Anonymous
05/21/2025 10:27
Subject: Anyone rejecting TJ admission?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My DC got in. I am worried about burn out and stress. I am wondering if this is worth it. Looking for perspectives.
Leave it to the kid. Just let them know that it is definitely going to be much more intense than at base HS. If you have to advice, go with gut feeling on how you would think your child is relative to the overall student population from an academic perspective.
We were worried just like you. We know DC is very strong and had several data points from various activities to suggest they would likely be in the top 10% at TJ. But you never know for sure. Attended TJ and ended up probably in the top 2-3%. It ended up being relatively easy and DC ended up having plenty of free time. DC got into their dream college which is one of HYPSM.
Now, having gone through the process and knowing our kid's strengths, for DC2, we would prefer if DC2 does not go to TJ. Although a strong student, we can imagine that it would be more stressful. So we would leave it up to DC2.
Would your DC1 go to Ivy+ in any case from a base, with less efforts?
DP.
When I lived in my country, I also had to take an entrance exam to get into high school. I did really well in middle school, but once I got to a school full of top students, I realized I couldn’t stay at the top anymore. Over time, I started to lose motivation. I studied way less than I used to, and eventually just hit rock bottom.
That’s why I think it’s so important for parents to take an honest look at their kids. The top students at TJ are on a whole different level. These are kids doing JMO, qualifying for AIME at the very least, competing in Physics Olympiad, and excelling in all kinds of academic competitions.
If your child is just generally good at school, that might not be enough. Someone who’s at the top of their base school could easily end up at the bottom at TJ. And once bad habits start to form, they’re really hard to break even if the student eventually returns to their base school.
That said, I do believe if a student is persistent, doesn’t give up, and keeps working hard, they can still gain a lot from the experience. Even if their GPA isn’t perfect in high school, they might grow more through the challenges, and that personal growth can make a real impact when it comes time for college.
Top 5% at TJ probably has an edge over top 5% at base schools. The bottom 80% probably do not have much of any college admissions advantage.
But they have better study habits and time management skills that will let them succeed in college.
THIS!
And a recent study demonstrated outside of T13 (why 13 I don't know) in a select number of careers, collegiate prestige does not matter even a tiny bit.
Meanwhile I know my company looks incredibly hard at the GPA of any college candidate. And for that you need the bolded.
When I lived in my country, I also had to take an entrance exam to get into high school. I did really well in middle school, but once I got to a school full of top students, I realized I couldn’t stay at the top anymore. Over time, I started to lose motivation. I studied way less than I used to, and eventually just hit rock bottom.
That’s why I think it’s so important for parents to take an honest look at their kids. The top students at TJ are on a whole different level. These are kids doing JMO, qualifying for AIME at the very least, competing in Physics Olympiad, and excelling in all kinds of academic competitions.
If your child is just generally good at school, that might not be enough. Someone who’s at the top of their base school could easily end up at the bottom at TJ. And once bad habits start to form, they’re really hard to break even if the student eventually returns to their base school.
That said, I do believe if a student is persistent, doesn’t give up, and keeps working hard, they can still gain a lot from the experience. Even if their GPA isn’t perfect in high school, they might grow more through the challenges, and that personal growth can make a real impact when it comes time for college.
I was the opposite. In MS, I managed to do well without making much effort, but somehow got into TJ. At TJ, I was finally challenged, which made school more interesting and fun. I started to take it a lot more seriously and made an effort simply because I was challenged for the first time in my life.
I think both things can be true.
For a lot of kids that have never been challenged, they go to a place like TJ and they hit that wall where their natural ability isn't enough to let them face roll through their class with almost zero effort and the increased rigor requires them to learn how to learn. Some kids adapt (and if there was some ability to test and measure that adaptability, it would be extremely useful information) and other kids get lost for a while and once their behind in an extremely competitive pool, they sorry of give up.
These are the kids that would have naturally learned how to learn over 4 years of high school at a base school instead of choking on the firehose at TJ. A few years of maturity and that second kid can catch up to the first kid but if you strip him of that confidence, they become underachievers.
Anonymous
05/15/2025 11:26
Subject: Anyone rejecting TJ admission?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My DC got in. I am worried about burn out and stress. I am wondering if this is worth it. Looking for perspectives.
Leave it to the kid. Just let them know that it is definitely going to be much more intense than at base HS. If you have to advice, go with gut feeling on how you would think your child is relative to the overall student population from an academic perspective.
We were worried just like you. We know DC is very strong and had several data points from various activities to suggest they would likely be in the top 10% at TJ. But you never know for sure. Attended TJ and ended up probably in the top 2-3%. It ended up being relatively easy and DC ended up having plenty of free time. DC got into their dream college which is one of HYPSM.
Now, having gone through the process and knowing our kid's strengths, for DC2, we would prefer if DC2 does not go to TJ. Although a strong student, we can imagine that it would be more stressful. So we would leave it up to DC2.
Would your DC1 go to Ivy+ in any case from a base, with less efforts?
DP.
When I lived in my country, I also had to take an entrance exam to get into high school. I did really well in middle school, but once I got to a school full of top students, I realized I couldn’t stay at the top anymore. Over time, I started to lose motivation. I studied way less than I used to, and eventually just hit rock bottom.
That’s why I think it’s so important for parents to take an honest look at their kids. The top students at TJ are on a whole different level. These are kids doing JMO, qualifying for AIME at the very least, competing in Physics Olympiad, and excelling in all kinds of academic competitions.
If your child is just generally good at school, that might not be enough. Someone who’s at the top of their base school could easily end up at the bottom at TJ. And once bad habits start to form, they’re really hard to break even if the student eventually returns to their base school.
That said, I do believe if a student is persistent, doesn’t give up, and keeps working hard, they can still gain a lot from the experience. Even if their GPA isn’t perfect in high school, they might grow more through the challenges, and that personal growth can make a real impact when it comes time for college.
Top 5% at TJ probably has an edge over top 5% at base schools. The bottom 80% probably do not have much of any college admissions advantage.
But they have better study habits and time management skills that will let them succeed in college.
THIS!
And a recent study demonstrated outside of T13 (why 13 I don't know) in a select number of careers, collegiate prestige does not matter even a tiny bit.
Meanwhile I know my company looks incredibly hard at the GPA of any college candidate. And for that you need the bolded.
When I lived in my country, I also had to take an entrance exam to get into high school. I did really well in middle school, but once I got to a school full of top students, I realized I couldn’t stay at the top anymore. Over time, I started to lose motivation. I studied way less than I used to, and eventually just hit rock bottom.
That’s why I think it’s so important for parents to take an honest look at their kids. The top students at TJ are on a whole different level. These are kids doing JMO, qualifying for AIME at the very least, competing in Physics Olympiad, and excelling in all kinds of academic competitions.
If your child is just generally good at school, that might not be enough. Someone who’s at the top of their base school could easily end up at the bottom at TJ. And once bad habits start to form, they’re really hard to break even if the student eventually returns to their base school.
That said, I do believe if a student is persistent, doesn’t give up, and keeps working hard, they can still gain a lot from the experience. Even if their GPA isn’t perfect in high school, they might grow more through the challenges, and that personal growth can make a real impact when it comes time for college.
I was the opposite. In MS, I managed to do well without making much effort, but somehow got into TJ. At TJ, I was finally challenged, which made school more interesting and fun. I started to take it a lot more seriously and made an effort simply because I was challenged for the first time in my life.
Anonymous
05/15/2025 11:11
Subject: Anyone rejecting TJ admission?
Which activity is this?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I am curious. Is it fair to say that only kids who excel at competitions are succeeding at TJ? Ofcourse, there will be kids who are into these competitions but I drive it hard to believe if it will account for more than 5% of students an TJ.
In just one of the more popular academic activities, 12% of TJ participate regularly. This is just one very intense activity and students who excel in this tend to have fantastic admit opportunities to T10.
About 40% participate across all these clubs - this is a rough estimate as students participate in more than one club. This is from the funding data.
Anonymous
05/15/2025 09:24
Subject: Anyone rejecting TJ admission?
Anonymous wrote:I am curious. Is it fair to say that only kids who excel at competitions are succeeding at TJ? Ofcourse, there will be kids who are into these competitions but I drive it hard to believe if it will account for more than 5% of students an TJ.
Competitions are not necessary to TJ success but math competition clubs are probably useful for success in the math classes. The extra math exposure that it provides is pretty useful even if you don't get to compete
Anonymous
05/13/2025 14:33
Subject: Anyone rejecting TJ admission?
Anonymous wrote:I am curious. Is it fair to say that only kids who excel at competitions are succeeding at TJ? Ofcourse, there will be kids who are into these competitions but I drive it hard to believe if it will account for more than 5% of students an TJ.
In just one of the more popular academic activities, 12% of TJ participate regularly. This is just one very intense activity and students who excel in this tend to have fantastic admit opportunities to T10.
About 40% participate across all these clubs - this is a rough estimate as students participate in more than one club. This is from the funding data.
Anonymous
05/13/2025 14:00
Subject: Anyone rejecting TJ admission?
I am curious. Is it fair to say that only kids who excel at competitions are succeeding at TJ? Ofcourse, there will be kids who are into these competitions but I drive it hard to believe if it will account for more than 5% of students an TJ.
Anonymous
05/13/2025 12:34
Subject: Anyone rejecting TJ admission?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My DC got in. I am worried about burn out and stress. I am wondering if this is worth it. Looking for perspectives.
Leave it to the kid. Just let them know that it is definitely going to be much more intense than at base HS. If you have to advice, go with gut feeling on how you would think your child is relative to the overall student population from an academic perspective.
We were worried just like you. We know DC is very strong and had several data points from various activities to suggest they would likely be in the top 10% at TJ. But you never know for sure. Attended TJ and ended up probably in the top 2-3%. It ended up being relatively easy and DC ended up having plenty of free time. DC got into their dream college which is one of HYPSM.
Now, having gone through the process and knowing our kid's strengths, for DC2, we would prefer if DC2 does not go to TJ. Although a strong student, we can imagine that it would be more stressful. So we would leave it up to DC2.
Would your DC1 go to Ivy+ in any case from a base, with less efforts?
DP.
When I lived in my country, I also had to take an entrance exam to get into high school. I did really well in middle school, but once I got to a school full of top students, I realized I couldn’t stay at the top anymore. Over time, I started to lose motivation. I studied way less than I used to, and eventually just hit rock bottom.
That’s why I think it’s so important for parents to take an honest look at their kids. The top students at TJ are on a whole different level. These are kids doing JMO, qualifying for AIME at the very least, competing in Physics Olympiad, and excelling in all kinds of academic competitions.
If your child is just generally good at school, that might not be enough. Someone who’s at the top of their base school could easily end up at the bottom at TJ. And once bad habits start to form, they’re really hard to break even if the student eventually returns to their base school.
That said, I do believe if a student is persistent, doesn’t give up, and keeps working hard, they can still gain a lot from the experience. Even if their GPA isn’t perfect in high school, they might grow more through the challenges, and that personal growth can make a real impact when it comes time for college.
Top 5% at TJ probably has an edge over top 5% at base schools. The bottom 80% probably do not have much of any college admissions advantage.
But they have better study habits and time management skills that will let them succeed in college.
THIS!
And a recent study demonstrated outside of T13 (why 13 I don't know) in a select number of careers, collegiate prestige does not matter even a tiny bit.
Meanwhile I know my company looks incredibly hard at the GPA of any college candidate. And for that you need the bolded.
When I lived in my country, I also had to take an entrance exam to get into high school. I did really well in middle school, but once I got to a school full of top students, I realized I couldn’t stay at the top anymore. Over time, I started to lose motivation. I studied way less than I used to, and eventually just hit rock bottom.
That’s why I think it’s so important for parents to take an honest look at their kids. The top students at TJ are on a whole different level. These are kids doing JMO, qualifying for AIME at the very least, competing in Physics Olympiad, and excelling in all kinds of academic competitions.
If your child is just generally good at school, that might not be enough. Someone who’s at the top of their base school could easily end up at the bottom at TJ. And once bad habits start to form, they’re really hard to break even if the student eventually returns to their base school.
That said, I do believe if a student is persistent, doesn’t give up, and keeps working hard, they can still gain a lot from the experience. Even if their GPA isn’t perfect in high school, they might grow more through the challenges, and that personal growth can make a real impact when it comes time for college.
Anonymous
05/13/2025 12:33
Subject: Anyone rejecting TJ admission?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My DC got in. I am worried about burn out and stress. I am wondering if this is worth it. Looking for perspectives.
Leave it to the kid. Just let them know that it is definitely going to be much more intense than at base HS. If you have to advice, go with gut feeling on how you would think your child is relative to the overall student population from an academic perspective.
We were worried just like you. We know DC is very strong and had several data points from various activities to suggest they would likely be in the top 10% at TJ. But you never know for sure. Attended TJ and ended up probably in the top 2-3%. It ended up being relatively easy and DC ended up having plenty of free time. DC got into their dream college which is one of HYPSM.
Now, having gone through the process and knowing our kid's strengths, for DC2, we would prefer if DC2 does not go to TJ. Although a strong student, we can imagine that it would be more stressful. So we would leave it up to DC2.
Would your DC1 go to Ivy+ in any case from a base, with less efforts?
DP.
When I lived in my country, I also had to take an entrance exam to get into high school. I did really well in middle school, but once I got to a school full of top students, I realized I couldn’t stay at the top anymore. Over time, I started to lose motivation. I studied way less than I used to, and eventually just hit rock bottom.
That’s why I think it’s so important for parents to take an honest look at their kids. The top students at TJ are on a whole different level. These are kids doing JMO, qualifying for AIME at the very least, competing in Physics Olympiad, and excelling in all kinds of academic competitions.
If your child is just generally good at school, that might not be enough. Someone who’s at the top of their base school could easily end up at the bottom at TJ. And once bad habits start to form, they’re really hard to break even if the student eventually returns to their base school.
That said, I do believe if a student is persistent, doesn’t give up, and keeps working hard, they can still gain a lot from the experience. Even if their GPA isn’t perfect in high school, they might grow more through the challenges, and that personal growth can make a real impact when it comes time for college.
Top 5% at TJ probably has an edge over top 5% at base schools. The bottom 80% probably do not have much of any college admissions advantage.
But they have better study habits and time management skills that will let them succeed in college.
THIS!
And a recent study demonstrated outside of T13 (why 13 I don't know) in a select number of careers, collegiate prestige does not matter even a tiny bit.
Meanwhile I know my company looks incredibly hard at the GPA of any college candidate. And for that you need the bolded.
Anonymous
05/13/2025 10:16
Subject: Anyone rejecting TJ admission?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My DC got in. I am worried about burn out and stress. I am wondering if this is worth it. Looking for perspectives.
Leave it to the kid. Just let them know that it is definitely going to be much more intense than at base HS. If you have to advice, go with gut feeling on how you would think your child is relative to the overall student population from an academic perspective.
We were worried just like you. We know DC is very strong and had several data points from various activities to suggest they would likely be in the top 10% at TJ. But you never know for sure. Attended TJ and ended up probably in the top 2-3%. It ended up being relatively easy and DC ended up having plenty of free time. DC got into their dream college which is one of HYPSM.
Now, having gone through the process and knowing our kid's strengths, for DC2, we would prefer if DC2 does not go to TJ. Although a strong student, we can imagine that it would be more stressful. So we would leave it up to DC2.
Would your DC1 go to Ivy+ in any case from a base, with less efforts?
DP.
Top 5% at TJ probably has an edge over top 5% at base schools. The bottom 80% probably do not have much of any college admissions advantage.
But they have better study habits and time management skills that will let them succeed in college.
THIS!
And a recent study demonstrated outside of T13 (why 13 I don't know) in a select number of careers, collegiate prestige does not matter even a tiny bit.
Meanwhile I know my company looks incredibly hard at the GPA of any college candidate. And for that you need the bolded.
Anonymous
05/13/2025 08:27
Subject: Anyone rejecting TJ admission?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My kid is totally not stressed getting a mix of Bs and As was at risk of a few Cs at one point. I'd love it if he were more stressed but here we are.
It really is ok. Remember:
C’s earn degrees.
CS at TJ are likely As at base.
I think it's funny how some want to hype this in the hope of creating waitlist movement.
A student who gets a C at TJ is likely to get a C at base HS.
It is the A- and B+ students at TJ who would get A's at base HS.
This is probably not true. Kids that got Cs at TJ and returned to base tend to get very good grades at their base high school. These were all straight A students in middle school. The study time required for an A is a lot higher at TJ. The standard for an A is a lot higher at TJ. Go give it a try if your kids wants. You can always return to base, they have to take you.
Anonymous
05/13/2025 08:23
Subject: Anyone rejecting TJ admission?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My kid is totally not stressed getting a mix of Bs and As was at risk of a few Cs at one point. I'd love it if he were more stressed but here we are.
It really is ok. Remember:
C’s earn degrees.
CS at TJ are likely As at base.
I think it's funny how some want to hype this in the hope of creating waitlist movement.
Pp. My kid is at TJ. Kids that came back to base because of grades are getting straight As.