Longfellow SO Golden Ticket to TJ - is this true?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s your experience?

I’ve heard that especially for girls, all the female SO at Longfellow were accepted to TJ.

So what was the result?

SO is the express lane to TJ.

[Anonymous]

SO before the changes was almost a guarantee into TJ, but it is not any more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So why did they resurrect this old thread?

To get an update of whether the Science Olympiad people at Longfellow got in to TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So why did they resurrect this old thread?

To get an update of whether the Science Olympiad people at Longfellow got in to TJ.

Some of them did, but a lot fewer than before. Longfellow came in 5th in the country in SO nationals this weekend. There is not enough space for all of them to be admitted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SO before the changes was almost a guarantee into TJ, but it is not any more.

Some people say this but it isn't true. It still is. They just don't want others to find out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So why did they resurrect this old thread?

To get an update of whether the Science Olympiad people at Longfellow got in to TJ.

Some of them did, but a lot fewer than before. Longfellow came in 5th in the country in SO nationals this weekend. There is not enough space for all of them to be admitted.

Well all the top SO students did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SO before the changes was almost a guarantee into TJ, but it is not any more.

Some people say this but it isn't true. It still is. They just don't want others to find out.

Many parents see this as a zero-sum game and want to keep these express lanes to TJ quiet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So why did they resurrect this old thread?

To get an update of whether the Science Olympiad people at Longfellow got in to TJ.

Some of them did, but a lot fewer than before. Longfellow came in 5th in the country in SO nationals this weekend. There is not enough space for all of them to be admitted.

Well all the top SO students did.

That's not true. Or you don't know who the top SO students were that did not get in.

[Anonymous]

not a golden ticket, just a correlation. we are proud of all the kids - but also note that TJ only placed 21st...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So why did they resurrect this old thread?

To get an update of whether the Science Olympiad people at Longfellow got in to TJ.

Some of them did, but a lot fewer than before. Longfellow came in 5th in the country in SO nationals this weekend. There is not enough space for all of them to be admitted.

Well all the top SO students did.

That's not true. Or you don't know who the top SO students were that did not get in.

Well, all the top students did with credible applications.

[Anonymous]

The general trend is that if the MS has an SO team, then it absolutely benefits your child to be on the team. However, having the privilege available to join a team gives an unfair advantage against kids who live in pyramids where there is no opportunity to join an ademic team due primarily to socioeconomics.

As such, the "local" comparison at the individual MS level process kicks in where the applicant is compared to other kids who had the chance to join SO. Very similar to how universities base admissions against an applicant's classmates at their HS and not against other high schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The general trend is that if the MS has an SO team, then it absolutely benefits your child to be on the team. However, having the privilege available to join a team gives an unfair advantage against kids who live in pyramids where there is no opportunity to join an ademic team due primarily to socioeconomics.

As such, the "local" comparison at the individual MS level process kicks in where the applicant is compared to other kids who had the chance to join SO. Very similar to how universities base admissions against an applicant's classmates at their HS and not against other high schools.

It's a double-edged sword since it's difficult to distinguish the outliers at those middle schools that lack these opportunities too.

[Anonymous]

Longfellow really has a SO team that is much different than any other middle school in FCPS. It's just a different caliber. They spent years putting that program together and kudos to them. They came in 5th in Nationals this year and regularly qualify. The other schools have programs but they aren't as robust.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Longfellow really has a SO team that is much different than any other middle school in FCPS. It's just a different caliber. They spent years putting that program together and kudos to them. They came in 5th in Nationals this year and regularly qualify. The other schools have programs but they aren't as robust.

The program is that you study science all year long and are not allowed to do any other club. Not for everyone even if you love science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Longfellow really has a SO team that is much different than any other middle school in FCPS. It's just a different caliber. They spent years putting that program together and kudos to them. They came in 5th in Nationals this year and regularly qualify. The other schools have programs but they aren't as robust.

The program is that you study science all year long and are not allowed to do any other club. Not for everyone even if you love science.

That's probably why they do so much better. Makes sense. The other schools meet once or twice a week for a couple of months.