<p>I did not get into TJ as a freshman and I want to apply again as a sophomore. My PSAT score is 200, I have mostly As with a few A minuses, I'm taking all honors classes, and my two electives are Computer Science and French 2. I'm in Science Olympiad, Model UN, and debate. Do I have a good chance of getting in and what should I do to increase my chances?</p>
<p>you seem to be on the right path. Your grades may be a bit low, they like to see all A’s generally. The truth is, the admissions process is pretty random as of recently.
Either way, I go to TJ and must ask are you SURE you want to go to here? It’s a great school and I love it, but unless you are at the top of the stack here, going to TJ will only hurt you for college etc. It may be better to stay at your base school. Trust me, seriously consider that advice.</p>
<p>I thought only like 20-30 people got in after they weren’t fresh</p>
<p>you’re on the right track. make sure you tailor your application towards a senior research project. you’re taking comp sci, which is good because it is needed for graduation at tj. on the other hand, there are going to be a lot of other kids with similar applications. this is what you need: GREAT essays that stand out (preferably about solving a problem in the world through STEM/TJ, they place a lot of importance on essays for froshmore round), EXCELLENT recommendations (because everybody is going to be getting great recs, so you need excellent ones. only the best apply to TJ), and you HAVE to do science fair. science fair helped me a lot when i applied froshmore round, even though i only made it to regionals. also, last year TJ only looked at M/CR PSAT score, but they seem to place an emphasis on writing so it may change for this year. </p>
<p>what i meant by tailoring your app: make sure everything you do has to do with a senior research project that you are interested in. in other words, if you like the marine bio senior research lab, try and volunteer at a marine lab, do a sci fair project that has to do with marine ecosystem, etc. one thing you have to remember - we live in DC. take advantage of it. you have an important and innovative city at your disposal. </p>
<p>also, don’t worry about making sure the school is right for you or not. get in first and then you can decide whether or not you want to attend. i got in as a froshmore last year then declined. anyways, you know best</p>
<p>Nemesis55, I’m not as interested in going to TJ for the college opportunities, but I want to go for the learning atmosphere and because I am really interested in biomedical engineering</p>