12 and counting to U Chicago this year from Sidwell

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chicago has changed a lot in recent years. It used to be a liberal arts nerd school. It was a place for "intellectuals" for lack of a better word. And they took super smart students from all over, including public schools in big cities and small towns. You'd meet a Chicago grad in the faculty lounge or a think tank.

Nowadays Chicago is like Sidwell Friends goes to college. Standard smart kids with privilege and money. You're more likely to meet a Chicago grad at the country club today rather than a conference focused on history or economics. It's a change.

Not sure it's a good change. We need more nerd schools, not less.

The fly in the ointment is that the classic "nerd schools" are not flourishing. Life of the mind is a hard sell in today's economy.

Top 20 schools need more standard smart kids. They are currently filled with pointy, specialized kids that lack the social skills you see with standard smart kids. Have toured any of these schools in the last 3 years??

yes especially seems true of harvard and the specific type of students who have been admitted from our school past 5 years. very smart, pointy and socially odd. intellectually gifted kids but not socially gifted. I wonder what the peer group feels like if you are a standard strong kid at harvard these days.

Agree. But I am also wondering what UChicago is like socially. I’ve never heard of a private sending so many to a single school, year after year. Our private has a healthy distribution amongst the ivies and T10. 15 matriculants makes no sense and would give me pause as a parent.

Sidwell has never sent this many kids to UChicago before. This year is an outlier. I think it just happens that the class of 2026 is exceptionally competitive and plays their cards right in college admissions. This year there still have been rejections in ED rounds, but the total is 12, not 15. I believe next year will be very different and this level of success should not become the norm from Sidwell.

Do not agree. This year is not a fluke. Look at Horace Mann, look at Harvard Westlake college matriculations. It’s pay to play at Chicago now which is a shame because when Chicago had crazy high acceptance rates, it really did draw brilliant and yes, what you would call quirky kids from both public and private schools. Now Chicago is private school, college edition. That is what is behind the original question not that people are jealous.

Not sure what you’re talking about because the vast majority of HW applicants still get rejected from Chicago. And nearly all of the ones that get in are top tier students there.

[Anonymous]

it just seems odd. Why doesn't bcc have even 1 admit to chicago? I dont see any at whitman or Churchill either

[Anonymous]

Because Obama.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chicago is taking a lot of unhooked kids from top private schools across the country. It’s not just a Sidwell phenomenon, it’s probably just that students there realized it was realistic and applied ED this year. It’s the most common school for Exeter & usually Andover graduating classes nowadays too.

But Chicago doesn’t seem to be taking a lot of unhooked kids from other DMV privates. Why is that?

Maybe because no other private school in DMV compares to Sidwell? Obama's daughters went to Sidwell and, probably, most of affluent people in DC take there kids there. Just guessing...

This is just not accurate. I suspect you are not a DC private school parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chicago has changed a lot in recent years. It used to be a liberal arts nerd school. It was a place for "intellectuals" for lack of a better word. And they took super smart students from all over, including public schools in big cities and small towns. You'd meet a Chicago grad in the faculty lounge or a think tank.

Nowadays Chicago is like Sidwell Friends goes to college. Standard smart kids with privilege and money. You're more likely to meet a Chicago grad at the country club today rather than a conference focused on history or economics. It's a change.

Not sure it's a good change. We need more nerd schools, not less.

The fly in the ointment is that the classic "nerd schools" are not flourishing. Life of the mind is a hard sell in today's economy.

Top 20 schools need more standard smart kids. They are currently filled with pointy, specialized kids that lack the social skills you see with standard smart kids. Have toured any of these schools in the last 3 years??

yes especially seems true of harvard and the specific type of students who have been admitted from our school past 5 years. very smart, pointy and socially odd. intellectually gifted kids but not socially gifted. I wonder what the peer group feels like if you are a standard strong kid at harvard these days.

Agree. But I am also wondering what UChicago is like socially. I’ve never heard of a private sending so many to a single school, year after year. Our private has a healthy distribution amongst the ivies and T10. 15 matriculants makes no sense and would give me pause as a parent.

Sidwell has never sent this many kids to UChicago before. This year is an outlier. I think it just happens that the class of 2026 is exceptionally competitive and plays their cards right in college admissions. This year there still have been rejections in ED rounds, but the total is 12, not 15. I believe next year will be very different and this level of success should not become the norm from Sidwell.

LOUD and wrong!

The total is 15. You should be aware that some students posted their college destinations on their personal IG account only, and not the IG account run by Sidwell students. My son has seen 3 such UChicago posts from his senior friends who have NOT posted on the general Sidwell account.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chicago is taking a lot of unhooked kids from top private schools across the country. It’s not just a Sidwell phenomenon, it’s probably just that students there realized it was realistic and applied ED this year. It’s the most common school for Exeter & usually Andover graduating classes nowadays too.

But Chicago doesn’t seem to be taking a lot of unhooked kids from other DMV privates. Why is that?

You don’t know that.

Name the DMV private schools that are sending more students to Chicago than Sidwell. I’ll wait…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chicago is taking a lot of unhooked kids from top private schools across the country. It’s not just a Sidwell phenomenon, it’s probably just that students there realized it was realistic and applied ED this year. It’s the most common school for Exeter & usually Andover graduating classes nowadays too.

But Chicago doesn’t seem to be taking a lot of unhooked kids from other DMV privates. Why is that?

The kids have to apply. Last year at my kid's Big3 there were only 2 or 3 Chicago apps total. It's not always popular as the kids sometimes view it as a consolation prize.

[Anonymous]

It comes down the prestige chasing. At schools like Sidwell or HM, the pressure from kids' parents to get in a higher ranked school is enormous, plus the existence of Business Econ at Chicago. Other private schools kids may choose fit over prestige.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chicago is taking a lot of unhooked kids from top private schools across the country. It’s not just a Sidwell phenomenon, it’s probably just that students there realized it was realistic and applied ED this year. It’s the most common school for Exeter & usually Andover graduating classes nowadays too.

But Chicago doesn’t seem to be taking a lot of unhooked kids from other DMV privates. Why is that?

The kids have to apply. Last year at my kid's Big3 there were only 2 or 3 Chicago apps total. It's not always popular as the kids sometimes view it as a consolation prize.

You’re lying. You have absolutely no way of knowing how many students applied to a particular college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It comes down the prestige chasing. At schools like Sidwell or HM, the pressure from kids' parents to get in a higher ranked school is enormous, plus the existence of Business Econ at Chicago. Other private schools kids may choose fit over prestige.

I cannot speak to why Sidwell kids apply to UChicago. But from DC’s private, all admits over the past couple of years have fit the stereotypical UChicago type: very smart, intellectual, on the nerdy side, etc. In fact, all of them have been in the top 10 percent of their graduating classes. The most common major is physics, which is top notch at Uchicago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It comes down the prestige chasing. At schools like Sidwell or HM, the pressure from kids' parents to get in a higher ranked school is enormous, plus the existence of Business Econ at Chicago. Other private schools kids may choose fit over prestige.

You seriously don’t know what you’re talking about. Just rambling and spewing random nonsense…

[Anonymous]

I’ve spent the last two days at UChicago for admitted student day.

There were definitely a number of obviously quirky kids. It actually surprised me how quirky the kids were. I did see some rather rich looking preppy white boys, but overall I think UChicago had a very diverse group.

I no longer live in DC so I’m not a Sidwell parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chicago is taking a lot of unhooked kids from top private schools across the country. It’s not just a Sidwell phenomenon, it’s probably just that students there realized it was realistic and applied ED this year. It’s the most common school for Exeter & usually Andover graduating classes nowadays too.

But Chicago doesn’t seem to be taking a lot of unhooked kids from other DMV privates. Why is that?

The kids have to apply. Last year at my kid's Big3 there were only 2 or 3 Chicago apps total. It's not always popular as the kids sometimes view it as a consolation prize.

You’re lying. You have absolutely no way of knowing how many students applied to a particular college.

It's all found in Scoir at private schools. It's completely transparent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chicago is taking a lot of unhooked kids from top private schools across the country. It’s not just a Sidwell phenomenon, it’s probably just that students there realized it was realistic and applied ED this year. It’s the most common school for Exeter & usually Andover graduating classes nowadays too.

But Chicago doesn’t seem to be taking a lot of unhooked kids from other DMV privates. Why is that?

The Scoir data is self-reported. Not every student reports their results.

The kids have to apply. Last year at my kid's Big3 there were only 2 or 3 Chicago apps total. It's not always popular as the kids sometimes view it as a consolation prize.

You’re lying. You have absolutely no way of knowing how many students applied to a particular college.

It's all found in Scoir at private schools. It's completely transparent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chicago is taking a lot of unhooked kids from top private schools across the country. It’s not just a Sidwell phenomenon, it’s probably just that students there realized it was realistic and applied ED this year. It’s the most common school for Exeter & usually Andover graduating classes nowadays too.

But Chicago doesn’t seem to be taking a lot of unhooked kids from other DMV privates. Why is that?

The Scoir data is self-reported. Not every student reports their results.

The kids have to apply. Last year at my kid's Big3 there were only 2 or 3 Chicago apps total. It's not always popular as the kids sometimes view it as a consolation prize.

You’re lying. You have absolutely no way of knowing how many students applied to a particular college.

It's all found in Scoir at private schools. It's completely transparent.

I believe all applications are logged into Scoir by College Counseling when they send the transcripts because those are sent through Scoir (whether the application was sent through the Common App or Coalition/Scoir). It's probably possible to be more under the radar in public schools.