Anonymous wrote:There are no “average” kids in the program, but I’d consider my kid to be average among those in the program. He thinks he falls somewhere close to the mid point in relation to classmates (toward the top of the lower half). Didn’t take functions.

He’s introverted and there isn’t a lot of time or energy for socializing or hobbies outside of class with a long day and then homework. Homework and classes are very challenging but time consuming. Other kids manage sports or are very involved in several clubs (my kid stays after school for a club once or twice a week and doesn’t do a sport and gave up his instrument).

He has all As so far (sophomore year). Some of his friends have definitely had Bs (mostly in non magnet classes) but it seems all As is very common. The superstar kids are winning national and international competitions so all As isn’t a huge achievement.

Overall it’s a great place to be if your kid can cope with the work. Success requires a lot of motivation and organization as much as or more than academic brilliance.

Anonymous wrote:Our child is in Blair SMCS and is frequently overwhelmed by workload and complexity of work. He has time management and efficiency issues and is not super organized. Overall, Blair has been a very stressful experience for our family.

Open house is not reality. It is a show that the school puts on. Ostrander is the only one that is realistic about what to expect. 1/2 of the teachers are amazing. The other 1/2 are just putting on the show for the parents and are not that great.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC was invited to join the Blair math/science magnet - we attended the open house, we are not from TPMS magnet program. From doing research and talking to current families we have heard something to the effect of " don't come here if you want perfect grades and/or elite college admissions". What does the 'average/not superstar' Blair math/science student trajectory look like - do they get mostly B/C grades? Is it incredibly stressful to keep up with the pace of the classes? Are they able to do any extracurriculars or do they have to spend all their time studying? What kinds of colleges are they accepted to? Is it a disadvantage to be in the program as an average student for college admissions because the cohort is so strong? TIA !

My DC graduated from Blair magnet recently. I think I can answer your questions. I wouldn't say it is incredibly stressful, but the level of stress may be a more than home school due to longer hours, more commute, and more rigorous classes. But if you choose your schedule in a balanced way it can be a very rewarding and enjoyable experience, because you can take very interesting electives in your area of interest from very interesting teachers. I have been especially pleased with most of the teachers who are passionate about their subject areas. In my view teachers and interesting electives were the biggest pros of Blair magnet. In terms of grades, I think B's are not uncommon, but saying that students get mostly B's and C's would probably be exaggeration. In terms of college acceptances, a big chunk of students matriculate to either top colleges or UMD STEM with generous awards. But in my opinion the biggest advantage is not in terms of college matriculation, but rather in terms of college preparedness. My DC is having a successful college experience mostly due to Blair magnet background. I think being academically well-prepared when they are in college is especially important, because being away from home (even though that is something that may look attractive when they are in HS) is something they need to adjust initially. Struggling academically on top of that would make it more challenging. So Blair magnet is a big help in that aspect. Good luck.

Yes, it can be hard. I've heard only 30% of the SMCS students have an UW 4.0 which is much lower than most home schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC was invited to join the Blair math/science magnet - we attended the open house, we are not from TPMS magnet program. From doing research and talking to current families we have heard something to the effect of " don't come here if you want perfect grades and/or elite college admissions". What does the 'average/not superstar' Blair math/science student trajectory look like - do they get mostly B/C grades? Is it incredibly stressful to keep up with the pace of the classes? Are they able to do any extracurriculars or do they have to spend all their time studying? What kinds of colleges are they accepted to? Is it a disadvantage to be in the program as an average student for college admissions because the cohort is so strong? TIA !

My DC graduated from Blair magnet recently. I think I can answer your questions. I wouldn't say it is incredibly stressful, but the level of stress may be a more than home school due to longer hours, more commute, and more rigorous classes. But if you choose your schedule in a balanced way it can be a very rewarding and enjoyable experience, because you can take very interesting electives in your area of interest from very interesting teachers. I have been especially pleased with most of the teachers who are passionate about their subject areas. In my view teachers and interesting electives were the biggest pros of Blair magnet. In terms of grades, I think B's are not uncommon, but saying that students get mostly B's and C's would probably be exaggeration. In terms of college acceptances, a big chunk of students matriculate to either top colleges or UMD STEM with generous awards. But in my opinion the biggest advantage is not in terms of college matriculation, but rather in terms of college preparedness. My DC is having a successful college experience mostly due to Blair magnet background. I think being academically well-prepared when they are in college is especially important, because being away from home (even though that is something that may look attractive when they are in HS) is something they need to adjust initially. Struggling academically on top of that would make it more challenging. So Blair magnet is a big help in that aspect. Good luck.

Yes, it can be hard. I've heard only 30% of the SMCS students have an UW 4.0 which is much lower than most home schools.

Anonymous wrote:Our child is in Blair SMCS and is frequently overwhelmed by workload and complexity of work. He has time management and efficiency issues and is not super organized. Overall, Blair has been a very stressful experience for our family.

Open house is not reality. It is a show that the school puts on. Ostrander is the only one that is realistic about what to expect. 1/2 of the teachers are amazing. The other 1/2 are just putting on the show for the parents and are not that great.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC was invited to join the Blair math/science magnet - we attended the open house, we are not from TPMS magnet program. From doing research and talking to current families we have heard something to the effect of " don't come here if you want perfect grades and/or elite college admissions". What does the 'average/not superstar' Blair math/science student trajectory look like - do they get mostly B/C grades? Is it incredibly stressful to keep up with the pace of the classes? Are they able to do any extracurriculars or do they have to spend all their time studying? What kinds of colleges are they accepted to? Is it a disadvantage to be in the program as an average student for college admissions because the cohort is so strong? TIA !

My DC graduated from Blair magnet recently. I think I can answer your questions. I wouldn't say it is incredibly stressful, but the level of stress may be a more than home school due to longer hours, more commute, and more rigorous classes. But if you choose your schedule in a balanced way it can be a very rewarding and enjoyable experience, because you can take very interesting electives in your area of interest from very interesting teachers. I have been especially pleased with most of the teachers who are passionate about their subject areas. In my view teachers and interesting electives were the biggest pros of Blair magnet. In terms of grades, I think B's are not uncommon, but saying that students get mostly B's and C's would probably be exaggeration. In terms of college acceptances, a big chunk of students matriculate to either top colleges or UMD STEM with generous awards. But in my opinion the biggest advantage is not in terms of college matriculation, but rather in terms of college preparedness. My DC is having a successful college experience mostly due to Blair magnet background. I think being academically well-prepared when they are in college is especially important, because being away from home (even though that is something that may look attractive when they are in HS) is something they need to adjust initially. Struggling academically on top of that would make it more challenging. So Blair magnet is a big help in that aspect. Good luck.

Anonymous wrote:DC was invited to join the Blair math/science magnet - we attended the open house, we are not from TPMS magnet program. From doing research and talking to current families we have heard something to the effect of " don't come here if you want perfect grades and/or elite college admissions". What does the 'average/not superstar' Blair math/science student trajectory look like - do they get mostly B/C grades? Is it incredibly stressful to keep up with the pace of the classes? Are they able to do any extracurriculars or do they have to spend all their time studying? What kinds of colleges are they accepted to? Is it a disadvantage to be in the program as an average student for college admissions because the cohort is so strong? TIA !