Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will put kid in good stead for college. Everyone in my incoming MIT class expected to be in the top half of the class. This was asked at orientation. "Raise your hand if you expect to be in the top half..". Most everyone raised their hand. Speaker said, "Look around. Think about that,"
People sheepishly started lowering their hands..

College is different.

My kid went through Stuyvesant HS half asleep. Boy, was he humbled by the math department at UChicago.

I hate to be arrogant, but this is not a thing that happens coming from TJ. The only schools where TJ kids generally find things more difficult than high school are MIT and Caltech. Otherwise, kids almost universally report that things are MUCH easier in college than at TJ

Princeton can also have a lot of rigor.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will put kid in good stead for college. Everyone in my incoming MIT class expected to be in the top half of the class. This was asked at orientation. "Raise your hand if you expect to be in the top half..". Most everyone raised their hand. Speaker said, "Look around. Think about that,"
People sheepishly started lowering their hands..

College is different.

My kid went through Stuyvesant HS half asleep. Boy, was he humbled by the math department at UChicago.

I hate to be arrogant, but this is not a thing that happens coming from TJ. The only schools where TJ kids generally find things more difficult than high school are MIT and Caltech. Otherwise, kids almost universally report that things are MUCH easier in college than at TJ

Anonymous wrote:Will put kid in good stead for college. Everyone in my incoming MIT class expected to be in the top half of the class. This was asked at orientation. "Raise your hand if you expect to be in the top half..". Most everyone raised their hand. Speaker said, "Look around. Think about that,"
People sheepishly started lowering their hands..

College is different.

My kid went through Stuyvesant HS half asleep. Boy, was he humbled by the math department at UChicago.

Interesting. I was talking to my kid this morning about his transition to TJ and his experience has been the opposite. He thought he'd be studying from the moment he got home until 10 pm every night and so far that hasn't been the case. I worry he is not putting in enough effort (he tends to do the minimum possible and not push himself with homework... very high ambition but doesn't seem to have the work ethic to back it up). His grades are all As so far but he's had very few assessments so I'm waiting anxiously to see how things look when he's got a few more real tests and assignments under his belt.

He doesn't seem to love his teachers so I wasn't sure if TJ was living up to his expectations or if it wasn't as "special" as he thought it would be (i.e., just school...). He said it was the opposite... like school but better. He really likes the long lunches on Mondays and the fact that there's only one lunch... also likes 8th period, likes the IBET model, and it hasn't been as much work as he was imagining. Hope this sticks!

I meant trying to get 1550.

I have 2 kids at Langley. They were both studying this weekend. Both did not study in middle school either.

My junior is studying for his SATs and has a full AP course load. He is trying to get 1500 and gets 700-750 on subjects but can’t seem to consistently score 1500 so is stressed out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TJ parent, and I agree. My son loves TJ! But it’s challenging.

For the parents of 7th and 8th graders, consider: DS took the required freshman Intro to Research Statistics (RS) last year; TJ teaches that year-long course in one semester.

RS2 is AP statistics. It’s just as intense for classes such as first-year English. For example, here is an assigned English work from his class last year (no, I am not joking. Read it):

https://www.psmjournals.org/index.php/biolres/article/view/72/44

Please apply for TJ because your child is truly ready. But most of all: please apply only if your child truly wants to take on the challenge TJ offers.

OP here.

I encouraged my kid to go because they frequently take the path of least resistance.
But I stood ready to support them if they didn't do well. It is better to hit that academic wall in high school and get it out of the way so you can do better at a less selective college than to go to a more selective college and get overwhelmed. For 90% of the kids at TJ, the primary benefit is the training from the higher rigor. It provides an admissions boost for maybe a small handful of kids at the very top end. For the middle it is probably a bit of a negative because of how it affects your GPA but probably still worth it. For the kids at the bottom, they aren't really getting the benefits of rigor because they can't keep up and their gpas are taking a hit because they probably would be getting a lot of As at their base school.

If only there was some way to know if your kid would be in that bottom group at TJ.
The froshmores all seem to do pretty well; but their admission is based on PSAT scores and teacher recommendations and they don't come from a broad range of schools or have a broad racial or economic diversity. Everything that is the opposite of the new admissions process.

Agree-- from what I've seen the froshmores do well at TJ and also in college admissions. They tend to be kids that come from the most competitive pyramids and just missed TJ but would have gotten in from another pyramid. They also tend to, because they have to excel in their freshman year grades and do well on the PSAT, have the kinds of skills that are rewarded in the college admissions process.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC goes to a very ordinary public school (not a W) and has homework every weekend. HS is harder than MS. Hopefully your child expected that!

Indeed the MS to HS is a big transition. The MS to TJ is a much higher leap in terms of transition (heard from some teacher or counselor, no formal citings)!

Good lord PP. MS to "ANY" magnet is a big leap. There are a lot of smart kids out there. You will see them in 4 years when your kid starts college. Don't be a frog in a well.

Anonymous wrote:My DC goes to a very ordinary public school (not a W) and has homework every weekend. HS is harder than MS. Hopefully your child expected that!

Indeed the MS to HS is a big transition. The MS to TJ is a much higher leap in terms of transition (heard from some teacher or counselor, no formal citings)!

My DC goes to a very ordinary public school (not a W) and has homework every weekend. HS is harder than MS. Hopefully your child expected that!

Every kid comes in big head full of hot air. Eventually they will be beaten down to new normal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TJ parent, and I agree. My son loves TJ! But it’s challenging.

For the parents of 7th and 8th graders, consider: DS took the required freshman Intro to Research Statistics (RS) last year; TJ teaches that year-long course in one semester.

RS2 is AP statistics. It’s just as intense for classes such as first-year English. For example, here is an assigned English work from his class last year (no, I am not joking. Read it):

https://www.psmjournals.org/index.php/biolres/article/view/72/44

Please apply for TJ because your child is truly ready. But most of all: please apply only if your child truly wants to take on the challenge TJ offers.

OP here.

I encouraged my kid to go because they frequently take the path of least resistance.
But I stood ready to support them if they didn't do well. It is better to hit that academic wall in high school and get it out of the way so you can do better at a less selective college than to go to a more selective college and get overwhelmed. For 90% of the kids at TJ, the primary benefit is the training from the higher rigor. It provides an admissions boost for maybe a small handful of kids at the very top end. For the middle it is probably a bit of a negative because of how it affects your GPA but probably still worth it. For the kids at the bottom, they aren't really getting the benefits of rigor because they can't keep up and their gpas are taking a hit because they probably would be getting a lot of As at their base school.

If only there was some way to know if your kid would be in that bottom group at TJ.
The froshmores all seem to do pretty well; but their admission is based on PSAT scores and teacher recommendations and they don't come from a broad range of schools or have a broad racial or economic diversity. Everything that is the opposite of the new admissions process.

Anonymous wrote:TJ parent, and I agree. My son loves TJ! But it’s challenging.

For the parents of 7th and 8th graders, consider: DS took the required freshman Intro to Research Statistics (RS) last year; TJ teaches that year-long course in one semester.

RS2 is AP statistics. It’s just as intense for classes such as first-year English. For example, here is an assigned English work from his class last year (no, I am not joking. Read it):

https://www.psmjournals.org/index.php/biolres/article/view/72/44

Please apply for TJ because your child is truly ready. But most of all: please apply only if your child truly wants to take on the challenge TJ offers.

OP here.

I encouraged my kid to go because they frequently take the path of least resistance.
But I stood ready to support them if they didn't do well. It is better to hit that academic wall in high school and get it out of the way so you can do better at a less selective college than to go to a more selective college and get overwhelmed. For 90% of the kids at TJ, the primary benefit is the training from the higher rigor. It provides an admissions boost for maybe a small handful of kids at the very top end. For the middle it is probably a bit of a negative because of how it affects your GPA but probably still worth it. For the kids at the bottom, they aren't really getting the benefits of rigor because they can't keep up and their gpas are taking a hit because they probably would be getting a lot of As at their base school.

TJ parent, and I agree. My son loves TJ! But it’s challenging.

For the parents of 7th and 8th graders, consider: DS took the required freshman Intro to Research Statistics (RS) last year; TJ teaches that year-long course in one semester.

RS2 is AP statistics. It’s just as intense for classes such as first-year English. For example, here is an assigned English work from his class last year (no, I am not joking. Read it):

https://www.psmjournals.org/index.php/biolres/article/view/72/44

Please apply for TJ because your child is truly ready. But most of all: please apply only if your child truly wants to take on the challenge TJ offers.

Anonymous wrote:I was thinking the same thing earlier today while I was out and about. "It’s such a beautiful day, and my TJ kid has to be inside studying." At least he got to enjoy plenty of those gorgeous days before high school, and he’ll have many more after, lol.

OP here.

The future is going to be more competitive for our kids than it was for us.