Reply to If a kid will fall in top 30-50% in TJ, is going to TJ a better idea

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Reply to "If a kid will fall in top 30-50% in TJ, is going to TJ a better idea"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Periodic reminder that TJ acceptances are going out soon...

... and that parents will say anything on these threads in order to sell you on turning down your spot so their kid can get in off the waitlist.[/quote]

What was that that was false?[/quote]

Plenty. Not here to debate, just to state a pathetic reality about this forum.[/quote]

If it’s true or false, it’s factual and not up for debate. I am genuinely interested in finding out what was false (whether it is to open spots up or not).[/quote]

It's the emphasis and spin.  They play up the costs and play down the benefits.

The value of the extra rigor at TJ is significant.  You cannot get this rigor at any other FCPS public high school because they don't have the student body to tolerate it.
The penalty in college admissions is not catastrophic.  You are not dropping from CMU at your base school to VT at TJ.  You might drop from CMU to Purdue or UIUC.
The one group that should not go to TJ are the students that are not prepared for the academic rigor.  
[b]You should have geometry by end of 8th grade.  Your standardized test scores through your academic career should consistently be putting you in the 99th or 98th percentile but absolutely no lower than 95th.  
Math specifically should be easy for you up to 8th grade.  If math was challenging at all, don't go to TJ.  That is the class where you see kids getting Cs and Ds.[/b][/quote]

I appreciate the tone and tenor of this response, but even the bolded is exaggerated a little bit. Plenty of kids have come through TJ from Alg1 in 8th grade and come out with exceptional outcomes. UChicago, WashU, tons of UVA...

It's about the delta between what you're going to get from your base and what you're going to get from TJ. And honestly, just give it a shot. You can leave TJ once you're there, but you can't go to your base school, realize you made a mistake, and go "oops, just kidding, please let me into TJ".
[/quote]

PP.

OK, I can see how the geometry requirement is really superficial.  The primary reason for that was that if you are coming in without geometry, you are on track to take calculus your senior year and you don't get any of the high level math classes at TJ.  I still stand by the standardized test score percentiles.

If you are going to give TJ a shot without meeting these benchmarks, be ready pull yourself on a short hook.  Do not get emotionally invested in TJ, don't make it part of your identity or anything like that, otherwise it will be hard to leave.[/quote]

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