<p>So hard to choose. Any insights from other parents. Read some previous posts on the watered down Magnet program at Blair, although my interactions with the Blair program coordinator have been exemplary and so is the hosting by the students. Looking for inputs from other parents</p>
<p>I have a student in the Global Program who was also accepted into the SMCS Program. I think it was a toss up until the night at PHS where the accepted students went to hear about the programs and meet current students. There was a current student who said she loved the Global Program but was also able to combine elements of the SMCS program (by choosing their electives like AP CS, Thermodynamics…) she felt she had the best of both worlds.I think Blair though really knows how to groom kids for the Intel competitions and probably has a better national rep because it has been around longer. What does your child like to do? Is he/she a kid who loves being outdoors - there are a lot of field trips in the Global Program and as they like to say at PHS - there is no such thing as bad weather - just bad clothing.</p>
<p>BTW, this is probably not the right forum for this thread - the moderators may move it.</p>
<p>Each program is specifically designed for two different types of kids. It really depends on your child and what he/she likes to do. If your child is very driven type who loves math/physics/engineering, Blair might be better. If your little one likes outdoor activities with easy going attitude, GE might be better. You can’t go wrong with either program though. I wouldn’t be too concerned about “water down” Blair program. I think it’s still a very good program. The only down side of GE? It is SOOOO far way if you are coming from down county. Your child is lucky to have two very good choices. Good luck. </p>
<p>How do you have the option of Blair <em>and</em> Poolesville? The upcounty schools were routed to Poolesville seven years ago; Blair is the down county math/science option. </p>
<p>PHS/GE and RM/IB are open county wide. I suspect OP lives down county and applied to PHS/GE along with Blair. </p>
<p>Ok–that’s different from what had been proposed when the Poolesville magnets were set up. I had one at Blair (pre-Poolesville) and one who got into RMIB, Blair and Poolesville Humanities. He was the last cohort from upcounty who had a choice for the math/science. </p>
<p>If OP’s kiddo needs significant subject acceleration (esp math), I’d strongly consider Blair. The commute either way can be a significant issue. We live exactly between Blair & Poolesville, so it was not a deciding factor. We are in the upcounty cohort of schools.</p>