Whitney M. Young Magnet High School

8/11/2014

Great school in equally impressive area of the city. When navigating here, it's important to remember that while the school is three separate buildings, connected by raised bridges, the main entrance is still on Laflin; all doors are open for exit, but visitors and guests must still enter through Laflin.

As one of the city's selective enrollment schools and Academic Centers, interested students are required to fill out an application, take a test, and follow a series of other steps to be admitted.

8/11/2014

It is a great High School. They have high Academic standards. Whitney is a great place to learn and to have a good education. Also they have a great Boys Basketball team that is ranked as one of the best in the country.

8/11/2014

It's awesome. Hands down. I go their as an 8th grader. Super Awesome.

8/11/2014

This is a great school. It is in a pretty central location and is by the Loop, so most people from the city have access to it. The kids here are very smart and willing to learn. We also offer a lot of classes, mostly honors, and around 24 APs. The teachers here are generally excellent too.

I highly recommend this school!

8/11/2014

Im a sevie and its great cuz i got friends in the high school that always got my back so i got my resources. Also i love the rallies cuz i get to be loud and say that sevies are better than freshies

10/26/2014

Great school, but very competitive. The atmosphere there is as though everything is a competition, from academics to arts to athletics. I started in 7th grade, now in sophomore year. It is a great school, just be ready for HW. You won't get much sleep, but nor would you get any at any other challenging school. You will work long hours, but love it.

3/30/2015

I really liked whitney(going as a 7th and 8th grader) unfortunately they do not have block scheduling. :(

4/30/2015

My girlfriend goes to this school and she's smart as hell

6/12/2015

My homies go here and they like it, and it's easy to dip, but they cry cause they get a lot of homework. Lots of electives and classes to choose from though so I guess that's cool. Due to the fact that they get a lot of work we can barely squad up.

8/18/2015

The school is a very good and competitive school yet I agree to the fact that the work load is enormous. The work always pays off but you need to enjoy life while your young. You cant let life pass by your bedroom window second by second. It is very important to get an education by its also important to let your soul run wild. Do not forget to enjoy life!

1/25/2016

I'm a sophomore and I absolutely love it!! :) Great classes, clubs, and teachers. Great Soccer Team Too!!!!!:)

2/25/2016

bad school it bored

6/29/2016

I am currently a senior and can honestly say that going here has been amazing! The teachers are very helpful and supportive, not all of them, but a majority. Our school isn't perfect (but hat school is?), but I believe we are one of the top schools in the country and the top school in the city! If you go here you are guaranteed to graduate a very educated and well rounded person.

6/29/2016

I heard about yhis school when I was younger ,I heard it's a great school go whitney

10/31/2016

I am a Dolphin for the Class of 1984. I got there from a small school on the South Side currently known as Arthur Ashe (formerly John A. Sbarbaro). When I took the admissions test, I had already found out that I had missed the bar at Lindbloom Technical High School. That test was hard, but the one at WY was even harder, with an even slimmer margin of error (only 2% of the applicants were selected TO TAKE THE TEST). And I was a year ahead of where the calendar said I should have been.

September 1980 saw about 460 Freshmen accepted into the school. The total student population was over 1200. For me, it was a huge experience. Exposure to cultures from not only all over the city, but literally all over the world. You could point to a spot on a globe, and there was a representative from that area, in the student body, or the faculty.

We all came together as a family, sharing experiences, culture languages and education. There were no "fair-haired princes or princesses" nor any "red-headed stepchildren". To the staff and faculty, each student had the same amount of potential, and we were all challenged to achieve it, and push for our dreams. As students, none of us knew that there was a national ranking system. And none of us knew that our school was in the top 100. 30+ years later, I am proud to say that my high school was not only in the top 100 then, but has remained at that level from the day I first walked in, until today.

I encourage you to spend time with the students, the faculty, and any alumni that you WILL find in, and around, the city of Chicago. You just might learn something, about yourself, and your world.

10/31/2016

It's an amazing school! Students are amazing, hard-working and helpful. It's a wonderful school, I highly recommend it to everyone.

10/31/2016

Staff are amazing, students are amazing, the school is amazing, everything is amazing

11/30/2016

Because of the improvment and a great basketball team im thinking about my son he just have to study more going to become a freshmen. Also joy the basketball team!

11/30/2016

It is the best school that you will ever go to!

12/31/2016

I am a sophomore (Class of 2019) and I am seriously disappointed with my decision. The teachers are HORRENDOUS. All the math and science teachers are ridiculous! I have Mrs. Earlandson and although she is so sweet, she doesn't teach well at all. I end up studying for three hours on Khan Academy videos and basically teaching myself. And same with math! I have Mr. Kang and he is the

most AWFUL teacher i've ever had or seen. He is so rude and EVERYONE is failing! I am great at math but i have a D!!!!! WTF!!!!!! Some of the english teachers are good but some just don't give us any homework (which is frustrating bc i love writing). NO ONE IS DOING ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. WHY?!?!?? Students went to Dr. Kenner to complain about Kang and we're STILL FAILING! So ridiculous. I'm furious. I love the environment, I love the people, but my education comes first and the fact that I basically teach myself now is frustrating and awful. Dr. Kenner, HELP US!!!! I am failing and my transcript is all ruined bc of these awful teachers! Listen to us for a change! Not all of us are super smart and catch up easily.

2/2/2017

I want to go there!

3/2/2017

One of the best schools and Illinois. Students that attend here are destine for greatness.

5/5/2017

Attended and graduated in 1986. Best experience ever!

6/6/2017

The environment is really diverse and interesting but some of the teachers have no regard for the time of the student. This may just be because I was a part of the academic center(ac), but you could tell they really just didn't care about the program as a whole. They will sometimes plan events for the ac to go to, but then not tell you they are happening or won't sign you out of classes, leading to complications in scheduling. There is so little communication between the administration/some teachers and the students it's incredibly frustrating. Sometimes you don't know you need to do something like hand in an assignment or a payment for a trip either because you aren't notified, only a couple classes out of the whole is notified, or because it's hidden within one of the strange 3rd party websites the school likes to use. Not all of the teachers are like this, but when they're bad, they're bad.

6/6/2017

MIchelle Obama went there so.... don't go!

7/7/2017

Jones Eagle here, this school seems like a school with the most opportunities, but really honestly the school lost its fame. Sure the dolphins have the best basketball team in Chicago, but it really lost its fame after schools like Jones and Walter Payton stepped higher.

8/7/2017

I can't muster any ire in my blood to knock down a place that has produced so many fine magnets. You know those magnets on cranes that pick up cars in junk yards? They make ones that are a lot smaller. Same physics. Basically. They won't pick up tin ducks, though. Tin is non-ferrous. I found out the hard way.

Great school, though. Go Warriors! Maroon & White!

9/8/2017

I haven't really experienced the school with me being an incoming freshman and all (I know this'll sound like too much but I'll try to "review" the school again during the year), but the school spirit is infectious and the atmosphere is pretty nifty. My only problem is that their merch is overpriced, and they schedule is inconvenient because most of the student body commutes via public transportation. If they switched to block they could probably save money because they won't need as many teachers as they have. This would also boost the quality of the teachers b/c of the trashy reviews that some of them get. But then again I'll probably just transfer somewhere else.

11/8/2017

A place where together were different. A family of a bunch of different colors,personalities,and backgrounds who love one another and remain tolerant.

12/10/2017

Senior here. I feel like it's about time to give my two cents about this school. It's a beautiful campus in a beautiful location and during this particular time of year the trees and fallen leaves in the lawn look absolutely beautiful, and during the winter the snow makes everything so picturesque. It straddles along the famous Route 66 and a beautiful historic 1930s neighborhood. In my opinion, these views are only rivaled by Lane's only because of their gigantic front lawn.

The School and the teachers are great and these teachers truly care about your education and the school offers math and reading/writing centers for all students during their lunch periods. Speaking of lunch here, there is open campus so you can go anywhere you want (and if you're particularly quick, you may be able to get some food downtown) and most restaurants offer student discounts. There's also a tech center and open library where you can relax with friends and play video games (just be sure to be quiet, IT doesn't like noise). The school also offers a ton of clubs and exhibit them all on Club Fairs at the beginning of the school year. It's pretty much impossible to not find at least one club you're interested in.

Now that all the positive stuff has been said and most stop reading after that, it's time to get to the major caveat. The students. The students (across ALL the grades) are horrible. They think that every teacher is horrible, and the students lack motivation and determination, and they just bring my mood down with them with all. the. endless. Complaining. They complain for the sake of complaining! And we all know that if you look into the abyss long enough, the abyss will stare back. Seriously, your grades will suffer if you let them get inside your head.

So if you're thinking about going here, be prepared to have some mettle and determination, because these students sure don't.

And the following words go without saying. Don't go here expecting some model students, you'll still get your fair share of racist, feminist, dick, Jew, and other teenage jokes here. This doesn't affect my mood though because every teenager makes dumb and mildly offensive jokes, yes, even the Principal Scholar students.

I also feel that following Northside's example and switching to block scheduling and introducing some extracurricular classes like cooking, budget handling, etc. would be an excellent way to relieve stress amongst students. I hope that future students can have these if WY absorbs the police academy in 2020.

Dr. Kenner, if you're reading this, it may be too late for me now but this school is in desperate need of some puppy therapy! >:(

12/10/2017

Senior here. I feel like it's about time to give my two cents about this school. It's a beautiful campus in a beautiful location and during this particular time of year the trees and fallen leaves in the lawn look absolutely beautiful, and during the winter the snow makes everything so picturesque. It straddles along the famous Route 66 and a beautiful historic 1930s neighborhood. In my opinion, these views are only rivaled by Lane's only because of their gigantic front lawn.

The School and the teachers are great and these teachers truly care about your education and the school offers math and reading/writing centers for all students during their lunch periods. Speaking of lunch here, there is open campus so you can go anywhere you want (and if you're particularly quick, you may be able to get some food downtown) and most restaurants offer student discounts. There's also a tech center and open library where you can relax with friends and play video games (just be sure to be quiet, IT doesn't like noise). The school also offers a ton of clubs and exhibit them all on Club Fairs at the beginning of the school year. It's pretty much impossible to not find at least one club you're interested in.

Now that all the positive stuff has been said and most stop reading after that, it's time to get to the major caveat. The students. The students (across ALL the grades) are horrible. They think that every teacher is horrible, and the students lack motivation and determination, and they just bring my mood down with them with all. the. endless. Complaining. They complain for the sake of complaining! And we all know that if you look into the abyss long enough, the abyss will stare back. Seriously, your grades will suffer if you let them get inside your head.

So if you're thinking about going here, be prepared to have some mettle and determination, because these students sure don't.

And the following words go without saying. Don't go here expecting some model students, you'll still get your fair share of racist, feminist, dick, Jew, and other teenage jokes here. This doesn't affect my mood though because every teenager makes dumb and mildly offensive jokes, yes, even the Principal Scholar students.

I also feel that following Northside's example and switching to block scheduling and introducing some extracurricular classes like cooking, budget handling, etc. would be an excellent way to relieve stress amongst students. I hope that future students can have these if WY absorbs the police academy in 2020.

Dr. Kenner, if you're reading this, it may be too late for me now but this school is in desperate need of some puppy therapy! >:(

1/10/2018

the school sound great u should try to apply u might get in

2/11/2018

The girls track coach Bob Geiger does not report teachers who are molesting girls and are coaches. send your daughter here at your own risk, CPS is a molest arhon and rapeathon.

5/18/2018

The people here are racist throws asians!

9/21/2018

Since my graduation in 1982, Whitney Young teachers and administrators have carried further and raised higher the mantle of excellence. WY offers a great education with plenty of opportunities to get in where you fit in. My two son's are recent grads who both attend Ivys. Their WY education prepared them well for the challenges of the college experience. The sense of community and parental involvement is unparalleled. I highly recommend Whitney M. Young Magnet H.S. As we alums say "shoulda been a Dolphin" #GoDolphins

Note: the preceding message was written with no bias whatsoever😀

6/5/2020

I got accepted to this school. I am very excited. It has nice policies.

10/9/2020

I can't muster any ire in my blood to knock down a place that has produced so many fine magnets. You know those magnets on cranes that pick up cars in junk yards? They make ones that are a lot smaller. Same physics. Basically. They won't pick up tin ducks, though. Tin is non-ferrous. I found out the hard way.

Great school, though. Go Warriors! Maroon & White!

10/9/2020

The school is a very good and competitive school yet I agree to the fact that the work load is enormous. The work always pays off but you need to enjoy life while your young. You cant let life pass by your bedroom window second by second. It is very important to get an education by its also important to let your soul run wild. Do not forget to enjoy life!

4/8/2016

Pros:

-you will be very well prepared for college and it will even feel easier than you expected

-many kids get into ivies or get full rides to state...read this and 3 more