The Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science in Denton is nationally renowned for its academics, however when it comes to the specifics of the program, most people are left in the dark. In actuality, attending TAMS is not entirely about academics, as students also face social, financial, and emotional issues that come with living away from home. As you will see, life at TAMS consists of a delicate balance between these and the advanced academics the program is noted for. Maintaining this balance is essential to surviving in the TAMS environment.

The basics: The Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science is a program that allows high school students to complete their final two years of high school while gaining 2 years of college credit concurrently. From all applicants, the academy selects 200 high school juniors each year to enter the program. These students reside, along with the 200 second-year students, in the McConnell Hall dormitory on the University of North Texas campus. TAMS students must maintain a course load of no less than 12 hours per semester, with a minimum grade point average of 2.5. Any student who does not meet these standards for two consecutive semesters will be dismissed without question. Over the four semesters of the program, students will take the following classes: Mathematics through Calculus II, Biology I and II, Chemistry I and II, History I and II, Physics I and II, Writing I and II, Political Science, and literature I and II. All classes are taken at the college-level and go on record as honors courses.

While these classes alone present the students with quite a challenge, their situation requires them to deal with other issues with which most teenagers are not faced. Relationships at TAMS, whether friendship or romantic, are far more intense than those forged under normal circumstances. The constant contact of a student with their 400 classmates makes friendships seem like family ties, making the separation of graduation almost heartbreaking.

Many students find it difficult to deal with getting left behind at TAMS, as many were once the top of their class back home. Because of this, TAMS students are highly competitive, almost to the point of stepping on one another's backs to put themselves ahead. Also, the high emphasis the administration places on achieving a GPA of 4.0 drives some students to compromise their integrity. Such a competitive environment does, however, help prepare students for the world into which they will soon emerge.

The rules governing students are by no means unreasonable; however some students who had less restriction at home find them too strict. Having come from a family of strict rules myself, I do not object to the eleven o'clock curfew, early quiet hours, or many of the other guidelines set down by the administration.

Overall, TAMS provides students with a valuable learning environment in which they are able to develop academically, socially, and emotionally. Despite the disadvantages that come with living in a highly competitive environment, it offers students a unique preparation for the real world. My experience in the TAMS program has been a positive one, and I would recommend that all mature academically-oriented students at least consider it as a possibility.

East Texas Mensa's SpectruM, February, 1999