Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter has been accepted. She was also accepted at Catholic Schools. We don't know what to do. She hasn't even seen TJ. There were no tours offered. Can she see it?

If this is OP, and OP is not a troll, it just shows how poor the new selection process is. A kid who is lukewarm about STEM, is not a STEM superstar in any way, and is somewhat indifferent toward TJ got accepted, presumably based on being a strong writer.

You'd be shocked how many kids in the last 20-25 years have come in to TJ as highly intelligent students but who met all three of those criteria exited TJ as some of the top kids in the class.

And similarly, how many "STEM superstars" left as burned-out shells of themselves after four years in the TJ environment amongst kids who were at or above their level of intellect.

There are a lot of kids who don't really know what they want to do with their lives when they're 13. And that's more than fine.

In the past, though, they needed test scores that proved that they're highly intelligent, as well as the teacher recommendations that demonstrated that they're amazing kids. It's not surprising that those kids excelled at TJ, even if they initially were lukewarm about STEM. Now, they just need a pretty essay and the same inflated 4.0 GPA that half of the other kids in the county have.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter has been accepted. She was also accepted at Catholic Schools. We don't know what to do. She hasn't even seen TJ. There were no tours offered. Can she see it?

If this is OP, and OP is not a troll, it just shows how poor the new selection process is. A kid who is lukewarm about STEM, is not a STEM superstar in any way, and is somewhat indifferent toward TJ got accepted, presumably based on being a strong writer.

You'd be shocked how many kids in the last 20-25 years have come in to TJ as highly intelligent students but who met all three of those criteria exited TJ as some of the top kids in the class.

And similarly, how many "STEM superstars" left as burned-out shells of themselves after four years in the TJ environment amongst kids who were at or above their level of intellect.

There are a lot of kids who don't really know what they want to do with their lives when they're 13. And that's more than fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter has been accepted. She was also accepted at Catholic Schools. We don't know what to do. She hasn't even seen TJ. There were no tours offered. Can she see it?

If this is OP, and OP is not a troll, it just shows how poor the new selection process is. A kid who is lukewarm about STEM, is not a STEM superstar in any way, and is somewhat indifferent toward TJ got accepted, presumably based on being a strong writer.

JUst the opposite. The new process is SO GOOD that it can tell that the kid will like STEM before they do! Seriously it's amazing!

No.

- a current TJ parent

Anonymous wrote:My daughter has been accepted. She was also accepted at Catholic Schools. We don't know what to do. She hasn't even seen TJ. There were no tours offered. Can she see it?

If this is OP, and OP is not a troll, it just shows how poor the new selection process is. A kid who is lukewarm about STEM, is not a STEM superstar in any way, and is somewhat indifferent toward TJ got accepted, presumably based on being a strong writer.

Anonymous wrote:I attended a statewide math/science magnet school, where I had a lot of classmates who were there not because they had STEM plans, but because it was a great alternative to their regular high schools, and they could handle the math and science courses.

MIT has many kids like this as well. However, in this case we are talking about someone who has to struggle a little bit to get As in algebra 1 in 8th grade.

I attended a statewide math/science magnet school, where I had a lot of classmates who were there not because they had STEM plans, but because it was a great alternative to their regular high schools, and they could handle the math and science courses. (The program was pretty new at the time, and there were relatively few kids who were there because they -- or their parents -- thought it was an advantage for college; it's much more "high schooly" now, I understand, less populated by kids who just fit in better there than at home.) I did go into the sciences, but still think that the best things about that program for me were the peer group and general acceleration compared to my home high school, where I was just wasting time.

My son attends TJ now, and yes, he's STEM-oriented and will surely go for a science/engineering major, but again I think the peer group and overall level of difficulty are what's best about the TJ experience for those kids who can handle it without much outside support. My (several years younger) daughter is much less STEM-focused (really, she's just better-rounded in general), but she's already talking about wanting to go. If she still thinks that when she gets to eighth grade, and my spouse and I think she can handle the TJ courseload, then we'll absolutely let her apply. It's an FCPS school, we're an FCPS family, and we're not "taking" a slot from someone "more deserving" by using FCPS resources.

So if it weren't clear, OP, I say go for it if the motivation is your daughter's.

Anonymous wrote:My daughter has been accepted. She was also accepted at Catholic Schools. We don't know what to do. She hasn't even seen TJ. There were no tours offered. Can she see it?

You missed the open house then. But some activities are having interest sessions - not exactly the same but would give her a chance to talk to some of the kids & feel it out plus see the school. The Marching Band has an interest session this evening and i think one next week too on the 25th. Some Fall sports might be doing the same?

TJMC 5 - 8:30 pm
Interest meeting

Meet-n-greet 5 - 5:30 pm
Fall show reveal 5:30 - 6 pm
Open rehearsal
Parent meeting 6 - 8 pm

The only reason why a parent would want a kid to attend TJ despite not having a focused STEM interest is because the parent is obsessed with prestige and is more concerned about what they can brag about at cocktail parties than anything else. It’s pretty pathetic.

If your kid is a strong enough student to get into TJ but isn’t particularly STEM focused, they are highly like to kick academic a$$ at their local public high school and that’s where they belong.

Anonymous wrote:My daughter has been accepted. She was also accepted at Catholic Schools. We don't know what to do. She hasn't even seen TJ. There were no tours offered. Can she see it?

Call the school and ask.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would love to see the county look at a humanities focused specialized/honors high school (modern language, ancient language, increased focused on writing, etc). I went to one in NYC, and it was a fantastic education. This is a big county for just one honors HS. They could even aim to made it a combined a Humanities and Arts HS.

I would be angry if our tax dollars were wasted on a specialized high school for youngsters pursuing worthless majors.

You don't know what majors they will pursue.