Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard that many TJ kids, obviously not all, have trouble navigating the social dynamics at college. They may have a great GPA but have trouble distinguishing themselves as leaders or standout students who positively impact the culture.

That's not true of the TJ kids I know - most of them blossom in college and are very successful because it's easier than high school.

+1. Most kids go to an Ivy as a big fish from a little pond. And it’s a shock when everyone is amazing. TJ kids OTOH have had to deal with everyone in their class being in the top 1%.

Also, the PP is repeating a persistent TJ myth that just isn’t true. I spend time at TJ and time at a base high school. And the difference seems to be that TJ kids are almost universally nice. They may or may not have amazing social skills naturally. But part of the culture of the school is kindness, thoughtfulness, and a sense that everyone belongs atTJ because they are all doing this difficult thing together. Only other Tj kids understand the stresses and pressures. Only otjernTj kids “get” it. It’s like being in boot camp together. They take the phrase “TJ Community” seriously.

If I am not sure where I am headed in the base school, it’s time to head back to the main office or ask a teacher. If I look uncertain at TJ, a kid notices pretty quickly and takes the initiative to ask if I need help finding something. If I ask any random kid a question, they will help me find the person with the answer. All the Boy Scout words— friendly, helpful, considerate, kind— these are the words that describe the kids. They may or may not be the cool kids, or the socially savvy kids. But they are the nice kids. For me, this has been one of the biggest surprises of the school.

I know this is a TJ thread but I just wanted to chime in that this is also true at Montgomery Blair (the Math and Science magnet in Montgomery County). There are significant differences of course. Blair magnet is much smaller (they accept just 100 students per year) and it is in a regular Montgomery county school. The overall class size is around 750 kids and the magnet kids only represent 100 of these kids. The kids only take Math and Science classes together, they take English and Social Studies and other electives with the rest of the school and of course extra curricular clubs and athletics is also fully integrated. Still, the kids in the Magnet are highly social and are really nice, kind and supportive of each other. That has been the Magnet culture since its inception and it is one reason why we have such an active alumni community. Nice to hear TJ has a similar culture. Our kids are lucky!

Anonymous wrote:I have heard that many TJ kids, obviously not all, have trouble navigating the social dynamics at college. They may have a great GPA but have trouble distinguishing themselves as leaders or standout students who positively impact the culture.

You have a really bad source on this.

If TJ were far away and boarding, I might agree with you. There are residential magnets that are pretty far removed from populations centers (Illinois Math & Science, Maine Math & Science, South Carolina Math & Science). Those students have to adjust when they move on, but not TJ kids. The do just fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard that many TJ kids, obviously not all, have trouble navigating the social dynamics at college. They may have a great GPA but have trouble distinguishing themselves as leaders or standout students who positively impact the culture.

That's not true of the TJ kids I know - most of them blossom in college and are very successful because it's easier than high school.

+1. Most kids go to an Ivy as a big fish from a little pond. And it’s a shock when everyone is amazing. TJ kids OTOH have had to deal with everyone in their class being in the top 1%.

Also, the PP is repeating a persistent TJ myth that just isn’t true. I spend time at TJ and time at a base high school. And the difference seems to be that TJ kids are almost universally nice. They may or may not have amazing social skills naturally. But part of the culture of the school is kindness, thoughtfulness, and a sense that everyone belongs atTJ because they are all doing this difficult thing together. Only other Tj kids understand the stresses and pressures. Only otjernTj kids “get” it. It’s like being in boot camp together. They take the phrase “TJ Community” seriously.

If I am not sure where I am headed in the base school, it’s time to head back to the main office or ask a teacher. If I look uncertain at TJ, a kid notices pretty quickly and takes the initiative to ask if I need help finding something. If I ask any random kid a question, they will help me find the person with the answer. All the Boy Scout words— friendly, helpful, considerate, kind— these are the words that describe the kids. They may or may not be the cool kids, or the socially savvy kids. But they are the nice kids. For me, this has been one of the biggest surprises of the school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard that many TJ kids, obviously not all, have trouble navigating the social dynamics at college. They may have a great GPA but have trouble distinguishing themselves as leaders or standout students who positively impact the culture.

Not true at all. My experience was the opposite, they were very well prepared for college from a social standpoint... I went to a HYP school and the TJ people I knew seemed to fit in really well on campus.

Another HYP undergrad here, and I noticed the same thing with TJ and Stuyvescent grads. BTW, I didn't go to either of these high schools.

Must be devastating for the 5 kids who got reject by GMU...seriously, GMU???

Anonymous wrote:I have heard that many TJ kids, obviously not all, have trouble navigating the social dynamics at college. They may have a great GPA but have trouble distinguishing themselves as leaders or standout students who positively impact the culture.

That's not true of the TJ kids I know - most of them blossom in college and are very successful because it's easier than high school.

Anonymous wrote:I have heard that many TJ kids, obviously not all, have trouble navigating the social dynamics at college. They may have a great GPA but have trouble distinguishing themselves as leaders or standout students who positively impact the culture.

I think this is an Ivy-wide (or top college wide) issue. Many top academic kids struggle when suddenly they are no longer 'THE' smart kid but "one of" the smart kids.

Anonymous wrote:

I wonder if having TJ makes it harder for students from other schools in NOVA. Do colleges assume that a high percentage of the best students are skimmed off by TJ and, as a result, discount the achievements of students at the schools these kids have left behind? Or does TJ act like a rising tide and raise all boats?

Many years ago I read an article in the Washington Post or Washingtonian where a group of college admissions counselors remarked on this effect. Basically, they felt that schools in Montgo County were 'better' overall as they didn't have that skim effect that was created by TJ taking the top students. It made the schools more balanced and they would prefer a kid from some high school there than a non-TJ Fairfax or Arlington kid.

Oh my god--I can't believe I just found it. Google is amazing. From 2007

https://www.washingtonian.com/2007/10/01/getting-in-to-top-schools/

(Gtown Admissions Dean) Deacon: "Georgetown gets a relatively small number of applicants from the Washington area. The problem in Northern Virginia is Thomas Jefferson, the science-and-technology magnet school. Jefferson robs all the local schools of their best students, leaving behind a culture that’s more dominated by athletics and rock music and less dominated by APs and high academic achievement. It’s great for the kids who get to Jefferson, but it leaves behind a lot of schools where the top of the class is a lot thinner.

So we don’t see a lot of great candidates from Northern Virginia high schools other than Jefferson. Even those that rank high in the class don’t look great to us. We see much stronger candidates from Montgomery County schools than from Fairfax."

Anonymous wrote:I have heard that many TJ kids, obviously not all, have trouble navigating the social dynamics at college. They may have a great GPA but have trouble distinguishing themselves as leaders or standout students who positively impact the culture.

Not true at all. My experience was the opposite, they were very well prepared for college from a social standpoint... I went to a HYP school and the TJ people I knew seemed to fit in really well on campus.

I have heard that many TJ kids, obviously not all, have trouble navigating the social dynamics at college. They may have a great GPA but have trouble distinguishing themselves as leaders or standout students who positively impact the culture.

Meh. Considering that virtually the whole class got a 1500+ on the SAT, not that impressive.

SAT scores reported are either mean or average; they don't say which. Also, they are on the old SAT, first taken by some of the graduating class of 2017. New SAT scores are likely to be lower, and that is probably why they haven't made them public here. If they were higher, they'd have published them.

Perhaps the top 20% of TJ kids are truly outstanding high stat applicants. Those are the National Merit winners. The bottom 20% not so much. Many might have been better off in their base schools. Know at least one grad who felt that way. Not everyone there is a prodigy. The top 5-10 percent of any good FCPS base high school will perform as well or better than the bottom half of TJ. Let's be real. The way some people talk about it is ridiculous.