My mom was strongly recommending TAMS for me, so I’m here to ask a few question.
1.Admission
I know you need to fill out a form, have your councilor and teacher write a recommendation, have your SAT score, your report card, and there is a interview at the end. I just want to know how hard is it to get into TAMS? I made all A except for geometry the last semester of geometry(got an 89) my freshman year. Is there a certain SAT score that’s required?
2.Accademic
One of the reason my mom wanted me to goto TAMS so much is because she thinks there are more resouces in TAMS. According to her, the councilor there can actually give you helpful advice, since they don’t have hundres of kids to talk to. This, in her opinion, would increase the chance of me getting into good universities. I’m more worried about the accademic work load in TAMS. How much harder is TAMS than high school? Would the fact of being in a lower rank in a highly competitive school affect my admission to universities? If so, higher or lower? Also, is what my mom told me true?
3.Student Life
This is important to me, as I don’t want to live in a enviorment that I’m uncomfortable with for 2 years. How’s the student dorms? What resources are avalible during stduents’ pass time(like internet, gym, foods, etc.)? And lastly, are video games allowed on campus? Video games is one of my favvorite thing to do to relax, so is it possible for me to play with my friend for a couple of hour during the weekends or holidays?
That’s about it, thanks to all those helpful enough to answer in advance!
Hi there! I’m currently a senior at TAMS, and personally, it’s been a great experience so far!
Here’s what I have to say:
- Admissions:
I'm not entirely sure how the whole admissions process works, but the more people who apply, the more competitive it usually is. In recent years, fewer people have been applying due to the lack of class rankings at TAMS (which can be a problem for colleges who prefer students in top 10%, etc). SATs average around 1900 or so from what I hear (and that's about what I had when I applied), and you should also be strong in your knowledge of Algebra II. The interview is just there to see whether you're fit for living here (it's even conducted by actual students so don't stress).
- Academics:
The counselor here is GREAT. She's always there for us to talk to, and is extremely friendly/approachable. She can help with nearly everything! TAMS was much harder than my old high school (these are college level courses after all), but my opinion is subjective. Some of my friends from Jasper in Plano consider classes at TAMS easier. If you find yourself struggling, there are personal tutors and tons of study groups you can attend. If you take advantage of the opportunities, there's no way you can't make an A :)
Also, because we don't rank, you don't need to worry about being in the bottom percent. The reason for the lack of rank is because most students at the academy came from being in the ~15% at their old schools, so it would be unfair to lower their rankings just because they're in a higher intellectual bracket.
Also, if you get involved in clubs/research/competitions here you can really boost your college profile!
- Student Life
I wasn't to certain about TAMS when I was doing the campus tours. The dorms looked okay and the food was all right. The students were what made it for me, though. It's so easy to talk to everyone, and there's such a wide variety of interests within the student body so you should never feel left out! There's TONS of clubs too. The internet DOES cut off at 1AM, though, which is all right in a way because it gives us an excuse to go to bed. The gym here is fantastic, I think they upgraded the facilities a few years ago. There's a really nice indoor pool and a rock climbing wall. The cafeteria isn't too bad honestly, but I've gotten so used to it that I tend to eat off campus or bring my own food from home every now and then. Sometimes people even make food in the kitchenette :) And video games are totally fine. People bring systems all the time and League is really popular among the boys (a few girls too). I myself played Portal and Bioshock in my free time. Just don't let it get in the way of your grades... (you need a 3.00 to stay).
You should visit during one of the preview days and see how you like it for yourself! If you decide to apply, make sure it’s because YOU want to and not just because your mom wants you to–obviously not everyone will enjoy it as much as I do. But, hey, you won’t know until you see with your own eyes 
Sorry for the long response!
Thank you very much! This really helped alot. One mroe question though, how doe GPA work in TAMS? is it all 5 pts courses since its all technically college level? (and I play Smite no League of Legend :P).
GPA is on 4.0 (unweighted) scale. I think different professors have different grading scales but generally, a 89.9-10 is an A, 80-89.8 is a B, etc. or something like that.