Do safety schools exist anymore?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown Prep
Holy Cross
SJC
Sandy Spring
Oneness
SAES
To name a few.

Not SAES.

SAES is definitely a safety school unless you child is a poor student.

Kids with b and c grades can definitely get in. Safety, don't know....they are looking for a specific person. Academics are not necessarily what they are looking for so it's hard to get it unless you fit the need.

SAES is a *former* safety school, so there is partial accuracy. SAES has changed, just like the broader DMV private school landscape. The safety school label for St. Andrew's is completely antiquated. They, like most schools, are receiving progressively high apps and is an authentically competitive school to gain admissions. The difference is that SAES welcomes a more academically diverse student body than others. They will consider students with a range of abilities; straight A students as well as students with B and C grades can be accepted but it is a package for consideration. The school does not seek to design an academically homogenous student body (thankfully!). But that does not mean all straight A students will be accepted, nor does it mean that all students with a B or C will be accepted. There are far more quality applicants than spaces available at SAES in recent years, and that proves increasingly true year after year. There will be rejections and sizeable waitlists, no matter the type of student applicant. It is not a safety school....at all. We must accept that these labels are not static - it can change over time. It's like telling prospective homebuyers they'll need only $500k for a new construction SFH in Silver Spring just because that's what you paid in 2008.

The reality changes over time, and the reality at SAES most certainly has. Parents and students are facing that reality, especially post-pandemic, and should not falsely feel badly about an unsuccessful application due to a false narrative about the 'ease' of getting into SAES. That is simply not true! It is a wonderful, welcoming school but it is not a safety school.



It's a safety school.

Just an important reminder of what adults should already know: Denial and/or repetition of lies can never transform the actual truth. You can repeat false info as often as you're motivated to do so, but the facts will remain unchanged. The fact is applicants cannot be certain of admission to St. Andrew's.


I agree, a solid C student will not get into St. Andrew's.

Well, then where do they go?

O’Connell

Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington ?

Yes. A good safety school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown Prep
Holy Cross
SJC
Sandy Spring
Oneness
SAES
To name a few.

Not SAES.

SAES is definitely a safety school unless you child is a poor student.

Kids with b and c grades can definitely get in. Safety, don't know....they are looking for a specific person. Academics are not necessarily what they are looking for so it's hard to get it unless you fit the need.

SAES is a *former* safety school, so there is partial accuracy. SAES has changed, just like the broader DMV private school landscape. The safety school label for St. Andrew's is completely antiquated. They, like most schools, are receiving progressively high apps and is an authentically competitive school to gain admissions. The difference is that SAES welcomes a more academically diverse student body than others. They will consider students with a range of abilities; straight A students as well as students with B and C grades can be accepted but it is a package for consideration. The school does not seek to design an academically homogenous student body (thankfully!). But that does not mean all straight A students will be accepted, nor does it mean that all students with a B or C will be accepted. There are far more quality applicants than spaces available at SAES in recent years, and that proves increasingly true year after year. There will be rejections and sizeable waitlists, no matter the type of student applicant. It is not a safety school....at all. We must accept that these labels are not static - it can change over time. It's like telling prospective homebuyers they'll need only $500k for a new construction SFH in Silver Spring just because that's what you paid in 2008.

The reality changes over time, and the reality at SAES most certainly has. Parents and students are facing that reality, especially post-pandemic, and should not falsely feel badly about an unsuccessful application due to a false narrative about the 'ease' of getting into SAES. That is simply not true! It is a wonderful, welcoming school but it is not a safety school.



It's a safety school.

Just an important reminder of what adults should already know: Denial and/or repetition of lies can never transform the actual truth. You can repeat false info as often as you're motivated to do so, but the facts will remain unchanged. The fact is applicants cannot be certain of admission to St. Andrew's.


I agree, a solid C student will not get into St. Andrew's.

Well, then where do they go?

O’Connell

Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington ?

Yes. A good safety school.

Other than religiously, how would the educational experience at O’Connell differ from SSSAS or Flint Hill? Is the work load similar?
Do the kids get more help at FH and SSSAS? Why would a family spend twice as much to send their child to those schools?

[Anonymous]

As someone who applied to FH and SSSAS but withdrew our application to O’Connell, the “aside from religion” was the big sticking point, as well as some issues with accommodations. O’C requires a Catholic religion class every semester all 4 years. We are not Catholic and DC has a learning difference, so the level of effort and extra work for those classes was a no-go for us. If you are Catholic and want that focus, or are not Catholic and truly do not care about the time and work needed in those classes, O’C is a good school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown Prep
Holy Cross
SJC
Sandy Spring
Oneness
SAES
To name a few.

Not SAES.

SAES is definitely a safety school unless you child is a poor student.

Kids with b and c grades can definitely get in. Safety, don't know....they are looking for a specific person. Academics are not necessarily what they are looking for so it's hard to get it unless you fit the need.

SAES is a *former* safety school, so there is partial accuracy. SAES has changed, just like the broader DMV private school landscape. The safety school label for St. Andrew's is completely antiquated. They, like most schools, are receiving progressively high apps and is an authentically competitive school to gain admissions. The difference is that SAES welcomes a more academically diverse student body than others. They will consider students with a range of abilities; straight A students as well as students with B and C grades can be accepted but it is a package for consideration. The school does not seek to design an academically homogenous student body (thankfully!). But that does not mean all straight A students will be accepted, nor does it mean that all students with a B or C will be accepted. There are far more quality applicants than spaces available at SAES in recent years, and that proves increasingly true year after year. There will be rejections and sizeable waitlists, no matter the type of student applicant. It is not a safety school....at all. We must accept that these labels are not static - it can change over time. It's like telling prospective homebuyers they'll need only $500k for a new construction SFH in Silver Spring just because that's what you paid in 2008.

The reality changes over time, and the reality at SAES most certainly has. Parents and students are facing that reality, especially post-pandemic, and should not falsely feel badly about an unsuccessful application due to a false narrative about the 'ease' of getting into SAES. That is simply not true! It is a wonderful, welcoming school but it is not a safety school.



It's a safety school.

Just an important reminder of what adults should already know: Denial and/or repetition of lies can never transform the actual truth. You can repeat false info as often as you're motivated to do so, but the facts will remain unchanged. The fact is applicants cannot be certain of admission to St. Andrew's.

My kid didn’t get in. All As and nice kid. Waitlisted.

The only reason SAES wouldn't take an all A student is if the teacher recommendations had red flags. SAES needs mor all A students to up their ranking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown Prep
Holy Cross
SJC
Sandy Spring
Oneness
SAES
To name a few.

Not SAES.

SAES is definitely a safety school unless you child is a poor student.

Kids with b and c grades can definitely get in. Safety, don't know....they are looking for a specific person. Academics are not necessarily what they are looking for so it's hard to get it unless you fit the need.

SAES is a *former* safety school, so there is partial accuracy. SAES has changed, just like the broader DMV private school landscape. The safety school label for St. Andrew's is completely antiquated. They, like most schools, are receiving progressively high apps and is an authentically competitive school to gain admissions. The difference is that SAES welcomes a more academically diverse student body than others. They will consider students with a range of abilities; straight A students as well as students with B and C grades can be accepted but it is a package for consideration. The school does not seek to design an academically homogenous student body (thankfully!). But that does not mean all straight A students will be accepted, nor does it mean that all students with a B or C will be accepted. There are far more quality applicants than spaces available at SAES in recent years, and that proves increasingly true year after year. There will be rejections and sizeable waitlists, no matter the type of student applicant. It is not a safety school....at all. We must accept that these labels are not static - it can change over time. It's like telling prospective homebuyers they'll need only $500k for a new construction SFH in Silver Spring just because that's what you paid in 2008.

The reality changes over time, and the reality at SAES most certainly has. Parents and students are facing that reality, especially post-pandemic, and should not falsely feel badly about an unsuccessful application due to a false narrative about the 'ease' of getting into SAES. That is simply not true! It is a wonderful, welcoming school but it is not a safety school.



It's a safety school.

Just an important reminder of what adults should already know: Denial and/or repetition of lies can never transform the actual truth. You can repeat false info as often as you're motivated to do so, but the facts will remain unchanged. The fact is applicants cannot be certain of admission to St. Andrew's.

My kid didn’t get in. All As and nice kid. Waitlisted.

The only reason SAES wouldn't take an all A student is if the teacher recommendations had red flags. SAES needs mor all A students to up their ranking.

Hard to know what the teacher recommendations looked like, but we had a 3rd party advisor who had DC’s recommendations and assisted us with the application process. For that reason, I doubt we had bad recommendations. I think we wanted too much aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown Prep
Holy Cross
SJC
Sandy Spring
Oneness
SAES
To name a few.

Not SAES.

SAES is definitely a safety school unless you child is a poor student.

Kids with b and c grades can definitely get in. Safety, don't know....they are looking for a specific person. Academics are not necessarily what they are looking for so it's hard to get it unless you fit the need.

SAES is a *former* safety school, so there is partial accuracy. SAES has changed, just like the broader DMV private school landscape. The safety school label for St. Andrew's is completely antiquated. They, like most schools, are receiving progressively high apps and is an authentically competitive school to gain admissions. The difference is that SAES welcomes a more academically diverse student body than others. They will consider students with a range of abilities; straight A students as well as students with B and C grades can be accepted but it is a package for consideration. The school does not seek to design an academically homogenous student body (thankfully!). But that does not mean all straight A students will be accepted, nor does it mean that all students with a B or C will be accepted. There are far more quality applicants than spaces available at SAES in recent years, and that proves increasingly true year after year. There will be rejections and sizeable waitlists, no matter the type of student applicant. It is not a safety school....at all. We must accept that these labels are not static - it can change over time. It's like telling prospective homebuyers they'll need only $500k for a new construction SFH in Silver Spring just because that's what you paid in 2008.

The reality changes over time, and the reality at SAES most certainly has. Parents and students are facing that reality, especially post-pandemic, and should not falsely feel badly about an unsuccessful application due to a false narrative about the 'ease' of getting into SAES. That is simply not true! It is a wonderful, welcoming school but it is not a safety school.



It's a safety school.

Just an important reminder of what adults should already know: Denial and/or repetition of lies can never transform the actual truth. You can repeat false info as often as you're motivated to do so, but the facts will remain unchanged. The fact is applicants cannot be certain of admission to St. Andrew's.

My kid didn’t get in. All As and nice kid. Waitlisted.

The only reason SAES wouldn't take an all A student is if the teacher recommendations had red flags. SAES needs mor all A students to up their ranking.

Regrettably this holds true for most private schools. So much emphasis on just one aspect of the application process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown Prep
Holy Cross
SJC
Sandy Spring
Oneness
SAES
To name a few.

Not SAES.

SAES is definitely a safety school unless you child is a poor student.

Kids with b and c grades can definitely get in. Safety, don't know....they are looking for a specific person. Academics are not necessarily what they are looking for so it's hard to get it unless you fit the need.

SAES is a *former* safety school, so there is partial accuracy. SAES has changed, just like the broader DMV private school landscape. The safety school label for St. Andrew's is completely antiquated. They, like most schools, are receiving progressively high apps and is an authentically competitive school to gain admissions. The difference is that SAES welcomes a more academically diverse student body than others. They will consider students with a range of abilities; straight A students as well as students with B and C grades can be accepted but it is a package for consideration. The school does not seek to design an academically homogenous student body (thankfully!). But that does not mean all straight A students will be accepted, nor does it mean that all students with a B or C will be accepted. There are far more quality applicants than spaces available at SAES in recent years, and that proves increasingly true year after year. There will be rejections and sizeable waitlists, no matter the type of student applicant. It is not a safety school....at all. We must accept that these labels are not static - it can change over time. It's like telling prospective homebuyers they'll need only $500k for a new construction SFH in Silver Spring just because that's what you paid in 2008.

The reality changes over time, and the reality at SAES most certainly has. Parents and students are facing that reality, especially post-pandemic, and should not falsely feel badly about an unsuccessful application due to a false narrative about the 'ease' of getting into SAES. That is simply not true! It is a wonderful, welcoming school but it is not a safety school.



It's a safety school.

Just an important reminder of what adults should already know: Denial and/or repetition of lies can never transform the actual truth. You can repeat false info as often as you're motivated to do so, but the facts will remain unchanged. The fact is applicants cannot be certain of admission to St. Andrew's.

My kid didn’t get in. All As and nice kid. Waitlisted.

The only reason SAES wouldn't take an all A student is if the teacher recommendations had red flags. SAES needs mor all A students to up their ranking.

Hard to know what the teacher recommendations looked like, but we had a 3rd party advisor who had DC’s recommendations and assisted us with the application process. For that reason, I doubt we had bad recommendations. I think we wanted too much aid.

If you used an educational consultant and your student had all A's, then I'm sure it was an issue of financial aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown Prep
Holy Cross
SJC
Sandy Spring
Oneness
SAES
To name a few.

Not SAES.

SAES is definitely a safety school unless you child is a poor student.

Kids with b and c grades can definitely get in. Safety, don't know....they are looking for a specific person. Academics are not necessarily what they are looking for so it's hard to get it unless you fit the need.

SAES is a *former* safety school, so there is partial accuracy. SAES has changed, just like the broader DMV private school landscape. The safety school label for St. Andrew's is completely antiquated. They, like most schools, are receiving progressively high apps and is an authentically competitive school to gain admissions. The difference is that SAES welcomes a more academically diverse student body than others. They will consider students with a range of abilities; straight A students as well as students with B and C grades can be accepted but it is a package for consideration. The school does not seek to design an academically homogenous student body (thankfully!). But that does not mean all straight A students will be accepted, nor does it mean that all students with a B or C will be accepted. There are far more quality applicants than spaces available at SAES in recent years, and that proves increasingly true year after year. There will be rejections and sizeable waitlists, no matter the type of student applicant. It is not a safety school....at all. We must accept that these labels are not static - it can change over time. It's like telling prospective homebuyers they'll need only $500k for a new construction SFH in Silver Spring just because that's what you paid in 2008.

The reality changes over time, and the reality at SAES most certainly has. Parents and students are facing that reality, especially post-pandemic, and should not falsely feel badly about an unsuccessful application due to a false narrative about the 'ease' of getting into SAES. That is simply not true! It is a wonderful, welcoming school but it is not a safety school.



It's a safety school.

Just an important reminder of what adults should already know: Denial and/or repetition of lies can never transform the actual truth. You can repeat false info as often as you're motivated to do so, but the facts will remain unchanged. The fact is applicants cannot be certain of admission to St. Andrew's.

My kid didn’t get in. All As and nice kid. Waitlisted.

The only reason SAES wouldn't take an all A student is if the teacher recommendations had red flags. SAES needs mor all A students to up their ranking.

Hard to know what the teacher recommendations looked like, but we had a 3rd party advisor who had DC’s recommendations and assisted us with the application process. For that reason, I doubt we had bad recommendations. I think we wanted too much aid.

If you used an educational consultant and your student had all A's, then I'm sure it was an issue of financial aid.

How did anyone other than the schools have the teacher recs? Esp someone assisting the applicant in the process?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown Prep
Holy Cross
SJC
Sandy Spring
Oneness
SAES
To name a few.

Not SAES.

SAES is definitely a safety school unless you child is a poor student.

Kids with b and c grades can definitely get in. Safety, don't know....they are looking for a specific person. Academics are not necessarily what they are looking for so it's hard to get it unless you fit the need.

SAES did not take several kids I know who had all As. Not because of teacher recommendations but because they are not looking to have too many kids coming from the same k-8 school.

SAES is a *former* safety school, so there is partial accuracy. SAES has changed, just like the broader DMV private school landscape. The safety school label for St. Andrew's is completely antiquated. They, like most schools, are receiving progressively high apps and is an authentically competitive school to gain admissions. The difference is that SAES welcomes a more academically diverse student body than others. They will consider students with a range of abilities; straight A students as well as students with B and C grades can be accepted but it is a package for consideration. The school does not seek to design an academically homogenous student body (thankfully!). But that does not mean all straight A students will be accepted, nor does it mean that all students with a B or C will be accepted. There are far more quality applicants than spaces available at SAES in recent years, and that proves increasingly true year after year. There will be rejections and sizeable waitlists, no matter the type of student applicant. It is not a safety school....at all. We must accept that these labels are not static - it can change over time. It's like telling prospective homebuyers they'll need only $500k for a new construction SFH in Silver Spring just because that's what you paid in 2008.

The reality changes over time, and the reality at SAES most certainly has. Parents and students are facing that reality, especially post-pandemic, and should not falsely feel badly about an unsuccessful application due to a false narrative about the 'ease' of getting into SAES. That is simply not true! It is a wonderful, welcoming school but it is not a safety school.



It's a safety school.

Just an important reminder of what adults should already know: Denial and/or repetition of lies can never transform the actual truth. You can repeat false info as often as you're motivated to do so, but the facts will remain unchanged. The fact is applicants cannot be certain of admission to St. Andrew's.

My kid didn’t get in. All As and nice kid. Waitlisted.

The only reason SAES wouldn't take an all A student is if the teacher recommendations had red flags. SAES needs mor all A students to up their ranking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Imagine a town with a restaurant, the best restaurant. Many citizens will only go to the best restaurant. They put up with the long lines, the prices, and the fact that the menu is not as good as it used to be. They still line up to eat there.

Some people start going to the new restaurant. It is tasty and comfortable and they bring their friends and many of them like it too. A few people don't like it and they go back to the best restaurant.

The people from the best restaurant start heckling the people who eat at the new restaurant because it's not the "best restaurant." People who have never eaten in a restaurant like to heckle both restaurants.

There is no rule that I have to eat at the best restaurant, I don't even like what it serves.

I choose to believe they are McDonalds and Burger King.