Sidwell: "the Harvard of Washington’s private schools?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:STA/NCS/Sidwell = HYP
GDS = Brown
Maret = Penn
Holton = Amherst
Landon = UVA
Potomac = Dartmouth

Just for fun, of course.

I agree

[Anonymous]

I am not part of the DC school universe but know many people who either attended or sent their kids to the schools referenced. From my experience, Sidwell has not produced as many "movers and shakers" as STA, NCS, or GP, let alone the elite prep schools in NYC. Smart and talented people but, for whatever reason, they have not made the same impact as graduates of the competition. That being said, I don't know how you could turn down Sidwell if you had the opportunity to attend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not part of the DC school universe but know many people who either attended or sent their kids to the schools referenced. From my experience, Sidwell has not produced as many "movers and shakers" as STA, NCS, or GP, let alone the elite prep schools in NYC. Smart and talented people but, for whatever reason, they have not made the same impact as graduates of the competition. That being said, I don't know how you could turn down Sidwell if you had the opportunity to attend.

I'm not shilling for any school, but with all respect, I don't know how your personal experience with grads of any of these schools through people you know can be broad enough to make generalized statements about how many "movers and shakers" they each have produced. The four schools you named are graduating roughly 500 students per year, every year -- about 5,000 in the last decade. It's hard to fathom how your experience can be broad enough to identify a meaningful trend among them.

No offense meant. I don't think anyone here could do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not part of the DC school universe but know many people who either attended or sent their kids to the schools referenced. From my experience, Sidwell has not produced as many "movers and shakers" as STA, NCS, or GP, let alone the elite prep schools in NYC. Smart and talented people but, for whatever reason, they have not made the same impact as graduates of the competition. That being said, I don't know how you could turn down Sidwell if you had the opportunity to attend.

I'm not shilling for any school, but with all respect, I don't know how your personal experience with grads of any of these schools through people you know can be broad enough to make generalized statements about how many "movers and shakers" they each have produced. The four schools you named are graduating roughly 500 students per year, every year -- about 5,000 in the last decade. It's hard to fathom how your experience can be broad enough to identify a meaningful trend among them.

No offense meant. I don't think anyone here could do it.

No dog in this fight, but I don't think you need to know what became of each and every grad - if you haven't heard of them they probably aren't a mover or shaker. That said, the alum lists on wikipedia are a good starting point especially since the editors of soem pages seem to have a broad view of "notable" - I'd say Sidwell looks stronger (in recent years) - STA has a long list with few impressive names form recent years and Prep's list looks like it hasn't been touched in 20 years. NCS has never produced the same caliber of alum as Madeira and Holton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:... I don't think you need to know what became of each and every grad - if you haven't heard of them they probably aren't a mover or shaker.

I disagree with this point. Beyond each person's own chosen field, I don't think many people are too aware of any but the most acclaimed people in other fields.

I'm a nerdy lawyer in a somewhat specialized field. I know the "movers and shakers" in my specialized field, and in some related fields. But there surely are plenty of high-powered movers and shakers in other legal fields who I've never heard of. Top-dog tax lawyers?: I have no idea who they are. The top 50 securities lawyers in the nation?: I might be able to name two of them.

And if you take me out of my nerdy lawyer universe, and ask me to name the top "mover and shakers" in other fields, I will have no idea. Top "mover and shaker" medical researchers?: No way I could name a single one. Top "mover and shaker" writers?: Unless it's someone on a bestseller list, I've got no clue. Top "mover and shaker" tech moguls?: I could name the ones that get written about often, and a few others, but that's barely the tip of the iceberg. Top artists?: Aside from those in the big museums, I could name maybe 10. Top musicians?: My knowledge stopped in the mid-90s when I got too old to keep up.

If you're just pointing to how many "famous" grads are listed on any school's Wikipedia page, I say that's a poor metric. It's really just a measure of those people lucky enough to be successful in a field that generates a Q Score (or, cynically perhaps, those people who are willing to pimp their own Wiki presence!).

[Anonymous]

I'd rather know what school produces happy well adjusted people who contribute positively to society.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd rather know what school produces happy well adjusted people who contribute positively to society.

Then move to the Midwest - most people in this area are neurotic freaks if you haven't noticed.

[Anonymous]

Per my original point about the lack of "Movers and Shakers" amongst Sidwell alumni, I was referring to the number of people in high positions. I don't mean people that I just know personally, but it is also tidbits about others in important positions. For example, I recently heard that Roger Ferguson, Fed Vice Chairman, is a Sidwell alum. He might be the first that I have heard of in such a prominent position, whereas there are many current and former congressmen, current and former cabinet members, private sector leaders that graduated from other local elite schools, the most prominent of which is STA. This is only my observation.

[Anonymous]

Are you kidding?

The CIA director, AG and future Governor of Maryland and CEO of Fannie Mae are "prominent positions?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd rather know what school produces happy well adjusted people who contribute positively to society.

Then move to the Midwest - most people in this area are neurotic freaks if you haven't noticed.

Ummm, shouldn't you go back to your NCS thread? The poster's preference is the most sane well articulated and concise comment on this site in a long time.

[Anonymous]

I am just saying that I would expect more from Sidwell given the strength of its program. If you do a direct comparison between STA and Sidwell, it seems like STA is the place that produces people who make the world move whereas Sidwell is a place where those who make the world move send their kids to be educated, IMHO. Sure, you can find the odd standout here and there from Sidwell but the list of similar standouts from STA is quite impressive, although Sidwell did produce the 2012 MISS USA, who has quite an impressive background in addition to the qualities to be chosen MISS USA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am just saying that I would expect more from Sidwell given the strength of its program. If you do a direct comparison between STA and Sidwell, it seems like STA is the place that produces people who make the world move whereas Sidwell is a place where those who make the world move send their kids to be educated, IMHO. Sure, you can find the odd standout here and there from Sidwell but the list of similar standouts from STA is quite impressive, although Sidwell did produce the 2012 MISS USA, who has quite an impressive background in addition to the qualities to be chosen MISS USA.

I think it is more accurate to say that these schools educate the children of those who make the world move - if you think the political and government class makes the world move. Over all, it's obvious that all of the schools discussed regularly on this forum are a bit full of themselves. Looking just within this country, the real "movers and shakers" in the past generation or two have been the Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, Bill Clinton, Mark Zuckerberg types - none of whom had any connection to this area in their high school days. Put another way, the parents (or grandparents) are a lot more impressive than the students.

[Anonymous]

+1

The sons and daughters of "movers and shakers" do not move and shake.

Just my experience and observations over the decades.

But, the "movers and shakers" may be good for the endowment and admissions' sweepstakes at these schools; though, the local endowments of Sidwell/STA/NCS/GDS leave a lot to be desired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:... I don't think you need to know what became of each and every grad - if you haven't heard of them they probably aren't a mover or shaker.

I disagree with this point. Beyond each person's own chosen field, I don't think many people are too aware of any but the most acclaimed people in other fields.

I'm a nerdy lawyer in a somewhat specialized field. I know the "movers and shakers" in my specialized field, and in some related fields. But there surely are plenty of high-powered movers and shakers in other legal fields who I've never heard of. Top-dog tax lawyers?: I have no idea who they are. The top 50 securities lawyers in the nation?: I might be able to name two of them.

And if you take me out of my nerdy lawyer universe, and ask me to name the top "mover and shakers" in other fields, I will have no idea. Top "mover and shaker" medical researchers?: No way I could name a single one. Top "mover and shaker" writers?: Unless it's someone on a bestseller list, I've got no clue. Top "mover and shaker" tech moguls?: I could name the ones that get written about often, and a few others, but that's barely the tip of the iceberg. Top artists?: Aside from those in the big museums, I could name maybe 10. Top musicians?: My knowledge stopped in the mid-90s when I got too old to keep up.

If you're just pointing to how many "famous" grads are listed on any school's Wikipedia page, I say that's a poor metric. It's really just a measure of those people lucky enough to be successful in a field that generates a Q Score (or, cynically perhaps, those people who are willing to pimp their own Wiki presence!).

A voice of reason.

[Anonymous]

Go to the alumni sections of the Wikipedia pages of some of the older MoCo high schools, like Bethesda Chevy Chase and Montgomery Blair, and you'll be pretty impressed. Maybe it's the area's water, not the schools.