Anonymous wrote:I understand kids and parents not understanding. I am sure the admission process could be improved. I dont know what the answer is but I do think a demonstrated interest in STEM would be an interesting addition. My kid has applied to a few competitive summer STEM programs and they do all contain an essay asking you about your interest and involvement in STEM.

My kid really ra

Anonymous wrote:Today, my 8th-grade child, who attends an AAP center middle school, came home from school and shared something troubling. She said that several very strong students she knows—students who are hardworking, highly capable, and genuinely interested in STEM—were either rejected or placed on the waitlist for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.

At the same time, she heard that at least three other students received offers of admission even though, according to their classmates, they put very little effort into their essays, are not interested in studying, do not enjoy math or science, and do not perform strongly in those subjects. Some even said they were surprised they were admitted and did not understand why they were accepted.

Because they received offers, they now feel that they must be smarter than students who were rejected or waitlisted, despite having average or below-average grades in math and science and little interest in STEM. Meanwhile, students with excellent SOL scores, strong academic records, and a genuine passion for math and science feel deeply disappointed and confused. They cannot understand why students who seem less prepared or less interested in STEM were admitted, while highly qualified and motivated students were not.

For many families and students, this feels unfair and difficult to understand.

Anonymous wrote:I know students taking pre-calculus was waitlisted.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:God forbid a parent want to provide religious education for their child. A person that can afford private school probably pays 1K a month in rent to the government for the home they own, as a Citizen and Tax Payer, they have access to what they are paying for when it comes time for TJ. The school is meritocracy if your child wasn’t admitted that means they are not at that level, but excluding a child because the parent wants to ground them in their faith is disgusting, and maybe take a cue that grounding your child in faith and traditional education has benefits versus educating children on whatever leftist cause de jour is in FCPS at the moment.

I agree that it is wrong to discriminate against private school students but it is not clear how much (if any) discrimination there is.
I suspect your private school kid has about as much of a chance as the mclean kids at cooper middle school. The entire admissions process is bad but I don't think it is worse for you than the kids at Carson.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Out of curiosity, did any students with Algebra II get waitlisted or rejected? I’m wondering how much higher level math is a predictor of acceptance.

Along the same lines, I am wondering whether the two years of language credits make a meaningful difference, if any. The admissions process appears to be deliberately ambiguous. We are aware of at least three children who were waitlisted that are exceptionally gifted. It is difficult to believe that these students performed poorly on the essay portions to such an extent.

Me too. I know plenty of kids who got waitlisted who are very very smart, while some average kids got in. I just wish they would explain how they choose people instead of shoving a decision in your face and telling you it was a "holistic review"

Anonymous wrote:God forbid a parent want to provide religious education for their child. A person that can afford private school probably pays 1K a month in rent to the government for the home they own, as a Citizen and Tax Payer, they have access to what they are paying for when it comes time for TJ. The school is meritocracy if your child wasn’t admitted that means they are not at that level, but excluding a child because the parent wants to ground them in their faith is disgusting, and maybe take a cue that grounding your child in faith and traditional education has benefits versus educating children on whatever leftist cause de jour is in FCPS at the moment.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:on a side note, anyone have an idea of when the first round of waitlist offers might go up? I see some saying late July- august and some saying mid-late may.

A couple of years ago, the first round of waitlist offers came out about a week after the commitments were due for the kids that got in.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Out of curiosity, did any students with Algebra II get waitlisted or rejected? I’m wondering how much higher level math is a predictor of acceptance.

Along the same lines, I am wondering whether the two years of language credits make a meaningful difference, if any. The admissions process appears to be deliberately ambiguous. We are aware of at least three children who were waitlisted that are exceptionally gifted. It is difficult to believe that these students performed poorly on the essay portions to such an extent.

Me too. I know plenty of kids who got waitlisted who are very very smart, while some average kids got in. I just wish they would explain how they choose people instead of shoving a decision in your face and telling you it was a "holistic review"

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Out of curiosity, did any students with Algebra II get waitlisted or rejected? I’m wondering how much higher level math is a predictor of acceptance.

Along the same lines, I am wondering whether the two years of language credits make a meaningful difference, if any. The admissions process appears to be deliberately ambiguous. We are aware of at least three children who were waitlisted that are exceptionally gifted. It is difficult to believe that these students performed poorly on the essay portions to such an extent.

Anonymous wrote:on a side note, anyone have an idea of when the first round of waitlist offers might go up? I see some saying late July- august and some saying mid-late may.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Out of curiosity, did any students with Algebra II get waitlisted or rejected? I’m wondering how much higher level math is a predictor of acceptance.

Along the same lines, I am wondering whether the two years of language credits make a meaningful difference, if any. The admissions process appears to be deliberately ambiguous. We are aware of at least three children who were waitlisted that are exceptionally gifted. It is difficult to believe that these students performed poorly on the essay portions to such an extent.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Out of curiosity, did any students with Algebra II get waitlisted or rejected? I’m wondering how much higher level math is a predictor of acceptance.

Along the same lines, I am wondering whether the two years of language credits make a meaningful difference, if any. The admissions process appears to be deliberately ambiguous. We are aware of at least three children who were waitlisted that are exceptionally gifted. It is difficult to believe that these students performed poorly on the essay portions to such an extent.