If your kid is the one who's interested in TJ, that's a huge factor.

Self-motivated, hard-working students who have some organization skills will do fine at TJ. If they have felt like they wanted more peers who are into academics, TJ might be a good fit. But someone told us, when we were evaluating, that it's helpful when the student has enough confidence to know what they are interested in, and not be too swayed or competitive with other TJ students. (Like the ability to say "I like biology but it's ok if CS is not my thing." Versus "everyone is taking AP bio and AP CS, I'm falling behind."). And I think that's been very helpful. If your student sets their standards by competing with others, or adopts other people's values, it might be a stressful environment.

Also, the curriculum is kind of rigid--like Calc is required. Not a lot of electives/choice till senior year. So if they want more flex in their high school courses, it might not be a great fit.

Anonymous wrote:Is TJ right for your kid?

Take this example: Algebra 2 Hns ( M3 at TJ) is covered both at the base school and at TJ.

At TJ however its covered in 1/2 year vs 1 full year at base school. So much faster. And the exams/assignments are 2-3x harder than base school.

At TJ a lot of kids get a B or B+ ( some C’s also) while at base these same kids would have landed with a A and a full 1 credit (vs half credit at TJ)

If ur kid will like this - go to TJ.

This is so true, and colleges don't care that TJ is harder.

One quick addition for those really wanting to get to TJ -

The TJ brand does help with lower tier schools eg Pitt, Penn St etc. They are much much more forgiving with B's earned at TJ. They seek out TJ kids to raise their profiles..just an anecdotal observation - not backed up be numbers. So dont crucify the comment

Exactly. UVA does not factor that the B was at TJ - they would treat it like any other B

Around 1/3 of the kids at TJ just plow through the courses..they get A's or A-'s - no matter how much harder the course is.

Others really struggle to get anything over a B+, even though they are 'smart'

Anonymous wrote:Is TJ right for your kid?

Take this example: Algebra 2 Hns ( M3 at TJ) is covered both at the base school and at TJ.

At TJ however its covered in 1/2 year vs 1 full year at base school. So much faster. And the exams/assignments are 2-3x harder than base school.

At TJ a lot of kids get a B or B+ ( some C’s also) while at base these same kids would have landed with a A and a full 1 credit (vs half credit at TJ)

If ur kid will like this - go to TJ.

+1. And your kid will be penalized for those B or B+ when applying for colleges like UVA.

PP - 100%. I wish I had known this prior to enrolling my kid at TJ. He is doing OK but the extra stress is not worth it

Is TJ right for your kid?

Take this example: Algebra 2 Hns ( M3 at TJ) is covered both at the base school and at TJ.

At TJ however its covered in 1/2 year vs 1 full year at base school. So much faster. And the exams/assignments are 2-3x harder than base school.

At TJ a lot of kids get a B or B+ ( some C’s also) while at base these same kids would have landed with a A and a full 1 credit (vs half credit at TJ)

If ur kid will like this - go to TJ.

TJ is a grind. All the students except for seniors were admitted under the new admissions system including my DC. I can say that definitely not all TJ students study more because they enjoy studying and are looking for internships and projects. My DC has to study a lot because the of reasons some PP mentioned and wants to do well in the class so it requires much more work than at base school. My DC would much rather be doing other relaxing things including sleeping more. But they do appreciate the classes offered only at TJ and chose non-competitive clubs and activities. My base school kid took 11 AP classes and it was much easier than at TJ but also learned less.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks. I guess my question is - how do we know if we should even apply? How do we know if it would be a good fit?

Kids that are successful at TJ are significantly driven and self-motivated.

As an example to determine fit:
Typical all-A kids at base schools are bright and will do the homeworks and practice problems religiously, study well for the exam, get their A, and then they'll be satisfied and enjoy their weekend with leisure activities completely unrelated to school.

The best TJ kids do not rest after the A. They strive to learn beyond the syllabus. They spend their weekends studying additional topics of interest and seek out internships and project opportunities to work on.

I have a kid at the Academies in Loudoun- my question is this-
where do the TJ kids even find the time to do internships and project opportunities even in the weekend?

*prepared

Magnet schools can be super draining- make sure your child is preprred to take that on.

Anonymous wrote:Kids at TJ. You don’t have to be all in on science and math extracurriculars. You can definitely play video games, be way into a varsity sport or crew or be all in on band or or orchestra. You DO need to love school and love learning from other students. You need to be ready to work hard. But you don’t have to be an all STEM genius. That’s not true.

NP. This is correct. Indeed, the kids who usually have the strongest college outcomes from TJ are the ones who really like school and who have something else significant in their profile in both a STEM and a non-STEM area.

And that's just presuming that college outcomes are a big deal to you. It's a tremendous place to go to school, especially for athletes and kids who love extracurriculars. The 8th period program where you can do most of your clubs and activities during the school day is a total gamechanger.

Kids at TJ. You don’t have to be all in on science and math extracurriculars. You can definitely play video games, be way into a varsity sport or crew or be all in on band or or orchestra. You DO need to love school and love learning from other students. You need to be ready to work hard. But you don’t have to be an all STEM genius. That’s not true.

Mine were both not passionate about any one particular subject. They definitely did not do extra research nor pursue additional academic workload outside syllabus. Both completed internships purely for resume value. Both had strong GPAs because of time management and constant work.

They liked TJ though for the other students that were there and the challenge.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks. I guess my question is - how do we know if we should even apply? How do we know if it would be a good fit?

Kids that are successful at TJ are significantly driven and self-motivated.

As an example to determine fit:
Typical all-A kids at base schools are bright and will do the homeworks and practice problems religiously, study well for the exam, get their A, and then they'll be satisfied and enjoy their weekend with leisure activities completely unrelated to school.

The best TJ kids do not rest after the A. They strive to learn beyond the syllabus. They spend their weekends studying additional topics of interest and seek out internships and project opportunities to work on.

That's only the less talented ones who have to strive. The naturally gifted ones can enjoy time off. It's as if they were born knowing everything and it comes with ease.