Anonymous wrote:
Perhaps, but the 59% reduction in applicants to one of the state's largest universities with the largest and most comprehensive engineering school that tries to position itself as the STEM option and instrumental in landing Amazon (I apologize here for the run on sentence) is really surprising.

VTech was puzzling for us (2019)
Accepted but did not get an invite into honors college. Applied early action. GPA/ACT was near top of cohort.
I hope we were an anomaly but perhaps VTech values a different type of kid.

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a 2019 TJ kid here, and I will never understand the parents like the PP posters who stay up with their TJ kid. To each their own, but I have to get up early for work and there is no way I can function without my sleep. I also know my kid does better when they get sleep. Again, you do you and what works for your family but for anyone considering TJ, this is not something that has to be done to be successful.

Of course not. It depends on how your family and jobs work and the kids. And it isn’t a “TJ thing”. Once DS goes to college, DD will be entering junior year at a base school, and we will do the same for her. We have no TV and a quiet house, because we all like it that way. And my kids never stopped studying that the kitchen table, or on the sofa in the den. And everyone sort of hangs out on the open floor plan main level, with the kids doing homework, one while listening to music with earbuds ,and DH often also working or nearby working on his hobby and me on DCUM or watching something on a tablet with earbuds. Or researching college admissions this year. It doesn’t feel right to me to leave one member of the family alone for hours on end. And having someone around helps the kid stick to schoolwork instead of YouTube and and to wrap it up and go to bed.

And honestly, each in our own ways, DH and I feeling sad this summer about our kid hitting senior year, and starting all the “last’s” . Proud, and excited, but also sad. We have a very limited amount of time to all be together as a family. I want to be there.

Parent of a 2019 TJ kid here, and I will never understand the parents like the PP posters who stay up with their TJ kid. To each their own, but I have to get up early for work and there is no way I can function without my sleep. I also know my kid does better when they get sleep. Again, you do you and what works for your family but for anyone considering TJ, this is not something that has to be done to be successful.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a very selective college that takes a lot of kids from TJ.

The kids from TJ (And from Stuy and Bronx Science) were very well prepared because they already knew what it was like to be challenged and to be a small fish in a big pond.

One funny thing all my friends from TJ (and Stuy, etc.) told me was that they felt they had SO much more time in college, actually, because they didn't have to have a really long commute to and from school.

This is funny because guidance counselors actually collect commute time from the kids to put in the schools college recommendations to give context to the time pressures. Lots of freshmen like the bus ride because it’s downtime (mine has about 45 minutes each way from the depot, but an hour when you factor the depot in). Most juniors hate it, because they can no longer afford downtime.

I think commute is an even bigger pressure for the Stuy kids because they have to ride public transit/subway all 4 years in most cases (no school bus and no cars/parking) during rush hour to/from and you can't study while standing on a packed train.

This is probably true. But, put yourself in the shoes of a TJ parent for a minute. Your kid plays a sport, marches in the band etc. You live an hour away, and there is no late bus. All of a sudden you have that pickup 5 times a week. TJ kids live and die by carpools and lists of kids in their activity by zip code. Either mom deals well with the role of SAHM/chauffeur, or soon as humanly possible (which is usually early junior year) they are driving themselves. Rush hour commute from Louden or Western Fairfax to TJ? Stressful.

True, I think that's one reason why TJ is, quite frankly, often a "family commitment."

Besides carpooling, it’s things you never think of. Our kid does homework at the kitchen table. And as he hit sophomore and junior years and was up until 1 am many nights after he got home from sports at 8:30 (carpool driving), a parent usually stays up with him past midnight and sits in the den and reads or works. Just so he isn’t alone every night for hours and we see some of him.

And once you let your kid go, and they start putting in all the work and effort, you can’t really say— my bad, this is taking over my life. Drop your ECs, don’t spend time with friends, don’t go to school plays and the physics class that assumes you know calculus when you don’t and you are flunking is your problem, so figure it out.

That said, I’ve grown a lot closer to my kid in HS. He’s a hostage in my car a lot of the time and I am there at midnight when he needs help. It sucks that he is heading for to college now that I like him so much as an almost adult person.

True. I stayed up until around 3:00 AM almost every night beginning with sophomore year because I felt bad for him staying up late by himself. He was taking too many APs and post APs and doing ECs, competitions, research etc. so he had to stay up late.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a very selective college that takes a lot of kids from TJ.

The kids from TJ (And from Stuy and Bronx Science) were very well prepared because they already knew what it was like to be challenged and to be a small fish in a big pond.

One funny thing all my friends from TJ (and Stuy, etc.) told me was that they felt they had SO much more time in college, actually, because they didn't have to have a really long commute to and from school.

This is funny because guidance counselors actually collect commute time from the kids to put in the schools college recommendations to give context to the time pressures. Lots of freshmen like the bus ride because it’s downtime (mine has about 45 minutes each way from the depot, but an hour when you factor the depot in). Most juniors hate it, because they can no longer afford downtime.

I think commute is an even bigger pressure for the Stuy kids because they have to ride public transit/subway all 4 years in most cases (no school bus and no cars/parking) during rush hour to/from and you can't study while standing on a packed train.

This is probably true. But, put yourself in the shoes of a TJ parent for a minute. Your kid plays a sport, marches in the band etc. You live an hour away, and there is no late bus. All of a sudden you have that pickup 5 times a week. TJ kids live and die by carpools and lists of kids in their activity by zip code. Either mom deals well with the role of SAHM/chauffeur, or soon as humanly possible (which is usually early junior year) they are driving themselves. Rush hour commute from Louden or Western Fairfax to TJ? Stressful.

True, I think that's one reason why TJ is, quite frankly, often a "family commitment."

Besides carpooling, it’s things you never think of. Our kid does homework at the kitchen table. And as he hit sophomore and junior years and was up until 1 am many nights after he got home from sports at 8:30 (carpool driving), a parent usually stays up with him past midnight and sits in the den and reads or works. Just so he isn’t alone every night for hours and we see some of him.

And once you let your kid go, and they start putting in all the work and effort, you can’t really say— my bad, this is taking over my life. Drop your ECs, don’t spend time with friends, don’t go to school plays and the physics class that assumes you know calculus when you don’t and you are flunking is your problem, so figure it out.

That said, I’ve grown a lot closer to my kid in HS. He’s a hostage in my car a lot of the time and I am there at midnight when he needs help. It sucks that he is heading for to college now that I like him so much as an almost adult person.

Anonymous wrote:One thing to consider about TJ is that it probably changes a kid's perceptions. Because of the way it has developed, kids there see classmates and those in the years ahead of them applying to schools they may have never even thought about had they stayed at their local school. It probably pushes some ambition to get out and explore (and get out of the bubble they've been in).

Plus every TJ kid cant get into Harvard or any other T25 school. I think there is definitely some middle of the pack thinking/ strategizing about good schools that don’t get 200 TJ apps. My kid applying SLAC. And his guidance counselor thinks he is in a wonderful position for a kid outside the top 20% because every no one from TJ applies to some T20 LACs. So he really does stand out and If he shows he’s really interested, he stands a great chance. (Fingers crossed).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a very selective college that takes a lot of kids from TJ.

The kids from TJ (And from Stuy and Bronx Science) were very well prepared because they already knew what it was like to be challenged and to be a small fish in a big pond.

One funny thing all my friends from TJ (and Stuy, etc.) told me was that they felt they had SO much more time in college, actually, because they didn't have to have a really long commute to and from school.

This is funny because guidance counselors actually collect commute time from the kids to put in the schools college recommendations to give context to the time pressures. Lots of freshmen like the bus ride because it’s downtime (mine has about 45 minutes each way from the depot, but an hour when you factor the depot in). Most juniors hate it, because they can no longer afford downtime.

I think commute is an even bigger pressure for the Stuy kids because they have to ride public transit/subway all 4 years in most cases (no school bus and no cars/parking) during rush hour to/from and you can't study while standing on a packed train.

This is probably true. But, put yourself in the shoes of a TJ parent for a minute. Your kid plays a sport, marches in the band etc. You live an hour away, and there is no late bus. All of a sudden you have that pickup 5 times a week. TJ kids live and die by carpools and lists of kids in their activity by zip code. Either mom deals well with the role of SAHM/chauffeur, or soon as humanly possible (which is usually early junior year) they are driving themselves. Rush hour commute from Louden or Western Fairfax to TJ? Stressful.

True, I think that's one reason why TJ is, quite frankly, often a "family commitment."

Amen. I knew it would put huge pressures on my kid. I did not realize what the rest of the family would have to put up with. I’m glad DC1 had the chance. I’m glad DC2 was a finalist who missed admission. She’s thriving at the base school, and has turned out more humanities strong than we had realized. She has her own place to grow and thrive. And I’m not sure I have the two extra years of TJ commitment in me.

One thing to consider about TJ is that it probably changes a kid's perceptions. Because of the way it has developed, kids there see classmates and those in the years ahead of them applying to schools they may have never even thought about had they stayed at their local school. It probably pushes some ambition to get out and explore (and get out of the bubble they've been in).

Threads for last 2 years
2017 - https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/649621.page#11082452
2018 - https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/732453.page#13147145

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a very selective college that takes a lot of kids from TJ.

The kids from TJ (And from Stuy and Bronx Science) were very well prepared because they already knew what it was like to be challenged and to be a small fish in a big pond.

One funny thing all my friends from TJ (and Stuy, etc.) told me was that they felt they had SO much more time in college, actually, because they didn't have to have a really long commute to and from school.

This is funny because guidance counselors actually collect commute time from the kids to put in the schools college recommendations to give context to the time pressures. Lots of freshmen like the bus ride because it’s downtime (mine has about 45 minutes each way from the depot, but an hour when you factor the depot in). Most juniors hate it, because they can no longer afford downtime.

I think commute is an even bigger pressure for the Stuy kids because they have to ride public transit/subway all 4 years in most cases (no school bus and no cars/parking) during rush hour to/from and you can't study while standing on a packed train.

Yep, also learning how to keep yourself safe when taking the train home at night at age 14 back to a poor neighborhood (the school actually has a very high FARMS rate).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a very selective college that takes a lot of kids from TJ.

The kids from TJ (And from Stuy and Bronx Science) were very well prepared because they already knew what it was like to be challenged and to be a small fish in a big pond.

One funny thing all my friends from TJ (and Stuy, etc.) told me was that they felt they had SO much more time in college, actually, because they didn't have to have a really long commute to and from school.

This is funny because guidance counselors actually collect commute time from the kids to put in the schools college recommendations to give context to the time pressures. Lots of freshmen like the bus ride because it’s downtime (mine has about 45 minutes each way from the depot, but an hour when you factor the depot in). Most juniors hate it, because they can no longer afford downtime.

I think commute is an even bigger pressure for the Stuy kids because they have to ride public transit/subway all 4 years in most cases (no school bus and no cars/parking) during rush hour to/from and you can't study while standing on a packed train.

This is probably true. But, put yourself in the shoes of a TJ parent for a minute. Your kid plays a sport, marches in the band etc. You live an hour away, and there is no late bus. All of a sudden you have that pickup 5 times a week. TJ kids live and die by carpools and lists of kids in their activity by zip code. Either mom deals well with the role of SAHM/chauffeur, or soon as humanly possible (which is usually early junior year) they are driving themselves. Rush hour commute from Louden or Western Fairfax to TJ? Stressful.

Yes, a different set of pressures for sure, but pressure all the same.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a very selective college that takes a lot of kids from TJ.

The kids from TJ (And from Stuy and Bronx Science) were very well prepared because they already knew what it was like to be challenged and to be a small fish in a big pond.

One funny thing all my friends from TJ (and Stuy, etc.) told me was that they felt they had SO much more time in college, actually, because they didn't have to have a really long commute to and from school.

This is funny because guidance counselors actually collect commute time from the kids to put in the schools college recommendations to give context to the time pressures. Lots of freshmen like the bus ride because it’s downtime (mine has about 45 minutes each way from the depot, but an hour when you factor the depot in). Most juniors hate it, because they can no longer afford downtime.

I think commute is an even bigger pressure for the Stuy kids because they have to ride public transit/subway all 4 years in most cases (no school bus and no cars/parking) during rush hour to/from and you can't study while standing on a packed train.

This is probably true. But, put yourself in the shoes of a TJ parent for a minute. Your kid plays a sport, marches in the band etc. You live an hour away, and there is no late bus. All of a sudden you have that pickup 5 times a week. TJ kids live and die by carpools and lists of kids in their activity by zip code. Either mom deals well with the role of SAHM/chauffeur, or soon as humanly possible (which is usually early junior year) they are driving themselves. Rush hour commute from Louden or Western Fairfax to TJ? Stressful.

True, I think that's one reason why TJ is, quite frankly, often a "family commitment."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a very selective college that takes a lot of kids from TJ.

The kids from TJ (And from Stuy and Bronx Science) were very well prepared because they already knew what it was like to be challenged and to be a small fish in a big pond.

One funny thing all my friends from TJ (and Stuy, etc.) told me was that they felt they had SO much more time in college, actually, because they didn't have to have a really long commute to and from school.

This is funny because guidance counselors actually collect commute time from the kids to put in the schools college recommendations to give context to the time pressures. Lots of freshmen like the bus ride because it’s downtime (mine has about 45 minutes each way from the depot, but an hour when you factor the depot in). Most juniors hate it, because they can no longer afford downtime.

I think commute is an even bigger pressure for the Stuy kids because they have to ride public transit/subway all 4 years in most cases (no school bus and no cars/parking) during rush hour to/from and you can't study while standing on a packed train.

This is probably true. But, put yourself in the shoes of a TJ parent for a minute. Your kid plays a sport, marches in the band etc. You live an hour away, and there is no late bus. All of a sudden you have that pickup 5 times a week. TJ kids live and die by carpools and lists of kids in their activity by zip code. Either mom deals well with the role of SAHM/chauffeur, or soon as humanly possible (which is usually early junior year) they are driving themselves. Rush hour commute from Louden or Western Fairfax to TJ? Stressful.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a very selective college that takes a lot of kids from TJ.

The kids from TJ (And from Stuy and Bronx Science) were very well prepared because they already knew what it was like to be challenged and to be a small fish in a big pond.

One funny thing all my friends from TJ (and Stuy, etc.) told me was that they felt they had SO much more time in college, actually, because they didn't have to have a really long commute to and from school.

This is funny because guidance counselors actually collect commute time from the kids to put in the schools college recommendations to give context to the time pressures. Lots of freshmen like the bus ride because it’s downtime (mine has about 45 minutes each way from the depot, but an hour when you factor the depot in). Most juniors hate it, because they can no longer afford downtime.

I think commute is an even bigger pressure for the Stuy kids because they have to ride public transit/subway all 4 years in most cases (no school bus and no cars/parking) during rush hour to/from and you can't study while standing on a packed train.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a very selective college that takes a lot of kids from TJ.

The kids from TJ (And from Stuy and Bronx Science) were very well prepared because they already knew what it was like to be challenged and to be a small fish in a big pond.

One funny thing all my friends from TJ (and Stuy, etc.) told me was that they felt they had SO much more time in college, actually, because they didn't have to have a really long commute to and from school.

I think all kids find they have way more time in college. It’s not just the commute; it’s the fact that you only have 3-4 hours of class a day!

PP here who made the post about the TJ/Stuy kids....that isn't true of the program I was in, though. We didn't have much class, but lots of lab time.