If accepted to Blair Stem and Richard Montgomery IB

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blair is a strong program but niche, for STEM obviously but majority pre-engineering. RMIB is better for kids who like STEM and humanities, and produces excellent analytical writers across disciplines. Historically RMIB has had better college outcomes because Ivy+ schools prefer a broader liberal arts focus. Blair does better with MIT. Both are very competitive but RMIB students are a little more chill. Last year RMIB produced twice as many NMSF as Blair. This year it was reversed, Blair produced twice as many. So the cohorts vary too.

Tell me you have no idea of what you're talking about without telling me you have no idea.

This is all easy to verify. Although it's not true that there were twice as many RMIB NMSF last year as Blair, it is true there were more. 2024 29 RMIB, 21 Blair. 2025 there were more from Blair. It does vary.

As for college admissions, look at the college commitment websites from last year. You can draw your own conclusions.

Wrong again. Did you actually verify before you posted?
Blair has better college admissions than any school in the state.
Again, tell me you have no idea of what you're talking about without telling me you have no idea.

Most Blair magnet students don't post their admissions on insta and the school does not release that info unlike at RMIB where their whole open house presentation was about college admissions. If you or your child are obsessed with college admissions RMIB is the right way to go. One of the local magazines puts out a list every year of applications and admissions and enrollment even? I haven't looked at it in a while but I remember both schools did very well. I don't understand the need to put down the other school in this thread. It seems to be mostly 1 or more RMIB parents bashing Blair. Why?

LOL at suggesting Blair parents don't care about elite college outcomes. Fhs. Blair usually has more MIT admits, RMIB has slighly more Ivy+ admits. However, athletic recruiting is a factor. I noticed some Ivy admits are recruits, at both schools. This does mean that a very high number of high stats kids are shut out from T-10s. Both schools do pretty well, but home schools generally do just as well. Go to a magnet because you care about the education and college readiness, not because you think it will improve your college admissions chances. Competing against other magnet kids generally makes it harder not easier.

That's not actually true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Some observations after both night sessions and shadow days:

-Blair’s evening session was more informative and organized than RM’s session. It was helpful to see some of the teachers from different subjects at Blair.
-My kid found the opposite to be true for the shadow days. RM was more organized and informative. My kid was excited about Blair’s research class. Yet, the kids spent the double period doing other things such as homework.
Kids seemed overall happier at RM and enthusiastic about the program. (Granted, kids were paired with seniors at RM rather than freshmen at Blair.)
-Both programs have a very high number of NMSF. No other program or school in the county can compare. interestingly, Blair’s medium SAT are 300 higher than RM’s program.

If your child's impression was that kids seemed happier at RM then go for it. If your child is well rounded I don't think you can go wrong with either program. Lots of advantages and disadvantages of both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blair is a strong program but niche, for STEM obviously but majority pre-engineering. RMIB is better for kids who like STEM and humanities, and produces excellent analytical writers across disciplines. Historically RMIB has had better college outcomes because Ivy+ schools prefer a broader liberal arts focus. Blair does better with MIT. Both are very competitive but RMIB students are a little more chill. Last year RMIB produced twice as many NMSF as Blair. This year it was reversed, Blair produced twice as many. So the cohorts vary too.

Tell me you have no idea of what you're talking about without telling me you have no idea.

This is all easy to verify. Although it's not true that there were twice as many RMIB NMSF last year as Blair, it is true there were more. 2024 29 RMIB, 21 Blair. 2025 there were more from Blair. It does vary.

As for college admissions, look at the college commitment websites from last year. You can draw your own conclusions.

Wrong again. Did you actually verify before you posted?
Blair has better college admissions than any school in the state.
Again, tell me you have no idea of what you're talking about without telling me you have no idea.

Most Blair magnet students don't post their admissions on insta and the school does not release that info unlike at RMIB where their whole open house presentation was about college admissions. If you or your child are obsessed with college admissions RMIB is the right way to go. One of the local magazines puts out a list every year of applications and admissions and enrollment even? I haven't looked at it in a while but I remember both schools did very well. I don't understand the need to put down the other school in this thread. It seems to be mostly 1 or more RMIB parents bashing Blair. Why?

LOL at suggesting Blair parents don't care about elite college outcomes. Fhs. Blair usually has more MIT admits, RMIB has slighly more Ivy+ admits. However, athletic recruiting is a factor. I noticed some Ivy admits are recruits, at both schools. This does mean that a very high number of high stats kids are shut out from T-10s. Both schools do pretty well, but home schools generally do just as well. Go to a magnet because you care about the education and college readiness, not because you think it will improve your college admissions chances. Competing against other magnet kids generally makes it harder not easier.

Where was that suggestion? I'm saying it's hard to compare by looking at the social media postings because so few Blair magnet students post. But RMIB students and families are much more open and aggressive about college being the No. 1 goal and so is the program administration. The Blair magnet admin is the opposite and actively discourages kids from focusing solely on that.

Because the pool of students is too uniform, which results in somewhat less impressive college admissions outcomes. You act like Blair is not emphasizing college outcomes as some kind of noble act. Please. I do think Blair encourages students to be more realistic, which is good. 175+ students completing against each other for spots at the same 10 or so schools. The odds are very tough. A high number of Blair students end up attending UMD with scholarships, because they did not get into Ivies or MIT. Nothing wrong with that. From a financial perspective, it's very smart. But there is a reason Blair magnet admin doesn't trumpet college outcomes.

Not sure why you're on this disinformation campaign. Are you saying there are 175+ kids competing due to the presence of CAP? The CAP students have very different resumes than most magnet students so if you say the pool is 175+ students no the pool is not "too uniform." The kids we know who went to UMD with scholarships did not get enough financial aid at the Ivys.

Give me a break. Just look at the Bethesda magazine enrollment numbers and you'll see that the Blair admissions are slightly better than RM, not by much though. Please stop posting stuff that's factually incorrect and easily verifiable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blair is a strong program but niche, for STEM obviously but majority pre-engineering. RMIB is better for kids who like STEM and humanities, and produces excellent analytical writers across disciplines. Historically RMIB has had better college outcomes because Ivy+ schools prefer a broader liberal arts focus. Blair does better with MIT. Both are very competitive but RMIB students are a little more chill. Last year RMIB produced twice as many NMSF as Blair. This year it was reversed, Blair produced twice as many. So the cohorts vary too.

Tell me you have no idea of what you're talking about without telling me you have no idea.

This is all easy to verify. Although it's not true that there were twice as many RMIB NMSF last year as Blair, it is true there were more. 2024 29 RMIB, 21 Blair. 2025 there were more from Blair. It does vary.

As for college admissions, look at the college commitment websites from last year. You can draw your own conclusions.

Wrong again. Did you actually verify before you posted?
Blair has better college admissions than any school in the state.
Again, tell me you have no idea of what you're talking about without telling me you have no idea.

Most Blair magnet students don't post their admissions on insta and the school does not release that info unlike at RMIB where their whole open house presentation was about college admissions. If you or your child are obsessed with college admissions RMIB is the right way to go. One of the local magazines puts out a list every year of applications and admissions and enrollment even? I haven't looked at it in a while but I remember both schools did very well. I don't understand the need to put down the other school in this thread. It seems to be mostly 1 or more RMIB parents bashing Blair. Why?

LOL at suggesting Blair parents don't care about elite college outcomes. Fhs. Blair usually has more MIT admits, RMIB has slighly more Ivy+ admits. However, athletic recruiting is a factor. I noticed some Ivy admits are recruits, at both schools. This does mean that a very high number of high stats kids are shut out from T-10s. Both schools do pretty well, but home schools generally do just as well. Go to a magnet because you care about the education and college readiness, not because you think it will improve your college admissions chances. Competing against other magnet kids generally makes it harder not easier.

Where was that suggestion? I'm saying it's hard to compare by looking at the social media postings because so few Blair magnet students post. But RMIB students and families are much more open and aggressive about college being the No. 1 goal and so is the program administration. The Blair magnet admin is the opposite and actively discourages kids from focusing solely on that.

Because the pool of students is too uniform, which results in somewhat less impressive college admissions outcomes. You act like Blair is not emphasizing college outcomes as some kind of noble act. Please. I do think Blair encourages students to be more realistic, which is good. 175+ students completing against each other for spots at the same 10 or so schools. The odds are very tough. A high number of Blair students end up attending UMD with scholarships, because they did not get into Ivies or MIT. Nothing wrong with that. From a financial perspective, it's very smart. But there is a reason Blair magnet admin doesn't trumpet college outcomes.

The reason is because the program is not about or focusing into getting to best colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blair is a strong program but niche, for STEM obviously but majority pre-engineering. RMIB is better for kids who like STEM and humanities, and produces excellent analytical writers across disciplines. Historically RMIB has had better college outcomes because Ivy+ schools prefer a broader liberal arts focus. Blair does better with MIT. Both are very competitive but RMIB students are a little more chill. Last year RMIB produced twice as many NMSF as Blair. This year it was reversed, Blair produced twice as many. So the cohorts vary too.

Tell me you have no idea of what you're talking about without telling me you have no idea.

This is all easy to verify. Although it's not true that there were twice as many RMIB NMSF last year as Blair, it is true there were more. 2024 29 RMIB, 21 Blair. 2025 there were more from Blair. It does vary.

As for college admissions, look at the college commitment websites from last year. You can draw your own conclusions.

Wrong again. Did you actually verify before you posted?
Blair has better college admissions than any school in the state.
Again, tell me you have no idea of what you're talking about without telling me you have no idea.

Most Blair magnet students don't post their admissions on insta and the school does not release that info unlike at RMIB where their whole open house presentation was about college admissions. If you or your child are obsessed with college admissions RMIB is the right way to go. One of the local magazines puts out a list every year of applications and admissions and enrollment even? I haven't looked at it in a while but I remember both schools did very well. I don't understand the need to put down the other school in this thread. It seems to be mostly 1 or more RMIB parents bashing Blair. Why?

LOL at suggesting Blair parents don't care about elite college outcomes. Fhs. Blair usually has more MIT admits, RMIB has slighly more Ivy+ admits. However, athletic recruiting is a factor. I noticed some Ivy admits are recruits, at both schools. This does mean that a very high number of high stats kids are shut out from T-10s. Both schools do pretty well, but home schools generally do just as well. Go to a magnet because you care about the education and college readiness, not because you think it will improve your college admissions chances. Competing against other magnet kids generally makes it harder not easier.

Where was that suggestion? I'm saying it's hard to compare by looking at the social media postings because so few Blair magnet students post. But RMIB students and families are much more open and aggressive about college being the No. 1 goal and so is the program administration. The Blair magnet admin is the opposite and actively discourages kids from focusing solely on that.

Because the pool of students is too uniform, which results in somewhat less impressive college admissions outcomes. You act like Blair is not emphasizing college outcomes as some kind of noble act. Please. I do think Blair encourages students to be more realistic, which is good. 175+ students completing against each other for spots at the same 10 or so schools. The odds are very tough. A high number of Blair students end up attending UMD with scholarships, because they did not get into Ivies or MIT. Nothing wrong with that. From a financial perspective, it's very smart. But there is a reason Blair magnet admin doesn't trumpet college outcomes.

Not sure why you're on this disinformation campaign. Are you saying there are 175+ kids competing due to the presence of CAP? The CAP students have very different resumes than most magnet students so if you say the pool is 175+ students no the pool is not "too uniform." The kids we know who went to UMD with scholarships did not get enough financial aid at the Ivys.

Give me a break. Just look at the Bethesda magazine enrollment numbers and you'll see that the Blair admissions are slightly better than RM, not by much though. Please stop posting stuff that's factually incorrect and easily verifiable.

It's been established those numbers are not accurate. They are based on self-reporting. I remember one year it said Chicago had zero admits from a Bethesda school one year, when I knew for a fact there were 10+. Naviance is the most accurate but even then, relies on student self-reporting acceptances. There are no truly accurate numbers available, but you can get a sense from the school's websites.

[Anonymous]

They aren't 100% accurate but it's the data we have and one PP's claim that RM does better than Blair is refuted by all publicly available data. Unless she has a secret source of data she's full of @#$@#

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blair is a strong program but niche, for STEM obviously but majority pre-engineering. RMIB is better for kids who like STEM and humanities, and produces excellent analytical writers across disciplines. Historically RMIB has had better college outcomes because Ivy+ schools prefer a broader liberal arts focus. Blair does better with MIT. Both are very competitive but RMIB students are a little more chill. Last year RMIB produced twice as many NMSF as Blair. This year it was reversed, Blair produced twice as many. So the cohorts vary too.

Tell me you have no idea of what you're talking about without telling me you have no idea.

This is all easy to verify. Although it's not true that there were twice as many RMIB NMSF last year as Blair, it is true there were more. 2024 29 RMIB, 21 Blair. 2025 there were more from Blair. It does vary.

As for college admissions, look at the college commitment websites from last year. You can draw your own conclusions.

Wrong again. Did you actually verify before you posted?
Blair has better college admissions than any school in the state.
Again, tell me you have no idea of what you're talking about without telling me you have no idea.

Most Blair magnet students don't post their admissions on insta and the school does not release that info unlike at RMIB where their whole open house presentation was about college admissions. If you or your child are obsessed with college admissions RMIB is the right way to go. One of the local magazines puts out a list every year of applications and admissions and enrollment even? I haven't looked at it in a while but I remember both schools did very well. I don't understand the need to put down the other school in this thread. It seems to be mostly 1 or more RMIB parents bashing Blair. Why?

LOL at suggesting Blair parents don't care about elite college outcomes. Fhs. Blair usually has more MIT admits, RMIB has slighly more Ivy+ admits. However, athletic recruiting is a factor. I noticed some Ivy admits are recruits, at both schools. This does mean that a very high number of high stats kids are shut out from T-10s. Both schools do pretty well, but home schools generally do just as well. Go to a magnet because you care about the education and college readiness, not because you think it will improve your college admissions chances. Competing against other magnet kids generally makes it harder not easier.

Where was that suggestion? I'm saying it's hard to compare by looking at the social media postings because so few Blair magnet students post. But RMIB students and families are much more open and aggressive about college being the No. 1 goal and so is the program administration. The Blair magnet admin is the opposite and actively discourages kids from focusing solely on that.

Because the pool of students is too uniform, which results in somewhat less impressive college admissions outcomes. You act like Blair is not emphasizing college outcomes as some kind of noble act. Please. I do think Blair encourages students to be more realistic, which is good. 175+ students completing against each other for spots at the same 10 or so schools. The odds are very tough. A high number of Blair students end up attending UMD with scholarships, because they did not get into Ivies or MIT. Nothing wrong with that. From a financial perspective, it's very smart. But there is a reason Blair magnet admin doesn't trumpet college outcomes.

Not sure why you're on this disinformation campaign. Are you saying there are 175+ kids competing due to the presence of CAP? The CAP students have very different resumes than most magnet students so if you say the pool is 175+ students no the pool is not "too uniform." The kids we know who went to UMD with scholarships did not get enough financial aid at the Ivys.

Give me a break. Just look at the Bethesda magazine enrollment numbers and you'll see that the Blair admissions are slightly better than RM, not by much though. Please stop posting stuff that's factually incorrect and easily verifiable.

It's been established those numbers are not accurate. They are based on self-reporting. I remember one year it said Chicago had zero admits from a Bethesda school one year, when I knew for a fact there were 10+. Naviance is the most accurate but even then, relies on student self-reporting acceptances. There are no truly accurate numbers available, but you can get a sense from the school's websites.

the question is not whether it is accurate but whether it is biased (e.g. more self-reports from some of the schools creating a false impression that schools has an edge).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blair is a strong program but niche, for STEM obviously but majority pre-engineering. RMIB is better for kids who like STEM and humanities, and produces excellent analytical writers across disciplines. Historically RMIB has had better college outcomes because Ivy+ schools prefer a broader liberal arts focus. Blair does better with MIT. Both are very competitive but RMIB students are a little more chill. Last year RMIB produced twice as many NMSF as Blair. This year it was reversed, Blair produced twice as many. So the cohorts vary too.

Tell me you have no idea of what you're talking about without telling me you have no idea.

This is all easy to verify. Although it's not true that there were twice as many RMIB NMSF last year as Blair, it is true there were more. 2024 29 RMIB, 21 Blair. 2025 there were more from Blair. It does vary.

As for college admissions, look at the college commitment websites from last year. You can draw your own conclusions.

Wrong again. Did you actually verify before you posted?
Blair has better college admissions than any school in the state.
Again, tell me you have no idea of what you're talking about without telling me you have no idea.

Most Blair magnet students don't post their admissions on insta and the school does not release that info unlike at RMIB where their whole open house presentation was about college admissions. If you or your child are obsessed with college admissions RMIB is the right way to go. One of the local magazines puts out a list every year of applications and admissions and enrollment even? I haven't looked at it in a while but I remember both schools did very well. I don't understand the need to put down the other school in this thread. It seems to be mostly 1 or more RMIB parents bashing Blair. Why?

LOL at suggesting Blair parents don't care about elite college outcomes. Fhs. Blair usually has more MIT admits, RMIB has slighly more Ivy+ admits. However, athletic recruiting is a factor. I noticed some Ivy admits are recruits, at both schools. This does mean that a very high number of high stats kids are shut out from T-10s. Both schools do pretty well, but home schools generally do just as well. Go to a magnet because you care about the education and college readiness, not because you think it will improve your college admissions chances. Competing against other magnet kids generally makes it harder not easier.

Where was that suggestion? I'm saying it's hard to compare by looking at the social media postings because so few Blair magnet students post. But RMIB students and families are much more open and aggressive about college being the No. 1 goal and so is the program administration. The Blair magnet admin is the opposite and actively discourages kids from focusing solely on that.

Because the pool of students is too uniform, which results in somewhat less impressive college admissions outcomes. You act like Blair is not emphasizing college outcomes as some kind of noble act. Please. I do think Blair encourages students to be more realistic, which is good. 175+ students completing against each other for spots at the same 10 or so schools. The odds are very tough. A high number of Blair students end up attending UMD with scholarships, because they did not get into Ivies or MIT. Nothing wrong with that. From a financial perspective, it's very smart. But there is a reason Blair magnet admin doesn't trumpet college outcomes.

the reason is that they don't want to pay for tuition. we already know our kid will go to UMD regardless of where else they might be admitted. RMIB parents are exactly the type of people who would pay 400k for the "bragging rights". you know, the same people who paid for tutors at age five while other kids read harry potter and learned fractions on their own because it's fun.

[Anonymous]

I do think Blair has more kids who love learning for the sake of learning and who are not bound by the vanity of name brand schools and achievements.

Don't get more wrong. There are plenty of kids and parents who are going for top colleges just like at RM but we did not see this this other group of kids who don't really seem to care as much. At RMIB everyone cares.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blair is a strong program but niche, for STEM obviously but majority pre-engineering. RMIB is better for kids who like STEM and humanities, and produces excellent analytical writers across disciplines. Historically RMIB has had better college outcomes because Ivy+ schools prefer a broader liberal arts focus. Blair does better with MIT. Both are very competitive but RMIB students are a little more chill. Last year RMIB produced twice as many NMSF as Blair. This year it was reversed, Blair produced twice as many. So the cohorts vary too.

Tell me you have no idea of what you're talking about without telling me you have no idea.

This is all easy to verify. Although it's not true that there were twice as many RMIB NMSF last year as Blair, it is true there were more. 2024 29 RMIB, 21 Blair. 2025 there were more from Blair. It does vary.

As for college admissions, look at the college commitment websites from last year. You can draw your own conclusions.

Wrong again. Did you actually verify before you posted?
Blair has better college admissions than any school in the state.
Again, tell me you have no idea of what you're talking about without telling me you have no idea.

Most Blair magnet students don't post their admissions on insta and the school does not release that info unlike at RMIB where their whole open house presentation was about college admissions. If you or your child are obsessed with college admissions RMIB is the right way to go. One of the local magazines puts out a list every year of applications and admissions and enrollment even? I haven't looked at it in a while but I remember both schools did very well. I don't understand the need to put down the other school in this thread. It seems to be mostly 1 or more RMIB parents bashing Blair. Why?

LOL at suggesting Blair parents don't care about elite college outcomes. Fhs. Blair usually has more MIT admits, RMIB has slighly more Ivy+ admits. However, athletic recruiting is a factor. I noticed some Ivy admits are recruits, at both schools. This does mean that a very high number of high stats kids are shut out from T-10s. Both schools do pretty well, but home schools generally do just as well. Go to a magnet because you care about the education and college readiness, not because you think it will improve your college admissions chances. Competing against other magnet kids generally makes it harder not easier.

Where was that suggestion? I'm saying it's hard to compare by looking at the social media postings because so few Blair magnet students post. But RMIB students and families are much more open and aggressive about college being the No. 1 goal and so is the program administration. The Blair magnet admin is the opposite and actively discourages kids from focusing solely on that.

Because the pool of students is too uniform, which results in somewhat less impressive college admissions outcomes. You act like Blair is not emphasizing college outcomes as some kind of noble act. Please. I do think Blair encourages students to be more realistic, which is good. 175+ students completing against each other for spots at the same 10 or so schools. The odds are very tough. A high number of Blair students end up attending UMD with scholarships, because they did not get into Ivies or MIT. Nothing wrong with that. From a financial perspective, it's very smart. But there is a reason Blair magnet admin doesn't trumpet college outcomes.

Many accept places at UMD not because they didn’t get into Ivies but because they chose to as it makes much more financial sense and is a great school.

[Anonymous]

The IB curriculum is inferior for math and sciences, and the IB diploma program is inflexible and filled with pretentious nonsense like Theory of Knowledge, and busy work like Creativity, Activity, Service. People always bring up the writing in IB, to me it’s high volume, but frankly the quality is lacking.

This being said, the main benefit of the magnet is the student cohort, and one can take courses outside of the IB ones.

The culture though is one of the most irritating things about the IB programs. It’s all BS about international perspective, global citizenship, and name dropping about college acceptances. The poster that said you should avoid IB if you have a low tolerance for BS was spot on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blair is a strong program but niche, for STEM obviously but majority pre-engineering. RMIB is better for kids who like STEM and humanities, and produces excellent analytical writers across disciplines. Historically RMIB has had better college outcomes because Ivy+ schools prefer a broader liberal arts focus. Blair does better with MIT. Both are very competitive but RMIB students are a little more chill. Last year RMIB produced twice as many NMSF as Blair. This year it was reversed, Blair produced twice as many. So the cohorts vary too.

Tell me you have no idea of what you're talking about without telling me you have no idea.

This is all easy to verify. Although it's not true that there were twice as many RMIB NMSF last year as Blair, it is true there were more. 2024 29 RMIB, 21 Blair. 2025 there were more from Blair. It does vary.

As for college admissions, look at the college commitment websites from last year. You can draw your own conclusions.

Wrong again. Did you actually verify before you posted?
Blair has better college admissions than any school in the state.
Again, tell me you have no idea of what you're talking about without telling me you have no idea.

Most Blair magnet students don't post their admissions on insta and the school does not release that info unlike at RMIB where their whole open house presentation was about college admissions. If you or your child are obsessed with college admissions RMIB is the right way to go. One of the local magazines puts out a list every year of applications and admissions and enrollment even? I haven't looked at it in a while but I remember both schools did very well. I don't understand the need to put down the other school in this thread. It seems to be mostly 1 or more RMIB parents bashing Blair. Why?

LOL at suggesting Blair parents don't care about elite college outcomes. Fhs. Blair usually has more MIT admits, RMIB has slighly more Ivy+ admits. However, athletic recruiting is a factor. I noticed some Ivy admits are recruits, at both schools. This does mean that a very high number of high stats kids are shut out from T-10s. Both schools do pretty well, but home schools generally do just as well. Go to a magnet because you care about the education and college readiness, not because you think it will improve your college admissions chances. Competing against other magnet kids generally makes it harder not easier.

Where was that suggestion? I'm saying it's hard to compare by looking at the social media postings because so few Blair magnet students post. But RMIB students and families are much more open and aggressive about college being the No. 1 goal and so is the program administration. The Blair magnet admin is the opposite and actively discourages kids from focusing solely on that.

Because the pool of students is too uniform, which results in somewhat less impressive college admissions outcomes. You act like Blair is not emphasizing college outcomes as some kind of noble act. Please. I do think Blair encourages students to be more realistic, which is good. 175+ students completing against each other for spots at the same 10 or so schools. The odds are very tough. A high number of Blair students end up attending UMD with scholarships, because they did not get into Ivies or MIT. Nothing wrong with that. From a financial perspective, it's very smart. But there is a reason Blair magnet admin doesn't trumpet college outcomes.

the reason is that they don't want to pay for tuition. we already know our kid will go to UMD regardless of where else they might be admitted. RMIB parents are exactly the type of people who would pay 400k for the "bragging rights". you know, the same people who paid for tutors at age five while other kids read harry potter and learned fractions on their own because it's fun.

um.. no.

-parent of RMIB grad now at UMD with merit, and there are several of such kids there. And DC never had a tutor in their life.

The kids we know who graduated from RMIB who are going to T20 are:

- two from wealthy families
- one is low income so has a full ride
- one is an only child of an umc family
- one had a hook
- one URM

Several going to cheap top schools for Eng/CS like UMD, Purdue, etc.

Most of the above are STEM majors, btw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The IB curriculum is inferior for math and sciences, and the IB diploma program is inflexible and filled with pretentious nonsense like Theory of Knowledge, and busy work like Creativity, Activity, Service. People always bring up the writing in IB, to me it’s high volume, but frankly the quality is lacking.

This being said, the main benefit of the magnet is the student cohort, and one can take courses outside of the IB ones.

The culture though is one of the most irritating things about the IB programs. It’s all BS about international perspective, global citizenship, and name dropping about college acceptances. The poster that said you should avoid IB if you have a low tolerance for BS was spot on.

Maybe true, but RMIB program is more well rounded than Blair, and from what I have heard, IB in general prepares a student better for college.

[Anonymous]

DC's friend who went to Blair told DC that most of the kids at Blair magnet were weird, and that they should've gone to RMIB. And these are STEM majors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC's friend who went to Blair told DC that most of the kids at Blair magnet were weird, and that they should've gone to RMIB. And these are STEM majors.

I would like "things I made up" Alex, for $200