FAQ for Private School Admissions
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Anonymous
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As to parent interviews, our experience varied depending on the school. The catholic schools did not do one. The independent schools did. One asked fairly detailed questions about our expectations for our child, how we viewed her strengths and weaknesses, etc. It was conducted by the same interviewer who interviewed our child and he noted that part of what they wanted to see was parent expectations and desires (and realistic assessment of the child) that lined up with the child's. I understand that others had even more pointed questions at that school but we may have escaped those because it was my alma mater. At another, there were similar questions plus questions about our family dynamics and educational background, why we were interested in the particular school, etc. But fairly high level and, again, not very pointed. We were pretty active throughout the search process and that may have made the interviews go a bit easier as the admissions folks at each knew us fairly well. We are aware that other parents had differing experiences.
In both cases, we asked more questions of the interviewer than the interviewer asked of us. I believe that asking knowledgeable and relevant questions about the school is the number one thing a family can do to make for a good parent interview. Do your research and come prepared with questions. You are far better off preparing to ask questions than to answer them. As for thank you notes, we wrote paper notes to each of the ADs and to the interviewer (if different). Our child also wrote to them and also to their shadow host (although the shadow host by email rather than paper). Once our child had narrowed down to a top choice, we followed up with a letter to the AD at that school indicating that it was our top choice and our child did the same. I also emailed thanks to a couple of the admins who went above the call in helping to schedule and (in one case where there were weather issues with the original visit) reschedule or in answering questions about the application. Good luck to you! |
Anonymous
| PP...does your suggestion also apply to those parents and children in lower school? We have a 4th grader applying this year and was wondering if we should follow your advice on the thank you notes... |
Anonymous
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As to the parents, definitely.
Can’t hurt for the kid to write some. Obviously the level of the discourse in the kid's note will be different from what our rising ninth grader did. We started our girls at their primary school in the infant/toddler division. Definitely no thank yous there but I think it would be charming and notable from a fourth grader. Hope you find the right school for yours. Don’t let this place discourage you or steer you towards prestige over fit. |
Anonymous
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[quote=
Where can I find info about all these schools? Spend time looking at each school's website, because it will have lots of info about the school's curriculum, teaching philosophy, sports, extracurriculars, test scores, etc. Some data on test scores and other academic awards is compiled here: http://goo.gl/GgQvR . Information on college matriculation for many schools is analyzed here: http://matriculationstats.org/ . Try to find the school that is right for your child and your family, and don't make important educational decisions based on some simplistic ranking of schools. SAM2, you may be long gone, but if you are still around, could you please update the data in your incredibly helpful chart? Don’t know how you compiled it, but it’s the most helpful thing I’ve ever seen on this board. |
Anonymous
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I’m still here, but less often. I’ll try to update the FAQs and data sets over the next week or two. Good luck to all on admissions this year.
If anyone can point to particularly useful threads that have appeared in the past few years, please post links here so I can incorporate them into the FAQ. Sam2 |
Anonymous
Hi SAM2 I was not on in 2018 when the thread was posted but I surely got a lot out of your post. My child is young and I have so many questions regarding private schooling, so your post helped me a lot. Thank you. |
Anonymous
| Which schools expand at 4th grade? |
Anonymous
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What are your thoughts about middle grades at Potomac vs. GDS? My neighbor reports that the younger grades at Potomac are problematic with zero structure or discipline.
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faq-author
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Please visit https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/0/901225.page for the 2020 Edition of this FAQ
(or just go to the below link) https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSN8OzCoj6PEDIFRV0_xOGPgSeDctjtxrp3dvYZSMyWnYccx5Hdt2knP30zUWXY6VTOYe_Fq2crBQFQ/pub |
Anonymous
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[quote=Anonymous]What are your thoughts about middle grades at Potomac vs. GDS? My neighbor reports that the younger grades at Potomac are problematic with zero structure or discipline.
[/quote] Not sure which grades you are referring to. Cant imagine GDS has more "structure" at any grade than Potomac. The rigor increases at Potomac as the kids get older. IS (Intermediate School) and US (Upper School) are quite selective and have coursework to challenge even the brightest students. A few comparisons between GDS and Potomac: 1. Location: GDS (DC) and Potomac (McLean, VA) 2. Athletics: generally stronger at Potomac than GDS 3. Wokeness: GDS (very woke) Potomac (somewhat woke but not as woke as GDS) 4. Ethnic makeup: GDS (large numbers of Jewish and POC (Black) students), Potomac (some POC but not as many as GDS) 5. Academics: fairly comparable |
Anonymous
| We can only speak to the admissions for Nysmith where our child did the "mandatory" 2 days of class observation before being accepted. What we learned later is that, like much of Nysmith, this was just a facade. We know others who were let in without this requirement who were no more accomplished than our child. They try to make it seem like it is hard to get into but the truth is that by 6/7th grade kids/parents are fleeing the school so they will happily take anyone's money. I suspect this is why they changed their tagline, either that or it is just marketing-the more they same something the less you will believe it isn't true. If you are considering Nysmith and you value your child's well being RUN to a different school. Our child was bullied not only by other students but by a teacher as well, and the school effectively did nothing despite our repeated requests. We were so hopeful for a positive and joyfilled experience for our child and instead there are deep scars that will last a lifetime. Our child has never had a problem with a teacher or bullying, usually being a teacher favorite. When you tour the school just know that they are very targeted about what you see, and it is not as it appears. Just think "used car salesman" when you go on your tour or read about the school. We are not the only family who has had issues, we know other families who are leaving due to concerns for their children's well being. The school is run in a dictatorial manner since the original owner passed. Even to the point that when the PTO wanted to host a seminar on bullying the head of the school would not allow it due to concerns about the optics. That says it all. My hope is to help other families avoid the heartache/trauma such as we have encountered at Nysmith. |
Anonymous
If we learned anything from aunt Becky it's money talks. Schools are business that love money in their endowments. Also, not only do they charge tuitions but they get donations so rich people don't have to pay as much taxes for public schools-yuck , This ensures a class based segregation where like can mingle with like.
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Anonymous
| It's great to see that on a website forum poor working class free speech can be blocked when it huwts da wich peoples wittle feewings. Aww. Doze poor little wich people. |