Stem magnet - Blair vs Eleanor roosevelt

[Anonymous]

We are currently in the cluster to go to Eleanor Roosevelt still a few years out from HS. We saw that Blair has a strong math and science program as well and we now have the finances to move to Montgomery county if we want. Does one program have better matriculation or exposure to opportunities than the other? I imagine much is similar but would like to know some of the nuances since we have a choice and DC is so personally into math right now.

[Anonymous]

I don't really know anything about Roosevelt but you should know that Blair gets about 800 applications each year for 100 seats. Also Poolesville HS has the same competitive STEM program for kids that live in that part of MoCo.

[Anonymous]

I have only my anecdotal evidence from families I have known at the schools. The kids who went to ER were brighter and more motivated than their peers, but not exceptionally gifted. The kids at Blair are going to invent something or cure a disease some day. Blair had something like 40 National Merit Semifinalists last year. The kids I knew who went to ER were bright, hard working kids. The kids at Blair were off the charts gifted. Even if you moved to Montgomery County, your child would ave to apply to the Blair magnet and compete against extremely bright kids. Your child might be extremely bright too, and get in. But i wouldn't move with the assumption that he or she would get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have only my anecdotal evidence from families I have known at the schools. The kids who went to ER were brighter and more motivated than their peers, but not exceptionally gifted. The kids at Blair are going to invent something or cure a disease some day. Blair had something like 40 National Merit Semifinalists last year. The kids I knew who went to ER were bright, hard working kids. The kids at Blair were off the charts gifted. Even if you moved to Montgomery County, your child would ave to apply to the Blair magnet and compete against extremely bright kids. Your child might be extremely bright too, and get in. But i wouldn't move with the assumption that he or she would get in.

+1 and very diplomatic, PP.

I'd say this, also anecdotally. The kids I know who attended the STEM magnet at Blair were either off the charts gifted, as you say, or recently arrived from places with much a stronger math curriculum than we have in the United States.

Either way, I think OP should decide whether Roosevelt is better than the regular program at whatever school she would move to in MCPS. That is, would regular Blair or regular BCC or whatever be better than Roosevelt? Because the default should be that no child can count on being accepted to the Blair program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have only my anecdotal evidence from families I have known at the schools. The kids who went to ER were brighter and more motivated than their peers, but not exceptionally gifted. The kids at Blair are going to invent something or cure a disease some day. Blair had something like 40 National Merit Semifinalists last year. The kids I knew who went to ER were bright, hard working kids. The kids at Blair were off the charts gifted. Even if you moved to Montgomery County, your child would ave to apply to the Blair magnet and compete against extremely bright kids. Your child might be extremely bright too, and get in. But i wouldn't move with the assumption that he or she would get in.

Good observations. I have also known families with students at both schools. The competition is just much steeper in Montgomery County. I used to live in Prince George's County, and if I still lived there, I would gladly send my child to Eleanor Roosevelt. I didn't even have DC try to get into Blair, because I knew that DC wasn't up to that caliber of competition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have only my anecdotal evidence from families I have known at the schools. The kids who went to ER were brighter and more motivated than their peers, but not exceptionally gifted. The kids at Blair are going to invent something or cure a disease some day. Blair had something like 40 National Merit Semifinalists last year. The kids I knew who went to ER were bright, hard working kids. The kids at Blair were off the charts gifted. Even if you moved to Montgomery County, your child would ave to apply to the Blair magnet and compete against extremely bright kids. Your child might be extremely bright too, and get in. But i wouldn't move with the assumption that he or she would get in.

Yah this is complete hyperbole. A small number "off the charts gifted" kids have come through Blair over the years no doubt but that is no where near the normal magnet kid. Most are more harder working and well rounded than super gifted. The average state school honors dorm will far and away exceed the talent pool of any given year's class at most magnet schools including Blair.

Signed
Blair Magnet graduate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have only my anecdotal evidence from families I have known at the schools. The kids who went to ER were brighter and more motivated than their peers, but not exceptionally gifted. The kids at Blair are going to invent something or cure a disease some day. Blair had something like 40 National Merit Semifinalists last year. The kids I knew who went to ER were bright, hard working kids. The kids at Blair were off the charts gifted. Even if you moved to Montgomery County, your child would ave to apply to the Blair magnet and compete against extremely bright kids. Your child might be extremely bright too, and get in. But i wouldn't move with the assumption that he or she would get in.

Good observations. I have also known families with students at both schools. The competition is just much steeper in Montgomery County. I used to live in Prince George's County, and if I still lived there, I would gladly send my child to Eleanor Roosevelt. I didn't even have DC try to get into Blair, because I knew that DC wasn't up to that caliber of competition.

I would wager the competition has more to do with the number of type A parents, higher SES ratio and the dichotomy of MoCo schools with the have and have nots leaving some families desperate for opt outs or ins in this case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have only my anecdotal evidence from families I have known at the schools. The kids who went to ER were brighter and more motivated than their peers, but not exceptionally gifted. The kids at Blair are going to invent something or cure a disease some day. Blair had something like 40 National Merit Semifinalists last year. The kids I knew who went to ER were bright, hard working kids. The kids at Blair were off the charts gifted. Even if you moved to Montgomery County, your child would ave to apply to the Blair magnet and compete against extremely bright kids. Your child might be extremely bright too, and get in. But i wouldn't move with the assumption that he or she would get in.

Yah this is complete hyperbole. A small number "off the charts gifted" kids have come through Blair over the years no doubt but that is no where near the normal magnet kid. Most are more harder working and well rounded than super gifted. The average state school honors dorm will far and away exceed the talent pool of any given year's class at most magnet schools including Blair.

Signed
Blair Magnet graduate

When did you graduate? I ask because I went to an Ivy, and I would never compare myself and my classmates to the kids applying now. Most of us would never get in today.

[Anonymous]

"A small number "off the charts gifted" kids have come through Blair over the years no doubt but that is no where near the normal magnet kid. "

I have tried to explain this on here before but people just don't get it. Very few understand how much "the charts" cover. I think this problem is becoming worse because the SATs keep getting watered down.

"The average state school honors dorm will far and away exceed the talent pool of any given year's class at most magnet schools including Blair."

Of course this is true because even though Montgomery county is high achieving, Blair only pulls from 2/3 of a COUNTY and the state school honors dorm pulls from an average state which has 8 to 10 times as many students.

[Anonymous]

Regardless of what the students are like, OP should not make the assumption that if she moves to MC, her son will get a spot. Also, OP you have to move for 8th grade to apply..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"A small number "off the charts gifted" kids have come through Blair over the years no doubt but that is no where near the normal magnet kid. "

I have tried to explain this on here before but people just don't get it. Very few understand how much "the charts" cover. I think this problem is becoming worse because the SATs keep getting watered down.

"The average state school honors dorm will far and away exceed the talent pool of any given year's class at most magnet schools including Blair."

Of course this is true because even though Montgomery county is high achieving, Blair only pulls from 2/3 of a COUNTY and the state school honors dorm pulls from an average state which has 8 to 10 times as many students.

Oh my god this!!! I went to TJ thinking we were the best kids ever conceived and got to my freshman year at UVA and the vast majority of students were on par with my former classmates in HS. A magnet program is just the first main distillation point for upper level academics with multiple points further up the food chain. It is the start not the end point and honestly many people in the elite graduate programs didn't attend Magnet programs so one could argue it isn't even that bigot a necessity.

[Anonymous]

They are both high level programs, one pulls from mostly upper middle class and above and the other pulls from mostly middle class kids a few rugs lower down the SES spectrum. I suspect the external enrichment variables will be what separates the majority of the scholastic results. Either will most likely result in the same result for the same kid. One program having more higher end students doesn't mean a better program.

[Anonymous]

Blair also has a humanities magnet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Blair also has a humanities magnet

And hundreds of kids who will never go to college and will or won't barely graduate. But they won't distract your kids because the that never happens.

[Anonymous]

As a magnet alum I can honestly say that the magnet was home to well prepped kids from APlus and Dr. Li's classes. The overwhelming majority will accomplish nothing more that what they could have from any high school. The Intel and Rengeron finalist designation is usually nothing more than parental connections that got them a shot at doing rote work at a lab and writing up the research being conducted there. It will be the last time you will hear from them. However, a very small percentage ~1% go on to excel. Don't believe me? Check out the Blair Foundation website.

If you attend a good high school where parents demand high standards--stay there. You will learn more and it will serve you well in college.