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Anonymous wrote:The school tells people not to go there if you want to go to top schools, there is too much competition. If you really want 0ne of the top 25 schools, go to your base school. I have an 8th grader applying for TJ and we have discussed this with him. It will come up again if he is accepted at TJ.

+1 agree. Even after all the selection changes (including over years). The top 20% (~100 students) will be very competitive and they will be taking over the limited slots at the T20/T30's. If you are not in top 20% the chances of getting to top colleges are lower from TJ.

The 50th percentile at TJ might get into UVA. The same student will be top 5% or higher at their base school and will likely get into UVA

My fav TJ-parent belief: my kid would have been top x% had kid gone to the base school. Never change, please!! ❤️

And yet, it is true that for college admissions it is better to be top 20% at a base HS than bottom 50% at TJ. Some highly capable students stay at their base school for this reason.

The other reality is that many at TJ are really targeting Medical School, and are not targeting a STEM career.

Yes…but TJ parents truly believe had their kids gone to the base HS they absolutely would have been at the top there. I think being bottom 50% at any HS is a recipe for failure for a highly rejective school.

Because for the most part this is true. Exceptions sure but most TJ kids would rank higher at their base school than they do at TJ just given the nature of the magnet school and the harsh reality that there can only be half of any class in the top 50%.

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Anonymous wrote:The school tells people not to go there if you want to go to top schools, there is too much competition. If you really want 0ne of the top 25 schools, go to your base school. I have an 8th grader applying for TJ and we have discussed this with him. It will come up again if he is accepted at TJ.

+1 agree. Even after all the selection changes (including over years). The top 20% (~100 students) will be very competitive and they will be taking over the limited slots at the T20/T30's. If you are not in top 20% the chances of getting to top colleges are lower from TJ.

The 50th percentile at TJ might get into UVA. The same student will be top 5% or higher at their base school and will likely get into UVA

My fav TJ-parent belief: my kid would have been top x% had kid gone to the base school. Never change, please!! ❤️

And yet, it is true that for college admissions it is better to be top 20% at a base HS than bottom 50% at TJ. Some highly capable students stay at their base school for this reason.

The other reality is that many at TJ are really targeting Medical School, and are not targeting a STEM career.

Yes…but TJ parents truly believe had their kids gone to the base HS they absolutely would have been at the top there. I think being bottom 50% at any HS is a recipe for failure for a highly rejective school.

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Anonymous wrote:Nope! I have a TJ grad (graduated in the past five years) at a T10. A large part of this result I, and they, believe is due to motivation by peer group and access to special opportunities (landing internships w/ TJ name, doing research/projects with other motivated and smart TJ kids). If they went to base would likely not have done as much in HS or gone somewhere as good.

My kid is heading to an ivy, from FCPS unhooked, in the fall. Why do you believe your last sentence?

DP
How many students from your base school are going to ivy unhooked? TJ sends 50-100 students to Ivy+ and another 50-100 to UVA.

The UVA kids might have had the same results at their base school but the ivy+ kids likely would not. More TJ kids go to ivy+ than the rest of FCPS combined.

I have no idea but ivy+ is a huge range, versus ivy. That’s 10-20% according to you from TJ. Go check out McLean admits…

Mclean admits? WTF are you talking about? Their college admissions doesn't even come close to TJ.

https://www.parchment.com/c/college/high-school-30901-Mclean-High-School.html#:~:text=Students%20at%20Mclean%20High%20School%20most%20commonly,Northeastern%20University%20*%20Northern%20Virginia%20Community%20College

Last page, exactly where last year’s class intended to enroll:
https://tjhsst.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/inline-files/TJHSST%20School%20Profile%2025-26%20V.2._0.pdf

Some highly ranked schools, many/most not so much.

The profile isn't all that helpful because it doesn't indicate the number of matriculants for each school.

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Anonymous wrote:Nope! I have a TJ grad (graduated in the past five years) at a T10. A large part of this result I, and they, believe is due to motivation by peer group and access to special opportunities (landing internships w/ TJ name, doing research/projects with other motivated and smart TJ kids). If they went to base would likely not have done as much in HS or gone somewhere as good.

My kid is heading to an ivy, from FCPS unhooked, in the fall. Why do you believe your last sentence?

DP
How many students from your base school are going to ivy unhooked? TJ sends 50-100 students to Ivy+ and another 50-100 to UVA.

The UVA kids might have had the same results at their base school but the ivy+ kids likely would not. More TJ kids go to ivy+ than the rest of FCPS combined.

I have no idea but ivy+ is a huge range, versus ivy. That’s 10-20% according to you from TJ. Go check out McLean admits…

Mclean admits? WTF are you talking about? Their college admissions doesn't even come close to TJ.

https://www.parchment.com/c/college/high-school-30901-Mclean-High-School.html#:~:text=Students%20at%20Mclean%20High%20School%20most%20commonly,Northeastern%20University%20*%20Northern%20Virginia%20Community%20College

Last page, exactly where last year’s class intended to enroll:
https://tjhsst.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/inline-files/TJHSST%20School%20Profile%2025-26%20V.2._0.pdf

Some highly ranked schools, many/most not so much.

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Anonymous wrote:Nope! I have a TJ grad (graduated in the past five years) at a T10. A large part of this result I, and they, believe is due to motivation by peer group and access to special opportunities (landing internships w/ TJ name, doing research/projects with other motivated and smart TJ kids). If they went to base would likely not have done as much in HS or gone somewhere as good.

My kid is heading to an ivy, from FCPS unhooked, in the fall. Why do you believe your last sentence?

DP
How many students from your base school are going to ivy unhooked? TJ sends 50-100 students to Ivy+ and another 50-100 to UVA.

The UVA kids might have had the same results at their base school but the ivy+ kids likely would not. More TJ kids go to ivy+ than the rest of FCPS combined.

I have no idea but ivy+ is a huge range, versus ivy. That’s 10-20% according to you from TJ. Go check out McLean admits…

Mclean admits? WTF are you talking about? Their college admissions doesn't even come close to TJ.

https://www.parchment.com/c/college/high-school-30901-Mclean-High-School.html#:~:text=Students%20at%20Mclean%20High%20School%20most%20commonly,Northeastern%20University%20*%20Northern%20Virginia%20Community%20College

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Anonymous wrote:The school tells people not to go there if you want to go to top schools, there is too much competition. If you really want 0ne of the top 25 schools, go to your base school. I have an 8th grader applying for TJ and we have discussed this with him. It will come up again if he is accepted at TJ.

+1 agree. Even after all the selection changes (including over years). The top 20% (~100 students) will be very competitive and they will be taking over the limited slots at the T20/T30's. If you are not in top 20% the chances of getting to top colleges are lower from TJ.

The 50th percentile at TJ might get into UVA. The same student will be top 5% or higher at their base school and will likely get into UVA

My fav TJ-parent belief: my kid would have been top x% had kid gone to the base school. Never change, please!! ❤️

And yet, it is true that for college admissions it is better to be top 20% at a base HS than bottom 50% at TJ. Some highly capable students stay at their base school for this reason.

The other reality is that many at TJ are really targeting Medical School, and are not targeting a STEM career.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school tells people not to go there if you want to go to top schools, there is too much competition. If you really want 0ne of the top 25 schools, go to your base school. I have an 8th grader applying for TJ and we have discussed this with him. It will come up again if he is accepted at TJ.

+1 agree. Even after all the selection changes (including over years). The top 20% (~100 students) will be very competitive and they will be taking over the limited slots at the T20/T30's. If you are not in top 20% the chances of getting to top colleges are lower from TJ.

The 50th percentile at TJ might get into UVA. The same student will be top 5% or higher at their base school and will likely get into UVA

My fav TJ-parent belief: my kid would have been top x% had kid gone to the base school. Never change, please!! ❤️

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school tells people not to go there if you want to go to top schools, there is too much competition. If you really want 0ne of the top 25 schools, go to your base school. I have an 8th grader applying for TJ and we have discussed this with him. It will come up again if he is accepted at TJ.

+1 agree. Even after all the selection changes (including over years). The top 20% (~100 students) will be very competitive and they will be taking over the limited slots at the T20/T30's. If you are not in top 20% the chances of getting to top colleges are lower from TJ.

The 50th percentile at TJ might get into UVA. The same student will be top 5% or higher at their base school and will likely get into UVA

Anonymous wrote:The TJ name and network helps get college internships which helps you get your first full time job. It's very beneficial.

Anonymous wrote:Don't go to TJ for the college profile.

Go there for the peer group, the chance to study really cool classes that you can't get anywhere else, and the whole TJ experience.

- really old TJ grad

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Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why you’d want a “great” HS experience but a lower named/ranked school unless it was the kid’s choice (turned down an ivy for a full ride at uva).

Because a job might care about what college you attend, they won’t care about what HS you attend. Most people have no clue about TJ but they know Harvard or MIT.

Buahaha, that's what you think. TJ got me every job I ever had. I know lawyers who got clerkships based on TJ (yes, layered on top of whatever law school). Yeah maybe TJ's reach is more geographically limited, but lots of people know TJ.

It's really amazing how many people think coming here to trash TJ or going to the private school forum to trash specific top tier privates will make other kids turn these schools down and give their kids a better chance. People - not enough applicants read your DCUM post, then think, "Huh, maybe I won't go there after all" for your kid to get in.

How would an adult (after college) job know about your HS (name, gpa, ap scores etc)?

People who went to nationally renowned high schools often leave it on their LinkedIn "education" section.

This is irrelevant for adults. What employer is going to be impressed with a high school that someone graduated from years before? No one is looking at a Penn State grad and saying but he went to TJ nor is someone looking at a Harvard grad thinking wow he also went to TJ. They are looking at your last school/last accomplishments/last job, etc. If those kids go off to college and do amazing things there, that is what gets jobs OR connections get jobs.

You would be surprised. My TJ alums frequently report people asking them about TJ, being impressed they went there, and finding other alums in all sorts of workplaces they are interacting with.

I would be - even more so that decades after finishing HS they are talking about it with each other.

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Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why you’d want a “great” HS experience but a lower named/ranked school unless it was the kid’s choice (turned down an ivy for a full ride at uva).

Because a job might care about what college you attend, they won’t care about what HS you attend. Most people have no clue about TJ but they know Harvard or MIT.

Buahaha, that's what you think. TJ got me every job I ever had. I know lawyers who got clerkships based on TJ (yes, layered on top of whatever law school). Yeah maybe TJ's reach is more geographically limited, but lots of people know TJ.

It's really amazing how many people think coming here to trash TJ or going to the private school forum to trash specific top tier privates will make other kids turn these schools down and give their kids a better chance. People - not enough applicants read your DCUM post, then think, "Huh, maybe I won't go there after all" for your kid to get in.

How would an adult (after college) job know about your HS (name, gpa, ap scores etc)?

People who went to nationally renowned high schools often leave it on their LinkedIn "education" section.

This is irrelevant for adults. What employer is going to be impressed with a high school that someone graduated from years before? No one is looking at a Penn State grad and saying but he went to TJ nor is someone looking at a Harvard grad thinking wow he also went to TJ. They are looking at your last school/last accomplishments/last job, etc. If those kids go off to college and do amazing things there, that is what gets jobs OR connections get jobs.

Trust me, I didn't believe it either. But I was making fun of my colleague for keeping Exeter in his LinkedIn profile. He insists he's made many connections through Exeter and specifically from Exeter connections on LinkedIn messaging him. I think for high schools with a national or international reputation, it might make a difference. Schools like Andover, Exeter, TJ, Stuyvesant, Lowell. All others, I agree with you.

It makes zero difference for TJ.

LOL then why does the managing partner at a big law firm unsolicitedly talk about her TJ experience? Presumably because it's something she actually cares about. And she has a lot of influence over a lot of highly desirable jobs.

Look, I have no dog in this fight. I went to a crappy high school.

And another partner could value Oakton grads or Yorktown grads bc he/she went there. Impressive would be countless employers who did NOT go to TJ seeking out TJ grads.

Except that’s not happening for Oakton or Yorktown.

The TJ alumni network is helpful for finding and getting jobs.

I’m in a STEM field and TJ does come up every now and then.

Sure it is…fill in the blank wherever. Interviewing a kid who went to Tuff by a Tuff grad connects you to them. Where you went to HS otherwise doesn’t matter. It’s like saying an amazing internship at 19 helps when you were 40 in a job app. What matters is your work experience, but almost all is the most recent.

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Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why you’d want a “great” HS experience but a lower named/ranked school unless it was the kid’s choice (turned down an ivy for a full ride at uva).

Because a job might care about what college you attend, they won’t care about what HS you attend. Most people have no clue about TJ but they know Harvard or MIT.

Buahaha, that's what you think. TJ got me every job I ever had. I know lawyers who got clerkships based on TJ (yes, layered on top of whatever law school). Yeah maybe TJ's reach is more geographically limited, but lots of people know TJ.

It's really amazing how many people think coming here to trash TJ or going to the private school forum to trash specific top tier privates will make other kids turn these schools down and give their kids a better chance. People - not enough applicants read your DCUM post, then think, "Huh, maybe I won't go there after all" for your kid to get in.

How would an adult (after college) job know about your HS (name, gpa, ap scores etc)?

People who went to nationally renowned high schools often leave it on their LinkedIn "education" section.

This is irrelevant for adults. What employer is going to be impressed with a high school that someone graduated from years before? No one is looking at a Penn State grad and saying but he went to TJ nor is someone looking at a Harvard grad thinking wow he also went to TJ. They are looking at your last school/last accomplishments/last job, etc. If those kids go off to college and do amazing things there, that is what gets jobs OR connections get jobs.

You would be surprised. My TJ alums frequently report people asking them about TJ, being impressed they went there, and finding other alums in all sorts of workplaces they are interacting with.

Anonymous wrote:Lol. TJ has double-digit T10 REA/ED admits this cycle. Several dozens including T20s and UVA. McLean (and Langley) don't even come CLOSE.