My child went from non-magnet MS to BLAIR SMAC. It is challenging but not absurdly heavy worldload wise (at least now). Still does a sport and has a long bus ride. Still gets to bed on time most days..got his first B but hopes to bring it up this quarter.

Anonymous wrote:Interesting comment about CAP. I have the least contact with that program but it seemed like most kids had quite a step up from MS.
Was you DS in a MS magnet?

He was not. He was in the regular program at TPMS. Of the four 9th grade CAP classes, one is theater and one is photography. Neither carries much of an out-of-class workload. But, yes, CAP English and history can be challenging, particularly when they were doing Thoreau's "Walden," that was a bit daunting for him.

Interesting comment about CAP. I have the least contact with that program but it seemed like most kids had quite a step up from MS.
Was you DS in a MS magnet?

They all are eye-popping hard even for MS magnet kids as FRESHMEN.

The problem with RMIB is not it's absolute level of difficulty, but rather it's relentless nature.

Just because you figure out what to do as a freshmen does not mean that you will be able to get by with that as a sophomore, and certainly not as a junior/senior.

"RMIB is eye-popping hard. Even for magnet MS kids."

Anonymous wrote:RMIB is eye-popping hard. Even for magnet MS kids.

In contrast, the 9th grade CAP workload seems to be very manageable for DS. Though I am told it will ramp up considerably in 10th.

RMIB is eye-popping hard. Even for magnet MS kids.

For those who pondered this in year's past,

what do you now know/understand that you wish you had known about the programs as you went about the decision making process

My child applied to magnets for RMIB, Blair STEM, Blair CAP. Who knows what acceptance might look like and whether she will have a choice. She gets work done without too much stress, sge currently very well in TPMS magnet, but is drawn to arts.

Anonymous wrote:Is there a happy medium anywhere? RMIB sounds amazing but not all kids (including mine) want that much pressure.

Some high schools have signature academic programs - IB in Einstein, APEX in Walter Johnson.

Is there a happy medium anywhere? RMIB sounds amazing but not all kids (including mine) want that much pressure.

Even eng schools like MIT don't want one dimensional kids - haven't you heard the example MIT reps use? The kid who built a nuclear reactor in his garage but got rejected by MIT? I think true beauty of RMIB is, by the time kids become senior, they can handle just about any subject - from English Lit, analysis of WWII, high level math and science...etc. Writing 15 page research paper to commentary on any piece of writing. A lot of kids who graduate from RMIB go to engineering school, my son included. He is doing his engineering PhD work at top 5 eng school.