National Merit Semifinalist for DMV Private Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What the hell are we paying all this money for?

The schools don't tell you that you can Prep for this test - most kids don't.

My high school didn’t tell us anything about it, we just showed up in the cafeteria and were proctored the test. I was pissed to find out it could have used for more scholarship money or academic recognition, plus the verbal was worth double the math.

The kids that got it had older siblings and in-the-know parents. And likely took only 1 practice test a couple weeks before so knew the format and points system.

That said I have seen a dad quizzing vocabulary flash cards with a 12 yo at the airport. Fun stuff. Grooming them well.

Our HS downplayed it on purpose to the kids. They do this for whether to take AP exams too. They think it's taking the pressure off the kids, but what it does is not fully inform them. Even worse, parents who don't know better and trust the school find out later that they didn't get the full picture. There are nuances involved and the school shouldn't be skewing the story this way.

I happened to be "in the know" on the PSAT but let my kid decide. They had already taken ACT and had a great score. I didn't feel the need to add pressure.

After the "messaging" from school and already having a preference for the ACT over the SAT, it's no surprise my child decided to do no prep at all. They'll be fine and I am ok with these decisions (ours and our child's). But I think the school does a disservice to other families who didn't the full picture so they could make an informed decision.

Same for every test, ERS and map. Who cares, do your best or however you feel you should!

[Anonymous]

Erb

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

That said I have seen a dad quizzing vocabulary flash cards with a 12 yo at the airport. Fun stuff. Grooming them well.

Oh mi oh my time to call the police and HYPSM admission officers because this Dad is working quietly with his child instead of letting the monster disturb the peace while running and yelling all over the airport with his lacrosse stick begging for food!

Not sure your cross point. It’s clear the parents are the driving force of a child’s potential and success, not a Wash DC private school.

+1

[Anonymous]

I wonder what excuses this low intelligence crowd comes up for taking other tests in school and life. Oh mi oh my no pressure and no challenge ... that's the answer. Great stick to your life's plan I certainly don't need that advice or your advice to succeed in life ... whether in the exam halls, gridiron, or on the job. Come in with that strategy and poor performance will get your fired or on the lacrosse bench immediately.

[Anonymous]

Only a slovenly fool thinks he or she succeeds in life without preparation or born with a "Trump" silver spoon in the mouth. And check out what a looser he is in business, politics, and family life. A spoiled cowardly brat with corns on his feet! One can bet preparation was not part of his vocabulary or playbook.

[Anonymous]

How loose is he?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Walls: 6
Sidwell: 5
GDS: 4
STA: 3
Gonzaga: 3
NCS: 2
SAAS: 2
Basis DC: 1
JR/Wilson: 1
Maret: 1
WIS: 1
Whittle: 1

Impressive results for DC public schools:

Public: 8
Private: 22

Walls beat every private school in the DC—kudos to them!

And, for privates, Gonzaga bested NCS and SAAS.

What does this look like per capita?

Whittle 1/20 5%
Sidwell: 5/125 4%
Walls: 6/150 4%
SAAS: 2/50 4%
STA: 3/80 3.75%
GDS: 4/125 3.2%
NCS: 2/80 2.5%
Basis DC: 1/50 2%
Gonzaga: 3/225 1.3%
WIS: 1/80 1.3%
Maret: 1/125 0.8%
JR/Wilson: 1/375 0.2%

GDS has 125 students in class 2023? Isn't each grade in GDS upper school ~150 students?

Well, SAAS only has 33, not 50. Does it really matter? 4% or 6%. Whatever.

[Anonymous]

Patulous anal sphincter on exam. The loser is quite loose

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't worry about this. College admissions to top schools have nothing to do with NMSF.

I don’t agree with this. While NMSF is perhaps not more than another feather in the cap of these high performing kids, elite colleges do care very much about high SAT scores, and those who perform well on psat are very likely to do the same on SAT.

My kid didn't qualify for NMSF but got 1600 on the SAT. That's what matters for college admissions.

Ha! My son did horrible on the PSAT. I slaked him why and he said “it doesn’t count”. Then scored 1580 as a junior on his SAT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only a slovenly fool thinks he or she succeeds in life without preparation or born with a "Trump" silver spoon in the mouth. And check out what a looser he is in business, politics, and family life. A spoiled cowardly brat with corns on his feet! One can bet preparation was not part of his vocabulary or playbook.

This is gold.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't worry about this. College admissions to top schools have nothing to do with NMSF.

I don’t agree with this. While NMSF is perhaps not more than another feather in the cap of these high performing kids, elite colleges do care very much about high SAT scores, and those who perform well on psat are very likely to do the same on SAT.

My kid didn't qualify for NMSF but got 1600 on the SAT. That's what matters for college admissions.

Ha! My son did horrible on the PSAT. I slaked him why and he said “it doesn’t count”. Then scored 1580 as a junior on his SAT.

Whereas my kid knew it could make him some money, so he showed what he knew and became a semifinalist. (And it didn't prevent him from doing well on the SAT.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't worry about this. College admissions to top schools have nothing to do with NMSF.

I don’t agree with this. While NMSF is perhaps not more than another feather in the cap of these high performing kids, elite colleges do care very much about high SAT scores, and those who perform well on psat are very likely to do the same on SAT.

My kid didn't qualify for NMSF but got 1600 on the SAT. That's what matters for college admissions.

Ha! My son did horrible on the PSAT. I slaked him why and he said “it doesn’t count”. Then scored 1580 as a junior on his SAT.

Maybe you should have told him why it matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Walls: 6
Sidwell: 5
GDS: 4
STA: 3
Gonzaga: 3
NCS: 2
SAAS: 2
Basis DC: 1
JR/Wilson: 1
Maret: 1
WIS: 1
Whittle: 1

Impressive results for DC public schools:

Public: 8
Private: 22

Walls beat every private school in the DC—kudos to them!

And, for privates, Gonzaga bested NCS and SAAS.

What does this look like per capita?

Whittle 1/20 5%
Sidwell: 5/125 4%
Walls: 6/150 4%
SAAS: 2/50 4%
STA: 3/80 3.75%
GDS: 4/125 3.2%
NCS: 2/80 2.5%
Basis DC: 1/50 2%
Gonzaga: 3/225 1.3%
WIS: 1/80 1.3%
Maret: 1/125 0.8%
JR/Wilson: 1/375 0.2%

GDS has 125 students in class 2023? Isn't each grade in GDS upper school ~150 students?

Well, SAAS only has 33, not 50. Does it really matter? 4% or 6%. Whatever.

+1. Maret only has 80.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Walls: 6
Sidwell: 5
GDS: 4
STA: 3
Gonzaga: 3
NCS: 2
SAAS: 2
Basis DC: 1
JR/Wilson: 1
Maret: 1
WIS: 1
Whittle: 1

Impressive results for DC public schools:

Public: 8
Private: 22

Walls beat every private school in the DC—kudos to them!

And, for privates, Gonzaga bested NCS and SAAS.

What does this look like per capita?

Whittle 1/20 5%
Sidwell: 5/125 4%
Walls: 6/150 4%
SAAS: 2/50 4%
STA: 3/80 3.75%
GDS: 4/125 3.2%
NCS: 2/80 2.5%
Basis DC: 1/50 2%
Gonzaga: 3/225 1.3%
WIS: 1/80 1.3%
Maret: 1/125 0.8%
JR/Wilson: 1/375 0.2%

Maret's class has 85, not 125

[Anonymous]

The way this works is all so screwy. My kid missed the cutoff in DC by one point. He would be a NMSF if he went to school in VA or MD. Doesn't seem to make much sense. Oh well...