Sidwell college guidance office

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am assuming Sidwell lets its own students see Naviance. I don't know of any school that makes naviance public.

No, they act like Naviance is classified information; unlike every public high school in the area, Sidwell doesn't provide students and families with Naviance access. Instead, 11th-graders are required to submit a list of 30 schools they're interested in and counselors then provide Naviance data on Sidwell's admissions track record for those schools. My kids' counselor provided no interpretation of this data, nor any guidance in putting together the unwieldy list of 30 schools.

OK, that's a little weird. Did the Naviance data take the usual form of a scatter gram with GPA on one axis and SATs on the other axis, or was it edited?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am assuming Sidwell lets its own students see Naviance. I don't know of any school that makes naviance public.

No, they act like Naviance is classified information; unlike every public high school in the area, Sidwell doesn't provide students and families with Naviance access. Instead, 11th-graders are required to submit a list of 30 schools they're interested in and counselors then provide Naviance data on Sidwell's admissions track record for those schools. My kids' counselor provided no interpretation of this data, nor any guidance in putting together the unwieldy list of 30 schools.

Wow, just wow. Its not just all the other public schools in the area that allow access, its all the privates as well. I don't get the point of withholding it since they are going to couch up a limited number anyway. Wouldn't that information be more useful when they are coming up with the list to begin with? Frankly, I think students would apply to more realistic schools if they saw the caliber of students going there. PLus there are various ways to manipulate the data that can be helpful but you have to be on the program to do so. I just can't imagine why Sidwell wouldn't just open up access.

[Anonymous]

I meant cough up, not couch up.

[Anonymous]

New poster. Sounds like lots of people here have very strong opinions about how the school operates without any firsthand experience about how it actually goes.

[Anonymous]

Public and private school parent here (not sidwell ). Our private didn't provide access to naviance. It's a numbers thing. There aren't enough data points for many schools so it would be too easy to identify people. Our public school gives access because there are 500 kids applying each year so plenty of data points. Plus in public school we get much less guidance so naviance is critical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am assuming Sidwell lets its own students see Naviance. I don't know of any school that makes naviance public.

No, they act like Naviance is classified information; unlike every public high school in the area, Sidwell doesn't provide students and families with Naviance access. Instead, 11th-graders are required to submit a list of 30 schools they're interested in and counselors then provide Naviance data on Sidwell's admissions track record for those schools. My kids' counselor provided no interpretation of this data, nor any guidance in putting together the unwieldy list of 30 schools.

OK, that's a little weird. Did the Naviance data take the usual form of a scatter gram with GPA on one axis and SATs on the other axis, or was it edited?

Edited scattergram.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New poster. Sounds like lots of people here have very strong opinions about how the school operates without any firsthand experience about how it actually goes.

I can't speak for others, but I have first-hand experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am assuming Sidwell lets its own students see Naviance. I don't know of any school that makes naviance public.

No, they act like Naviance is classified information; unlike every public high school in the area, Sidwell doesn't provide students and families with Naviance access. Instead, 11th-graders are required to submit a list of 30 schools they're interested in and counselors then provide Naviance data on Sidwell's admissions track record for those schools. My kids' counselor provided no interpretation of this data, nor any guidance in putting together the unwieldy list of 30 schools.

DD's friend at Sidwell took a class junior year where everybody thought about what they would like in a college.

Many Sidwell students would say that the workshop is pretty superficial.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Public and private school parent here (not sidwell ). Our private didn't provide access to naviance. It's a numbers thing. There aren't enough data points for many schools so it would be too easy to identify people. Our public school gives access because there are 500 kids applying each year so plenty of data points. Plus in public school we get much less guidance so naviance is critical.

Not a Sidwell parent but I have had kids at two other privates, both smaller than Sidwell. One gave access to the complete Naviance, the other gave access but not for schools where there were so few applicants that they would be identified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am assuming Sidwell lets its own students see Naviance. I don't know of any school that makes naviance public.

No, they act like Naviance is classified information; unlike every public high school in the area, Sidwell doesn't provide students and families with Naviance access. Instead, 11th-graders are required to submit a list of 30 schools they're interested in and counselors then provide Naviance data on Sidwell's admissions track record for those schools. My kids' counselor provided no interpretation of this data, nor any guidance in putting together the unwieldy list of 30 schools.

OK, that's a little weird. Did the Naviance data take the usual form of a scatter gram with GPA on one axis and SATs on the other axis, or was it edited?

Edited scattergram.

Edited how? They delete the dots representing certain kids for certain reasons?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New poster. Sounds like lots of people here have very strong opinions about how the school operates without any firsthand experience about how it actually goes.

Some posters obviously do have firsthand experience. Are the rest of us not allowed to have opinions? Do you think what they're describing sounds OK? If so, tell us why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster. Sounds like lots of people here have very strong opinions about how the school operates without any firsthand experience about how it actually goes.

Some posters obviously do have firsthand experience. Are the rest of us not allowed to have opinions? Do you think what they're describing sounds OK? If so, tell us why.

Many of your opinions are uninformed. But it's a free country, so by all means, feel free to spout off with whatever you like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster. Sounds like lots of people here have very strong opinions about how the school operates without any firsthand experience about how it actually goes.

Some posters obviously do have firsthand experience. Are the rest of us not allowed to have opinions? Do you think what they're describing sounds OK? If so, tell us why.

Many of your opinions are uninformed. But it's a free country, so by all means, feel free to spout off with whatever you like.

And you are bringing to the table: judgment, but no facts. You were asked to offer us your own views and facts, but you come back with: more judgment. Pat yourself on the back.

[Anonymous]

30 schools is plenty to get information from Naviance, in my view -- there is also lots of additional public information out there on schools that can help shape the first cut. If the school was more directive about the College list I'm sure peoe would complain about that (school prevents kids from applying places, etc). Lastly, a new head of college counseling is coming in who may change things up -- perhaps also a chance for parents to raise issues such as unrestricted Naviance access.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster. Sounds like lots of people here have very strong opinions about how the school operates without any firsthand experience about how it actually goes.

Some posters obviously do have firsthand experience. Are the rest of us not allowed to have opinions? Do you think what they're describing sounds OK? If so, tell us why.

Many of your opinions are uninformed. But it's a free country, so by all means, feel free to spout off with whatever you like.

And you are bringing to the table: judgment, but no facts. You were asked to offer us your own views and facts, but you come back with: more judgment. Pat yourself on the back.

My facts are all listed in this thread. It is obvious that most posters here do not have firsthand experience with Sidwell's college admissions office, and are just offering opinions based one second-hand, conflicting, and biased comments from anonymous posters who may (or may not) have firsthand experience. People are perfectly entitled to do that; everyone can have an opinion. But I find it a little ridiculous when some posters without firsthand knowledge express outrage and other strong views, based on weak info.

Seems to me that some posters here have preconceived views about Sidwell (they want to hate it), and are just using this topic and the limited facts available as an opportunity to express those preconceived views.

Personally, I don't have firsthand experience with Sidwell's college counseling office - and this thread has not taught me much - so I don't feel comfortable offering opinions about it. YMMV. Have a nice day.