2024 Washington DC area College commits

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College admissions probably is the number one consideration of families sending a kid to a big 3 school whether they admit it or not.

The stark reality of admissions is your kid basically needs to be hooked or in the top 10-15% of their class to get in a T25 college.

Hooks defined as URM, 1st gen, legacy, recruited athlete, coming from a geographically underserved area, VIP parent.

There was a thread on DCUM a few days ago that gave unbelievable data about Harvard Westlake in Los Angeles. It showed admissions outcomes in the past 3 years for their unhooked and non-athletic recruit students. They did not give the exact definition of a hook, but the data were pretty shocking even to me. One example 63 kids applied to Vanderbilt. Only 3 were accepted. All 3 in the top grade category of 4.3+ GPA. This same pattern was present for most T20 schools, the only way an unhooked kid got accepted to a T20 was by being at the top 10-15% of the class. This is really not too surprising, but it is a reality check to see it in print. This Harvard Westlake thread has since been taken down.

Several schools in dc do not rank so how are they getting this 10-15 percent? They only see a handful of applications from the small privates maybe 10-15 at the most. That is not the entire grade.

The college counselor sends a school profile of the class with every application. It’s very easy to figure out whether the kid is in the top of the class or not from that profile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College admissions probably is the number one consideration of families sending a kid to a big 3 school whether they admit it or not.

The stark reality of admissions is your kid basically needs to be hooked or in the top 10-15% of their class to get in a T25 college.

Hooks defined as URM, 1st gen, legacy, recruited athlete, coming from a geographically underserved area, VIP parent.

In Sidwell's 2023 graduating class, Hooks also included parents with beaucoup bucks whose surnames appear on buildings and "centers" at assorted Ivies. Maybe this is a subset of "VIP Parent" but it was disheartening for this naive writer. Kid was on academic life support and now...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College admissions probably is the number one consideration of families sending a kid to a big 3 school whether they admit it or not.

The stark reality of admissions is your kid basically needs to be hooked or in the top 10-15% of their class to get in a T25 college.

Hooks defined as URM, 1st gen, legacy, recruited athlete, coming from a geographically underserved area, VIP parent.

In Sidwell's 2023 graduating class, Hooks also included parents with beaucoup bucks whose surnames appear on buildings and "centers" at assorted Ivies. Maybe this is a subset of "VIP Parent" but it was disheartening for this naive writer. Kid was on academic life support and now...

What does this mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s your evidence that under half of Sidwell students are admitted to top 25s?

41 of 119 are attending T25 (nobody knows everyone's acceptance options). 104 of 119 have reported. I can't speak for the 15 non reports but we all know that it's unlikely that all 15 were T25 - and I'd say it's unlikely that even 8 of them are T25.

Meanwhile - it is important to remember that most of the 41 are hooked. These outcomes say nothing about Sidwell's impact, the outcomes reflect the prevalence of hooked families at Sidwell. And, if you really care about college and are unhooked, do not look to these outcomes as your potential future outcome....most unhooked high achievers/high rigor land outside T25.

I don't think college placement should be your goal....but if it is...go in with eyes open. It's not likely your unhooked smart kid is going to be the exception. Admissions has changed in recent years.

nobody cares about this. seriously nobody cares. good for Sidwell if true but just realize STA, Holton, GDS, NCS pretty much had the same results if you are considering it by this criteria. move on.

You have missed the point.... this isn't celebration for Sidwell's admissions. The point is that the top admissions are for hooked kids....and (as you say) this is the same at ALL of these schools. These college outcomes have nothing to do with the school - it has to do with the family. Do not choose to attend these private schools over public (or one private over another) with college admissions in mind.....especially if you are not hooked in any way.

I am a parent of a GDS senior who's kid is not hooked and maybe but possibly not in the top 10% of the class (don't know since we don't have rankings) and accepted EA Top 25. We also did not choose GDS because of college. We chose it for class sizes, teachers, location, ECs, and community.

We also know of many other GDS seniors in the same boat as ours that got in Top 25 that are unhooked, did TO etc. Yes, many kids are hooked but many are not and sure the school profile of schools like GDS help but these kids work hard and have earned their spots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College admissions probably is the number one consideration of families sending a kid to a big 3 school whether they admit it or not.

The stark reality of admissions is your kid basically needs to be hooked or in the top 10-15% of their class to get in a T25 college.

Hooks defined as URM, 1st gen, legacy, recruited athlete, coming from a geographically underserved area, VIP parent.

In Sidwell's 2023 graduating class, Hooks also included parents with beaucoup bucks whose surnames appear on buildings and "centers" at assorted Ivies. Maybe this is a subset of "VIP Parent" but it was disheartening for this naive writer. Kid was on academic life support and now...

What does this mean?

It means that the child (parent happens to be on the Board) was barely getting by academically. And now they are at a Top 5 college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s your evidence that under half of Sidwell students are admitted to top 25s?

41 of 119 are attending T25 (nobody knows everyone's acceptance options). 104 of 119 have reported. I can't speak for the 15 non reports but we all know that it's unlikely that all 15 were T25 - and I'd say it's unlikely that even 8 of them are T25.

Meanwhile - it is important to remember that most of the 41 are hooked. These outcomes say nothing about Sidwell's impact, the outcomes reflect the prevalence of hooked families at Sidwell. And, if you really care about college and are unhooked, do not look to these outcomes as your potential future outcome....most unhooked high achievers/high rigor land outside T25.

I don't think college placement should be your goal....but if it is...go in with eyes open. It's not likely your unhooked smart kid is going to be the exception. Admissions has changed in recent years.

nobody cares about this. seriously nobody cares. good for Sidwell if true but just realize STA, Holton, GDS, NCS pretty much had the same results if you are considering it by this criteria. move on.

You have missed the point.... this isn't celebration for Sidwell's admissions. The point is that the top admissions are for hooked kids....and (as you say) this is the same at ALL of these schools. These college outcomes have nothing to do with the school - it has to do with the family. Do not choose to attend these private schools over public (or one private over another) with college admissions in mind.....especially if you are not hooked in any way.

I am a parent of a GDS senior who's kid is not hooked and maybe but possibly not in the top 10% of the class (don't know since we don't have rankings) and accepted EA Top 25. We also did not choose GDS because of college. We chose it for class sizes, teachers, location, ECs, and community.

We also know of many other GDS seniors in the same boat as ours that got in Top 25 that are unhooked, did TO etc. Yes, many kids are hooked but many are not and sure the school profile of schools like GDS help but these kids work hard and have earned their spots.

What is your kid's GPA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College admissions probably is the number one consideration of families sending a kid to a big 3 school whether they admit it or not.

The stark reality of admissions is your kid basically needs to be hooked or in the top 10-15% of their class to get in a T25 college.

Hooks defined as URM, 1st gen, legacy, recruited athlete, coming from a geographically underserved area, VIP parent.

In Sidwell's 2023 graduating class, Hooks also included parents with beaucoup bucks whose surnames appear on buildings and "centers" at assorted Ivies. Maybe this is a subset of "VIP Parent" but it was disheartening for this naive writer. Kid was on academic life support and now...

What does this mean?

It means that the child (parent happens to be on the Board) was barely getting by academically. And now they are at a Top 5 college.

How do you know that the child was barely getting by academically? Did you see this child’s transcript?

Btw, if true this isn’t Sidwell’s fault. It’s actually a compliment to Sidwell and the parents’ pull. If you’re looking for a villain, blame the “Top 5 college” that admitted the student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s your evidence that under half of Sidwell students are admitted to top 25s?

41 of 119 are attending T25 (nobody knows everyone's acceptance options). 104 of 119 have reported. I can't speak for the 15 non reports but we all know that it's unlikely that all 15 were T25 - and I'd say it's unlikely that even 8 of them are T25.

Meanwhile - it is important to remember that most of the 41 are hooked. These outcomes say nothing about Sidwell's impact, the outcomes reflect the prevalence of hooked families at Sidwell. And, if you really care about college and are unhooked, do not look to these outcomes as your potential future outcome....most unhooked high achievers/high rigor land outside T25.

I don't think college placement should be your goal....but if it is...go in with eyes open. It's not likely your unhooked smart kid is going to be the exception. Admissions has changed in recent years.

nobody cares about this. seriously nobody cares. good for Sidwell if true but just realize STA, Holton, GDS, NCS pretty much had the same results if you are considering it by this criteria. move on.

You have missed the point.... this isn't celebration for Sidwell's admissions. The point is that the top admissions are for hooked kids....and (as you say) this is the same at ALL of these schools. These college outcomes have nothing to do with the school - it has to do with the family. Do not choose to attend these private schools over public (or one private over another) with college admissions in mind.....especially if you are not hooked in any way.

I am a parent of a GDS senior who's kid is not hooked and maybe but possibly not in the top 10% of the class (don't know since we don't have rankings) and accepted EA Top 25. We also did not choose GDS because of college. We chose it for class sizes, teachers, location, ECs, and community.

We also know of many other GDS seniors in the same boat as ours that got in Top 25 that are unhooked, did TO etc. Yes, many kids are hooked but many are not and sure the school profile of schools like GDS help but these kids work hard and have earned their spots.

What is your kid's GPA?

GDS parent, I bet your kid is also genuinely interesting with great essays. Can't this be a "hook" too (maybe meant in a slightly different way)? GPA can get you in the door but is not sufficient. People throw around GPA + scores like there is a formula, and there just isn't. You cannot compare one kid to another like apples to apples. I will even be so bold as to say...IME...private school kids, maybe by virtue of being in an environment that accepts and nurtures their quirks, are more likely to have that extra "something."

[Anonymous]

Well knock me over with a feather.

Sidwell* only accepts kids who have great test and/or academic chops plus legacy/athletic/national-level ED/connections. That is, Sidwell only accepts the kids who are best positioned to get into T25s before they even walk through Sidwell's doors. Then these same kids apply ED because their parents can afford to. And, lo and behold, they get into a T25.

Is anybody surprised by this? The real question is, what is Sidwell's value added here? Would the same kid have had the same results coming from BCC? (Yes, you can talk about academic preparation, but that's a whole 'nother debate, and this thread is about college admissions.)

* Not to rag on Sidwell, but folks here seem to be using it as shorthand for top DC privates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s your evidence that under half of Sidwell students are admitted to top 25s?

41 of 119 are attending T25 (nobody knows everyone's acceptance options). 104 of 119 have reported. I can't speak for the 15 non reports but we all know that it's unlikely that all 15 were T25 - and I'd say it's unlikely that even 8 of them are T25.

Meanwhile - it is important to remember that most of the 41 are hooked. These outcomes say nothing about Sidwell's impact, the outcomes reflect the prevalence of hooked families at Sidwell. And, if you really care about college and are unhooked, do not look to these outcomes as your potential future outcome....most unhooked high achievers/high rigor land outside T25.

I don't think college placement should be your goal....but if it is...go in with eyes open. It's not likely your unhooked smart kid is going to be the exception. Admissions has changed in recent years.

nobody cares about this. seriously nobody cares. good for Sidwell if true but just realize STA, Holton, GDS, NCS pretty much had the same results if you are considering it by this criteria. move on.

You have missed the point.... this isn't celebration for Sidwell's admissions. The point is that the top admissions are for hooked kids....and (as you say) this is the same at ALL of these schools. These college outcomes have nothing to do with the school - it has to do with the family. Do not choose to attend these private schools over public (or one private over another) with college admissions in mind.....especially if you are not hooked in any way.

I am a parent of a GDS senior who's kid is not hooked and maybe but possibly not in the top 10% of the class (don't know since we don't have rankings) and accepted EA Top 25. We also did not choose GDS because of college. We chose it for class sizes, teachers, location, ECs, and community.

We also know of many other GDS seniors in the same boat as ours that got in Top 25 that are unhooked, did TO etc. Yes, many kids are hooked but many are not and sure the school profile of schools like GDS help but these kids work hard and have earned their spots.

What is your kid's GPA?

GDS parent, I bet your kid is also genuinely interesting with great essays. Can't this be a "hook" too (maybe meant in a slightly different way)? GPA can get you in the door but is not sufficient. People throw around GPA + scores like there is a formula, and there just isn't. You cannot compare one kid to another like apples to apples. I will even be so bold as to say...IME...private school kids, maybe by virtue of being in an environment that accepts and nurtures their quirks, are more likely to have that extra "something."

What makes you think quirky kids don't thrive in public schools? I begged my parents to let me leave my small private. When I got to the local public, which was much larger, I found my people.

If your point is that private school families can afford to send Brett to fencing tournaments and to buy a horse for Muffy's equestrian events, then yes.

* my kids have done private and public schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well knock me over with a feather.

Sidwell* only accepts kids who have great test and/or academic chops plus legacy/athletic/national-level ED/connections. That is, Sidwell only accepts the kids who are best positioned to get into T25s before they even walk through Sidwell's doors. Then these same kids apply ED because their parents can afford to. And, lo and behold, they get into a T25.

Is anybody surprised by this? The real question is, what is Sidwell's value added here? Would the same kid have had the same results coming from BCC? (Yes, you can talk about academic preparation, but that's a whole 'nother debate, and this thread is about college admissions.)

* Not to rag on Sidwell, but folks here seem to be using it as shorthand for top DC privates.

Of course! Why do you think they ask on application where parents went to college???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s your evidence that under half of Sidwell students are admitted to top 25s?

41 of 119 are attending T25 (nobody knows everyone's acceptance options). 104 of 119 have reported. I can't speak for the 15 non reports but we all know that it's unlikely that all 15 were T25 - and I'd say it's unlikely that even 8 of them are T25.

Meanwhile - it is important to remember that most of the 41 are hooked. These outcomes say nothing about Sidwell's impact, the outcomes reflect the prevalence of hooked families at Sidwell. And, if you really care about college and are unhooked, do not look to these outcomes as your potential future outcome....most unhooked high achievers/high rigor land outside T25.

I don't think college placement should be your goal....but if it is...go in with eyes open. It's not likely your unhooked smart kid is going to be the exception. Admissions has changed in recent years.

nobody cares about this. seriously nobody cares. good for Sidwell if true but just realize STA, Holton, GDS, NCS pretty much had the same results if you are considering it by this criteria. move on.

You have missed the point.... this isn't celebration for Sidwell's admissions. The point is that the top admissions are for hooked kids....and (as you say) this is the same at ALL of these schools. These college outcomes have nothing to do with the school - it has to do with the family. Do not choose to attend these private schools over public (or one private over another) with college admissions in mind.....especially if you are not hooked in any way.

I am a parent of a GDS senior who's kid is not hooked and maybe but possibly not in the top 10% of the class (don't know since we don't have rankings) and accepted EA Top 25. We also did not choose GDS because of college. We chose it for class sizes, teachers, location, ECs, and community.

We also know of many other GDS seniors in the same boat as ours that got in Top 25 that are unhooked, did TO etc. Yes, many kids are hooked but many are not and sure the school profile of schools like GDS help but these kids work hard and have earned their spots.

What is your kid's GPA?

GDS parent, I bet your kid is also genuinely interesting with great essays. Can't this be a "hook" too (maybe meant in a slightly different way)? GPA can get you in the door but is not sufficient. People throw around GPA + scores like there is a formula, and there just isn't. You cannot compare one kid to another like apples to apples. I will even be so bold as to say...IME...private school kids, maybe by virtue of being in an environment that accepts and nurtures their quirks, are more likely to have that extra "something."

yes, we know all of that. I am also curious about what this kid's GPA was that they just got into a top25 school unhooked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well knock me over with a feather.

Sidwell* only accepts kids who have great test and/or academic chops plus legacy/athletic/national-level ED/connections. That is, Sidwell only accepts the kids who are best positioned to get into T25s before they even walk through Sidwell's doors. Then these same kids apply ED because their parents can afford to. And, lo and behold, they get into a T25.

Is anybody surprised by this? The real question is, what is Sidwell's value added here? Would the same kid have had the same results coming from BCC? (Yes, you can talk about academic preparation, but that's a whole 'nother debate, and this thread is about college admissions.)

* Not to rag on Sidwell, but folks here seem to be using it as shorthand for top DC privates.

Of course! Why do you think they ask on application where parents went to college???

I've heard these days admissions officers check LinkedIn for the parents' creds. But same idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College admissions probably is the number one consideration of families sending a kid to a big 3 school whether they admit it or not.

The stark reality of admissions is your kid basically needs to be hooked or in the top 10-15% of their class to get in a T25 college.

Hooks defined as URM, 1st gen, legacy, recruited athlete, coming from a geographically underserved area, VIP parent.

In Sidwell's 2023 graduating class, Hooks also included parents with beaucoup bucks whose surnames appear on buildings and "centers" at assorted Ivies. Maybe this is a subset of "VIP Parent" but it was disheartening for this naive writer. Kid was on academic life support and now...

What does this mean?

I'm not PP but a fellow parent of that class. I think it means that there can be students that end up at Ivy for college despite not excelling at SFS. (this is not to say that's the case for all legacy/VIP....but it certainly can be said for some)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College admissions probably is the number one consideration of families sending a kid to a big 3 school whether they admit it or not.

The stark reality of admissions is your kid basically needs to be hooked or in the top 10-15% of their class to get in a T25 college.

Hooks defined as URM, 1st gen, legacy, recruited athlete, coming from a geographically underserved area, VIP parent.

In Sidwell's 2023 graduating class, Hooks also included parents with beaucoup bucks whose surnames appear on buildings and "centers" at assorted Ivies. Maybe this is a subset of "VIP Parent" but it was disheartening for this naive writer. Kid was on academic life support and now...

What does this mean?

It means that the child (parent happens to be on the Board) was barely getting by academically. And now they are at a Top 5 college.

How do you know that the child was barely getting by academically? Did you see this child’s transcript?

Btw, if true this isn’t Sidwell’s fault. It’s actually a compliment to Sidwell and the parents’ pull. If you’re looking for a villain, blame the “Top 5 college” that admitted the student.

Gross