TJ results

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I urge all parents to read the posts about kids being unhappy with their kids’ college options and had they known that except for the very top kids, TJ college applicants generally do worse than had they likely stayed at their base school.

Truth. But if you have a kid who wants incredible opportunities with a (mostly) motivated peer group, TJ will be the jam. But yes, it does make college applications a bit more challenging bc they are competing "against" each other for those spots. Our kid is a junior and while it will now be harder for her to get into UVA, we know she is SUPER prepared for school in a way that she might not have been at her base. (Of course you can be successful at the base schools too, our kid has said she isn't sure she would have worked as hard at base while at TJ it was sink or swim. So she swam.)

+1

Applicant here, I'm so nervous, my performance on the SPS and PSE were below my expectations: I think I'll either get accepted or waitlisted.

I’m an applicant too. If i’m being honest, I do not really want to go to TJ. My parents really want me to go, so I feel like it would be better for me to get rejected… I haven’t had the conversation yet about not wanting to go, because I think it would be really awkward especially since they did do some prep with me for the PSE and SPS test. Not many people at my school tried out, so I’m a bit worried. I’ve heard really bad stories from TJHSST.

If you're comfortable responding, how did you do on the test? I think you have a higher chance of getting in than me because my school has over 125 applicants judging from the line on test day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I urge all parents to read the posts about kids being unhappy with their kids’ college options and had they known that except for the very top kids, TJ college applicants generally do worse than had they likely stayed at their base school.

Truth. But if you have a kid who wants incredible opportunities with a (mostly) motivated peer group, TJ will be the jam. But yes, it does make college applications a bit more challenging bc they are competing "against" each other for those spots. Our kid is a junior and while it will now be harder for her to get into UVA, we know she is SUPER prepared for school in a way that she might not have been at her base. (Of course you can be successful at the base schools too, our kid has said she isn't sure she would have worked as hard at base while at TJ it was sink or swim. So she swam.)

+1

Applicant here, I'm so nervous, my performance on the SPS and PSE were below my expectations: I think I'll either get accepted or waitlisted.

I’m an applicant too. If i’m being honest, I do not really want to go to TJ. My parents really want me to go, so I feel like it would be better for me to get rejected… I haven’t had the conversation yet about not wanting to go, because I think it would be really awkward especially since they did do some prep with me for the PSE and SPS test. Not many people at my school tried out, so I’m a bit worried. I’ve heard really bad stories from TJHSST.

If you're comfortable responding, how did you do on the test? I think you have a higher chance of getting in than me because my school has over 125 applicants judging from the line on test day.

It’s a bit fuzzy, but I got 1 part of the PSE completely wrong by a lot. I think I did decently on the SPS though. I reached about max word count, and elaborated well. But, since I am coming from a school with less applicants (30-40 ish) even if I got into TJ I still would not feel prepared for the rigor. I’m coming from a non-aap school, so I really don’t know how ready I actually am. I honestly should have just said I don’t want to get in on my test…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I graduated from a college that none of you have heard of, it was a SLAC, attended a top 20 PhD program, and make a very nice salary now. You don't need a top 20 school or an Ivy to do well in life. My kid wants to attend TJ because they want to be challenged and with peers who want to be challenged. The college that they land at is not on any of our minds because we are all well aware that it might be greatto get into one of those top schools but that it is not necessary for success. I would rather my kid be challenged at all levels of education then gamble on a HS experience that is less challenging hoping that they get into a top 20 school.

Those top 20 schools are a gamble, regardless of the school and your grades. May as well challenge yourself in HS even if it means a top 50 school instead of a top 20 school.

Sure, if your kid can handle the rigor, TJ offers better training than any school in the area. Even if they don't get straight A's they can still go to perfectly good schools. But if your kid is a 90th percentile kid, they will struggle to keep their head above water and tune out. I saw this at least once at TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There isn't a big mystery here. If your kid is in the top 2% of their school, they'll get in. Tj only accepts the very best students from each school.

How do they know who is the best? 6 Essay questions and 5 of them are some combination of "why I want to go to TJ" "what i did over my summer vacation" and "here is something I do that proves I love stem" and 1 is a math word problem that you don't even have to get correct.

No one knows.

I think there should be more math/science questions and fewer portrait of an FCPS student but what do I know.

I think the reality is that there are far more then 500 kids who could benefit from TJ and defining the best is impossible. There will be kids who don't make it to TJ tat would have been a great fit, it happens every year.

I don't know about that. The rigor can really do a number on kids if they're not up for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I graduated from a college that none of you have heard of, it was a SLAC, attended a top 20 PhD program, and make a very nice salary now. You don't need a top 20 school or an Ivy to do well in life. My kid wants to attend TJ because they want to be challenged and with peers who want to be challenged. The college that they land at is not on any of our minds because we are all well aware that it might be greatto get into one of those top schools but that it is not necessary for success. I would rather my kid be challenged at all levels of education then gamble on a HS experience that is less challenging hoping that they get into a top 20 school.

Those top 20 schools are a gamble, regardless of the school and your grades. May as well challenge yourself in HS even if it means a top 50 school instead of a top 20 school.

Are you thinking those who in the top 5 at their base schools were not challenged? Or that the rampant cheating at tj challenged those kids?

DP
Some base schools are pretty bad
The cheating at TJ is no worse than at other schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I urge all parents to read the posts about kids being unhappy with their kids’ college options and had they known that except for the very top kids, TJ college applicants generally do worse than had they likely stayed at their base school.

Truth. But if you have a kid who wants incredible opportunities with a (mostly) motivated peer group, TJ will be the jam. But yes, it does make college applications a bit more challenging bc they are competing "against" each other for those spots. Our kid is a junior and while it will now be harder for her to get into UVA, we know she is SUPER prepared for school in a way that she might not have been at her base. (Of course you can be successful at the base schools too, our kid has said she isn't sure she would have worked as hard at base while at TJ it was sink or swim. So she swam.)

+1

Applicant here, I'm so nervous, my performance on the SPS and PSE were below my expectations: I think I'll either get accepted or waitlisted.

I’m an applicant too. If i’m being honest, I do not really want to go to TJ. My parents really want me to go, so I feel like it would be better for me to get rejected… I haven’t had the conversation yet about not wanting to go, because I think it would be really awkward especially since they did do some prep with me for the PSE and SPS test. Not many people at my school tried out, so I’m a bit worried. I’ve heard really bad stories from TJHSST.

Hey, i’m on the same boat… I see myself much happier at my base school, and I really hate STEM. I don’t know why I even tried on the essays, but I am scared to tell my parents I don’t want to go. Hoping to get rejected as well 🤞

[Anonymous]

It’s funny that Fairfax voted 70-30% in favor of “Yes” on the recent constitutional amendment but TJ only exists because a Republican-controlled Board of Supervisors thought it would help recruit defense contractors to Fairfax back in the Reagan era.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I urge all parents to read the posts about kids being unhappy with their kids’ college options and had they known that except for the very top kids, TJ college applicants generally do worse than had they likely stayed at their base school.

Truth. But if you have a kid who wants incredible opportunities with a (mostly) motivated peer group, TJ will be the jam. But yes, it does make college applications a bit more challenging bc they are competing "against" each other for those spots. Our kid is a junior and while it will now be harder for her to get into UVA, we know she is SUPER prepared for school in a way that she might not have been at her base. (Of course you can be successful at the base schools too, our kid has said she isn't sure she would have worked as hard at base while at TJ it was sink or swim. So she swam.)

+1

Applicant here, I'm so nervous, my performance on the SPS and PSE were below my expectations: I think I'll either get accepted or waitlisted.

From 4/15/2026 4:54 PM:

If you do not get in during regular admissions process, it could be a blessing in disguise.
-The froshmores (sophomore admits) have several advantages.
-They are selected by the faculty rather than the FCPS criteria, so you are already pretty sure that you can handle the rigor (and indeed, the froshmores tend to be in the top end of the grade distribution).
-They generally have straight A's in classes they took at their base school. They also had a two phase increase in rigor, first going from middle school to base high school, then going from base high school to TJ. So their GPASs tend to benefit from the more gradual increase in rigor.
-They don't see the 50-100 TJ freshmen that do not return for their sophomore year so they are never lulled into a sense of false security that these kids will fill up the bottom end of the grade distribution.
-They appreciate and take advantage of the differences between TJ and base schools, particularly the peer group.

The downsides are clubs. A lot of clubs fill up and don't always make room for the froshmores.
Some of the academic teams don't save spots for froshmores despite the generally stronger academics of froshmores.
But there are so many other activities you can choose that this is not a really limiting factor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I graduated from a college that none of you have heard of, it was a SLAC, attended a top 20 PhD program, and make a very nice salary now. You don't need a top 20 school or an Ivy to do well in life. My kid wants to attend TJ because they want to be challenged and with peers who want to be challenged. The college that they land at is not on any of our minds because we are all well aware that it might be greatto get into one of those top schools but that it is not necessary for success. I would rather my kid be challenged at all levels of education then gamble on a HS experience that is less challenging hoping that they get into a top 20 school.

Those top 20 schools are a gamble, regardless of the school and your grades. May as well challenge yourself in HS even if it means a top 50 school instead of a top 20 school.

Are you thinking those who in the top 5 at their base schools were not challenged? Or that the rampant cheating at tj challenged those kids?

The top 5 at their base school would probably be successful at TJ but the challenge at TJ is different because so many of the kids at TJ have the ability to be the top at their base school.

There are more than a few Base schools that do not have anyone that is prepared for TJ. The really smart ones can catch up but they would have to be exceedingly smart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I urge all parents to read the posts about kids being unhappy with their kids’ college options and had they known that except for the very top kids, TJ college applicants generally do worse than had they likely stayed at their base school.

Truth. But if you have a kid who wants incredible opportunities with a (mostly) motivated peer group, TJ will be the jam. But yes, it does make college applications a bit more challenging bc they are competing "against" each other for those spots. Our kid is a junior and while it will now be harder for her to get into UVA, we know she is SUPER prepared for school in a way that she might not have been at her base. (Of course you can be successful at the base schools too, our kid has said she isn't sure she would have worked as hard at base while at TJ it was sink or swim. So she swam.)

+1

Applicant here, I'm so nervous, my performance on the SPS and PSE were below my expectations: I think I'll either get accepted or waitlisted.

I’m an applicant too. If i’m being honest, I do not really want to go to TJ. My parents really want me to go, so I feel like it would be better for me to get rejected… I haven’t had the conversation yet about not wanting to go, because I think it would be really awkward especially since they did do some prep with me for the PSE and SPS test. Not many people at my school tried out, so I’m a bit worried. I’ve heard really bad stories from TJHSST.

I believe you can always return to your base school at any time.

If you get in and your first round of exams is horrible (C's or worse), I would not wait to lock in those grades at the end of the semester. I would go back to my base school and take the most challenging curriculum you can there. But if you think you are smart and hard working then give it a chance, you might surprise yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s funny that Fairfax voted 70-30% in favor of “Yes” on the recent constitutional amendment but TJ only exists because a Republican-controlled Board of Supervisors thought it would help recruit defense contractors to Fairfax back in the Reagan era.

According to Wiki,

TJ's existence is due to the selection of fairfax by a Democratic governor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Robb

The country chairman was a republican but a democrat let them have TJ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Herrity

The corporate boosters for TJ were not generally defense contractors.

Hazleton Laboratories (now Fortrea), Honeywell, AT&T, Dominion Energy, Sony Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, and other companies

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson_High_School_for_Science_and_Technology

I don't know why people feel the need to make these things partisan. Things weren't like that back then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I urge all parents to read the posts about kids being unhappy with their kids’ college options and had they known that except for the very top kids, TJ college applicants generally do worse than had they likely stayed at their base school.

Truth. But if you have a kid who wants incredible opportunities with a (mostly) motivated peer group, TJ will be the jam. But yes, it does make college applications a bit more challenging bc they are competing "against" each other for those spots. Our kid is a junior and while it will now be harder for her to get into UVA, we know she is SUPER prepared for school in a way that she might not have been at her base. (Of course you can be successful at the base schools too, our kid has said she isn't sure she would have worked as hard at base while at TJ it was sink or swim. So she swam.)

+1

Applicant here, I'm so nervous, my performance on the SPS and PSE were below my expectations: I think I'll either get accepted or waitlisted.

I’m an applicant too. If i’m being honest, I do not really want to go to TJ. My parents really want me to go, so I feel like it would be better for me to get rejected… I haven’t had the conversation yet about not wanting to go, because I think it would be really awkward especially since they did do some prep with me for the PSE and SPS test. Not many people at my school tried out, so I’m a bit worried. I’ve heard really bad stories from TJHSST.

Hey, i’m on the same boat… I see myself much happier at my base school, and I really hate STEM. I don’t know why I even tried on the essays, but I am scared to tell my parents I don’t want to go. Hoping to get rejected as well 🤞

To both of you, as the mom of a TJ senior who is very happy she decided to go still, don’t go. It is hard. No joke hard. And if your heart isn’t in it then it’s going to be so tough to keep your motivation going.

[Anonymous]

30 minutes. Good luck everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:30 minutes. Good luck everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s funny that Fairfax voted 70-30% in favor of “Yes” on the recent constitutional amendment but TJ only exists because a Republican-controlled Board of Supervisors thought it would help recruit defense contractors to Fairfax back in the Reagan era.

According to Wiki,

TJ's existence is due to the selection of fairfax by a Democratic governor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Robb

The country chairman was a republican but a democrat let them have TJ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Herrity

The corporate boosters for TJ were not generally defense contractors.

Hazleton Laboratories (now Fortrea), Honeywell, AT&T, Dominion Energy, Sony Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, and other companies

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson_High_School_for_Science_and_Technology

I don't know why people feel the need to make these things partisan. Things weren't like that back then.

In ‘64, those must have been the big ‘tech’ employers in the region or at least companies that had $ to invest in STEM education.