sidwell college results--does everyone have top grades or are they getting in kids into strong schools imperfect grades?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do the NCS students who go overseas (Trinity Dublin, St. Andrews, Toronto, etc) go by choice or because they don't have strong US options?

This year there are about 10/71 NCS girls doing this.

Holton doesn't send anyone overseas and Sidwell/GDS rarely do. STA sends an occasional boy.

What is the story? Any senior parent know?

10?! Really? I'm an NCS parent and did not think it was that high. Where did you get that number? I only know of 3 or 4.
great schools. Who wouldn't want to hob knob with Royals? And as PP mentioned, a couple of these girls have parents who are not American, so a broader perspective.

No, very few students would turn down admissions to an Ivy or T20 college to attend these foreign schools, when they can simply study abroad…and then live abroad. Every time I see a St. Andrews/Trinity/Toronto/McGill post from a Big 3 student I think, “oh you didn’t get into any good U.S. colleges.”

yes and the required GPAs to these international colleges (although they are good schools) are suprisingly low if you look at Scoir/Naviance. They are definitely a place for Big3 schools to stash kids with 3.4-3.5s and kids with higher GPAs who didn't get better US options. (Plus, yes I'm sure they have some unique appeal to international families as well).

But when I see NCS sending 10% of the class to foreign schools and Holton sending 0% I think that the Holton girls definitely had better options.

With most of the international schools, you apply to the major. So baseline GPA and test scores are misleading. There is a minimum you need to score to even be allowed to apply, and that minimum number is going to vary major by major. Obviously for competitive majors you'll need a higher gpa/test scores to be both considered and eventually admitted. But yes, that minimum general number for the school overall is relatively low. But it's quite irrelevant when you look at the real numbers for admitted students in economics or engineering or other high demand majors.

[Anonymous]

Looking at the Ivy numbers for Sidwell. At least half had GPAs over 3.9. Only 3 are in advanced Math track (they are all going to Harvard). There are 2 athletic recruits. I see maybe 1 to 2 who may have gotten a nudge. Overall, these kids worked very hard.

[Anonymous]

Interesting that no one has mentioned one of the most important factors: money. The foreign schools are full pay for most US citizens. Families paying $60k/yr for k-6-8-12 can pay. Outside of Oxbridge, the bar is not that high if you can write the check.

[Anonymous]

Interesting, and sad, that these conversations always devolve into the "my school got more kids into the Ivies" or "only kids with hooks get into Ivies" or "anything shy of T20 is a failure and we wasted our money on private" etc.

Many of these comments overlook the facts that all of the colleges mentioned here are exceptional, the kids' accomplishments -- regardless of school -- should be celebrated, and their decisions likely go well beyond a ranking (field of study, interest in area of country/world, financial considerations, etc).

Good news for my kids is I went to a T250 school, wouldn't have been accepted at any of the colleges/universities mentioned in this thread (I tried several), yet managed to receive an exceptional education, graduate with no debt, make lifelong friends (including professors), and build a great career. So, my focus is on the fit, not the sticker on the back of my car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looking at the Ivy numbers for Sidwell. At least half had GPAs over 3.9. Only 3 are in advanced Math track (they are all going to Harvard). There are 2 athletic recruits. I see maybe 1 to 2 who may have gotten a nudge. Overall, these kids worked very hard.

Did you have a typo saying only three in advanced math track? Respectfully I would think all those students would have had advanced track? Are you saying don’t take advanced track?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking at the Ivy numbers for Sidwell. At least half had GPAs over 3.9. Only 3 are in advanced Math track (they are all going to Harvard). There are 2 athletic recruits. I see maybe 1 to 2 who may have gotten a nudge. Overall, these kids worked very hard.

Did you have a typo saying only three in advanced math track? Respectfully I would think all those students would have had advanced track? Are you saying don’t take advanced track?

Different poster. Only a small number (fewer than 10) of the seniors are in the advanced math track (Math IV). Three are going to Harvard together. The others also have really good college outcomes (that aren’t “ivy”). Most seniors going to the “ivy” schools aren’t in this small math class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking at the Ivy numbers for Sidwell. At least half had GPAs over 3.9. Only 3 are in advanced Math track (they are all going to Harvard). There are 2 athletic recruits. I see maybe 1 to 2 who may have gotten a nudge. Overall, these kids worked very hard.

Did you have a typo saying only three in advanced math track? Respectfully I would think all those students would have had advanced track? Are you saying don’t take advanced track?

This is really helpful and granular information. and sounds like they don't have to stay w advanced math all the way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking at the Ivy numbers for Sidwell. At least half had GPAs over 3.9. Only 3 are in advanced Math track (they are all going to Harvard). There are 2 athletic recruits. I see maybe 1 to 2 who may have gotten a nudge. Overall, these kids worked very hard.

Did you have a typo saying only three in advanced math track? Respectfully I would think all those students would have had advanced track? Are you saying don’t take advanced track?

This year, there are about 6-7 students in Sidwell’s Math IV class (one section). So the PP saying that only 3 students were in the most advanced math class track/class seems accurate.

Many of the Sidwell seniors who are going to Ivies this year are in Calculus I or II. It is not necessary to take Math IV to get into an Ivy from Sidwell.

[Anonymous]

All kinds of reasons. We have Ivy admits at NCS who chose other schools. Not everyone pics the Ivy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All kinds of reasons. We have Ivy admits at NCS who chose other schools. Not everyone pics the Ivy.

Sure, not everyone picks the Ivy. However, based on conversations I’ve had, my sense is that most Sidwell students are picking the Ivy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting, and sad, that these conversations always devolve into the "my school got more kids into the Ivies" or "only kids with hooks get into Ivies" or "anything shy of T20 is a failure and we wasted our money on private" etc.

Many of these comments overlook the facts that all of the colleges mentioned here are exceptional, the kids' accomplishments -- regardless of school -- should be celebrated, and their decisions likely go well beyond a ranking (field of study, interest in area of country/world, financial considerations, etc).

Good news for my kids is I went to a T250 school, wouldn't have been accepted at any of the colleges/universities mentioned in this thread (I tried several), yet managed to receive an exceptional education, graduate with no debt, make lifelong friends (including professors), and build a great career. So, my focus is on the fit, not the sticker on the back of my car.

You are right. But you are also shouting into the void. See how far this thread goes on and on talking about those things you mention, with no discussion of the actual kids themselves.

It is sad but these people simply cannot stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All kinds of reasons. We have Ivy admits at NCS who chose other schools. Not everyone pics the Ivy.

Sure, not everyone picks the Ivy. However, based on conversations I’ve had, my sense is that most Sidwell students are picking the Ivy.

Meh, plenty of folks choosing Stanford over multiple Ivies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do the NCS students who go overseas (Trinity Dublin, St. Andrews, Toronto, etc) go by choice or because they don't have strong US options?

This year there are about 10/71 NCS girls doing this.

Holton doesn't send anyone overseas and Sidwell/GDS rarely do. STA sends an occasional boy.

What is the story? Any senior parent know?

10?! Really? I'm an NCS parent and did not think it was that high. Where did you get that number? I only know of 3 or 4.
great schools. Who wouldn't want to hob knob with Royals? And as PP mentioned, a couple of these girls have parents who are not American, so a broader perspective.

No, very few students would turn down admissions to an Ivy or T20 college to attend these foreign schools, when they can simply study abroad…and then live abroad. Every time I see a St. Andrews/Trinity/Toronto/McGill post from a Big 3 student I think, “oh you didn’t get into any good U.S. colleges.”

yes and the required GPAs to these international colleges (although they are good schools) are suprisingly low if you look at Scoir/Naviance. They are definitely a place for Big3 schools to stash kids with 3.4-3.5s and kids with higher GPAs who didn't get better US options. (Plus, yes I'm sure they have some unique appeal to international families as well).

But when I see NCS sending 10% of the class to foreign schools and Holton sending 0% I think that the Holton girls definitely had better options.

We know a holton senior who is frustrated/surprised at her options and is likely going to do trinity or a gap year and apply again

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All kinds of reasons. We have Ivy admits at NCS who chose other schools. Not everyone pics the Ivy.

Sure, not everyone picks the Ivy. However, based on conversations I’ve had, my sense is that most Sidwell students are picking the Ivy.

Meh, plenty of folks choosing Stanford over multiple Ivies.

I only know of one Sidwell student going to Stanford this year. Are there any others?
This thread is about Sidwell.

[Anonymous]

You do realize that Sidwell students have attended Stanford in other years too?