Help! 7 grade DD announced she wanted to go to TJ
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Anonymous
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Ahh, I wish she had expressed interest sooner but this is where we are. My goal this weekend is to get as much info as possible (requirements, tests...) but what I really need from DCUM is tips on how to get in (prep courses, tutoring), I know all of her classmates have been preparing for it for at least a year.
DD is in AP and is an A student, she’s a hard worker and I really want to help her get in. |
Anonymous
| No prep necessary until she reviews a sample test (if tj offers one) next year. |
Anonymous
| Your role is also to manage expectations. |
Anonymous
| I think you need to talk to her guidance counselor and her math teacher soon. Both of them can give you some realistic input about the very competitive process. Keep an eye out on the TJ website. They used to have a summer program for kids following their 7th grade year that was helpful to many students I know. Additionally, you can pull down all the info they have about the process and the samples. If your child's school has any math clubs or competition-based math programs after school then you might want to have her join them because they will give her a little more experience with like-minded kids. |
Anonymous
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Information given to this year's applicants: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-Wz_749U4egamd1aXlSd0pmRWs3MkZkNjM4MTJlUEZlX1Fj/view
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Anonymous
| God did you ask her why she wants to subject herself to this? DH and BIL are both TJ alums and neither they nor the alums they keep in touch with would want their kids to go. Both are mid 2000s grads, for context. |
Anonymous
May I ask what they do for a living? |
Anonymous
High paying professional jobs that I would call STEM adjacent? More Wall Street than academia. |
Anonymous
| I’m a TJ grad and while I wouldn’t discourage my kids from going (they’re currently 7th and 4th grades). However, if they express interest in attending, I absolutely will not pay for a prep course. You need to manage her expectations)stats aren’t on her side) and just help her get through the process. |
Anonymous
My DH too. Mid 90s grad. |
Anonymous
Did they go to good colleges? |
Anonymous
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My D is a senior at TJ and has overall loved her 4 years there. Based on her albeit anecdotal experience and that of her closest friends at TJ, alot depends on the individual child. Those that are self-motivated with a true interest in STEM and willing to get involved and try new things tend to enjoy TJ. On the other hand, those whose motivation stems from parental pressure and/or don't get involved with extracurriculars may not have a good experience. I don't downplay the pressure kids experience there but some kids seem to hold above the fray.
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Anonymous
I am in the same shoe as the OP. My son also announced he wanted to go to TJ but he did that in 5th grade. I never have any interests in TJ; however, since he is the one that wanted to go to TJ, I have been getting him help with TJ prep with private tutoring and TJ prep from one of the chinese academies for the past two years. He has private tutoring three times a week and academy classes on Saturday and Sunday. He wanted it but I am definitely not happy about it. He is currently in 7th grade at Long Fellow MS. I am still hoping that he will give up the TJ dream in the next nine months and attend Mclean HS. There are so many interests that I would like him to experience. Going to TJ will make it hard to achieve, IMHO. I think if you are naturally gifted and don't have to spend more than 3 hours a day studying the TJ is the place for you. I don't think TJ is the place for a kid like mine, far from it. |
Anonymous
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Whoa.
Tutoring and prep? How about she focuses on 7th grade and prepare the application when it’s time for that. Are you going to stress her out with Princeton in 8th grade? If she’s TJ material, she doesn’t need TJ prep. (Alum here.) |
Anonymous
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I am not a fan of the TJ model.
However, if DD wants to go, I would not discourage her. I would ask her why she wishes to go. Is it because friends wish to go or does she really want the challenge? Does she like the idea of being chosen as special? If she wants to go for the right reasons, then I would support her efforts. Let her do the research on what she needs to do. Be aware that there are groups who have been in prep for years. Have her make a list of advantages and disadvantages. If you do not live nearby, drive her over there one afternoon during rush hour. Remind her that the bus ride will be longer. There will be some activities outside of school that will be limited as a result of the distance. And, be prepared for disappointment. Disappointment is not necessarily a bad thing--it helps us grow. But, as parents, it is very difficult to see your child disappointed and help them through it. DD had several friends who wanted to go to TJ and assumed they would get in. This was before AAP. when the centers were still for the gifted. Her friends in that program who wished to attend TJ were stunned when they did not get in. Stunned and devastated. I suspect their parents were also stunned and devastated as they, too, expected them to get in. Some of these kids did not recover while they were in high school. They felt like failures. Others recovered nicely and went on to great success. Advice: Support her and let her try to get in--but, be prepared to support her and go forward if she does not. |