DCI middle and high school current experience?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is an 8th grader and they like it there. In advanced math and Spanish. Has had consistently great experiences in science (their favorite subject).

Also just heard that college admissions news is that kids have already gotten into Smith, Harvard, and Yale and lots of other early decision admits!

Wow, that’s impressive ED to top schools above.

[Anonymous]

Smith admits a third of applicants. So far, the kids getting into Ivies are low SES and first gen.

[Anonymous]

My kids (one still there, 2 graduated) have loved it. High school definitely stronger than middle school because middle school kids are just squirrely compared to high schoolers and it's a big transition school-wise, hormone-wise, and post-pandemic-wise! And the high school team is amazing!! Leadership is exceptional in High School and the IB DP and CP programs are very strong and so rigorous!
A lot going on with clubs, sports, opportunities for involvement. We think it's a gem of a school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Smith admits a third of applicants. So far, the kids getting into Ivies are low SES and first gen.

This. Not to take away at the accomplishments for those kids, but as a parent you should look at the admits for your family’s demographics. It’s a different ballgame for many of us

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Smith admits a third of applicants. So far, the kids getting into Ivies are low SES and first gen.

This. Not to take away at the accomplishments for those kids, but as a parent you should look at the admits for your family’s demographics. It’s a different ballgame for many of us

Sure but no matter what the status, getting in early decision is the most difficult admission possible, much more difficult than regular decision. Majority of kids don’t get in ED.

I bet doing IB diploma well made them stand out from the pack, especially not coming from private or test in school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Smith admits a third of applicants. So far, the kids getting into Ivies are low SES and first gen.

This. Not to take away at the accomplishments for those kids, but as a parent you should look at the admits for your family’s demographics. It’s a different ballgame for many of us

Sure but no matter what the status, getting in early decision is the most difficult admission possible, much more difficult than regular decision. Majority of kids don’t get in ED.

I bet doing IB diploma well made them stand out from the pack, especially not coming from private or test in school.

Absolutely, and those kids and all of us should be proud of their well earned accomplishments. My point is only that their accomplishments are not necessarily representative of all kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Smith admits a third of applicants. So far, the kids getting into Ivies are low SES and first gen.

This. Not to take away at the accomplishments for those kids, but as a parent you should look at the admits for your family’s demographics. It’s a different ballgame for many of us

+100.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Smith admits a third of applicants. So far, the kids getting into Ivies are low SES and first gen.

This. Not to take away at the accomplishments for those kids, but as a parent you should look at the admits for your family’s demographics. It’s a different ballgame for many of us

Sure but no matter what the status, getting in early decision is the most difficult admission possible, much more difficult than regular decision. Majority of kids don’t get in ED.

I bet doing IB diploma well made them stand out from the pack, especially not coming from private or test in school.

Just not correct. Look up admissions rates to the Ivies, Early Decision or Early Action (December) vs. Regular Admission (March-April). April admission rates for the various colleges are roughly 3-9%, Early Decision acceptances are almost twice those rates, around 5-16%. Harvard and Princeton dropped Early Action ten years ago, after deciding that the practice disadvantaged non-legacies and poor kids, then reinstated it under pressure from alums.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Smith admits a third of applicants. So far, the kids getting into Ivies are low SES and first gen.

This. Not to take away at the accomplishments for those kids, but as a parent you should look at the admits for your family’s demographics. It’s a different ballgame for many of us

Sure but no matter what the status, getting in early decision is the most difficult admission possible, much more difficult than regular decision. Majority of kids don’t get in ED.

I bet doing IB diploma well made them stand out from the pack, especially not coming from private or test in school.

Just not correct. Look up admissions rates to the Ivies, Early Decision or Early Action (December) vs. Regular Admission (March-April). April admission rates for the various colleges are roughly 3-9%, Early Decision acceptances are almost twice those rates, around 5-16%. Harvard and Princeton dropped Early Action ten years ago, after deciding that the practice disadvantaged non-legacies and poor kids, then reinstated it under pressure from alums.

It really depends on what schools you are looking at. Some schools the percentages are similar, some there may be a difference. Numbers though really don’t tell you the whole story.

The kids who apply ED as a group are much stronger overall than the regular decision group. The strong legacy kids get in ED. Also the athletes. This represents a good portion of that percentage. If you are just good old Joe applying with no hooks, it is much more difficult to get in ED than regular decision. You need to be a superstar. In fact, the overwhelming majority of kids who apply ED are deferred to regular decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Smith admits a third of applicants. So far, the kids getting into Ivies are low SES and first gen.

This. Not to take away at the accomplishments for those kids, but as a parent you should look at the admits for your family’s demographics. It’s a different ballgame for many of us

Sure but no matter what the status, getting in early decision is the most difficult admission possible, much more difficult than regular decision. Majority of kids don’t get in ED.

I bet doing IB diploma well made them stand out from the pack, especially not coming from private or test in school.

Just not correct. Look up admissions rates to the Ivies, Early Decision or Early Action (December) vs. Regular Admission (March-April). April admission rates for the various colleges are roughly 3-9%, Early Decision acceptances are almost twice those rates, around 5-16%. Harvard and Princeton dropped Early Action ten years ago, after deciding that the practice disadvantaged non-legacies and poor kids, then reinstated it under pressure from alums.

It really depends on what schools you are looking at. Some schools the percentages are similar, some there may be a difference. Numbers though really don’t tell you the whole story.

The kids who apply ED as a group are much stronger overall than the regular decision group. The strong legacy kids get in ED. Also the athletes. This represents a good portion of that percentage. If you are just good old Joe applying with no hooks, it is much more difficult to get in ED than regular decision. You need to be a superstar. In fact, the overwhelming majority of kids who apply ED are deferred to regular decision.

You are misinformed. Please stop spreading false information

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. You sound like a parent who never got off the BASIS wait list for a math oriented student. Thanks for all the detail.

How do you cope with the lack of challenge and homework and the fact that the kid hates DCI (if I got that right). You supplement in core subjects? Language?

So you don't plan to stay for high school? You're shooting for...Walls? Privates? Planning to move from DC? We're in a DCI feeder, wondering if we should jump to BASIS or one of the Latins if we have the chance this year.

Yup, I am that parent. Cope: Hope for the best. I'm not certain my kid wouldn't have hated any other middle school, because middle school. Though she may have been stressed out by work instead of being bored. We supplement in foreign language and spend a lot of time on her sport. Would prefer not to stay for high school, but not sure we'll have other options. Still considering moving or private (though unlikely). Looking into all the application high schools of course, but they are mostly all humanities oriented.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. You sound like a parent who never got off the BASIS wait list for a math oriented student. Thanks for all the detail.

How do you cope with the lack of challenge and homework and the fact that the kid hates DCI (if I got that right). You supplement in core subjects? Language?

So you don't plan to stay for high school? You're shooting for...Walls? Privates? Planning to move from DC? We're in a DCI feeder, wondering if we should jump to BASIS or one of the Latins if we have the chance this year.

Yup, I am that parent. Cope: Hope for the best. I'm not certain my kid wouldn't have hated any other middle school, because middle school. Though she may have been stressed out by work instead of being bored. We supplement in foreign language and spend a lot of time on her sport. Would prefer not to stay for high school, but not sure we'll have other options. Still considering moving or private (though unlikely). Looking into all the application high schools of course, but they are mostly all humanities oriented.

I appreciate your perspective. I am a PP with a 9th grader. She and her friends are all having a great year and I know that she would say HS is better than MS. That seems to be an almost universal view. As you say, MS is just a pain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Smith admits a third of applicants. So far, the kids getting into Ivies are low SES and first gen.

This. Not to take away at the accomplishments for those kids, but as a parent you should look at the admits for your family’s demographics. It’s a different ballgame for many of us

Sure but no matter what the status, getting in early decision is the most difficult admission possible, much more difficult than regular decision. Majority of kids don’t get in ED.

I bet doing IB diploma well made them stand out from the pack, especially not coming from private or test in school.

Just not correct. Look up admissions rates to the Ivies, Early Decision or Early Action (December) vs. Regular Admission (March-April). April admission rates for the various colleges are roughly 3-9%, Early Decision acceptances are almost twice those rates, around 5-16%. Harvard and Princeton dropped Early Action ten years ago, after deciding that the practice disadvantaged non-legacies and poor kids, then reinstated it under pressure from alums.

It really depends on what schools you are looking at. Some schools the percentages are similar, some there may be a difference. Numbers though really don’t tell you the whole story.

The kids who apply ED as a group are much stronger overall than the regular decision group. The strong legacy kids get in ED. Also the athletes. This represents a good portion of that percentage. If you are just good old Joe applying with no hooks, it is much more difficult to get in ED than regular decision. You need to be a superstar. In fact, the overwhelming majority of kids who apply ED are deferred to regular decision.

You are misinformed. Please stop spreading false information

I am not the previous poster but I just got back from a run and listened to the Inside the Yale Admissions podcast from 10.17.22. This is led by the actual admissions officers at the school and they literally said "it is harder to get in EA than ED because the pool is much stronger."

[Anonymous]

PP was talking about EA or ED on the one hand regular decision on the other, NOT EA vs ED.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. You sound like a parent who never got off the BASIS wait list for a math oriented student. Thanks for all the detail.

How do you cope with the lack of challenge and homework and the fact that the kid hates DCI (if I got that right). You supplement in core subjects? Language?

So you don't plan to stay for high school? You're shooting for...Walls? Privates? Planning to move from DC? We're in a DCI feeder, wondering if we should jump to BASIS or one of the Latins if we have the chance this year.

Yup, I am that parent. Cope: Hope for the best. I'm not certain my kid wouldn't have hated any other middle school, because middle school. Though she may have been stressed out by work instead of being bored. We supplement in foreign language and spend a lot of time on her sport. Would prefer not to stay for high school, but not sure we'll have other options. Still considering moving or private (though unlikely). Looking into all the application high schools of course, but they are mostly all humanities oriented.

We left DCI for Walls for our science oriented eldest. Not many kids go from DCI to Walls but there are some. Walls has been OK for AP Chemistry and surprisingly good for Physics (1,2 and C taught) and Calc, both AB and BC. Walls isn't good for AP Bio, not even taught every year. It's not that hard to find science HS internships and volunteer gigs in DC, particularly at NASA, NAS and the Smithsonian museums.

A couple of my kid's Walls friends volunteer at the Air and Space Museum throuuh their HS internhip program. If you're looking for more advanced language than Walls teaches, you can find it at GW.