Getting into St. Albans

[Anonymous]

I'm not the previous poster, but both my wife and I went to Yale. We both were happy, but neither of us thought it was anything too special. I went to University of Chicago for grad school and loved it. It doesn't matter a whole lot where my children go to school so long as they get into the type of program they want. If either of my kids wants to go to Yale, I'm not going to be particularly supportive unless they can say that whatever program they want to pursue looks better than other schools' for clear, specific reasons.

[Anonymous]

That sounds like a great approach. I went to Princeton, purely for the name, and had a pretty miserable time. I would have been much better off in a smaller school. My best friend went to Davidson and made friends for life. That's what I'd like for my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That sounds like a great approach. I went to Princeton, purely for the name, and had a pretty miserable time. I would have been much better off in a smaller school. My best friend went to Davidson and made friends for life. That's what I'd like for my kids.

So I am wondering (truthfully), when it comes to private school, are you also resisting the whole 'top schools' hype (the GDS, St. Albans, Sidwell, etc)?

[Anonymous]

Not PP, but in my case, the answer would be no. I went to Harvard, and I would be just as happy to have my children attend a small liberal arts college. But when it comes to local K-12 private schools, I believe there are far fewer good options, which is part of the reason why there is such fierce competition to get into the "top" schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not PP, but in my case, the answer would be no. I went to Harvard, and I would be just as happy to have my children attend a small liberal arts college. But when it comes to local K-12 private schools, I believe there are far fewer good options, which is part of the reason why there is such fierce competition to get into the "top" schools.

This just isn't true. There are great schools, but they are not as competitive. I myself have been drawn into this, thinking that because schools like St. Albans are so competitive, they must be better. But ask yourself, would you want St. Albans anymore if they said they would accept all applicants? And if not, is it because you think your child will only thrive among top kids (assuming you think the competitive process in some way weeds out weaker learners...although I don't think that is the case at all)? Why are schools like Burgundy Farms or Green Acres or Lowell not 'good options'? Because they are tier two? I just think that we need to reexamine why we are competiting for these schools so fiercely...how much do you really know about St. Albans?

[Anonymous]

I went to Harvard and loved it. I met several of my closest friends there and received a terrific education. Professors were accessible, students came from all over the world and were generally interested in a wide range of topics, I was able to select small classes in areas in which the teacher-student ratio was important to me, and I was able to participate in a meaningful way in public service and arts extracurriculars. I also have many friends who went to colleges and universities quite different from Harvard in various ways, and most of them also had terrific experiences at their respective schools. Perhaps generalizations about colleges are filled with as many inaccuracies as generalizations about play groups, preschools, and elementary schools!

[Anonymous]

For heavens' sake, I didn't say there was anything wrong with Harvard. I just feel that a large number of other colleges can also provide a top-notch education.

And I stick by my earlier point. I would not send my children to St Albans, and not only because they are girls. But I do believe that the set of private schools that meet our criteria in such areas as educational approach, size, location, religous affiliation or not, etc. is very small. This is particularly true because I am weighing them against public options, and many of the public schools in this area set a very high standard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are schools like Burgundy Farms or Green Acres or Lowell not 'good options'? Because they are tier two?

I think you answered your question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are schools like Burgundy Farms or Green Acres or Lowell not 'good options'? Because they are tier two?

I think you answered your question.

No I didn't. Who determined these tiers? St. Albans? I think St. Albans can provide a wonderful education for the right kid. I also think Lowell can. These schools that are fiercely competitive, by virtue of difficulty in getting in alone, have been able to be far less accountable to parents than schools that are slightly easier to get in. The point is: what you are getting is a gatekeeper. Maybe that's important...Johnny going to school with a bunch of boys who must be wonderful because it's so hard to get in. But maybe, Johnny would be happier and learn more in a school with different children, with more individualized attention, with less emphasis on tests and homework. How can you possibly think that because something is exclusive it is necessarily better? Country clubs are exclusive. Are the people 'better' there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are schools like Burgundy Farms or Green Acres or Lowell not 'good options'? Because they are tier two?

I think you answered your question.

These schools that are fiercely competitive, by virtue of difficulty in getting in alone, have been able to be far less accountable to parents than schools that are slightly easier to get in.

How do you know? Do your kids go to these schools? As for Lowell (speaking from experience), yes it is what it is. And what it is is not for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are schools like Burgundy Farms or Green Acres or Lowell not 'good options'? Because they are tier two?

I think you answered your question.

These schools that are fiercely competitive, by virtue of difficulty in getting in alone, have been able to be far less accountable to parents than schools that are slightly easier to get in.

Yes I speak from experience of St. Albans. It is less accountable. You are walking into a rock-solid institution. Meaning, don't try to change this institution, any more than you would try to change a rock.

How do you know? Do your kids go to these schools? As for Lowell (speaking from experience), yes it is what it is. And what it is is not for everyone.

[Anonymous]

PP, why did you select St. Albans? It sounds like you're not pleased with the experience. Perhaps you discovered that it wasn't the right place after the fact. But have you allowed your child to continue there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, why did you select St. Albans? It sounds like you're not pleased with the experience. Perhaps you discovered that it wasn't the right place after the fact. But have you allowed your child to continue there?

I selected St. Albans because it seemed to me to be the best school at the time, and I was very much influenced by the tremendous hype surrounding it. It is impossible not to be impressed by the school. I have not taken my son out of St. Albans. In the end, I don't think it is a bad place, I just don't expect any of my rabble rousing would make any difference in changing the things I do not like. I am only saying that when you let your decicions be influenced by the degree of competitiveness at entry, you are immediately putting yourself in a position to dismiss things about the school you may very well not like. I know during the tours, no parents with whom I toured asked a single pointed or critical question. They wouldn't dare. They're too afraid their kid's application would end up in a trash bin. That in itself has allowed St. Albans to be less accountable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I know during the tours, no parents with whom I toured asked a single pointed or critical question. They wouldn't dare. They're too afraid their kid's application would end up in a trash bin. That in itself has allowed St. Albans to be less accountable.

Oh, god, ye speaketh the truth! The worst are those parents who come up with those "fake" questions, designed to: 1) get them noticed; 2) display their intelligence; 3) allow the tour guide to blabber on.

[Anonymous]

Agreed! Sadly, my bet is it is these fake question posers are generally more successful than the quiet ones in gaining admission.