Anonymous
05/09/2025 15:32
Subject: AP Calc BC - B grade - what are the chances for Ivy and MIT
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Yep. If you want to get into an Ivy/MIT better be in the top 10-15 percent at TJ. Your kid would easily be that at their base school. That’s the TJ fine print. College admissions competition is much much tougher, but you learn a ton and have great opportunities to see what you want to do in STEM. My kid fared much worse than she would have at her base school. But she learned much much more and she will find freshman college to be very easy, I suspect.
Top 10-15 percent at regular public high school does not get you into an Ivy.
But they do at a private feeder.
And top 25% at private is also getting into T20. Usually it's more.
Is that because the feeder is good or because the feeder takes kids who are athletes, donors, etc.?
Every feeder is different. Some are the former and some are the latter.
Pick wisely.
Anonymous
05/09/2025 15:28
Subject: AP Calc BC - B grade - what are the chances for Ivy and MIT
Anonymous wrote:DS got into MIT without AP calc
Did your kid’s school offer calc? They evaluate kids in the context of their school and for a school like TJ, I’d think MIT expects BC calc at the minimum
Anonymous
05/09/2025 15:25
Subject: AP Calc BC - B grade - what are the chances for Ivy and MIT
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Yep. If you want to get into an Ivy/MIT better be in the top 10-15 percent at TJ. Your kid would easily be that at their base school. That’s the TJ fine print. College admissions competition is much much tougher, but you learn a ton and have great opportunities to see what you want to do in STEM. My kid fared much worse than she would have at her base school. But she learned much much more and she will find freshman college to be very easy, I suspect.
Top 10-15 percent at regular public high school does not get you into an Ivy.
But they do at a private feeder.
And top 25% at private is also getting into T20. Usually it's more.
Is that because the feeder is good or because the feeder takes kids who are athletes, donors, etc.?
Anonymous
05/09/2025 15:18
Subject: AP Calc BC - B grade - what are the chances for Ivy and MIT
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Yep. If you want to get into an Ivy/MIT better be in the top 10-15 percent at TJ. Your kid would easily be that at their base school. That’s the TJ fine print. College admissions competition is much much tougher, but you learn a ton and have great opportunities to see what you want to do in STEM. My kid fared much worse than she would have at her base school. But she learned much much more and she will find freshman college to be very easy, I suspect.
Top 10-15 percent at regular public high school does not get you into an Ivy.
But they do at a private feeder.
And top 25% at private is also getting into T20. Usually it's more.
Anonymous
05/09/2025 15:17
Subject: AP Calc BC - B grade - what are the chances for Ivy and MIT
Anonymous wrote:Child in TJ - current Junior and may end with B grade in AP Calc BC. I have heard all grades should be A being Asian to get into Ivy/MIT/Stanford. What are the chances for those schools for a Bio major with a B grade in AP Calc BC and remaining As or A- in Junior year. Overall GPA end of Junior will be close to 4.3; SAT 1570+; Good ECs
These grades does not matter if the child is not Asian-American male. If your kid is Asian-American male getting straight A's also will do no good for admission to Ivy and MIT. However, being a superachiever Asian-American kid will set him/her for life because they will succeed in any college, any job, any job market and any stock market.
Anonymous
05/09/2025 14:45
Subject: AP Calc BC - B grade - what are the chances for Ivy and MIT
Anonymous wrote:Yep. If you want to get into an Ivy/MIT better be in the top 10-15 percent at TJ. Your kid would easily be that at their base school. That’s the TJ fine print. College admissions competition is much much tougher, but you learn a ton and have great opportunities to see what you want to do in STEM. My kid fared much worse than she would have at her base school. But she learned much much more and she will find freshman college to be very easy, I suspect.
Top 10-15 percent at regular public high school does not get you into an Ivy.
Anonymous
05/09/2025 14:40
Subject: AP Calc BC - B grade - what are the chances for Ivy and MIT
Anonymous wrote:In fairness before the equity changes at Thomas Jefferson, it would routinesly get around 150 NMSF SAT takers. That number is half that now, which is about the same for some public school districts in the northeast and California. So maybe the colleges will look at coming from TJ a little differently than in the past with respect to what is expected of their accomplishments.
As they should. 100% of everyone thinks this about the current and onward classes, save for the parents of current enrolled kids. Current SATs and PSATs are very telling - and unsurprising.
Anonymous
05/09/2025 14:35
Subject: AP Calc BC - B grade - what are the chances for Ivy and MIT
In fairness before the equity changes at Thomas Jefferson, it would routinesly get around 150 NMSF SAT takers. That number is half that now, which is about the same for some public school districts in the northeast and California. So maybe the colleges will look at coming from TJ a little differently than in the past with respect to what is expected of their accomplishments.
Anonymous
05/09/2025 14:01
Subject: AP Calc BC - B grade - what are the chances for Ivy and MIT
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Child in TJ - current Junior and may end with B grade in AP Calc BC. I have heard all grades should be A being Asian to get into Ivy/MIT/Stanford. What are the chances for those schools for a Bio major with a B grade in AP Calc BC and remaining As or A- in Junior year. Overall GPA end of Junior will be close to 4.3; SAT 1570+; Good ECs
Hire a college counselor. They’ll evaluate transcript and ECs. Might be able to pivot to another major, add some summer stuff to support it and overall strengthen chances.
Bio is still tough - especially for Asian females. If the goal is medical field, there are many other major options.
Has the OP come back?
Agree with this.
I’d apply to SLACs - ED1 and ED2:
https://www.shemmassianconsulting.com/blog/best-liberal-arts-colleges-for-medical-school
Agree. Apply ED to SLACs where the entire rest of TJ isn't applying.
This is against conventional wisdom. Magnet high schools and SLACs don’t go hand in hand. True, the entire rest of TJ isn’t applying to SLACs. But there is a reason why the entire school isn’t applying.
It’s a vicious cycle. Very few is applying to SLACs, and even fewer accepted by SLACs.
I hope OP saw this post and don’t make the stupid mistake of applying to SLACs.
Study TJ’s past matriculation data carefully find a low reach school to which TJ is a feeder, then ED, ED2 two of these schools. WashU Emory Cornell CALS come to mind.
How is it a vicious cycle? That might impact yield, and hence RD decisions. But yield isn’t considered at ED. Can you clarify your point?
It’s a vicious cycle in terms of development year by year. Each year fewer applicants to SLACs, and each year fewer acceptance.
I don’t have TJ’s data, but looked at data for a NC magnet. In recent years, the number of applicants to each single lac has dropped to single digit, acceptance 0-3.
Not surprising since the top SLACs aren't very interested in STEM drones. Neither are the Ivy's but they are larger so they are a bit less picky.
Anonymous
05/09/2025 13:21
Subject: AP Calc BC - B grade - what are the chances for Ivy and MIT
Yep. If you want to get into an Ivy/MIT better be in the top 10-15 percent at TJ. Your kid would easily be that at their base school. That’s the TJ fine print. College admissions competition is much much tougher, but you learn a ton and have great opportunities to see what you want to do in STEM. My kid fared much worse than she would have at her base school. But she learned much much more and she will find freshman college to be very easy, I suspect.
Anonymous
05/09/2025 12:50
Subject: AP Calc BC - B grade - what are the chances for Ivy and MIT
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would think that from listening to these expert admissions officers that if you are going to TJ that you need to
1. take calculus as a 9th grader; 2. win some type of math/stem national award; 3. develop some interest outside of math; 4. take at least multivariable/diff/linear
to have a chance at a T20.
If you go to a big umc public in Fairfax Co, the applicant:
1. take calculus as 10th grader; 2. take multi/diff/linear at local college; 3. regional award in math/stem;
Why do you get penalized for going to TJ?
It's because the AOs read applications in "school groups," which means that the first round of cuts compares each applicant to other applicants from the same school. Kids at TJ have self-selected into a more intensive STEM program and are great test takers and great students, so a student who could have been a superstar, top 5% at a typical suburban public school, may be outshined in a class or two or three and their GPA would put them in the top 20 or 30% of the class and not the top 5%.
Anonymous
05/09/2025 11:58
Subject: AP Calc BC - B grade - what are the chances for Ivy and MIT
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would think that from listening to these expert admissions officers that if you are going to TJ that you need to
1. take calculus as a 9th grader; 2. win some type of math/stem national award; 3. develop some interest outside of math; 4. take at least multivariable/diff/linear
to have a chance at a T20.
If you go to a big umc public in Fairfax Co, the applicant:
1. take calculus as 10th grader; 2. take multi/diff/linear at local college; 3. regional award in math/stem;
Why do you get penalized for going to TJ?
OMG that's the point of this whole thread.
Listen to THE PODCAST.
Anonymous
05/09/2025 11:54
Subject: AP Calc BC - B grade - what are the chances for Ivy and MIT
Anonymous wrote:I would think that from listening to these expert admissions officers that if you are going to TJ that you need to
1. take calculus as a 9th grader; 2. win some type of math/stem national award; 3. develop some interest outside of math; 4. take at least multivariable/diff/linear
to have a chance at a T20.
If you go to a big umc public in Fairfax Co, the applicant:
1. take calculus as 10th grader; 2. take multi/diff/linear at local college; 3. regional award in math/stem;
Why do you get penalized for going to TJ?
Anonymous
05/09/2025 11:47
Subject: AP Calc BC - B grade - what are the chances for Ivy and MIT
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:MIT? No chance whatsoever
Harvard? Sure why not, if you’re loaded or “started a nonprofit”. Same as any other student
For m, it’s ok if you are a recruit and a B in Calculus won’t kill you.
My kid was told explicitly by MIT that there is no such thing as coach support for admissions.
I doubt that since my kid was an MIT athlete and she had full coach support which meant that her typical chances were 50-65% (per the coach) based on her academic profile. She was admitted.
MIT alum athlete - coaches can support applications, but it absolutely doesn't matter if the academic stats just aren't there.
The stats have to be there ti be recruited. But the bump is real and huge.
Anonymous
05/09/2025 11:39
Subject: AP Calc BC - B grade - what are the chances for Ivy and MIT
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Child in TJ - current Junior and may end with B grade in AP Calc BC. I have heard all grades should be A being Asian to get into Ivy/MIT/Stanford. What are the chances for those schools for a Bio major with a B grade in AP Calc BC and remaining As or A- in Junior year. Overall GPA end of Junior will be close to 4.3; SAT 1570+; Good ECs
Hire a college counselor. They’ll evaluate transcript and ECs. Might be able to pivot to another major, add some summer stuff to support it and overall strengthen chances.
Bio is still tough - especially for Asian females. If the goal is medical field, there are many other major options.
Has the OP come back?
Agree with this.
I’d apply to SLACs - ED1 and ED2:
https://www.shemmassianconsulting.com/blog/best-liberal-arts-colleges-for-medical-school
Agree. Apply ED to SLACs where the entire rest of TJ isn't applying.
This is against conventional wisdom. Magnet high schools and SLACs don’t go hand in hand. True, the entire rest of TJ isn’t applying to SLACs. But there is a reason why the entire school isn’t applying.
It’s a vicious cycle. Very few is applying to SLACs, and even fewer accepted by SLACs.
I hope OP saw this post and don’t make the stupid mistake of applying to SLACs.
Study TJ’s past matriculation data carefully find a low reach school to which TJ is a feeder, then ED, ED2 two of these schools. WashU Emory Cornell CALS come to mind.
How is it a vicious cycle? That might impact yield, and hence RD decisions. But yield isn’t considered at ED. Can you clarify your point?
It’s a vicious cycle in terms of development year by year. Each year fewer applicants to SLACs, and each year fewer acceptance.
I don’t have TJ’s data, but looked at data for a NC magnet. In recent years, the number of applicants to each single lac has dropped to single digit, acceptance 0-3.