(Under construction; last update 02.11.01)
[Vallone-Maeda Foreign Policy Group 1 Period 4/5, enter our testing pages, policy4.htm, here.]
Alrighty-o. Here's the guide/spirit page for TJ people, mostly designed for frosh, but applicable to all grades and their folks, I s'pose. Anyhow. First off, I gotta tell you, you made a mistake in coming here. I'm not saying that because the people are lousy-- far from it, the people here are great and we really do have school (community-themed) spirit. It's just that in the long run, it would've been much better for you to have gone to your base high school because you have a better chance of getting into the college you wanted if you'd come out on top there, than come out average here at TJ. Oh well, you're here, and you're almost completely stuck. Two people from my class dropped the school because it just wasn't their bag of tricks, one at the end of June '00 and the other in June '01. Generally, it looks even worse if you drop the school after starting-- colleges think you can't handle it. (Which is probably the truth in that case, but not the point I'm trying to make. *^.^*) Things are a'changing here, too; there's talk about instituting a minority-pro program which will incrementally decrease the quality of the smart people (stupid people get in, too *koff*ANDREW*koff*CORBET*koff*), essentially. Then with the cheating issue that Yale and the other Ivy Leaguers are concerned with... Man, this year is hectic. Nevertheless, on with the show. Good luck!

~ Counselors + teachers ~
* Get to know yours, even early on. You don't have to get along with all of them, but the more, the better. Worry about this particularly during sophomore and definitely junior years! Start thinking about who you want to write your recs-- teachers of AP courses you take are a good choice, assuming you do well in their class. Don't overdo it, but definitely make sure it's there.

~ Course changes ~
* If you really need this done, have it done over the summer. If you can't get your counselor to do it for you, talk to some of the other nicer counselors who don't mind helping out a student that isn't in their own batch.
* Think about if you really, really need to change it, 'cause it's almost always a hassle, especially if you want to switch IBETs/HUMs. IBETs tend to be easier to change because freshmen usually don't know any better unless they've had a sibling or friend in there already, or if they made goodygoody during the intro period.

~ Course planning ~
* Think about this beginning sophomore year at the latest. You've got a limited number of summer courses available, and a set number of electives. Don't waste them, and plan carefully so that you can experience all you truly want to do.
* When taking AP courses, talk to people who've already taken it to get an idea about the workload you're in for (this can also apply to regular courses). Also, get the AP Review book, preferably no more than 3 years old. It'll come in handy.

~ College planning ~
* Start thinking about it during early spring of sophomore year. I know, you really don't wanna, but you don't have to do serious research yet unless you've got nothing better to do. I say this because sophomore year's spring break can be a good time to get a few potential colleges/universities under your belt; in my sophomore SB, I hit University of Southern California, Berkeley, and U of Irvine. I immediately loved USC! Anyhow. You can stick to local stuff, too; doing this during the other breaks tends to be less fruitful, I gotta warn you. As for Early Decision/Early Action, don't do this unless you're really setting your heart on that one place.

~ GPA ~
* Don't let this drop! If you mess up freshman year, that's alright, but don't mess up too badly. Sophomore year is also sorta lenient, but if you're below, say, 3.33, there's something wrong. Junior year is when grades matter most, plus the first semester of senior year.

~ SATs ~
* If you've taken them prior to freshman year, fine. If not, don't bother til junior year; aim for mid-spring, or at least after January.
* The preps most teachers are willing to take you through are so worth it; check tjToday ads for the SAT help, some of my friends have really plussed it.

~ Academics ~
* Keep up and make up. Most teachers say that you've gotta take care of your own junk-- all that responsibility litany. I personally interpret it as "I don't wanna do my job." So what're they paid for, right? But whatever. Make up the stuff you miss ASAP, you got a so-so chance of meeting the mark. Some teachers don't require you make up tests/quizzes you miss (M. Beeckman comes to mind), and that's often a good thing.

~ Clinic ~
* You can ask to go to the clinic and nap for 45 minutes (unless the end of the period comes before that). It's a real treat, and can perk you right up most times. Don't go more than once or twice a month, though, because that gets ridiculous.
* Don't abuse this privilege!

~ College Career Center ~
* Besides the candy, it's really useful; great resources for summer jobs and college information.

~ Eighth Periods ~
* Okay, how you handle this depends on what your interests are and whether or not you plan on driving to school. If you plan on getting a parking space, then you must have a perfect record-- no unexcused misses. Course, being in Loudoun County, I think driving to school is absolutely ridiculous... besides, even most of the interesting people ride the bus unless they plan on staying after; it's loads more fun and you can get work done. Sleep, too, if that's what floats your boat. Whoops, off-track... Right. If you want a space, do extracurricular activities and don't skip eighth period. If you've got interests that are met during certain 8th period activities, then by all means, go for it. Or you can skip if you don't give a hoot like me-- just don't get caught. (Hint hint, Subway's/McDonald's/7-11/Starbucks/FreshFields!)

~ Extracurricular Activities ~
* One word, people: prioritize. Academics gotta come first in the middle two years of high school. I'm learning that the hard way...
* Beginning of junior year (if not sooner), pick 2-4 particular activities that you really want to throw yourself into, then do it. Consider tutoring, publications staff, student government, community outreach, that kind of thing. It looks really good on college apps, trust me.

~ Homecoming Week ~
* SHOW SOME SPIRIT. (But upperclassmen always win.) (And yes, Powderpuff is fully rigged for seniors.)

Must-Have Resources!
TJ main page: Access most school-stuff here.
AllAboutCollege: Provides detailed stats on hundreds of colleges and universities, and includes links to their official website. They offer school-specific chat rooms as well! Great resource to help you pick that to-die-for school.
Gov based stuff: This provides a basic look at 9,000+ schools; set up by the US Dept of Education, of course.
SparkNotes: Too lazy to read that boring assignment? This is the most popular place around to refer to.
PinkMonkey: Another fairly popular place to refer to.
ClassicNotes: Not very well-known, but I really recommend this site for reference! It might not have much coverage, but each individual book has lots of things to check out!
NovelGuide: Again, not very well-known, but lotsa good stuff! Summaries are good, too.
SlashDot: Nerd central. 'Nuff said.

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