Anonymous wrote:U would let my child do geometry in 8th
Algebra 2 summer before 9th.

Know 3-4 kids that got into TJ last yr doing Geometry in 8th grade

Well, yes. They would have completed Algebra 1 Honors in 7th and meet the requirement for TJ

U would let my child do geometry in 8th
Algebra 2 summer before 9th.

Know 3-4 kids that got into TJ last yr doing Geometry in 8th grade

Summer geometry: Full time job hours + Shallow understanding of geometry = Recipe for hating math.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has any ones rising 8th grader taken Geometry H in the summer and Algebra 2 H in 8th. How was the experience. What grades did they get.

My child took it. Child is intensely interested in math - we need to take away math books sometimes so child would do other things. Even for this child it required some effort.

So for a child who is doing math well, it would take 6-7 hours of effort every day during summer. I would not have allowed my child to do it if not for the fact that we were in the middle of a pandemic (in 2020 summer) and could not do much travel or other things anyway.

+ 1

My son is same & he too took geometry over summer. It’s very intense course with 6-7 hours of work each day.

Anonymous wrote:Has any ones rising 8th grader taken Geometry H in the summer and Algebra 2 H in 8th. How was the experience. What grades did they get.

My child took it. Child is intensely interested in math - we need to take away math books sometimes so child would do other things. Even for this child it required some effort.

So for a child who is doing math well, it would take 6-7 hours of effort every day during summer. I would not have allowed my child to do it if not for the fact that we were in the middle of a pandemic (in 2020 summer) and could not do much travel or other things anyway.

TJ Admissions require that kids

1) Have a minimum GPA of 3.5
2) Complete Algebra 1 by the end of 8th grade
3) Take Honors math and science in 7th and 8th grade
4) Take at least one other honors class

Then there is the test that is solving a math problem and explaining their answer and the essays that they write.

Most of the kids, I am remembering something like 75% of the kids in the Freshman class this year had Algebra and Geometry. Someone FOIA'ed the stats for the current class and I think I am remembering that it was a very high percentage of the current Freshmen had Algebra and Geometry.

There is no bonus for taking Algebra II for getting into TJ. Let your kid take their math classes in school and enjoy their summer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would not recommend rushing through geometry unless you had a very good reason. TJ isn't even giving accelerated math students an edge in admissions anymore.

Then how do they determine the 1.5% top students in any Middle school. They don't have a math test to determine Math aptitude. What is the edge in admissions now ? atleast half the AP kids in each middle school are in Geometry H in 8th and many of them have A's in other core subjects. How will they decide with no teacher recommendations ?

The only math requirement for TJ is to be enrolled in Algebra I HN by 8th grade, including the honors in science and LA or Social studies with an 'unweighted' GPA of 3.5 in core courses. So, there is no advantage in taking Geometry HN during summer and could be a risky bet if the kid doesn't do well. In our case, DS registered for Geo HN during summer and even though he was doing fine, we decided to drop out after a week of seeing him study the whole day and started drinking multiple coffees just to stay awake. We had some misgivings about it, but later realized that Geo HN isn't easy, especially proofs and other concepts take time to digest and need to be taken as a full year course. Honestly, I wouldn't suggest summer courses for any of the core courses in any grade, which is especially true for math.

Anonymous wrote:I would not recommend rushing through geometry unless you had a very good reason. TJ isn't even giving accelerated math students an edge in admissions anymore.

Then how do they determine the 1.5% top students in any Middle school. They don't have a math test to determine Math aptitude. What is the edge in admissions now ? atleast half the AP kids in each middle school are in Geometry H in 8th and many of them have A's in other core subjects. How will they decide with no teacher recommendations ?

Math teacher:

Why? What is the value? Your child is already multiple years ahead. Suppose they take A2H in 8th grade, then what? Precalc in 9th, Calc in 10th, then...? You are setting them up to need dual enrollment unless they end up at TJ.

With regards to the course, it is literally 8 hours a day for the entire session. You cannot do family vacation or other activities during that time unless you want to be online in zoom while everyone else is on the beach. They pack an entire year in, so while geometry is arguably the easiest of the high school math courses, when pushed that quickly it's a TON of material to digest.

I would not do it. Every year I have a handful of students who do, and about half of them are just fine and the other half struggle in my algebra 2.

I know a few kids who took Geometry in the summer, all agreed it was a very intense course - solid 8 to 10 hours study everyday (in person or online). Some kids got As, some B, and some Cs. It was not a fun experience, but I guess learning is not always fun so that is ok. If you have to take it, just schedule your time wisely and focus those weeks to this one class completely. It is possible but just not easy.

I would not recommend rushing through geometry unless you had a very good reason. TJ isn't even giving accelerated math students an edge in admissions anymore.

I would love to hear some experience as well. Would it be difficult for non AAP kids? I think it might not be difficult but intense and kids need to be motivated and willing to work harder.

My child took geometry H in the summer and had a great teacher. The course was interesting and rather intense. The child got As in geometry and, later, in algebra 2H.

any one please ?

Has any ones rising 8th grader taken Geometry H in the summer and Algebra 2 H in 8th. How was the experience. What grades did they get.