My son graduated from TJ and my daughter is in TJ. They are very proud to be at TJ. TJ high school is not any difference from any other local high school in term of social life. They invole with after school activities and participate in all kinds of school clubs. Every student treats each other with respect and they are friendly. This applies to both boy and girl. However, in term of academic, TJ high school treats their students like college students. Students are required to spend a lot of independent study to catch up with fast pace curriculum. Not to mention ton and ton of homework. Even though TJ high school is concentrated in Science,Technology, Engineering, and Math(STEM), but not all students who go to college majoring in STEM.

From my experience, TJ high school provides their students with a strong educational foundation and working habit. However, TJ IS NOT a school get students to Ivy League university. If the goal is to get into Ivy League university, you are better off attending local high school. " The star is brightest if there is only one in the sky. The star is not too bright if there are so many bright stars in the sky". No Ivy League university will take all TJ students regardless their GPA and SAT score.

Anonymous wrote:My daughter goes to TJ. She loves science and wanted to go there after we visited the school during the fall open house. I would only suggest going there if she has a true interest in science - the liberal arts courses are a weakness. The best part of the school is the students. Yes, there are true nerds who live in the labs, but most students there are well-rounded and social, as well as being very bright and hard-working. My daughter hasn't run into any "mean girls" and while there is partying, it seems to involve a small minority of students. Most kids there are too focused and studying too much to waste time getting drunk or high. My daughter has always had male friends so the male/female ratio hasn't been an issue for her at all.

My advice would be to go to the open house in the fall. If your daughter is still interested then let her take the test and apply, and then see what happens.

+1

My daughter goes to TJ. She loves science and wanted to go there after we visited the school during the fall open house. I would only suggest going there if she has a true interest in science - the liberal arts courses are a weakness. The best part of the school is the students. Yes, there are true nerds who live in the labs, but most students there are well-rounded and social, as well as being very bright and hard-working. My daughter hasn't run into any "mean girls" and while there is partying, it seems to involve a small minority of students. Most kids there are too focused and studying too much to waste time getting drunk or high. My daughter has always had male friends so the male/female ratio hasn't been an issue for her at all.

My advice would be to go to the open house in the fall. If your daughter is still interested then let her take the test and apply, and then see what happens.

I went to TJ and am in my mid 30s now. I'm glad I went and it was a great experience. I earned a major in science but then moved away from science. I burned out early from working so hard. I don't think college or any job I've had has been as challenging as TJ. I didn't feel that way at the time - I always had friends and fun but looking back on it now, I'm not sure that I would want my daughter to apply unless she really wanted it.

It has changed a lot since I was there. The admissions process is often surprising. I wouldn't put too much thought into it until she gets in.

I'm not sure how it is there now, but I went to an Ivy League school with 2 girls from TJ and they both talked favorably about their classes and friends and seemed to handle classes and friendships well in college. They did complain a bit about the bus ride but said that was when they did homework and then had more time in the afternoon for other things. That was about 20 years ago though, so its probably not that relevant. I kind of thought things would have only improved though since then. I attended my local FCPS high school and didn't regret my decision either although I think it would have been a good idea for me to attend TJ if I was more interested in science or engineering.

I have friends who went to TJ. They have a good group of girls that they keep in touch with. Of course, they were all philosophy majors and such in college. They are a smart, fun group, just not as into science/math as when they were in high school.

Don't worry, girls can excel as well as enjoy their experience at tj. It's not just a bunch of guys hunched behind their computers day and night.

Your daughter is in 7th grade, right? How can you know that she's only into environmental science? If that's her favorite class in 7th grade, then that's just an indicator that she would do well in the sciences. She may wind up loving biology, chemistry, physics, and even computer programming once she takes those classes. And she will take all of those classes if she goes to tj.

The math is an issue though. Taking algebra in seventh grade is advanced. So she's bright enough. But she needs to realize that math is a staple at tj - there's going to be a lot of it.

Thanks all- I'm kind of sorry I mentioned engineering as it had little to do with my question. It was just to demonstrate the difference between the kids I knew and my daughter's interest in environmental science.

Thank you anyways, though.

Have her take the test and see what happens. There's the possibility she won't get in, and then there's no decision to make.

I have female friends in engineering. They are not only bright, they're also attractive and very good with people, so they have been VERY successful. They've all ended up being figureheads for their companies, the public faces sent to conferences and such. If math is a weak spot, though, engineering could be very tough.

Anonymous wrote:Can I say that engineering ain't all it's cracked up to be. The people who are most hyped up about it seem to be those on the outside. Plenty of regular folks, smart but not super smart, are in the field. Lots of unemployed engineers, too. The news only seems to cover the overpaid engineers in demand. There's the other side, too. So I guess what I'm saying is do it because you love it, not because you think it might be great.

OVERPAID? Engineers (civil, mechanical, it) are underapaid, they are one of the few professions that actually produce a product unlike BS marketing, scum sucking lawyers etc...

if anything they are underpaid.

What's with the engineering tangent? OP's DD likes science and labs and math is her weakness (if B+ is a weakness). I'd say not to choose engineering but look into bio, biochem, nanotechnology, etc etc. but that still says nothing about girls at TJ.
To OP, I'd let DD be the driver here. She sounds really bright and you may have 2 good options down the road.

Anonymous wrote:Can I say that engineering ain't all it's cracked up to be. The people who are most hyped up about it seem to be those on the outside. Plenty of regular folks, smart but not super smart, are in the field. Lots of unemployed engineers, too. The news only seems to cover the overpaid engineers in demand. There's the other side, too. So I guess what I'm saying is do it because you love it, not because you think it might be great.

Engineering is a very broad term and engineers are not interchangable. Engineering is for people who like to build or make things. It's a very different environment depending on if you want to build roads (civil), electronics (electrical) Apps or games for an iPad (software) or something else. I'm in the IT business and most of the engineers are women. Probably not true on a construction site.

Yes, there are lots of unemployed engineers. Petroleum and nuclear engineers have been trashed lately. With all the cutbacks in the US you have to go overseas if you want to work. One thing all engineers have in common is a basis in math & science. If she doesn't like those, no engineering field will make her happy. If she does enjoy them, then there is certainly a field of engineering she will enjoy. TJ is a great place if she likes math & science.

Can I say that engineering ain't all it's cracked up to be. The people who are most hyped up about it seem to be those on the outside. Plenty of regular folks, smart but not super smart, are in the field. Lots of unemployed engineers, too. The news only seems to cover the overpaid engineers in demand. There's the other side, too. So I guess what I'm saying is do it because you love it, not because you think it might be great.

And if so, would you mind giving me a quick rundown of what your daughter thinks of the program?

This is (of course) for my daughter who waffles between wanting to take the test and attend TJ, or finally getting to go to a school nearby our house (she's been center schooled since third grade) and meet up with her neighborhood friends.

I'm on the fence. She is fascinated by science-especially lab work- but struggles to get a B+ average in Algebra. Other than Algebra she has an A average in her other classes and likes to sing, paint (canvases and her nails), goof around- she's an average kid who likes school and seems to enjoy most challenges. I'm not sure if the TJ choice is one made of genuine interest, or is it just another challenge that she and her friends want as another 'smart girl' trophy.

There are about five kids in our nieghborhood who attend TJ, but all are boys and excell in computer engineering with little outside interests. Not much help.

I know the average admitted to the school, so this question is more than likely moot, but: Has you daughter had a good experience there? Does she ever feel cowed by the male/female ratio? Do you have any advice you'd want to pass on?