NCS Reception

[Anonymous]

How are B+ and A- grades underwhelming?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does the prior poster think that her B daughter who didn't get into a "choice" school would have been better off at a different place than NCS? An A student from a lesser school with the same boards and extracurriculars may not have been admitted at said choice schools either.

I think she just wished they hadn't spent all that money. I presume her daughter did get a substantively good education, though, but as a prior poster said, it's not irrational that people may second guess the great expense if they are very focused on college outcome. Hopefully the daughter did great in college wherever she ended up.

I get that (I made point about Harvard). Yeah, she would have saved $150k, but it's not like the only value of NCS (or another private) is the college your child gets into. Sure, that's important, or very important, to some people, but that's not all they got. The child is potentially better prepared for whatever college they go to, as well as for life. If all you see a private school is as improving odds for a top college, then I maintain the better approach is to save the money and donate to the college you hope to go to.

I agree. Very few people graduate from ncs without knowing how to write, study hard and effectively, etc.

[Anonymous]

Admissions officers found them to be quite pedestrian. Her test scores are well above the Ivy averages so it must have been the grades that dragged her down. Not what we thought was going to happen. A net that was cast wide returned not much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Admissions officers found them to be quite pedestrian. Her test scores are well above the Ivy averages so it must have been the grades that dragged her down. Not what we thought was going to happen. A net that was cast wide returned not much.

I'm sorry this turned out this way. I am also of the opinion that NCS should feel some responsibility. They admitted her. they knew her potential - they should have worked harder to ignite a spark in her. They also should have been pretty clear with you all that if the grades stayed lackluster that the college admits would also not be as expected. If they did not realize that ahead of time and are shocked by these results then they should be hitting the phones to these colleges and helping. Curious - can you share what the reality is of NCS's reaction to these results?

[Anonymous]

i don't recall their reaction ex post decisions. What I do remember is that they reacted to her amazing test scores like they were at the fiftieth percentile. I was shocked that there was no tried and true 'high scores, middling grades' plan of attack. But then again, maybe test scores simply don't get one's foot in the door anymore.

[Anonymous]

When I was at ncs the slackers with high test scores often wound up at good state schools - ucla, michigan, etc. more numbers driven admissions.

[Anonymous]

When were you at NCS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i don't recall their reaction ex post decisions. What I do remember is that they reacted to her amazing test scores like they were at the fiftieth percentile. I was shocked that there was no tried and true 'high scores, middling grades' plan of attack. But then again, maybe test scores simply don't get one's foot in the door anymore.

Given how many colleges have dropped standardized tests from their applications, I wouldn't be surprised by this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Admissions officers found them to be quite pedestrian. Her test scores are well above the Ivy averages so it must have been the grades that dragged her down. Not what we thought was going to happen. A net that was cast wide returned not much.

I'm sorry this turned out this way. I am also of the opinion that NCS should feel some responsibility. They admitted her. they knew her potential - they should have worked harder to ignite a spark in her. They also should have been pretty clear with you all that if the grades stayed lackluster that the college admits would also not be as expected. If they did not realize that ahead of time and are shocked by these results then they should be hitting the phones to these colleges and helping. Curious - can you share what the reality is of NCS's reaction to these results?

Have had kids at both Sidwell and Cathedral schools. Each had a few kids who were underachievers in class, but had excellent scores. Rarely did they do as well with college placement as the reverse. The schools did what they could regarding college placement, but they can only do so much. I do not think it is a schools responsibility to overcome the lack of work done by underachievers.

[Anonymous]

I feel very sorry for you; but I hope with time your daughter will mature and find her niche. Where will she go to school,not the name for privacy reasons, but what type of school? Once she gets in college her solid background from NCS will help her. Good luck to you both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Admissions officers found them to be quite pedestrian. Her test scores are well above the Ivy averages so it must have been the grades that dragged her down. Not what we thought was going to happen. A net that was cast wide returned not much.

I'm sorry this turned out this way. I am also of the opinion that NCS should feel some responsibility. They admitted her. they knew her potential - they should have worked harder to ignite a spark in her. They also should have been pretty clear with you all that if the grades stayed lackluster that the college admits would also not be as expected. If they did not realize that ahead of time and are shocked by these results then they should be hitting the phones to these colleges and helping. Curious - can you share what the reality is of NCS's reaction to these results?

Have had kids at both Sidwell and Cathedral schools. Each had a few kids who were underachievers in class, but had excellent scores. Rarely did they do as well with college placement as the reverse. The schools did what they could regarding college placement, but they can only do so much. I do not think it is a schools responsibility to overcome the lack of work done by underachievers.

I disagree RE the school's responsibility. They accepted this child. They enrolled her. They cashed the family's tuition payments. It is their responsibility to push and educate that child to her full potential. They knew her grades were below her potential. They should have dealt with it. Brought family in to make sure everyone knew there was a problem. Instead they just accepted work from her that was below potential because that was path of least resistance. The school sent the message a 3.0 was good enough. Even though it was not good enough. Unfortunately NCS passed the buck and let the college application process inform the student and her parents that is was t good enough. That's a lazy way out.
This has always been the problem with NCS. If a student is top 10% to top 20% you are in the cat bird seat. NCS loves you and will work really hard for you. If you are a B/C+ kid you are irrelevant to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait listed at a school very similar to South Carolina.

I agree that NCS has some 'splaining to do if the student had a 3.0, 99-percentile scores, and this wait-list result remains the student's best option. Maybe the essays/recs were terrible, but that should be avoidable.

One problem might be that some big, out-of-DMV universities did not comprehend how that 3.0 at NCS was harder to get than most of the public 4.0s they see. NCS has to ensure that their students aren't being shortchanged in that regard.

Applying to a bunch of SLACs probably would have made sense here. Maybe Sewannee, Wheaton, or similar. Wherever she ends up going, I would bet there will be plenty of impressive students there, since there are just so many great kids out there and only a very limited number of top-25 freshman slots.

[Anonymous]

This is one of the weirder discussions I've seen. For obvious reasons, the parent cannot share the full list of schools to which the student applied. For obvious reasons, we do not know the content of the advice the family was given during college counseling. To try to make sweeping conclusions about the school is, therefore, not really a productive exercise.

The parent herself has, I think, emphasized the "take-away": do not spend the money for an expensive private school if it is only for the purpose of trying to assure a certain college admissions result, as that road leads to potential disappointment. While understanding how much emphasis families understandably place on college outcomes, any of these schools would agree that college placement alone is not a good enough reason to go the private school route. There must also be a value for the intrinsic educational experience (everything from small class sizes, to lots of writing, two less of an emphasis on "teaching to the test," to significant sports and extracurricular opportunities).

Lastly, I hope it has been somewhat therapeutic for the disappointed parent to post, but that she can make peace with the situation. Not everyone thrives in a high school setting or even an academic setting, regardless of intelligence. Success in work and interpersonal relationships is not dependent on a sterling academic record.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait listed at a school very similar to South Carolina.

I agree that NCS has some 'splaining to do if the student had a 3.0, 99-percentile scores, and this wait-list result remains the student's best option. Maybe the essays/recs were terrible, but that should be avoidable.

One problem might be that some big, out-of-DMV universities did not comprehend how that 3.0 at NCS was harder to get than most of the public 4.0s they see. NCS has to ensure that their students aren't being shortchanged in that regard.

Applying to a bunch of SLACs probably would have made sense here. Maybe Sewannee, Wheaton, or similar. Wherever she ends up going, I would bet there will be plenty of impressive students there, since there are just so many great kids out there and only a very limited number of top-25 freshman slots.

A kid with 3.0 and 99th percentile scores will have trouble with college admissions only if the child and parent allow it. I seriously doubt NCS or any other top tier private school advised the achools that this child got wait-listed. It sounds like a lot of reaches were applied to.
I am sorry that this happened, but I seriously do not think the school is to blame.

[Anonymous]

NOBODY is blaming the school. She made that clear. She is sharing her less than rosy story as a cautionary tale. I think. At least it seems that way to me.