically and socially will be the best route.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP it might not be worth it. Firstly, unless your kid is a superstar right now (well above public school peers) there are no guarantees your DS will finish strong at TJ given how exceptional the kids are. I had a TJ kid who was a great student in his public school but struggled a lot to stay above middle of the pack at TJ. He got completely shut out from HPSM and Duke. Did get into Cornell and some other good privates but chose UVA. All that stress and extra work to not get a boost at HPSMD was a bit frustrating, especially because he could have gotten into UVA from his public school. But like PPs have mentioned, the work ethic and exposure to real competition that you get from TJ sets kids up well beyond simply where they go to college.

How do I know if my child (sophomore) is top 25% of their class at TJ? Is yale not a school top TJ kids aspire to? I noticed HPSM, Duke caltech mentioned

Are they in BC Calc?

Did they get all As?

Are they in AP Chemistry?

If yes to all, they are likely in the top 25% with GPA and strength of schedule. Bonus points if they are on a track to play a sport in college.

[Anonymous]

I went to HPY for grad and undergrad and in this area, my TJ alum status always seems more impressive to people weirdly

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP it might not be worth it. Firstly, unless your kid is a superstar right now (well above public school peers) there are no guarantees your DS will finish strong at TJ given how exceptional the kids are. I had a TJ kid who was a great student in his public school but struggled a lot to stay above middle of the pack at TJ. He got completely shut out from HPSM and Duke. Did get into Cornell and some other good privates but chose UVA. All that stress and extra work to not get a boost at HPSMD was a bit frustrating, especially because he could have gotten into UVA from his public school. But like PPs have mentioned, the work ethic and exposure to real competition that you get from TJ sets kids up well beyond simply where they go to college.

How do I know if my child (sophomore) is top 25% of their class at TJ? Is yale not a school top TJ kids aspire to? I noticed HPSM, Duke caltech mentioned

Are they in BC Calc?

Did they get all As?

Are they in AP Chemistry?

All As and on track for all As this year. but only in math 4&5. No AP chem - taking AP CS data structures instead and will take AI next year. I guess junior year grades will give more of a complete picture. Child is an URM though so not sure how that factor may play in college admissions.

If yes to all, they are likely in the top 25% with GPA and strength of schedule. Bonus points if they are on a track to play a sport in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP it might not be worth it. Firstly, unless your kid is a superstar right now (well above public school peers) there are no guarantees your DS will finish strong at TJ given how exceptional the kids are. I had a TJ kid who was a great student in his public school but struggled a lot to stay above middle of the pack at TJ. He got completely shut out from HPSM and Duke. Did get into Cornell and some other good privates but chose UVA. All that stress and extra work to not get a boost at HPSMD was a bit frustrating, especially because he could have gotten into UVA from his public school. But like PPs have mentioned, the work ethic and exposure to real competition that you get from TJ sets kids up well beyond simply where they go to college.

How do I know if my child (sophomore) is top 25% of their class at TJ? Is yale not a school top TJ kids aspire to? I noticed HPSM, Duke caltech mentioned

Are they in BC Calc?

Did they get all As?

Are they in AP Chemistry?

All As and on track for all As this year. but only in math 4&5. No AP chem - taking AP CS data structures instead and will take AI next year. I guess junior year grades will give more of a complete picture. Child is an URM though so not sure how that factor may play in college admissions.

If yes to all, they are likely in the top 25% with GPA and strength of schedule. Bonus points if they are on a track to play a sport in college.

All As and on track for all As this year but only in math 4&5. No AP chem - taking AP CS data structures and will take AI next year. I guess junior year grades will be more telling. Child is URM. Not sure how that will factor.

[Anonymous]

This site tracks public information but only from Harvard Princeton and MIT and was last updated in 2020 so it's old and incomplete data but not entirely worthless.

https://polarislist.com/best-public-high-schools-in-virginia

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello,

Planning ahead for DS. We understand that a big advantage of TJ is simply the peer group and great teachers. However, for college admissions we are wondering if sticking out and graduating high in the base HS is better than going to TJ and risking being in the middle of the pack. I recognize admissions for TJ are also different now and getting in is never guaranteed anyways.

If your student is at the international olympiad level, then keep him at his base school where there is less of a time commitment from homework. If your student is excellent enough that get an UW 4.0 with max APs would be under-representative of their ability, send them to TJ. If you don't think they can be in the top 5-10% at TJ, keep them at the home school. And read "who gets in and why" and "how to be a high school superstar" and listen to the YCBK podcast.

Hope this helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is currently a TJ junior. My answer is a firm no. No way. Like others have said, if you can make to the top 30 percent and do extra curriculars, great. If not, base school is much better, not saying it is easy. For the bottom 30 percent, where my kid is (based on the PSAT score), it is much worse off. Btw, TJ teachers are not great, quite a few do not teach and you are expected to learn on your own. Math homework and practice review are a lot easier than their actual tests, which are often six or seven pages long that you have to finish in 80 minutes. I don't find their counselors to be effective either. Sink or swim attitude is quite prevalent and if you sink then it is your problem and the school is not a right fit for you.

I would posit that an average (or below average) TJ student will be more successful at e.g. UVA than a top 30 student at e.g. Marshall, if TJ teaches that student how to learn independently. Some students have their hands held for 12 years and are crushed by the independent learning required at a top-50 school like UVA.

On the flip side, the below average TJ student is already crushed by the independent learning required at a school like TJ, and this is before they got the chance to use the better executive function skills they would have had when they were older.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:How do you know if your kid is in the top 10% at TJ if they don’t rank? What GPA by end of 10th or 11th grade would be considered in the top 10% or top 50 kids in the class?

I have no idea. My kid ended up with a 4.41 (class of 2020) and I always assumed it was towards the top 20% at least, but I really don't know. He had a (relatively) rough freshman year (2 B+'s, a B, and B-), but then had straight A's the rest of the way, except for 1 B+ as sophomore.

Did your kid apply to very selective colleges? What was outcome if you don’t mind sharing

He applied to very selective SLAC's, and generally did not get into the top ones (Williams, Amherst Swarthmore, Carleton). He did get into Grinnell and Union with a very nice merit aid packages. He was not interested in, and did not apply to, any of the Ivy League schools or similar types of universities (except for UVa, where he was deferred during Early Action but ultimately admitted during the RD round). After seriously considering Grinnell, he decided to go to William and Mary.

Congrats to your son to have a bunch of great choices. Are SLACs popular among TJ kids or prefer larger research universities?

Not the PP you responded to, but I think TJ kids prefer large research universities. They’re fond of W&M, which is kind of like a SLAC, but more kids go towards UVA/UMD/VT/Michigan/etc.

Do you think the most selective SLACs are not as interested in high stats TJ (or similar STEM magnets) because STEM kids tend to prefer larger research universities so these high stat students are not very successful in admissions to the most selective SLACs?

I suppose it's the stereotype of TJ kids being one dimensions stat/achievement grinders, which is not what SLACs want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you know if your kid is in the top 10% at TJ if they don’t rank? What GPA by end of 10th or 11th grade would be considered in the top 10% or top 50 kids in the class?

I have no idea. My kid ended up with a 4.41 (class of 2020) and I always assumed it was towards the top 20% at least, but I really don't know. He had a (relatively) rough freshman year (2 B+'s, a B, and B-), but then had straight A's the rest of the way, except for 1 B+ as sophomore.

Did your kid apply to very selective colleges? What was outcome if you don’t mind sharing

He applied to very selective SLAC's, and generally did not get into the top ones (Williams, Amherst Swarthmore, Carleton). He did get into Grinnell and Union with a very nice merit aid packages. He was not interested in, and did not apply to, any of the Ivy League schools or similar types of universities (except for UVa, where he was deferred during Early Action but ultimately admitted during the RD round). After seriously considering Grinnell, he decided to go to William and Mary.

Congrats to your son to have a bunch of great choices. Are SLACs popular among TJ kids or prefer larger research universities?

Not the PP you responded to, but I think TJ kids prefer large research universities. They’re fond of W&M, which is kind of like a SLAC, but more kids go towards UVA/UMD/VT/Michigan/etc.

Most years W&M is the 2nd most popular destination after UVA despite being considerably smaller than those schools. I think it is popular for those leaning toward pre-med or natural sciences or health/bio.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you know if your kid is in the top 10% at TJ if they don’t rank? What GPA by end of 10th or 11th grade would be considered in the top 10% or top 50 kids in the class?

I have no idea. My kid ended up with a 4.41 (class of 2020) and I always assumed it was towards the top 20% at least, but I really don't know. He had a (relatively) rough freshman year (2 B+'s, a B, and B-), but then had straight A's the rest of the way, except for 1 B+ as sophomore.

Did your kid apply to very selective colleges? What was outcome if you don’t mind sharing

He applied to very selective SLAC's, and generally did not get into the top ones (Williams, Amherst Swarthmore, Carleton). He did get into Grinnell and Union with a very nice merit aid packages. He was not interested in, and did not apply to, any of the Ivy League schools or similar types of universities (except for UVa, where he was deferred during Early Action but ultimately admitted during the RD round). After seriously considering Grinnell, he decided to go to William and Mary.

Congrats to your son to have a bunch of great choices. Are SLACs popular among TJ kids or prefer larger research universities?

Not the PP you responded to, but I think TJ kids prefer large research universities. They’re fond of W&M, which is kind of like a SLAC, but more kids go towards UVA/UMD/VT/Michigan/etc.

Do you think the most selective SLACs are not as interested in high stats TJ (or similar STEM magnets) because STEM kids tend to prefer larger research universities so these high stat students are not very successful in admissions to the most selective SLACs?

I suppose it's the stereotype of TJ kids being one dimensions stat/achievement grinders, which is not what SLACs want.

Also many TJ kids did not buy into the marketing name that small schools came up with to compete with larger schools.