Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The MAJORITY of Magnet kids go to UMD.

Cite source, please. I'm not saying that they don't, but it would be good to see the cited numbers.

At the magnet information session, we were told that half of the magnet graduates to go UMD-CP.

Which magnet?

The Blair SMAC magnet.

Here's some information - forward to around 11:45:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7tIVLmhbXM

Thanks for that link.

Somethings to note:
-- 98 % get accepted to UMD who apply. Not 100%. That's kind of surprising to me. I'm seeing the same at other magnets, not everyone at magnets who apply to UMD get into UMD.
-- 20 get a full BK scholarship. That's impressive.

my kid got a full bk but from different mcps magnet

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The MAJORITY of Magnet kids go to UMD.

Cite source, please. I'm not saying that they don't, but it would be good to see the cited numbers.

At the magnet information session, we were told that half of the magnet graduates to go UMD-CP.

Which magnet?

The Blair SMAC magnet.

Here's some information - forward to around 11:45:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7tIVLmhbXM

Thanks for that link.

Somethings to note:
-- 98 % get accepted to UMD who apply. Not 100%. That's kind of surprising to me. I'm seeing the same at other magnets, not everyone at magnets who apply to UMD get into UMD.
-- 20 get a full BK scholarship. That's impressive.

Anonymous wrote:I can't speak for now, but I graduated from Blair in the late 90s. I got into every college I applied to, including some Ivys. I chose UMCP, because they gave me a full ride (banneker key scholarship, not sure if they have it anymore). Anyway, when I got to UMCP, I found many of my old magnet classmates there (I'd guess 40/100, at least). And they were the most represented school in all of MD with the full ride scholarship. If I were to guess, at least half of those attending from Blair got a full ride.

So yeah, a lot of us went to UMCP but there were very very good reasons for that. I have never regretted going there, and the magnet easily prepared me for my STEM career. A lot of my old classmates went onto to medical school from there, and a few have them have mentioned how relieved they were to not have undergrad debt in addition to med school debt. I don't think you should feel bad if you go to Blair/Poolesville and don't end up in an Ivy.

OP here.. this and the right above you poster are good to hear.

I'm hearing that UMD Honors for CS with merit is pretty hard to get into, and probably some of the other engineering majors. So, I guess from that perspective, and being able to handle the workload, being in a magnet is worth it.

And I agree that graduating with zero debt is a boon now a days. Many of us, my situation included, don't have family wealth, and while we make good money, we also live in a hcol area, so trying to pay for expensive privates would be difficult.

This is kind of new to me because my trajectory to college was a B rated state school from out west. We didn't have this many high achieving kids in my school, so I guess I was expecting more for college admissions for these magnet kids. But, also, times have changed for college admissions, too.

I can't speak for now, but I graduated from Blair in the late 90s. I got into every college I applied to, including some Ivys. I chose UMCP, because they gave me a full ride (banneker key scholarship, not sure if they have it anymore). Anyway, when I got to UMCP, I found many of my old magnet classmates there (I'd guess 40/100, at least). And they were the most represented school in all of MD with the full ride scholarship. If I were to guess, at least half of those attending from Blair got a full ride.

So yeah, a lot of us went to UMCP but there were very very good reasons for that. I have never regretted going there, and the magnet easily prepared me for my STEM career. A lot of my old classmates went onto to medical school from there, and a few have them have mentioned how relieved they were to not have undergrad debt in addition to med school debt. I don't think you should feel bad if you go to Blair/Poolesville and don't end up in an Ivy.

Yes. I think for our children magnets were absolutely worth it for college admissions.

The pathway for both of my kids -> PHS SMCS -> UMD. We are Asian-American first gen immigrants. Our kids chose STEM careers. Both had perfect stats in GPA and SAT, NMS, ECs, Internships and research papers etc. We knew that they would not get into top private schools based on the fact that many of their peers in PHS look and achieve like them.

Apart from that, they also did not apply extensively. They applied to 6 schools in all. Since UMD was in-state and great for CS, Physics and Math (both did double majors, both had Math in common), that was their lowest bar in terms of where they wanted to apply. This did not leave very many colleges for them that were ranked higher for these majors. This is not a drawback but a boon. Imagine having a college like UMD as your safety. To be honest, UMD was very much their dream school, target and safety all rolled in one.

Having done STEM research internships during PHS (It is a SMCS requirement) and having written a paper based on that - they also found it easy to get future internships @ UMD right from the get go. Having been through the rigor, pace, and curriculum of SMCS and having so many AP and post-AP credits transfer, allowed them to juggle two hard majors, internships, and socializing in college with ease. They watched many of their college classmates - either do very poorly in hard courses or study very hard to stay afloat or do well but without any outside interests. In other words, the training and exposure they got at PHS made college seem easy.

The kind of professional training that the SMCS teaches these students in terms of advocating for oneself, building a network of peers, acquiring skill sets, acquiring credentials, creating and seeking opportunities, time management and organization is invaluable for college and professional life. They also were hugely networked at UMD with other area students from DMV because they had either competed with them in other arenas or had crossed paths with them.

Last, but not the least - since they are already in-state in a public university and the cost is already low. Therefore, even a small merit aid usually covers a significant amount of tuition if not all. This merit $$$ was like a payday for the work that they did in magnet HS.

For us, magnet STEM schools was worth it for succeeding in college and professional life. It made the college admission process easy too.

Of course, I don't mean to be glib and say that it was all easy. To be in the magnet track meant that my kids were performing academically at very high levels from ES. They were acing all kinds of tests that was being administered by MCPS- Raven, TerraNova, MAPS - and tests like JHU-CTY outside of school.

They were consistent from K-12, and also worked hard to have a well rounded resume - ECs, volunteer work, competitions, honor societies, internships, research papers, no discipline issues, consistent performance, no absenteeism, juggling leadership responsibilities, self advocating etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The MAJORITY of Magnet kids go to UMD.

Cite source, please. I'm not saying that they don't, but it would be good to see the cited numbers.

At the magnet information session, we were told that half of the magnet graduates to go UMD-CP.

Which magnet?

The Blair SMAC magnet.

Here's some information - forward to around 11:45:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7tIVLmhbXM

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The MAJORITY of Magnet kids go to UMD.

Cite source, please. I'm not saying that they don't, but it would be good to see the cited numbers.

At the magnet information session, we were told that half of the magnet graduates to go UMD-CP.

You do realize that this cohort is a small one and most magnet kids are not the social butterflies of the school. Blair has a ton go to UMD-CP because they get into honors college with scholarship. Some go for free. So yes, maybe they get into Rice or Michigan but they aren't going for free. UMD-CP for in-state or cheaper is a no brainer. Most families choose magnet over private due to costs. Same with college. And their cohort of friends are all together at UMD-CP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The MAJORITY of Magnet kids go to UMD.

Cite source, please. I'm not saying that they don't, but it would be good to see the cited numbers.

At the magnet information session, we were told that half of the magnet graduates to go UMD-CP.

Which magnet?

Anonymous wrote:PP 18:59- I largely disagree. My kids’ friends are all happy they attended. They wanted to be there and my older one made what it seems like are life long friends. They all loved the program and some sacrificed a lot to participate in the program (eg 5:30 am wake-up). Younger one probably is making life long friends as well.

I think if the family chooses the program for the right reasons, peer cohort, access to speciality classes and takes into account all the factors which go into a high school experience and make a decision based on that they are happy. If they are forced into the program from a prestige perspective then it’s not going to work out well. I think that goes for a lot in life not just HS.

Alternatively, I think it’s largely bunk to say oh my kid won’t be challenged in a regular HS. Many “regular” HS have signature programs and after freshman year there aren’t many gateways for those that aren’t in them. Please tell me that a child taking AP BC Calculus as a junior/ AP Chem/ AP Physics/ AP Seminar/ AP Spanish etc at a “regular school” won’t be challenged and that their schedule is “easy” to a magnet. Please. It’s not true.

Some decide they want to stay at their local school because of friends, commute, activities whatever even after getting acceptances. These kids are going to do fine. The ones in magnet will largely do fine.

Do what works for your family.

Umm, you basically just said what the person said. So what are you disagreeing about?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m getting so tired of all these posts asking if they do XYZ, have a pointy EC blah blah blah, will their kid get into college? The way the US college application system is rigged, getting into a top school is basically a lottery. Don’t make your kids miserable telling them to do stuff to get into college. Don’t make college such a huge pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Kids should do the magnets if they want to learn the content that’s being taught in the magnet or if they need a challenge and a cohort of students similarly situated. Whether it’s worth it schlepping on a bus, having long days, hyper focusing on a subject matter, no one knows except your kid, OP.

+1 PP SMAC parent. It's a huge commitment to get up early to catch the bus and come in later than other HS kids (Blair kids have an extra class) and to have more homework. You do it because it fits the child's interests and needs, not because of an imagined idea that being in the magnet will help with college admissions. Pushing your child to do something they aren't interested in or aren't ready for is more likely to harm them than help them.

Wholeheartedly. Mom of a PHS SMACS Soph. My kid likes to get up early, she cannot wait to get to school, she goes even when sick, she adores her teachers, get's all 4.0's without too much strain, has a social life, and excels in Science and Math. This school literally has her name on it. She needs this school because the regular feeder school could not keep up with her. They did try and sent her to the grade above for classes but that made her an oddity. She does want to go to MIT and other top-notch colleges but not because she is a magnet kid. It would be because of all the initiatives, projects, leadership experiences, and her drive to know more, ask questions, find the truth, dig a little deeper, and explore and find the unknown. That is why she would get there if anything. Sadly, a lot of her classmates were "forced" to go there and do not like math or science much and they lack passion. She gets so tired of working with dead weight.

What teenager likes to wake up at 5 am and goes to school sick? Yeah you’re a troll!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The MAJORITY of Magnet kids go to UMD.

Cite source, please. I'm not saying that they don't, but it would be good to see the cited numbers.

At the magnet information session, we were told that half of the magnet graduates to go UMD-CP.

Anonymous wrote:The annual post where someone tries to convince others to drop out in order to make room on the wait list for their children.

OP here.. no, that's not my intent. My kids are freshman and senior, and actually one is in a magnet, so it's not about that. I'm past the point of trying to get my HSers into a magnet.

I'm just hearing about how brutal the college admissions is for magnet kids from both TJ and MCPS. So, now I'm wondering, other than yes, the challenge that they need in HS (and they did), how is it that some of the high achieving kids from a magnet program don't do as well for college admissions? Some of them are disappointed in their college admissions, and I'm disappointed for them. So, it got me thinking about how they are competing against each other for the same spots. They all seem to apply to similar schools. Maybe that's the problem. Maybe they should branch out. But, they are all so similar in their achievements, it's hard to understand why some get in and some don't.

Anonymous wrote:The MAJORITY of Magnet kids go to UMD.

Cite source, please. I'm not saying that they don't, but it would be good to see the cited numbers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The annual post where someone tries to convince others to drop out in order to make room on the wait list for their children.

Haha. My kid is a senior in a stem magnet. To answer the question, magnets possibly a negative for college admissions. Same kid will do better in home school if admissions is the criteria.

except colleges familiar with the program will consider it far more rigorous and weight it accordingly so much better chances of admission to an elite college which is slim to begin with but still better than home school

yes, but the point is that there are more high flyers in magnets than home school, for the most part. IMO, competition is more fiercer in magnets.

The MAJORITY of Magnet kids go to UMD.