Reply to How important is TJ for college?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It's not important.

The big benefit of going to TJ is that kids around you have very high expectations for themselves and so the baseline expectation among peers is very high. Being in that kind of environment, where going to UVA is kind of average, can be good for some kids. It's an environment of positive examples and everyone living it. Now, if your kid is not up to that level academically then it can be detrimental. Thankfully where you are on that ladder of college exclusivity is not determined until middle of senior year.

So if you go to TJ, you aren't around HS drop outs. That might positively influence your child. Your child might work a little harder because everyone around them is. When they graduate, they have friends at Harvard, Yale, UVA (tons of people), William and Mary... college rate is around 99% and the 1% is due to people who do special things during gap year. When they are in their 30's they will know a ton of doctors and lawyers and entrepreneurs.

Having access to specialized engineering classes is another benefit at TJ.

Now does going to TJ automatically get you in the better college for being the same kid that they would be at the base school? Absolutely not.
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The majority of this post is everything that is wrong with the current obsession with TJ environment

Child should not go to TJ so the child will be pushed.  The majority of schools in Fairfax county have at least one top class of people taking mostly honors/lots of AP which are full of motivated students as well.

Child will not be around high school dropouts in base school.  High school has tracking and assuming your child is near the top see point 1

The only reason to go to TJ is a legitimate actual interest in STEM PERIOD

As others have stated the college admissions are generally the same TJ vs staying in base school and if anything its more harmful to go to TJ if you are bottom half of the class vs staying at base school you would probably still be top 10%

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You are entitled to your opinion. But not every kid who is happy and successful at TJ is there for STEM PERIOD. My kid was all around bright and the fact he was not being challenged at Carson AAP definitely played a role. He knows kids who went on to SLHS and Chantilly and complain about these schools having a slow pace and being boring. Maybe it picks up in 11th with full IB and more AP options, but  many kids are looking for the challenge.

As for my kid, he is losing interest in STEM and is talking about liberal arts for college. But he is adamant about not moving back to his base school, because he loves the peer group. Many parents and kids say that the highly motivated peers with a strong academic focus is the best part of TJ. I agree with this.

Fact is that all base schools do have some dropouts and kids not headed to college. TJ does not. 
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Ok.  But, in order to get into TJ, you have to claim/demonstrate interest in STEM.  So what you are saying is your kid lied to get in to TJ.  This is why I hate TJ.  People will lie and cheat to get in.  For what?

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Nope. I’m saying that my kid did MS activities that appealed to him— debate and music.  And genuinely throught he wanted to go into civil engineering leading to a career in “green” architecture— when he was 13.  Knew a fair amount about architecture, had done camps, etc.   So he talked about debate and music and his interest in architecture on the SIS and TJ accepted him. He’s very involved in music and debate. Decided at 16 that he doesn’t want to be an architect after all. He didn’t lie.  He didn’t cheat.  He didn’t curate some resume that was particularly STEM heavy. He did change his mind about his ultimate career goal from architect to having no idea. And I think that the TJ math department played a huge role in turning him off of Math, and therefore off of engineering.

There are college kids who have changed their majors 4 times and take 6 years to graduate while their parents say they are finding themselves. Are you really shocked that some kids don’t stick with their middle school career plans? He has STEM talent. He has science and tech interest. Loved math until TJ. But his interests are changing as he matures. That’s normal and healthy— not some big fraud. [/quote]

Perfectly normal and valid situation

Easy solution here TJ should change to a pure magnet school designed for the best and brightest kids in Fairfax County instead of the awkward somewhat STEM focus and math/science hoops kids have to jump through

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Or tone down the freaky math to normal math.  After all it's not college.[/quote]

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