SJC not work for a kid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, SJC and a lot of private schools seem to be reality checks for parents who think their kids are exceptional but are really not.

The school isn’t holding anyone back, they’re placing them where they need to be. They’re blocked from classes bc they’re not good enough.

Go to public school where you can harangue the school and get your kids into the classes u want them to get into. Did families really think their kid could get into any class they want in private school bc they pay tuition and their kid is a “hard worker”?

My kid can't move their GPA b/c they are required to take scripture and they are not a Scholar.
So Scripture is not an honors class year and pulls down weighted GPA each year - even though every year gets an "A" in the course

I don’t think the scripture requirement was a secret. If u wanted ur kid to get scholar treatment, why would you put them in a school where they are not a scholar?

Move them to a school where it will be easier to get good a high GPA.

I don’t think private schools are marketing themselves as places where it easy easy to get high GPAs.

The point is that is isn’t easy to get a high GPA not because you don’t have the chops but because you are blocked. APs are APs no matter where you take them…public or private. They are the great equalizer which is why colleges value them over honors chases. It is an apples to apples comparison no matter where you go to school. But if you are blocked from taking the number of APs you need the way you are at SJC, you will not stand out among public or private schools despite your hard work. My son got 5’s on both of the national AP exams that SJC allowed him to take. He’s got what it takes to succeed in the right circumstances.

Your kid was not blocked, he didn’t do well enough to get into the AP classes regardless of whether he did well in the AP classes that he did earn his way on to.

As a PP says, self study for the ones he didn’t get into and take the test anyway.

Are parents really telling their kids that the school is blocking them from certain classes? Instead of, tough, next time get the grades you need.

AP tests are not like the SAT. The school has to allow you to register for the test in like September. Will SJC allow anyone to register to take the AP exam?

Also, taking the actual class means more for college admissions than the score on the test. You will have to explain to a college why you didn't take the AP class at SJC, but then took the test.

Now, it will of course make SJC look foolish if you score a 5 on the AP test for a class they determined you were not qualified to take.

BTW...what is the AP pass rate at SJC?

So…no need to explain why you did not take as many APs as a kid in MCPS, where they start APs freshman year. This is because SJC has a well staffed office of college counseling which works closely with colleges to inform them about SJC and its students. There is also a College Profile sheet for SJC, just as there should be one for your school. Despite the “AP gate keeping,” graduates are getting into some fantastic schools.

SJC does great with sports recruiting….the college list isn’t necessarily much correlated with much beyond sports ability.

The college counseling is very weak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, SJC and a lot of private schools seem to be reality checks for parents who think their kids are exceptional but are really not.

The school isn’t holding anyone back, they’re placing them where they need to be. They’re blocked from classes bc they’re not good enough.

Go to public school where you can harangue the school and get your kids into the classes u want them to get into. Did families really think their kid could get into any class they want in private school bc they pay tuition and their kid is a “hard worker”?

My kid can't move their GPA b/c they are required to take scripture and they are not a Scholar.
So Scripture is not an honors class year and pulls down weighted GPA each year - even though every year gets an "A" in the course

I don’t think the scripture requirement was a secret. If u wanted ur kid to get scholar treatment, why would you put them in a school where they are not a scholar?

Move them to a school where it will be easier to get good a high GPA.

I don’t think private schools are marketing themselves as places where it easy easy to get high GPAs.

The point is that is isn’t easy to get a high GPA not because you don’t have the chops but because you are blocked. APs are APs no matter where you take them…public or private. They are the great equalizer which is why colleges value them over honors chases. It is an apples to apples comparison no matter where you go to school. But if you are blocked from taking the number of APs you need the way you are at SJC, you will not stand out among public or private schools despite your hard work. My son got 5’s on both of the national AP exams that SJC allowed him to take. He’s got what it takes to succeed in the right circumstances.

Your kid was not blocked, he didn’t do well enough to get into the AP classes regardless of whether he did well in the AP classes that he did earn his way on to.

As a PP says, self study for the ones he didn’t get into and take the test anyway.

Are parents really telling their kids that the school is blocking them from certain classes? Instead of, tough, next time get the grades you need.

AP tests are not like the SAT. The school has to allow you to register for the test in like September. Will SJC allow anyone to register to take the AP exam?

Also, taking the actual class means more for college admissions than the score on the test. You will have to explain to a college why you didn't take the AP class at SJC, but then took the test.

Now, it will of course make SJC look foolish if you score a 5 on the AP test for a class they determined you were not qualified to take.

BTW...what is the AP pass rate at SJC?

So…no need to explain why you did not take as many APs as a kid in MCPS, where they start APs freshman year. This is because SJC has a well staffed office of college counseling which works closely with colleges to inform them about SJC and its students. There is also a College Profile sheet for SJC, just as there should be one for your school. Despite the “AP gate keeping,” graduates are getting into some fantastic schools.

Why does SJC have so few NMSFs and only 1 presidential scholar?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SJC robotics team performs well in competitions. I am surprised there are any requirements to join. I haven’t heard that’s the case. However during the main season (January to April), it’s like a varsity sport time wise.

Regarding sports, you can walk on to freshman teams and get playing time, but it gets less at JV and then nonexistent at varsity (unless you turn out to be a superstar…I am sure that has happened though I never witnessed with my own eyeballs).

You still have to practice just as hard as everyone else, so you need to decide if it is worth it to be on the varsity team junior and senior year and get almost zero playing time.

Teams like XCountry, rugby and crew are no cut or nearly no cut.

The freshman teams are not walk on. This is misinformation except for running. Not even golf or tennis took any freshman boys. Baseball took 1 non-recruited freshman from tryouts.

Yes! Pay attention to this! If you want your kid to play a sport, any sport, the odds of them making a team as a walk on are slim to none. SJC recruits its athletes heavily and aims to be a sport pipeline to the pros more than anything else. This is not a school where kids normally walk on. If sports are important to your kid then you need to know this. Your good but not stellar athlete will be able to be on a team almost anywhere else. At SJC, He’ll end up a manager or a fan in the stands. My son regrets giving up his sport to go to SJC. It has weighed heavily on him.

So this is well known. I’m sorry you were not aware. Kids coming from a Catholic or private school are counseled about the sports part. I remember many discussions with friends whose kids opted for other schools because of this very issue. Are you new to DC or did you come from public school? You’ve done a good turn by making others aware. [/to quote]

I know kids who walked onto freshman football, freshman and jv soccer (girls and boys), ice hockey, tennis, golf, XC, wrestling, crew, rugby. And I don’t know that many people. There are try-outs for many but, yes, kids walk on all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SJC robotics team performs well in competitions. I am surprised there are any requirements to join. I haven’t heard that’s the case. However during the main season (January to April), it’s like a varsity sport time wise.

Regarding sports, you can walk on to freshman teams and get playing time, but it gets less at JV and then nonexistent at varsity (unless you turn out to be a superstar…I am sure that has happened though I never witnessed with my own eyeballs).

You still have to practice just as hard as everyone else, so you need to decide if it is worth it to be on the varsity team junior and senior year and get almost zero playing time.

Teams like XCountry, rugby and crew are no cut or nearly no cut.

The freshman teams are not walk on. This is misinformation except for running. Not even golf or tennis took any freshman boys. Baseball took 1 non-recruited freshman from tryouts.

Yes! Pay attention to this! If you want your kid to play a sport, any sport, the odds of them making a team as a walk on are slim to none. SJC recruits its athletes heavily and aims to be a sport pipeline to the pros more than anything else. This is not a school where kids normally walk on. If sports are important to your kid then you need to know this. Your good but not stellar athlete will be able to be on a team almost anywhere else. At SJC, He’ll end up a manager or a fan in the stands. My son regrets giving up his sport to go to SJC. It has weighed heavily on him.

So this is well known. I’m sorry you were not aware. Kids coming from a Catholic or private school are counseled about the sports part. I remember many discussions with friends whose kids opted for other schools because of this very issue. Are you new to DC or did you come from public school? You’ve done a good turn by making others aware. [/to quote]

I know kids who walked onto freshman football, freshman and jv soccer (girls and boys), ice hockey, tennis, golf, XC, wrestling, crew, rugby. And I don’t know that many people. There are try-outs for many but, yes, kids walk on all the time.

This is definitely not the case now, at least not with boys soccer, including the freshman team. Its very competitive at all levels. No direct experience with the others but I am sure some are similar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SJC robotics team performs well in competitions. I am surprised there are any requirements to join. I haven’t heard that’s the case. However during the main season (January to April), it’s like a varsity sport time wise.

Regarding sports, you can walk on to freshman teams and get playing time, but it gets less at JV and then nonexistent at varsity (unless you turn out to be a superstar…I am sure that has happened though I never witnessed with my own eyeballs).

You still have to practice just as hard as everyone else, so you need to decide if it is worth it to be on the varsity team junior and senior year and get almost zero playing time.

Teams like XCountry, rugby and crew are no cut or nearly no cut.

The freshman teams are not walk on. This is misinformation except for running. Not even golf or tennis took any freshman boys. Baseball took 1 non-recruited freshman from tryouts.

Yes! Pay attention to this! If you want your kid to play a sport, any sport, the odds of them making a team as a walk on are slim to none. SJC recruits its athletes heavily and aims to be a sport pipeline to the pros more than anything else. This is not a school where kids normally walk on. If sports are important to your kid then you need to know this. Your good but not stellar athlete will be able to be on a team almost anywhere else. At SJC, He’ll end up a manager or a fan in the stands. My son regrets giving up his sport to go to SJC. It has weighed heavily on him.

So this is well known. I’m sorry you were not aware. Kids coming from a Catholic or private school are counseled about the sports part. I remember many discussions with friends whose kids opted for other schools because of this very issue. Are you new to DC or did you come from public school? You’ve done a good turn by making others aware. [/to quote]

I know kids who walked onto freshman football, freshman and jv soccer (girls and boys), ice hockey, tennis, golf, XC, wrestling, crew, rugby. And I don’t know that many people. There are try-outs for many but, yes, kids walk on all the time.

This is definitely not the case now, at least not with boys soccer, including the freshman team. Its very competitive at all levels. No direct experience with the others but I am sure some are similar.

Interesting. It was the case for last year’s freshman soccer. At least two kids I know. No direct experience with others, you say?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, SJC and a lot of private schools seem to be reality checks for parents who think their kids are exceptional but are really not.

The school isn’t holding anyone back, they’re placing them where they need to be. They’re blocked from classes bc they’re not good enough.

Go to public school where you can harangue the school and get your kids into the classes u want them to get into. Did families really think their kid could get into any class they want in private school bc they pay tuition and their kid is a “hard worker”?

My kid can't move their GPA b/c they are required to take scripture and they are not a Scholar.
So Scripture is not an honors class year and pulls down weighted GPA each year - even though every year gets an "A" in the course

I don’t think the scripture requirement was a secret. If u wanted ur kid to get scholar treatment, why would you put them in a school where they are not a scholar?

Move them to a school where it will be easier to get good a high GPA.

I don’t think private schools are marketing themselves as places where it easy easy to get high GPAs.

The point is that is isn’t easy to get a high GPA not because you don’t have the chops but because you are blocked. APs are APs no matter where you take them…public or private. They are the great equalizer which is why colleges value them over honors chases. It is an apples to apples comparison no matter where you go to school. But if you are blocked from taking the number of APs you need the way you are at SJC, you will not stand out among public or private schools despite your hard work. My son got 5’s on both of the national AP exams that SJC allowed him to take. He’s got what it takes to succeed in the right circumstances.

Your kid was not blocked, he didn’t do well enough to get into the AP classes regardless of whether he did well in the AP classes that he did earn his way on to.

As a PP says, self study for the ones he didn’t get into and take the test anyway.

Are parents really telling their kids that the school is blocking them from certain classes? Instead of, tough, next time get the grades you need.

AP tests are not like the SAT. The school has to allow you to register for the test in like September. Will SJC allow anyone to register to take the AP exam?

Also, taking the actual class means more for college admissions than the score on the test. You will have to explain to a college why you didn't take the AP class at SJC, but then took the test.

Now, it will of course make SJC look foolish if you score a 5 on the AP test for a class they determined you were not qualified to take.

BTW...what is the AP pass rate at SJC?

So…no need to explain why you did not take as many APs as a kid in MCPS, where they start APs freshman year. This is because SJC has a well staffed office of college counseling which works closely with colleges to inform them about SJC and its students. There is also a College Profile sheet for SJC, just as there should be one for your school. Despite the “AP gate keeping,” graduates are getting into some fantastic schools.

Why does SJC have so few NMSFs and only 1 presidential scholar?

For one thing, compared to other schools my kids attended, SJC does not emphasize test prep. They are more focused on the whole person, being of service to others, athletics and the arts. If you are a Type A DC striver who is always trying to one up everyone else, this is not the place for you. Yes, SJC emphasizes success, but more so community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, SJC and a lot of private schools seem to be reality checks for parents who think their kids are exceptional but are really not.

The school isn’t holding anyone back, they’re placing them where they need to be. They’re blocked from classes bc they’re not good enough.

Go to public school where you can harangue the school and get your kids into the classes u want them to get into. Did families really think their kid could get into any class they want in private school bc they pay tuition and their kid is a “hard worker”?

My kid can't move their GPA b/c they are required to take scripture and they are not a Scholar.
So Scripture is not an honors class year and pulls down weighted GPA each year - even though every year gets an "A" in the course

I don’t think the scripture requirement was a secret. If u wanted ur kid to get scholar treatment, why would you put them in a school where they are not a scholar?

Move them to a school where it will be easier to get good a high GPA.

I don’t think private schools are marketing themselves as places where it easy easy to get high GPAs.

The point is that is isn’t easy to get a high GPA not because you don’t have the chops but because you are blocked. APs are APs no matter where you take them…public or private. They are the great equalizer which is why colleges value them over honors chases. It is an apples to apples comparison no matter where you go to school. But if you are blocked from taking the number of APs you need the way you are at SJC, you will not stand out among public or private schools despite your hard work. My son got 5’s on both of the national AP exams that SJC allowed him to take. He’s got what it takes to succeed in the right circumstances.

Your kid was not blocked, he didn’t do well enough to get into the AP classes regardless of whether he did well in the AP classes that he did earn his way on to.

As a PP says, self study for the ones he didn’t get into and take the test anyway.

Are parents really telling their kids that the school is blocking them from certain classes? Instead of, tough, next time get the grades you need.

AP tests are not like the SAT. The school has to allow you to register for the test in like September. Will SJC allow anyone to register to take the AP exam?

Also, taking the actual class means more for college admissions than the score on the test. You will have to explain to a college why you didn't take the AP class at SJC, but then took the test.

Now, it will of course make SJC look foolish if you score a 5 on the AP test for a class they determined you were not qualified to take.

BTW...what is the AP pass rate at SJC?

So…no need to explain why you did not take as many APs as a kid in MCPS, where they start APs freshman year. This is because SJC has a well staffed office of college counseling which works closely with colleges to inform them about SJC and its students. There is also a College Profile sheet for SJC, just as there should be one for your school. Despite the “AP gate keeping,” graduates are getting into some fantastic schools.

Why does SJC have so few NMSFs and only 1 presidential scholar?

For one thing, compared to other schools my kids attended, SJC does not emphasize test prep. They are more focused on the whole person, being of service to others, athletics and the arts. If you are a Type A DC striver who is always trying to one up everyone else, this is not the place for you. Yes, SJC emphasizes success, but more so community.

PP back. They even start the college process later. Particularly since the pandemic, SJC emphasizes mental health and well being. I think they do not want to stress the kids out with crazy college prep. It doesn’t begin in earnest until junior year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SJC robotics team performs well in competitions. I am surprised there are any requirements to join. I haven’t heard that’s the case. However during the main season (January to April), it’s like a varsity sport time wise.

Regarding sports, you can walk on to freshman teams and get playing time, but it gets less at JV and then nonexistent at varsity (unless you turn out to be a superstar…I am sure that has happened though I never witnessed with my own eyeballs).

You still have to practice just as hard as everyone else, so you need to decide if it is worth it to be on the varsity team junior and senior year and get almost zero playing time.

Teams like XCountry, rugby and crew are no cut or nearly no cut.

The freshman teams are not walk on. This is misinformation except for running. Not even golf or tennis took any freshman boys. Baseball took 1 non-recruited freshman from tryouts.

Yes! Pay attention to this! If you want your kid to play a sport, any sport, the odds of them making a team as a walk on are slim to none. SJC recruits its athletes heavily and aims to be a sport pipeline to the pros more than anything else. This is not a school where kids normally walk on. If sports are important to your kid then you need to know this. Your good but not stellar athlete will be able to be on a team almost anywhere else. At SJC, He’ll end up a manager or a fan in the stands. My son regrets giving up his sport to go to SJC. It has weighed heavily on him.

So this is well known. I’m sorry you were not aware. Kids coming from a Catholic or private school are counseled about the sports part. I remember many discussions with friends whose kids opted for other schools because of this very issue. Are you new to DC or did you come from public school? You’ve done a good turn by making others aware. [/to quote]

I know kids who walked onto freshman football, freshman and jv soccer (girls and boys), ice hockey, tennis, golf, XC, wrestling, crew, rugby. And I don’t know that many people. There are try-outs for many but, yes, kids walk on all the time.

This is definitely not the case now, at least not with boys soccer, including the freshman team. Its very competitive at all levels. No direct experience with the others but I am sure some are similar.

Interesting. It was the case for last year’s freshman soccer. At least two kids I know. No direct experience with others, you say?

There were a lot of kids who did not make freshman soccer last year, assume it was the same for this year. I know not all of the kids on last years freshman team made JV this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SJC robotics team performs well in competitions. I am surprised there are any requirements to join. I haven’t heard that’s the case. However during the main season (January to April), it’s like a varsity sport time wise.

Regarding sports, you can walk on to freshman teams and get playing time, but it gets less at JV and then nonexistent at varsity (unless you turn out to be a superstar…I am sure that has happened though I never witnessed with my own eyeballs).

You still have to practice just as hard as everyone else, so you need to decide if it is worth it to be on the varsity team junior and senior year and get almost zero playing time.

Teams like XCountry, rugby and crew are no cut or nearly no cut.

The freshman teams are not walk on. This is misinformation except for running. Not even golf or tennis took any freshman boys. Baseball took 1 non-recruited freshman from tryouts.

Yes! Pay attention to this! If you want your kid to play a sport, any sport, the odds of them making a team as a walk on are slim to none. SJC recruits its athletes heavily and aims to be a sport pipeline to the pros more than anything else. This is not a school where kids normally walk on. If sports are important to your kid then you need to know this. Your good but not stellar athlete will be able to be on a team almost anywhere else. At SJC, He’ll end up a manager or a fan in the stands. My son regrets giving up his sport to go to SJC. It has weighed heavily on him.

So this is well known. I’m sorry you were not aware. Kids coming from a Catholic or private school are counseled about the sports part. I remember many discussions with friends whose kids opted for other schools because of this very issue. Are you new to DC or did you come from public school? You’ve done a good turn by making others aware. [/to quote]

I know kids who walked onto freshman football, freshman and jv soccer (girls and boys), ice hockey, tennis, golf, XC, wrestling, crew, rugby. And I don’t know that many people. There are try-outs for many but, yes, kids walk on all the time.

This is definitely not the case now, at least not with boys soccer, including the freshman team. Its very competitive at all levels. No direct experience with the others but I am sure some are similar.

Interesting. It was the case for last year’s freshman soccer. At least two kids I know. No direct experience with others, you say?

There were a lot of kids who did not make freshman soccer last year, assume it was the same for this year. I know not all of the kids on last years freshman team made JV this year.

This is PP, to clarify, lots of kids who tried out did not make the team, but a lot of non-recruited kids tried out and made it.

[Anonymous]

From earlier threads

Eight High Schools in D.C. Area to Drop AP Courses

These Washington area private schools say they will stop offering AP courses.

The AP courses are expected to be dropped by 2022. According to Inside Higher Ed, the high schools making this change are

Georgetown Day,
Holton-Arms,
Landon,
Maret,
National Cathedral, Potomac,
St. Albans and
Sidwell Friends.

https://www.collegemedianetwork.com/high-scho...p-out-of-ap-courses

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, SJC and a lot of private schools seem to be reality checks for parents who think their kids are exceptional but are really not.

The school isn’t holding anyone back, they’re placing them where they need to be. They’re blocked from classes bc they’re not good enough.

Go to public school where you can harangue the school and get your kids into the classes u want them to get into. Did families really think their kid could get into any class they want in private school bc they pay tuition and their kid is a “hard worker”?

My kid can't move their GPA b/c they are required to take scripture and they are not a Scholar.
So Scripture is not an honors class year and pulls down weighted GPA each year - even though every year gets an "A" in the course

I don’t think the scripture requirement was a secret. If u wanted ur kid to get scholar treatment, why would you put them in a school where they are not a scholar?

Move them to a school where it will be easier to get good a high GPA.

I don’t think private schools are marketing themselves as places where it easy easy to get high GPAs.

The point is that is isn’t easy to get a high GPA not because you don’t have the chops but because you are blocked. APs are APs no matter where you take them…public or private. They are the great equalizer which is why colleges value them over honors chases. It is an apples to apples comparison no matter where you go to school. But if you are blocked from taking the number of APs you need the way you are at SJC, you will not stand out among public or private schools despite your hard work. My son got 5’s on both of the national AP exams that SJC allowed him to take. He’s got what it takes to succeed in the right circumstances.

Your kid was not blocked, he didn’t do well enough to get into the AP classes regardless of whether he did well in the AP classes that he did earn his way on to.

As a PP says, self study for the ones he didn’t get into and take the test anyway.

Are parents really telling their kids that the school is blocking them from certain classes? Instead of, tough, next time get the grades you need.

AP tests are not like the SAT. The school has to allow you to register for the test in like September. Will SJC allow anyone to register to take the AP exam?

Also, taking the actual class means more for college admissions than the score on the test. You will have to explain to a college why you didn't take the AP class at SJC, but then took the test.

Now, it will of course make SJC look foolish if you score a 5 on the AP test for a class they determined you were not qualified to take.

BTW...what is the AP pass rate at SJC?

So…no need to explain why you did not take as many APs as a kid in MCPS, where they start APs freshman year. This is because SJC has a well staffed office of college counseling which works closely with colleges to inform them about SJC and its students. There is also a College Profile sheet for SJC, just as there should be one for your school. Despite the “AP gate keeping,” graduates are getting into some fantastic schools.

Why does SJC have so few NMSFs and only 1 presidential scholar?

For one thing, compared to other schools my kids attended, SJC does not emphasize test prep. They are more focused on the whole person, being of service to others, athletics and the arts. If you are a Type A DC striver who is always trying to one up everyone else, this is not the place for you. Yes, SJC emphasizes success, but more so community.

Not in our experience. One of the things SJC could definitely improve on it’s community. The school is big and the students barely have any time to socialize or get to know kids in their class due to the way the lunches break out. Unless you are involved in a sport or you already have a set friend group going in which gives you a ready made social group. A lot of kids struggle to find their place at the school.

The school couldn’t be bothered to even host parents physically at the school at Back to school night. It was virtual. The one night a year parents are supposed to get to see their kids classrooms meet the teachers and it was held virtually with teachers on Zoom. Four years after Covid. Even public schools have been pulling off great Back to school nights for the parents. No excuse. Truly awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: From earlier threads

Eight High Schools in D.C. Area to Drop AP Courses

These Washington area private schools say they will stop offering AP courses.

The AP courses are expected to be dropped by 2022. According to Inside Higher Ed, the high schools making this change are

Georgetown Day,
Holton-Arms,
Landon,
Maret,
National Cathedral, Potomac,
St. Albans and
Sidwell Friends.

https://www.collegemedianetwork.com/high-scho...p-out-of-ap-courses

SJC regular students are competing against the scholars students in their own school who have carte Blanche on the APs and honors courses. If they are applying to the same 100 colleges (which they are) the scholars student will have a superior GPA due to the AP gate keeping. It doesn’t matter what other schools are doing. If you don’t enter SJC as a scholar or an elite athlete, you will fall through the cracks. It does matter what SJC is doing to it’s own students with a lopsided playing field. Which is fine is that is how they run things but parents of regular need to know this and understand how this actually plays out in the real world college admissions versus how it reads in the SJC handbook so they can make informed decisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, SJC and a lot of private schools seem to be reality checks for parents who think their kids are exceptional but are really not.

The school isn’t holding anyone back, they’re placing them where they need to be. They’re blocked from classes bc they’re not good enough.

Go to public school where you can harangue the school and get your kids into the classes u want them to get into. Did families really think their kid could get into any class they want in private school bc they pay tuition and their kid is a “hard worker”?

My kid can't move their GPA b/c they are required to take scripture and they are not a Scholar.
So Scripture is not an honors class year and pulls down weighted GPA each year - even though every year gets an "A" in the course

I don’t think the scripture requirement was a secret. If u wanted ur kid to get scholar treatment, why would you put them in a school where they are not a scholar?

Move them to a school where it will be easier to get good a high GPA.

I don’t think private schools are marketing themselves as places where it easy easy to get high GPAs.

The point is that is isn’t easy to get a high GPA not because you don’t have the chops but because you are blocked. APs are APs no matter where you take them…public or private. They are the great equalizer which is why colleges value them over honors chases. It is an apples to apples comparison no matter where you go to school. But if you are blocked from taking the number of APs you need the way you are at SJC, you will not stand out among public or private schools despite your hard work. My son got 5’s on both of the national AP exams that SJC allowed him to take. He’s got what it takes to succeed in the right circumstances.

Your kid was not blocked, he didn’t do well enough to get into the AP classes regardless of whether he did well in the AP classes that he did earn his way on to.

As a PP says, self study for the ones he didn’t get into and take the test anyway.

Are parents really telling their kids that the school is blocking them from certain classes? Instead of, tough, next time get the grades you need.

AP tests are not like the SAT. The school has to allow you to register for the test in like September. Will SJC allow anyone to register to take the AP exam?

Also, taking the actual class means more for college admissions than the score on the test. You will have to explain to a college why you didn't take the AP class at SJC, but then took the test.

Now, it will of course make SJC look foolish if you score a 5 on the AP test for a class they determined you were not qualified to take.

BTW...what is the AP pass rate at SJC?

So…no need to explain why you did not take as many APs as a kid in MCPS, where they start APs freshman year. This is because SJC has a well staffed office of college counseling which works closely with colleges to inform them about SJC and its students. There is also a College Profile sheet for SJC, just as there should be one for your school. Despite the “AP gate keeping,” graduates are getting into some fantastic schools.

Why does SJC have so few NMSFs and only 1 presidential scholar?

For one thing, compared to other schools my kids attended, SJC does not emphasize test prep. They are more focused on the whole person, being of service to others, athletics and the arts. If you are a Type A DC striver who is always trying to one up everyone else, this is not the place for you. Yes, SJC emphasizes success, but more so community.

Not in our experience. One of the things SJC could definitely improve on it’s community. The school is big and the students barely have any time to socialize or get to know kids in their class due to the way the lunches break out. Unless you are involved in a sport or you already have a set friend group going in which gives you a ready made social group. A lot of kids struggle to find their place at the school.

The school couldn’t be bothered to even host parents physically at the school at Back to school night. It was virtual. The one night a year parents are supposed to get to see their kids classrooms meet the teachers and it was held virtually with teachers on Zoom. Four years after Covid. Even public schools have been pulling off great Back to school nights for the parents. No excuse. Truly awful.

Yes, it’s a big school. Like at every big school, kids have to take it on themselves to get involved in extracurriculars. There are plenty to join, including clubs that meet during homeroom.

Like you, I would prefer in-person back to school night but I am aware more parents can attend virtual back to school. It’s a trade-off.

[Anonymous]

My DC is having a great experience at SJC but has seen first hand the favoritism towards the scholars. There have been instances among their friend group where a scholar gets exceptions for scheduling and non-scholars don't, even when grades and all other requirements are equal.

[Anonymous]

I have one student who is a Scholar and one who isn't. The one who isn't did not start in all honors level classes, but by sophomore year had been placed in all honors classes.

Not being a Scholar doesn't keep you out of honors classes, the student's grades do. SJC offers a ton of academic support (writiting center, math center, after school tutors, teachers have daily office hours). If you and your child are unhappy with their grades/lack of honors classes, taking advantage of these resources is your best bet. My non Scholar was probably only able to move to honors math because they met with their teacher during office hours at least once a week.
Both my Scholar and non Scholar teens love SJC, and neither are athletes. Both have big groups of friends, but it did take a while from them to find their good friends. It is a large school and most kids come to SJC not knowing many kids (or no kids). It is like freshman year in college when everyone has to make new friends. The upside is that they have a very diverse and interesting group of friends.
This year was my seventh Back to School Night at SJC, so I appreciate that it was virtual. For as long as I've been there, freshman parents go to Back to School Night in person, and older parents of older grades who presumable know the school (go to virtual).
As for National Merit scores, I don't know how anything about SJC's because the school doesn't emphasize it and I don't know what schools the poster is using a comparison. I believe that kids in DC schools have to have a higher National Merit score than kids in MD or VA to qualify for National Merit, SJC is also smaller than public school and prides itself in its diversity (socioeconomic, ethnic, and in academic ability). Unlike other private schools, it takes kids of ALL abilities, not just the top students.
Everyone in my family loves SJC, lots of people love SJC, it has way more applications each year than seats. However, the beauty of the DMV is that there are a lot of schools here, and if SJC isn't your cup of tea then there is another school that will probably work.