College Counseling at Sidwell - One Year Later

[Anonymous]

It works for kids who advocate for themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It works for kids who advocate for themselves.

You’re talking about 14-18 year olds. For a multitude of reasons, certain kids may not be up for “advocating for themselves” at every point point in time during their years in high school. And yet, a true advisory system can prove to be most useful and beneficial during the tough times.

In this day and age, virtually every high powered professional environment has implemented or strives to implement a meaningful formal mentoring system. Most boarding schools have formal mentoring systems that are meaningful. So do many other independent day schools. This “kids who advocate for themselves” filtering construct you’ve created is total BS. Seeking advice and having a meaningful formal mentoring system are not the same thing.

[Anonymous]

Then suggest it to the administration rather than complaining about it on an anonymous message board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Then suggest it to the administration rather than complaining about it on an anonymous message board.

The administration is weak and terrible, as you surely know if you have 2 kids in US. The teachers are great but happy with the way things are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Then suggest it to the administration rather than complaining about it on an anonymous message board.

This is always the best response from someone commenting on an anonymous message board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top privates are going to struggle in the future to convince new parents to pay $500,000+ for K-12. This gets much harder if college outcomes are not outstanding.

The problem with this thinking is that it isn't 1975 where 65% of the kids at the "elite" private schools went to Ivy/Ivy equivalent schools. So the sell is the curriculum and creativity, small class sizes, opportunity for theater, sports etc that are different at a large public high school.

Exactly. I was at a dinner party last year where over half of the families had kids at Sidwell's US. Sorry, but they were all insufferable listening to them talk about college admissions. Basically everyone was living about 3 or 4 decades ago when you could get into an ivy just because you attended an elite private. The entitlement around college admissions was shocking by these folks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It works for kids who advocate for themselves.

You’re talking about 14-18 year olds. For a multitude of reasons, certain kids may not be up for “advocating for themselves” at every point point in time during their years in high school. And yet, a true advisory system can prove to be most useful and beneficial during the tough times.

In this day and age, virtually every high powered professional environment has implemented or strives to implement a meaningful formal mentoring system. Most boarding schools have formal mentoring systems that are meaningful. So do many other independent day schools. This “kids who advocate for themselves” filtering construct you’ve created is total BS. Seeking advice and having a meaningful formal mentoring system are not the same thing.

I think kids will advocate for themselves if they feel it's important enough. I agree with PP that my kid is able to get guidance at Sidwell bc he advocates for himself. By high school age, these students are old enough to know what they want. While I agree that the advisory system should be better, there are plenty of opportunities to get help. It's important that all these kids learn to stand up for themselves and ask questions. Good lesson for the future too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It works for kids who advocate for themselves.

You’re talking about 14-18 year olds. For a multitude of reasons, certain kids may not be up for “advocating for themselves” at every point point in time during their years in high school. And yet, a true advisory system can prove to be most useful and beneficial during the tough times.

In this day and age, virtually every high powered professional environment has implemented or strives to implement a meaningful formal mentoring system. Most boarding schools have formal mentoring systems that are meaningful. So do many other independent day schools. This “kids who advocate for themselves” filtering construct you’ve created is total BS. Seeking advice and having a meaningful formal mentoring system are not the same thing.

I think kids will advocate for themselves if they feel it's important enough. I agree with PP that my kid is able to get guidance at Sidwell bc he advocates for himself. By high school age, these students are old enough to know what they want. While I agree that the advisory system should be better, there are plenty of opportunities to get help. It's important that all these kids learn to stand up for themselves and ask questions. Good lesson for the future too.

Right, it should be better. Advocating for oneself and obtaining advice is transactional. It's not the same thing as being mentored through a true counseling/advisory relationship.

[Anonymous]

You are the advisory system, get going!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top privates are going to struggle in the future to convince new parents to pay $500,000+ for K-12. This gets much harder if college outcomes are not outstanding.

The problem with this thinking is that it isn't 1975 where 65% of the kids at the "elite" private schools went to Ivy/Ivy equivalent schools. So the sell is the curriculum and creativity, small class sizes, opportunity for theater, sports etc that are different at a large public high school.

Exactly. I was at a dinner party last year where over half of the families had kids at Sidwell's US. Sorry, but they were all insufferable listening to them talk about college admissions. Basically everyone was living about 3 or 4 decades ago when you could get into an ivy just because you attended an elite private. The entitlement around college admissions was shocking by these folks.

It doesn’t sound like entitlement, more like a lament on how complicated and stressful college applications have become.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top privates are going to struggle in the future to convince new parents to pay $500,000+ for K-12. This gets much harder if college outcomes are not outstanding.

The problem with this thinking is that it isn't 1975 where 65% of the kids at the "elite" private schools went to Ivy/Ivy equivalent schools. So the sell is the curriculum and creativity, small class sizes, opportunity for theater, sports etc that are different at a large public high school.

Exactly. I was at a dinner party last year where over half of the families had kids at Sidwell's US. Sorry, but they were all insufferable listening to them talk about college admissions. Basically everyone was living about 3 or 4 decades ago when you could get into an ivy just because you attended an elite private. The entitlement around college admissions was shocking by these folks.

It doesn’t sound like entitlement, more like a lament on how complicated and stressful college applications have become.

I'm not PP - but how can you comment if you don't know what PP heard the Sidwell families talking about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Then suggest it to the administration rather than complaining about it on an anonymous message board.

The administration is weak and terrible, as you surely know if you have 2 kids in US. The teachers are great but happy with the way things are.

+1. The upper school administration is incompetent. Teachers are great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Then suggest it to the administration rather than complaining about it on an anonymous message board.

The administration is weak and terrible, as you surely know if you have 2 kids in US. The teachers are great but happy with the way things are.

+1. The upper school administration is incompetent. Teachers are great.

I agree about the faculty and disagree about the administration. The dysfunction was in the college counseling office last year and the year before. One counselor was just plain incompetent. It took too long, but the admin finally showed him the door. The CCO director was too stubborn, refused to admit he had a staff problem, and grew increasingly frustrated and checked out. Now he’s gone, gone, Gonzaga. To the extent that the administration is to blame, they took too long to force changes, and they still need to provide additional resources to the CCO. But they did act in the end, and recruited back an excellent director to lead and rebuild the CCO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Top privates are going to struggle in the future to convince new parents to pay $500,000+ for K-12. This gets much harder if college outcomes are not outstanding.

What is considered outstanding at Sidwell? Top 20 placement? Top 10?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top privates are going to struggle in the future to convince new parents to pay $500,000+ for K-12. This gets much harder if college outcomes are not outstanding.

What is considered outstanding at Sidwell? Top 20 placement? Top 10?

I would think that if kids are happy with their choices, then that should be sufficient. Already, some of the seniors have heard from ED's and they are happy. Though not "tippy top" Ivy's, who cares, they can coast the rest of senior year and know they are excited for next year.