Hall of GT High School

I still vividly remember the first time my mom brought me Richard Montgomery High School. It was early September and I was eight years old. I remember my mom bringing me close and telling me, “This is a very good school. I hope you can go here for high school one day”. I remembering thinking, high school was ages away, too far ahead for my eight year old mind to grasp. However, I was wrong. The next few years quickly sped past me and before I knew it I was at the end of seventh grade and contemplating high school. I immediately [...]

Faith isn’t everything In the summer of 2015, I didn’t think that I had any chance of making the high school magnet program. My belief in my ability had plummeted when I was one of the only people in my school not to be accepted into Takoma Park or Eastern. Summer 2015, I was getting ready to go through the motions of Dr.Li’s summer class for a second time. I already knew that I was gonna end up going to the Saturday classes, even though my parents and I had many debates about it. After my two weeks of summer camp, filled [...]

Accepted Into: ✓ Richard Montgomery ✓ Poolesville SMCS ✓ Poolesville Humanities ✓ Poolesville Global Ecology ✓ Wheaton Biomedical ✓ Wheaton Engineering Experience with Dr. Li’s Magnet Prep Program: The Dr. Li magnet prep program was a thrilling experience. The teachers were great and many new concepts were touched on. Topics that we learned about at school were taught in depth and applied to real world problems. Dr. Li was a challenging yet fun learning experience. On the very first class, we were given a paper that helped us prioritize our options and really question ourselves as to why we were coming here [...]

While taking the Magnet test for Richard Montgomery’s IB Program and Poolesville’s Science, Math, Computer Science House; Global Ecology House; and the Humanities House; I discovered that Dr. Li’s prep classes were a big help. I was accepted into the Humanities House and waitlisted into the IB Program, SMCS House, and the Global Ecology House. The practice packets provided by Dr. Li and his program encouraged me to study and to really focus on my weaknesses. I believe that this process that Dr. Li uses helps students to balance their math, logic reasoning, and English skills. In this way, I was able [...]

Dr. Li’s GT High School Prep experience was extremely helpful in my successful acceptance into all four magnet programs. With the effective Math, English, and Writing components of the program, I was able to advance my skills prior to the test. By working in math packets and completing challenging drills, my abilities in the Math field were reinforced and strengthened. The many concepts I knew and understood became more developed and reminded me of the many ways to solve different problems. Additionally, I learned new tactics that aided me in both time and strategy. Dr. Li’s keen and detailed explanations of these [...]

Before the magnet test in the fall, I attended Dr. Li’s Magnet Test Preparation class. This class was very beneficial in guiding me towards success in the high school acceptance test. I especially found the essay writing lessons to beneficial. At the beginning of the sessions, I would get zeros on my essays. Many people also got zeros around this time. So Dr. Thompson, one of the instructors, decided to incorporate lessons on the proper structure of an essay and how to create well developed essays. These lessons guided me and the other students about how the essay should be structured and [...]

14 percent. That is the probability of being accepted into the magnet. Being in Takoma Park Middle School Magnet Program already, I was aware of the completion around me. I did not want to take a change of not getting into the magnet and wondered how I could increase my likelihood of getting in. Luckily, one day I was informed by my parents that instead of relaxing each week on Saturday, I would have to go to an intensive GT Prep Session. The Saturday of that week, I had to take the mock placement test and was almost certain that I was [...]

The preparation to take the Magnet test is a stressing and very difficult process; almost as demanding as the actual test is. However hard I worked, I never thought I was ready. I studied at every opportunity, strengthened my vocabulary, and practiced my writing every day, but still didn’t believe it was enough. I had no confidence in any of my abilities, and was certain there was no way I would be able to get into any of the high schools. The Magnet test was a once in a lifetime opportunity, that would definitely benefit me in the future, if I did [...]

Three years ago at around this time of year, I received two letters that left me dumbfounded and created a clear engraving of an unfortunate memory--- the day when I disappointed my family, friends, relatives, and most importantly, myself. Ever since my eyes scanned the words “you have been placed in our waiting pool” on the letter of Takoma Park Middle School, my heart sank to the pit of my stomach. Since that day, my self-esteem sank drastically; I frequently wondered why I was dumber than the rest of my friends. Walking into Geometry class one day in the beginning of this [...]

The first time I ever heard of the magnet program was in fifth grade. At this time, I didn’t really understand what these programs meant to others, and how greatly these programs changed the lives of ordinary students. It wasn’t until I participated in Dr. Li’s program that I really felt what it was like to be competing with an entire county. The first classes of Dr. Li’s program were difficult, and almost impossible. The quizzes were designed to challenge students, and really show how rigorous the exams for Poolesville and Richard Montgomery are going to be like. As the classes went [...]