Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow! It sounds so stressful. We will have a really hard decision to make if DC made TJ. What ECs are usually done at the 8th period? What ECs take 3 hours a day? My DC likes the curriculum but also wants to do band, art, sports, debate, and LOTS of reading, and also needs at least 8 hours of sleep everyday. With a long commute is that at all possible at TJ?

Most clubs and academic teams meet 8th period. Although many also require an out of school piece as well. Spanish clulture club— confined to just 8th period. Biology Olympiad, trying to make the national team— takes over all free time.

After school, marching band, sports and drama come to mind. My kid does marching band, and it is very time consuming. 3 dull weeks in the summer, including 8 days of away camp. 1.5 hours Monday, 3 hours Tu/Th, plus an extra half hour each nigh to put equipment away and clean up. Friday night football games, with practice between school and the game. Full days most Saturdays for either practice (early in the season) or competition (later). Drama can be similarly intense in the lead up to plays, and then ease of for a while. Various sports take varying levels of commitment for practice, plus meets. Crew takes a ton of time. There are always a lot of kids after school. And a lot of non-band kids doing activities when I do 7:30 band pickup (which is closer to 8).

And these are big activities. In a school of 1700, over 100 kids are in band. Crew and drama (acting plus tech) are also huge numbers of kids.

Do you have to do marching band if you want to do symphonic band or jazz band?

TJ Bands tries to be very flexible. No band student is required to march. But most do, and love it. Great program, great group of kids. The director consistently wins teacher of the year. You can also take a year off of curricular band (which happens sophomore or junior year for many kids who need to fit in an extra class) and keep marching anyway. Also, strings can march percussion or pit. Starting this year or next year, you are supposed to get a .5 honors bump for band of strings if you do TJMC.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:picked up my kid a Longfellow MS today after the TJ exam, didn't know that there was a Indian/Asian convention there. While I was waiting for my kid out side the school, I count there were less than ten white people waiting for their kids.

TJ is already over 70% Asian... so it's not surprising that you would see relatively few white kids and many Asian kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow! It sounds so stressful. We will have a really hard decision to make if DC made TJ. What ECs are usually done at the 8th period? What ECs take 3 hours a day? My DC likes the curriculum but also wants to do band, art, sports, debate, and LOTS of reading, and also needs at least 8 hours of sleep everyday. With a long commute is that at all possible at TJ?

Most clubs and academic teams meet 8th period. Although many also require an out of school piece as well. Spanish clulture club— confined to just 8th period. Biology Olympiad, trying to make the national team— takes over all free time.

After school, marching band, sports and drama come to mind. My kid does marching band, and it is very time consuming. 3 dull weeks in the summer, including 8 days of away camp. 1.5 hours Monday, 3 hours Tu/Th, plus an extra half hour each nigh to put equipment away and clean up. Friday night football games, with practice between school and the game. Full days most Saturdays for either practice (early in the season) or competition (later). Drama can be similarly intense in the lead up to plays, and then ease of for a while. Various sports take varying levels of commitment for practice, plus meets. Crew takes a ton of time. There are always a lot of kids after school. And a lot of non-band kids doing activities when I do 7:30 band pickup (which is closer to 8).

And these are big activities. In a school of 1700, over 100 kids are in band. Crew and drama (acting plus tech) are also huge numbers of kids.

Do you have to do marching band if you want to do symphonic band or jazz band?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow! It sounds so stressful. We will have a really hard decision to make if DC made TJ. What ECs are usually done at the 8th period? What ECs take 3 hours a day? My DC likes the curriculum but also wants to do band, art, sports, debate, and LOTS of reading, and also needs at least 8 hours of sleep everyday. With a long commute is that at all possible at TJ?

Most clubs and academic teams meet 8th period. Although many also require an out of school piece as well. Spanish clulture club— confined to just 8th period. Biology Olympiad, trying to make the national team— takes over all free time.

After school, marching band, sports and drama come to mind. My kid does marching band, and it is very time consuming. 3 dull weeks in the summer, including 8 days of away camp. 1.5 hours Monday, 3 hours Tu/Th, plus an extra half hour each nigh to put equipment away and clean up. Friday night football games, with practice between school and the game. Full days most Saturdays for either practice (early in the season) or competition (later). Drama can be similarly intense in the lead up to plays, and then ease of for a while. Various sports take varying levels of commitment for practice, plus meets. Crew takes a ton of time. There are always a lot of kids after school. And a lot of non-band kids doing activities when I do 7:30 band pickup (which is closer to 8).

And these are big activities. In a school of 1700, over 100 kids are in band. Crew and drama (acting plus tech) are also huge numbers of kids.

Anonymous wrote:Wow! It sounds so stressful. We will have a really hard decision to make if DC made TJ. What ECs are usually done at the 8th period? What ECs take 3 hours a day? My DC likes the curriculum but also wants to do band, art, sports, debate, and LOTS of reading, and also needs at least 8 hours of sleep everyday. With a long commute is that at all possible at TJ?

Anonymous wrote:
I’m glad for your DD, but give it time. TJ eases kids in slowly and 3rd-4th quarter, when the IBET project and Robot Project, and a Romeo and Juliet 5th Act all come due at once, and they leave RS and start “real TJ math”. arms is a cakewalk. For many kids, a TJ Math is not so much. Then things get much more time consuming and stressful.

And the freshman load is just lighter, on purpose. There is more forgiveness, better curving, and more support. Sophomore and junior years are the tough ones at TJ. And almost no one ends up graduating with straight As. Very few kids would say the can manage TJ, plus an EC, plus a job, plus friends and screen time, and get sleep. Maybe your kid is the exception. But recognize it will get much harder.

And yes, a time consuming EC hurts. As does a long commute. But strangely my kids grades are higher when he does his EC. And, of course, you need more to get into a good college out of a TJ than grades. An UW 4.0 with no substantive ECs is a problem.

Anonymous wrote:Wow! It sounds so stressful. We will have a really hard decision to make if DC made TJ. What ECs are usually done at the 8th period? What ECs take 3 hours a day? My DC likes the curriculum but also wants to do band, art, sports, debate, and LOTS of reading, and also needs at least 8 hours of sleep everyday. With a long commute is that at all possible at TJ?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good luck to everyone. I know this is a long and stressful process. Please make sure you keep some perspective. I know it’s hard when the process is so long.

My DC1 is at TJ. And it’s a great school for that kid. But it is a long commute from Western Fairfax, and long days. Catches the bust at 7:30. Out of school at 4. Does an EC from 4:30-7:30, but often finishes at 8. Home at 8:30, for dinner, a shower, homework. Bed after midnight many nights. Works hard for solid grades, but not exceptional. Loves the school, loves the kids. Is getting a great education. Is often stressed. It takes a toll on him, and takes a toll on us.

DC2 was a TJ finalist who was not admitted. Was devastated at the time. But started base HS with a good attitude. Also works hard, and has a much stronger GPS. Does an EC and is usually home by 6. Is getting enough sleep. Also loves the school, also loves the peer group. Will likely end up at the same caliber college as the TJ kid. Is getting a great education.

The point is that TJ is an amazing school especially for the right kid. But like anything worth having, it comes at a cost. And many of the base school will also provide a great education and also have smart, motivated kids who are going places.

I hope everyone’s kid gets into arak, if that’s what they want. But please help your kid keep it in perspective. It’s a great school. But not the only school where they can be successful.

Isn't your DC1 stressed out and sleep deprived because of the EC activity that takes 3-3.5 hours every day? It has nothing to do with TJ. When our DD was accepted by TJ, I felt so worried in advance because I read plenty of messages like yours. She just finished her first quarter at TJ and gets all As so far. She has plenty of time for EC activities, part-time job, friends, and screen time. Nobody in our family is stressed out because of her school.

Anonymous wrote:PP thanks for the thoughtful post. What time does your DC2 go to bed?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our test site was a bit of a cluster with people waiting outside and they would only take in a few kids at a time to check in. Plus a bunch of kids brought backpacks and couldn’t bring them in. I’m hoping things went more smoothly once the kids were inside.

Why would kids bring backpacks when they were told not to bring anything? I think if you can’t follow simple directions, they should take a lot of points off the top right there.