Tough choice--Thomas Jefferson High School

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Last year, I applied to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. I did exceptionally well on the test and had an all-around great application. However, after making it past semi-finalist round, I was rejected. </p>

<p>This year, I have the chance to apply again. However, I'm not sure if I want to, seeing as I'd be a year behind the curve. Also, it seems to me that applying would basically signify a commitment to attend, since so few people apply as freshmen. Here's my reasoning:</p>

<p>If I stay: I go to a marginally competitive high school that sends a few to top colleges every year. I'm fairly (very) certain that I'm currently freshmen valedictorian. So far, I've taken the most advanced courses possible and received a straight A plus average for my semester grades. The classes offered at my high school are pretty advanced (our math goes to AP Calc BC, AP in all three sciences and both english classes, APUSH, AP Comp Sci, APWorld, etc). I plan to take the most difficult classes all four years, including all AP sciences and some college math courses (linear algebra, multi-var calculus). Also, I'm class president. </p>

<p>If I apply and I'm accepted: I'd attend TJHSST, the best high school in the United States (according to US News). There, I'd be challenged and pushed to my academic limits. Also, I'd probably start out behind most of my classmates, since they'd already have a year of the rigorous course load under their belts. </p>

<p>I really want to attend a top college like Harvard, Stanford, or MIT. Statistically, most of the Thomas Jefferson class is accepted into UVA and William and Mary, with maybe 10-25 percent go to top colleges like HYPSM. Although the chance of me getting accepted by a good college is higher at TJ, I fear that the probability of my acceptance into a top college will be slimmer, due to the intense competition. </p>

<p>My current high school offers great classes and opportunities to challenge myself. Also, I will most likely place within the top 5 spots of my class if I stay. I feel that if I remain at my current high school, I'll have the ability to stand out among my peers. This may be the determinant of my acceptance to a college like Harvard. </p>

<p>So, to simplify my dilemma, if I go to TJ, I might be at a disadvantage due to the large number of qualified peers applying to the same colleges that I do. If I stay, I will have a worse high school education but might have the ability to stand out and look like a star applicant. </p>

<p>What should I do? All help/suggestions are appreciated. I'm really undecided as to whether or not I should apply. And if I do end up applying, I don't know if I should attend or not. </p>

<p>PS. I didn't even mention the standard problems with transferring. Take the loss of friends, 1.5 hour + driving time, etc. into account. Also, don't respond with 'it's really tough to get in, don't count your chickens' and comments like that. I'm well aware that, should I apply, it'd be very difficult to get accepted. I'm only looking for advice concerning the school that would aid me in getting accepted to a school of ivy league caliber.</p>

2

<p>I read your statement as having already answered the Q for yourself. You should stay put where you are. You’ll be a star, still have plenty of opportunity to challenge yourself and extend yourself, and you’ll be a strong, strong candidate for UVa and W & M with decent shots at the most competitive colleges. Only thing I would add–you have plenty of time NOW to figure out what ECs play to your strengths; you should decide on 1 or 2 and get deeply involved. If you look around this forum you’ll see that the kids that get accepted to the most highly selective boarding schools are already very accomplished in one or more non-academic areas, whether it be sports, music, theatre, service, or something totally off the map that really makes them stand out. Think NOW about what you’re passionate about and how it could make you stand out 2 years down the line, and then get going on it! And good luck!!!</p>

3

<p>Did I read you correctly - attending TJHSMT will add a 1.5 hour commute to your day? Just think what you could do with this time if you stay at your current school: get involved in a sport or a club, practice music or art or any other EC you’re passionate about! Yes, you could read/study in the car if someone else is driving you - but I know Northern Virginia traffic can be horrendous. Think of the stress you/your parents would avoid, not to mention the $$ saved on fuel, etc!</p>

4

<p>There’s a bus, and it’s pretty convenient. The drive is 1.5 hours each way.</p>

5

<p>You want to be in the environment that you think is the best place. Forget all that BS about trying to figure out which school will be the better springboard to the colleges you presently think you will want to attend in several years. If you think TJHSST is amazing and you’d want to be part of it – apply. If you think your current school is great and has added benefits like people you already know and are proud to call “friends” and can make better use of that commute time by not commuting – consider not applying. If you’re in the best possible environment for high school, the rest will fall into place for college. And only you – okay, and your parents – know what’s best for you. All we can do is tell you what’s best for some generic person. And you’re not some generic person, right? So figure out where you want to be for your high school years and ignore the hocus-pocus analysis of what school is the best launching pad for students on average…unless you believe that you’re a “student on average.”</p>

6

<p>If your goal is to enter the IVY schools like HYP, you’d better to stay with the current school. You may have better chance to get in those school. By the way, you need to understand why you’re rejected from TJ last year. Your academic record seems very strong and you need to keep maintaining good record. How about EC and essay? For college, you will be competing with the students from TJ and many other competitive schools. You need to really understand which area you have to strengthen. Academic stregth is only a part of your evaluations. Good luck to you. 1.5 hour is too long time for the communting. You can spend those times for Community service.</p>

7

<p>Another thing to consider about a 1.5 hour commute (each way): how difficult would it be to get together with friends you make at TJHSST? Could you get together to study, or hang out on the weekends? Does the school have activities after school or in the evenings? Would you be able to participate? High school is so much more than just class time and academics - by being so far away, would you be setting yourself up to miss out on a good part of that experience?</p>

<p>A bus ride wouldn’t be too bad - you could definitely study each way (3 hours a day) but I’m sure it’s not cheap. How much money could you save (for college, or a car, or whatever!) by not taking that bus?</p>

8

<p>

Not meant to rub it in, but it sounds like there’s a good chance you’d be a “student on average” in TJ. As a matter of fact, in a school like TJ full of highly capable students, no one can say for sure before they enter the school that they’ll be exceptional. So, I think starting by envisioning yourself a “student on average” is not a bad approach. If you are a typical average or a little above average student at TJ, would a <em>typical</em> college placement outcome for that student be acceptable to you? On the other hand, give some “cushion” as to your position at your school. Don’t think you’ll be valedictorian in 4 years but rather imagine yourself in top 5% of the class, would you have a sure enough chance to get to your dream college being at the bottom of that 5%? </p>

<p>Remember TJ is excellent, but it’s still a public school for local students. Evaluate if your high school experience would be drastically different being there than in your high school. Then of course, TJ is a brand name now, if that matters to you.</p>

9

<p>The bus is free–TJ is a pubic school. As for the comments about my rejection last year:</p>

<p>My test score was in the 98th percentile for applicants. Which puts me within the top 200 of the applicant pool (probably slimmer). Since TJ admits approximately 480 students a year, I was well within the score threshold. Many of my peers, friends, and teachers were absolutely shocked that I didn’t get in. However, I think I know why. Apparently, TJ has a quota where they can only accept one student from the middle school I attended. They accepted my friend, which means I wasn’t able to be admitted. I had better stats in every single category than my friend. However, he went to the National Spelling Bee (edged me out in the school bee), and I think TJ valued that achievement pretty highly. So naturally, when I received the thin envelope, I was devastated.</p>

<p>So I don’t think I’d be average there. I’m being honest here–I think I’d excel. While my friend is currently struggling in his Alg 2 with Trig class (pretty much same course), I have a 102. </p>

<p>Just thought I’d clear that up. Any more thoughts? I’m getting mixed feedback.</p>

10

<p>OK your explanation about last year’s rejection makes sense. If you believe you’d excel at TJ, then why miss the bus? Isn’t that the only concern - That you might be in the middle of the pack and miss the chance of going to a top college? If you are confident that you’d be in the top - I don’t know say 15% (?) - of the class, I say go for it. You have nothing to lose.</p>

11

<p>You arent getting mixed messages, the overwhelming majority is telling you to stay put.</p>

12

<p>Our daughter attended the only other “public elite” in VA…the MLW Governors School. Would she have gotten in to W&M early d had she attended her home school? I think yes. However, the education that she recieved at MLWGS was SOOO heads and shoulders above any other that she has breezed through W&M, earned a full scholarship to study abroad this summer, qualified for Monroe Scholar etc. You will do well with either choice…but if you peel back the onion ALL the way to the core question of “where will you get the best education”…there is no comparison to TJGS. It’s what you are willing to sacrifice to be able to have that level of education. And only YOU can make that decision. It is clear that you are already aware of the educational advantages of choosing TJ. Good luck, dear!</p>

13

<p>The reason why you got a lot of “stay put” is because you said earlier that you were concerned that you might not be able to “excel” at TJ which might affect your college choice. Then you said you were confident you’d excel, so what’s left to be concerned about? You’d get top notch education, prestige, and great college placement (if you excel there) at TJ. Why “stay put”?</p>

14

<p>GPA and test score are part of the admission criteria of TJ. I would say that you need to find out why you were rejected. You need to understand there were about 1500 students rejected from Harvard last year and they were all 1st ranked in their school and have nearly perfect SAT score. If you don’t improve your weakness, you could be faced with same situation for college. Don’t weigh too much on your GPA and scores. Keep studying hard and improve your weakness. You may have to ask yourself why you were rejected from TJ last year. If you didn’t do much for other area except scores, you may be rejected again in this year from TJ. Good luck!</p>

15

<p>Well, I feel that I’d excel, but just not to the level that I’d need to. Even if I got straight As, others would be involved in hardcore science projects, national quiz bowls, and the like. No matter how proficiently I do, I’m afraid that those who are my most direct competition will have an insurmountable leg up. Do you see my point of view now? </p>

<p>By the way, thanks so much for the kind feedback everyone. You’ve all been very helpful.</p>

16

<p>Good luck, Studious Maximus! You don’t sound very confident about TJ…maybe you are better off staying where you are and shining like a super nova where you are in your comfort zone. Lot’s of folks get into Harvard/Yale/ etc. etc and very few if any of them went to TJ i.e. you need to make the best out of where you are and you will write you own ticket. Godspeed!</p>

17

<p>

</p>

<p>Schools differ in rigor. I would not assume that you’re in the same course. The Thomas Jefferson High School’s Alg 2 with Trig class may be much more difficult than your high school’s version.</p>

<p>IF your overriding goal is admission to Harvard, Princeton, MIT etc., then you should stay put. Develop activities which demonstrate your ability to lead and motivate your peers. Get involved in your community. Help others. Past a certain threshold, your chances of getting in to the most selective schools are determined by your overall effort, not academic criteria. It is much easier to demonstrate your character without an added 1.5 hours of travel time.</p>

18

<p>I have a child who reapplied to TJ and entered as a sophomore (or a froshmore, as they are called at TJ). He was very happy that he transferred even though he knew that there would have been advantages to him had he stayed where he started high school (he was the top student in his 9th grade class too). Disadvantages: he had to make up some classes not all his credits transferred. At a minimum, you’d have to take the technology class that all freshmen are required to take at TJ so it would mean that your sophomore schedule is full. It also took my son a while for his social life to blossom even though he knew about 50 people in his TJ class. While you sound very confident in your abilities and have talked to some people who go to TJ, the classes can be very, very difficult. No matter how capable you are, there will be times when you feel inadequate there. Everyone feels this way at some point. While it’s certainly possible to be at the top of the academic class there, remember that there are almost 500 kids in your class that are every bit as smart and capable as you. Just from a numbers perspective, it’s tough to be at the very top of the class. Advantages: you will be surrounded by kids who are as smart and capable as you and who are interested in everything. It is an invigorating environment, just because of the students and their interests. Of course, there are interesting classes that are not offered in other high schools. Check these out. Check out the myriad extracurricular activities (8th period). Finally, if you are interested in doing research - this is a requirement at TJ - you must do a senior research project. Many students start much earlier than their senior year because they are interested enough to start on their own or because they work with a teacher, mentor or through an internship. Because of my son’s classes and extracurricular activities, he landed two very interesting summer internships (paid). He didn’t do research, but it was his TJ creds that helped him…and then the internships helped with college apps. I’m not sure he would have gotten these internships had he gone to his base school.
As far as college goes, there are two reasons more TJ kids don’t attend top schools (instead choosing to attend top Virginia public universities): (1) affordability and (2) these schools can’t accept 100 kids from TJ every year. Every year about 80-90 TJ kids apply to MIT (for example). MIT just can’t accept all of them even though they would probably all be successful. But it’s a double edged sword…if you continue to attend your current school, you might not have all the creds to get attention from top schools but you’ll be unique - you’re likely to be the only senior applying from your school. Having lots of AP classes isn’t really enough to get attention from top schools - all their applicants have lots of AP (or IB) classes. Look at your high school’s record of students attending the colleges you are interested in attending. If you transfer to TJ, you’ll be one of many applying and you may not able to distinquish yourself from all your competition.
You have 2 good options and in the end, you will be successful no matter where you finish high school. I would suggest that you re-apply just to have the option to go to TJ if you decide it’s for you. If you get accepted, then you have a decision to make. Applying is not a commitment to attend. In the meantime, go visit, talk to TJ students, go to the College Career Center at TJ and get the statistics on colleges, look at the course catalog and see what you would be able to take if you go there (expecially the post AP classes) versus just the AP classes that you’ll get at your current school…in other words, do first hand research!</p>

19

<p>pssst StudiousMaximus: what if TJ were not a means to an end but an end in itself?</p>

20

<p>

</p>

<p>I think this is where I fail to share your perspective. Stop worrying about other people (i.e., your “most direct competition”) and focus on where you would thrive. You make it sound like it’s a bad thing to be around people who are amazingly gifted and high-achieving…because you view those people as “competitors” instead of viewing them as “comrades.”</p>

<p>You’re looking at it like it’s a tennis tournament and you’re afraid you won’t advance far in the bracket because of the competition. I’m looking at it like it’s a baseball team and thinking that your chances of getting to the World Series are improved if you’re surrounded with an All-Star line-up. These are fundamentally different perspectives. And, frankly, with the tennis tournament perspective, I think you’ve answered the question: you should stay put.</p>

<p>I think people who are drawn to TJHSST – and the people TJHSST seeks to admit – are the people who can collaborate and leverage each other’s qualities to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. Hence the research component. And the push to internships. If you’re a solo performer, TJHSST may not be the best choice for you even if you’ve got top drawer numbers. If, however, you choose to re-apply, I would suggest you look back at last year’s application and see if there are ways you can present yourself as more of a team player than an individual stand-out. If you haven’t improved that part of the record and can’t take what you have and emphasize those attributes when you reapply, you may want to brace yourself for some redisappointment.</p>