Anonymous wrote:DP. Yes, it's true. Many students have left. It's a rigorous school so it's not surprising. Not sure what people thought would happen.
Thought it would be like old TJ and modern MIT where it is so hard, everyone has to work together to get through. Under old system, classmates complaining the loudest didn't even make the first cut and would have been miserable. There were problems I was hoping would get better:
1)Return to fee-free test: The Class of '97 was the first pay-to-apply and the first to not have the highest number of merit finalists and the first to lose to Stuyvesant and much fewer "A"s in shared '96 '97 classes by '97ers. Had fingers crossed that removing the stupid fee NOBODY wanted, would draw a bigger pool and return TJ to its heyday. I would hate to think some kid on the fence or genius from a poor family didn't apply and gave the spot to a misfit/more academically-challenged rich kid. NOBODY on either side thought removing the fee was a bad idea, both lottery and merit groups.
2)Eclectic ideas from all parts of NOVa: When a huge bulk of students come from Rachel-Carson or previously Longfellow, exposure suffers. As a huge part of TJ is innovation, who better to solve issues such a failing minorities since the onset of virtual or pork-spending on Football Arenas instead of building a second TJ or tutoring intensive to catch students up after pandemic? Rich, brainy kids might be the best candidate if they knew about it. When one goes to Haycock->Longfellow->TJ->UVa Echols the circle is small. From those 30 Haycock kids you might not find a bestie who plays clarinet and lacrosse and loves flirting with girls. When you bring in the top 30 from every middle school, your chances increase.
FWIW, I was strongly opposed to getting rid of the standardized test because people say to women and minorities from poor areas- you cheated, didn't deserve it, are dumb, etc and this is a way to prove just because you went to Langston Hughes and not Rachel Carson doesn't mean you aren't better than the applicants the year before you. Just because your parents divorce and you can't see your dad if you move to the "grade-inflation" district you are dumb. I did however hope for the best once everything was said and done. Instead all I saw was anti-Asian whites dancing in the street.