Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blair has much better racial and economic diversity, which is important for a well-rounded kid.

That is such a PC thing to say. I clap you.

And yet so vapid, especially when describing what is essentially a school within a school.

Anonymous wrote:Blair has much better racial and economic diversity, which is important for a well-rounded kid.

That is such a PC thing to say. I clap you.

Blair has much better racial and economic diversity, which is important for a well-rounded kid.

TJ, obviously, so my kid could attend a strong 2200-student school, not a program lodged within a huge, but otherwise low-performing, school.

Anonymous wrote:Blair parents seem more sane than TJ parents.

7:58 here who picked TJ but this is so true at least here on DCUM. TJ parents (along with UVA boosters) are off the chart crazy here.

Anonymous wrote:Blair parents seem more sane than TJ parents.

Thanks for this baseless statement.

Blair parents seem more sane than TJ parents.

Anonymous wrote:What is the goal of this question? If you live in Maryland you apply to one. If you live in Virginia you applied to the other. Seriously ridiculous.

We are moving into the area and can settle in either state, within boundaries to make an attempt to get in.

I had 2 kids go through the Blair STEM magnet, but have no direct experience with TJ. The Blair magnet was a great program. My completely subjective impression is that the two programs are roughly equivalent. I’m sure there are some variations in requirements, electives offerings, and specific classes, but that they’ll largely balance out. Maybe Blair has great elective A that TJ doesn’t, but TJ might have great elective B that Blair doesn’t. Either school will probably provide any given student with more STEM opportunities than the kid could fully take advantage of. There’ll always be variation between teachers, but that’s just as likely to vary within a school as between schools, and also highly subject to change. From what I’ve heard, both are adapting their selection process in similar ways, causing concerns about potential problems with maintaining the quality of the programs. I’m sure both schools have qualified, motivated staff who will adapt their programs as needed to whatever the bureaucrats throw at them, while maintaining their focus on providing outstanding STEM opportunities.

I’d base my decision on geography, recognizing that there’s no guarantee of acceptance to either, and that any pros and cons probably cancel each other out.

Poolesville

Probably TJ for three reasons - whole school magnet, school safety, and reputation. I think they are equally good from academic standpoint

What is the goal of this question? If you live in Maryland you apply to one. If you live in Virginia you applied to the other. Seriously ridiculous.

Blair is a smaller but more selective program. the quality and rigor seem stronger. It's as if they took the top 100 kids from TJ and put them in a smaller program, so the cohort is just stronger.

Stupid post, since no one will have had a child in both to compare.

Assume geography is not an issue. Would you want your kid to apply to Blair magnet or TJ, and why? What are the differences between the programs? What are the kids like and how do they enjoy their program?