Anonymous
Post 04/04/2019 12:57     Subject: TJ. vs the privates
My DC is at TJ and we turned down Sidwell, St. Albans and Gonzaga a few years back. We have no connections so I can only assume he was accepted at these because of his test scores. I wanted private, but DC choose TJ.

I have to differ with the view many have here that TJ is brutal. It's not. But it is a lot of work, so if you have a student who is not 100% self motivated to work 2-5 hours a day, then it is absolutely not the right choice. I have a student who wrote his essay to get in about his sport and doesn't take many stem classes, he is very happy there. I think if I had sent him to one of the privates he would have more time to socialize and so I believe those PP that talk about social development have a good point. But that's not my goal. I'm not enough of a helicopter mom that I want to mold his personality to make him into a boss or a worker or anything in particular. He will be who he will be.
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2019 12:36     Subject: TJ. vs the privates
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:LOL at thinking that being smart enough to be at TJ would mean handling the academics at a Big 3 easily. They’d handle the workload, and many would do just as well academically. But having gone to TJ, I can tell you that a big chunk of its students are made of one-dimensional superstars in science and math who would be lucky to earn Bs in a rigrorous Big 3 humanities or social science class. The skill set to excel at TJ doesn’t work everywhere, in academics or in life.


Wait, so you went to TJ and took humanities at Big 3?


I have a child that went to TJ and another child that went to Potomac . TJ teaches my child to excel in STEM but that's it. My child went onto a good college, UVA, but while DC has a good job, DC just does not have the social skill and soft skill to be "management" material. DC hated me for not sending DC to Potomac school.

The DC that attended Potomac, also went onto a good college, U of Penn. DC has a great career and is in a high paying management position because of the social and soft skill DC was taught at Potomac.

I am working at an engineering company that there are about 6 people, out of 20, in my department that attended TJ. All of them, myself included, has to report to a boss who graduated from Sidwell Friend. His major in college was history. Go figure.


Was your Potomac kid born with those soft skills or were they taught those? My two kids have very different personalities, and I don't think whether they attended TJ or Potomac or Sidwell or McLean High School would do much to change that. Are all the kids coming out of Potomac the same ie automatically management material?
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2019 12:23     Subject: Re:TJ. vs the privates
Interesting experiences from people who actually went to TJ

https://www.quora.com/What-was-it-like-to-attend-the-Thomas-Jefferson-High-School-for-Science-and-Technology
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2019 12:22     Subject: TJ. vs the privates
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:LOL at thinking that being smart enough to be at TJ would mean handling the academics at a Big 3 easily. They’d handle the workload, and many would do just as well academically. But having gone to TJ, I can tell you that a big chunk of its students are made of one-dimensional superstars in science and math who would be lucky to earn Bs in a rigrorous Big 3 humanities or social science class. The skill set to excel at TJ doesn’t work everywhere, in academics or in life.


Wait, so you went to TJ and took humanities at Big 3?


I have a child that went to TJ and another child that went to Potomac . TJ teaches my child to excel in STEM but that's it. My child went onto a good college, UVA, but while DC has a good job, DC just does not have the social skill and soft skill to be "management" material. DC hated me for not sending DC to Potomac school.

The DC that attended Potomac, also went onto a good college, U of Penn. DC has a great career and is in a high paying management position because of the social and soft skill DC was taught at Potomac.

I am working at an engineering company that there are about 6 people, out of 20, in my department that attended TJ. All of them, myself included, has to report to a boss who graduated from Sidwell Friend. His major in college was history. Go figure.


Exactly.

The vast majority of TJ grads are one-dimensional STEM specialists. It's MIT or bust for many of them.


There's screenwriters, comedians and musicians on the TJ notable alumni list. My kid did well in history, a foreign language and English at TJ, and I thought that these subjects were better taught at TJ than at my other kid's base school.
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2019 12:16     Subject: TJ. vs the privates
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:LOL at thinking that being smart enough to be at TJ would mean handling the academics at a Big 3 easily. They’d handle the workload, and many would do just as well academically. But having gone to TJ, I can tell you that a big chunk of its students are made of one-dimensional superstars in science and math who would be lucky to earn Bs in a rigrorous Big 3 humanities or social science class. The skill set to excel at TJ doesn’t work everywhere, in academics or in life.


Wait, so you went to TJ and took humanities at Big 3?


I have a child that went to TJ and another child that went to Potomac . TJ teaches my child to excel in STEM but that's it. My child went onto a good college, UVA, but while DC has a good job, DC just does not have the social skill and soft skill to be "management" material. DC hated me for not sending DC to Potomac school.

The DC that attended Potomac, also went onto a good college, U of Penn. DC has a great career and is in a high paying management position because of the social and soft skill DC was taught at Potomac.

I am working at an engineering company that there are about 6 people, out of 20, in my department that attended TJ. All of them, myself included, has to report to a boss who graduated from Sidwell Friend. His major in college was history. Go figure.


Seriously, how many times will you recycle the same story from thread to thread? You need something new to troll effectively.
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2019 07:19     Subject: TJ. vs the privates
Vast majority is overstating things, but it is a sizable percentage. Just as many (if not more) TJ students are well-rounded though and would do great at Big 3s academically.
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2019 07:08     Subject: TJ. vs the privates
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:LOL at thinking that being smart enough to be at TJ would mean handling the academics at a Big 3 easily. They’d handle the workload, and many would do just as well academically. But having gone to TJ, I can tell you that a big chunk of its students are made of one-dimensional superstars in science and math who would be lucky to earn Bs in a rigrorous Big 3 humanities or social science class. The skill set to excel at TJ doesn’t work everywhere, in academics or in life.


Wait, so you went to TJ and took humanities at Big 3?


I have a child that went to TJ and another child that went to Potomac . TJ teaches my child to excel in STEM but that's it. My child went onto a good college, UVA, but while DC has a good job, DC just does not have the social skill and soft skill to be "management" material. DC hated me for not sending DC to Potomac school.

The DC that attended Potomac, also went onto a good college, U of Penn. DC has a great career and is in a high paying management position because of the social and soft skill DC was taught at Potomac.

I am working at an engineering company that there are about 6 people, out of 20, in my department that attended TJ. All of them, myself included, has to report to a boss who graduated from Sidwell Friend. His major in college was history. Go figure.


Exactly.

The vast majority of TJ grads are one-dimensional STEM specialists. It's MIT or bust for many of them.
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2019 00:15     Subject: TJ. vs the privates
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:LOL at thinking that being smart enough to be at TJ would mean handling the academics at a Big 3 easily. They’d handle the workload, and many would do just as well academically. But having gone to TJ, I can tell you that a big chunk of its students are made of one-dimensional superstars in science and math who would be lucky to earn Bs in a rigrorous Big 3 humanities or social science class. The skill set to excel at TJ doesn’t work everywhere, in academics or in life.


Wait, so you went to TJ and took humanities at Big 3?


I have a child that went to TJ and another child that went to Potomac . TJ teaches my child to excel in STEM but that's it. My child went onto a good college, UVA, but while DC has a good job, DC just does not have the social skill and soft skill to be "management" material. DC hated me for not sending DC to Potomac school.

The DC that attended Potomac, also went onto a good college, U of Penn. DC has a great career and is in a high paying management position because of the social and soft skill DC was taught at Potomac.

I am working at an engineering company that there are about 6 people, out of 20, in my department that attended TJ. All of them, myself included, has to report to a boss who graduated from Sidwell Friend. His major in college was history. Go figure.


There are tons of top level managers who neither went to sidwell nor TJ. A school does not make someone "management material". I honestly feel sorry for you thinking how narrow your definition of success is.
Anonymous
Post 04/03/2019 22:48     Subject: TJ. vs the privates
Do I know you?
Anonymous
Post 04/03/2019 22:17     Subject: TJ. vs the privates
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:LOL at thinking that being smart enough to be at TJ would mean handling the academics at a Big 3 easily. They’d handle the workload, and many would do just as well academically. But having gone to TJ, I can tell you that a big chunk of its students are made of one-dimensional superstars in science and math who would be lucky to earn Bs in a rigrorous Big 3 humanities or social science class. The skill set to excel at TJ doesn’t work everywhere, in academics or in life.


Wait, so you went to TJ and took humanities at Big 3?


I have a child that went to TJ and another child that went to Potomac . TJ teaches my child to excel in STEM but that's it. My child went onto a good college, UVA, but while DC has a good job, DC just does not have the social skill and soft skill to be "management" material. DC hated me for not sending DC to Potomac school.

The DC that attended Potomac, also went onto a good college, U of Penn. DC has a great career and is in a high paying management position because of the social and soft skill DC was taught at Potomac.

I am working at an engineering company that there are about 6 people, out of 20, in my department that attended TJ. All of them, myself included, has to report to a boss who graduated from Sidwell Friend. His major in college was history. Go figure.
Anonymous
Post 04/03/2019 22:00     Subject: TJ. vs the privates
Anonymous wrote:LOL at thinking that being smart enough to be at TJ would mean handling the academics at a Big 3 easily. They’d handle the workload, and many would do just as well academically. But having gone to TJ, I can tell you that a big chunk of its students are made of one-dimensional superstars in science and math who would be lucky to earn Bs in a rigrorous Big 3 humanities or social science class. The skill set to excel at TJ doesn’t work everywhere, in academics or in life.


Wait, so you went to TJ and took humanities at Big 3?
Anonymous
Post 04/03/2019 21:52     Subject: TJ. vs the privates
LOL at thinking that being smart enough to be at TJ would mean handling the academics at a Big 3 easily. They’d handle the workload, and many would do just as well academically. But having gone to TJ, I can tell you that a big chunk of its students are made of one-dimensional superstars in science and math who would be lucky to earn Bs in a rigrorous Big 3 humanities or social science class. The skill set to excel at TJ doesn’t work everywhere, in academics or in life.
Anonymous
Post 04/03/2019 21:33     Subject: Re:TJ. vs the privates
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This whole thread is dumb. The vast majority of private school students in DC wouldn’t even get into Thomas Jerfferson.

And the opposite is true too, insofar as the most selective DC private schools are concerned. What's your point? They're two completely different animals aiming for two distinct types of student bodies. Neither is better.



100% agree that TJ and the top privates are very different schools that are looking for different things as part of their admissions process. And no one is saying that TJ or the top privates aren't good (at least I hope no one is saying that, as it would be ridiculous) - obviously they both are, and several kids from both regularly gain admission to HYPMS and other top colleges and universities each year. Rather, they are just different.

It seems the point several PPs have tried to make, which I believe is a narrow albeit valid one, is that strictly in terms of the academic ability of the students, the difference between TJ and the top DC privates is immense. A very small proportion of the students at Sidwell/STA/NCS/GDS/other top privates could possibly gain admission to TJ, and an even smaller proportion could realistically handle the work. Probably just the very top students at those schools would be capable of getting into TJ (let alone thriving there). While it's true that most TJ students would not get into those same top DC privates either, the reason has nothing to do with those students' academic ability/smarts. Every single student who makes it into TJ could more than easily handle the academics at Sidwell/STA/NCS/etc. (whether they can thrive in high-pressure environments, whether TJ or the top privates, is another question, but what isn't in question if they got accepted to TJ in the first place is their smarts). This isn't to say that the academics at the top privates are bad by any stretch - given their selectivity, the average SAT scores of their students, and their track record getting kids into top colleges, they obviously attract students that are academically stronger than the average at most other schools. TJ is just an extreme outlier in that sense - it's a generalization to be sure, but take the top 10% of the kids at the top DC privates (based on grades/testing/smarts alone) and the majority of them would likely fall in the bottom half at TJ.


This.
Anonymous
Post 04/03/2019 21:23     Subject: TJ. vs the privates
Anonymous wrote:Really, no one cares the slightest about TJ on this board. Different animal.


Apparently you care enough not to ignore a thread with TJ in it, just saying...
Anonymous
Post 04/03/2019 21:07     Subject: TJ. vs the privates
Really, no one cares the slightest about TJ on this board. Different animal.