How selective is SJC?

[Anonymous]

<<Anyone trying to provide any comparative information is attacked by those with a stake in the perception of the school.>>

No, we are simply fact-checking people who post inaccurate responses like ``anybody gets into SJC."

[Anonymous]

We had our son apply to several schools--and St. John's was not on our list. He wanted to apply there because he liked it and because a couple of his buddies were determined to go there (one of whom wanted it for the baseball program). In the end, our son got in and wanted to go to St. John's over the other schools. We were surprised but supported his decision. (He loves the school to this day.) No doubt the sentiment of his peer group was central to this process. I think that's why you have the "viitriol" here. How and why a student learns about and shows interest in a school is influenced by what others say. Parents of students at other schools speak ill of St. John's because they want to dampen enthusiasm for St. John's in the hope it will make their school more desirable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had our son apply to several schools--and St. John's was not on our list. He wanted to apply there because he liked it and because a couple of his buddies were determined to go there (one of whom wanted it for the baseball program). In the end, our son got in and wanted to go to St. John's over the other schools. We were surprised but supported his decision. (He loves the school to this day.) No doubt the sentiment of his peer group was central to this process. I think that's why you have the "viitriol" here. How and why a student learns about and shows interest in a school is influenced by what others say. Parents of students at other schools speak ill of St. John's because they want to dampen enthusiasm for St. John's in the hope it will make their school more desirable.

I never thought of it that way but you may be right. It is the parents who drive the negative comments and not the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had our son apply to several schools--and St. John's was not on our list. He wanted to apply there because he liked it and because a couple of his buddies were determined to go there (one of whom wanted it for the baseball program). In the end, our son got in and wanted to go to St. John's over the other schools. We were surprised but supported his decision.[u] (He loves the school to this day.) No doubt the sentiment of his peer group was central to this process. I think that's why you have the "viitriol" here. How and why a student learns about and shows interest in a school is influenced by what others say. Parents of students at other schools speak ill of St. John's because they want to dampen enthusiasm for St. John's in the hope it will make their school more desirable.

So why were you surprised? Is it because you had a predisposed opinion of the school...just like many others who are posting on this thread. Yes, there are lots of people here making negative comments about your school. But your post doesn't speak that highly of SJC if you say you were surprised your son liked it.

But seriously, SJC has a niche for a certain kind of student, and it turns out there are lots of people who fall into that category. Gonzaga and Prep are unique places for a certain kind of student. Just like a PP said, some people like Starbucks and others Dunkin Donuts. My son was accepted at all three, with a Presidential Scholarship at SJC. He turned down SJC for his own particular reasons. It killed me to walk away from all that $$, but in the end, he is extremely happy. That is really all that matters. He may have been just as happy at SJC, and we would have a bigger bank account. But there is no way to know that now!

[Anonymous]

If it wasn't clear, let me phrase it better. I'm pointing out that the negative talk on forums like this definitely pre-disposed us to think less of St. John's. And we were wrong. Our son who applied and is now going is our eldest. When he chose St. John's over other schools we were surprised. That was ignorance on our part. I'm glad the positive message about St. John's is growing. It really is an amazing place. But I guess there's more work to do when people so easily throw out the "certain kind of student" comments.

[Anonymous]

You'd have an easier time getting into a good college from Wilson Public in DC than St. Johns

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You'd have an easier time getting into a good college from Wilson Public in DC than St. Johns

NOT true! I spoke to an admissions official about this recently and she said it is completely false that if you attending a large, urban public school you get extra points when it comes to acceptance. What they are looking for is whether you took the challenging courses offered by your school and that you did well. She actually rolled her eyes when I asked the question and said it is insecure parents responsible for these falsehoods. So just stop and be happy and secure with the choice you made for your dc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:<<at this rate tuition is going up again>>

Where, SJC or GZ?

GZ


OP by the way admission to SJC is much easier than Prep or GZ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:<<at this rate tuition is going up again>>

Where, SJC or GZ?

GZ


OP by the way admission to SJC is much easier than Prep or GZ

+1

[Anonymous]

SJC IS easy to get into...much more so than Gonzaga and Prep. This is a known fact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SJC IS easy to get into...much more so than Gonzaga and Prep. This is a known fact.

I suspect the SJC parents on here know that is true.

But they aren't going to ever admit it. They'll point to the upward trend and exceptions to that they have heard about. Then they'll start throwing verbal rocks at who ever dares suggest SJC isn't the equal of just about anyplace.


"Better than it used to be" is not the same thing as "Just as good as".

[Anonymous]

Romans 15:33 The God of Peace be with you all. Amen

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SJC IS easy to get into...much more so than Gonzaga and Prep. This is a known fact.

I suspect the SJC parents on here know that is true.

But they aren't going to ever admit it. They'll point to the upward trend and exceptions to that they have heard about. Then they'll start throwing verbal rocks at who ever dares suggest SJC isn't the equal of just about anyplace.


"Better than it used to be" is not the same thing as "Just as good as".

The original question asked in this thread and the above post beg an important distinction -- does one want to know how selective SJC is because 1) they genuinely want to know what their child's chance of admission is, or 2) they want to know how selective it is to know how much they'll be able to brag about their kid? Unfortunately, I think the latter is more common. I wish I discovered earlier that my child's happiness is far more important than a school's reputation, test scores, and elite college admissions. That is why we love SJC -- our child is happy there, is more confident than ever before, and is experiencing a true sense of belonging. If you're thinking about SJC, have your child shadow, but also spend some time on the campus yourself -- certainly after school and maybe even before school. I think you'll see what we've seen -- unusually happy high school students. That is really what's most important.

[Anonymous]

Gonzaga and Prep ARE easy to get into...much more so than Sidwell and St. Albans. This is a known fact.

[Anonymous]

It seems this thread was set up as a ruse to make SJC look bad, especially given when it was created.