Cool story bro.

About 10-15 kids from TJ get into MIT every year, and almost all of them fall into one of 2 categories: athletes or female students who excel in traditionally male-dominated subjects like computer science and math. Don't get me wrong, they are top students with great credentials, but they still almost always need an extra hook to get in. My TJ grad had a 4.0UW/1590 SAT, and it was suggested that if they applied as a lightweight rower then they'd get in. But DC didnt want to row in college, so it didn't work out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that MIT, as wonderful as it is, is just not an aspirational choice for many DC area private school students. The perception, though not entirely valid, seems to be that MIT’s offerings and opportunities will not be as broad based as those to which they’ve become accustomed.

Or maybe they just don’t want to do the fire curriculum, which includes 2x calculus, 2x physics, chemistry and biology for all students. It’s grueling.

*core curriculum

Anonymous wrote:Agree that MIT, as wonderful as it is, is just not an aspirational choice for many DC area private school students. The perception, though not entirely valid, seems to be that MIT’s offerings and opportunities will not be as broad based as those to which they’ve become accustomed.

Or maybe they just don’t want to do the fire curriculum, which includes 2x calculus, 2x physics, chemistry and biology for all students. It’s grueling.

Agree that MIT, as wonderful as it is, is just not an aspirational choice for many DC area private school students. The perception, though not entirely valid, seems to be that MIT’s offerings and opportunities will not be as broad based as those to which they’ve become accustomed.

Anonymous wrote:There was a website that ranked American HS by number of admits to the top six or so colleges over the last certain number of years. What I found intriguing was that it was common enough to find elite high schools with multiple admissions to HYP and Stanford, it was far less the case with MIT, which seemed to much more thinly spread among more high schools, with many more seemingly random high schools. Who knows why!

Athletics.

Anonymous wrote:I thought Potomac had an amazing stem program in the upper school? Shouldn't these kids have a chance at MIT?

I’m not sure those kids WANT to go to MIT. They’re all going to wonderful schools, just not matriculating at MIT

I thought Potomac had an amazing stem program in the upper school? Shouldn't these kids have a chance at MIT?

There was a website that ranked American HS by number of admits to the top six or so colleges over the last certain number of years. What I found intriguing was that it was common enough to find elite high schools with multiple admissions to HYP and Stanford, it was far less the case with MIT, which seemed to much more thinly spread among more high schools, with many more seemingly random high schools. Who knows why!

Hush, child.

The point was that those favoring MIT who are VA residents may be more prone to go to TJ. Potomac does not draw as heavily from MOCO as it does from Northern VA so that may explain why MIT is not as popular (at least as a final destination, we are talking about enrollment, not necessarily admissions).

Anonymous wrote:MB is no TJ. Get over it.

You're right. TJ is MB little bit$h.
No one mentioned MB except you, that's how much MB occupies your mind.
And MD has more than just one good STEM school.

Four out of six of mine were accepted from a MCPS public school.
I stand by 100 % public is better for stem than private . We did both.

There are kids who can go from private anD be very successful in stem majors but public wins for better understanding and more class offerings.

MIT is unrealistic from private for that reason course offering

MB is no TJ. Get over it.

Anonymous wrote:Unlike DC or MD, strong science/math In VA have TJ as an option, which may skew the numbers a bit.

I see you know nothing about MD

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps your expectations are a bit unrealistic?

This.

But if 6 kids got into Harvard and several into Princeton, why is it unrealistic to think kids could get in MIT?

Are you under the misimpression that tons of kids applied and didn't get in? Not many people actually WANT to go to a school like MIT.