Harvard-Westlake High School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure if anyone is still interested in hearing about this school. My DD took her SAT there yesterday. The campus is very well concealed from the public eye, there's plenty of amenities, sports fields, pool, etc. The classrooms are modern, well kept and there's art work and sculpture in between. Security is excellent and access is difficult if you're not affiliated.

But we met a parent there yesterday, who told us that 3 juniors committed suicide this year alone. So the pressure must be enormous.

I think each student had their own personal issues. It's highly competitive but it is a big school with amazing opportunities. My DC was a sensitive child but did very well with a kind friend group and excellent teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure if anyone is still interested in hearing about this school. My DD took her SAT there yesterday. The campus is very well concealed from the public eye, there's plenty of amenities, sports fields, pool, etc. The classrooms are modern, well kept and there's art work and sculpture in between. Security is excellent and access is difficult if you're not affiliated.

But we met a parent there yesterday, who told us that 3 juniors committed suicide this year alone. So the pressure must be enormous.

I think each student had their own personal issues. It's highly competitive but it is a big school with amazing opportunities. My DC was a sensitive child but did very well with a kind friend group and excellent teachers.

do you know this for sure, or is this just speculation?

[Anonymous]

Wow that’s devastating, and very unusual. Sending peace to their families.

[Anonymous]

https://lamag.com/news/harvard-westlake-school-suicides

There was an article in Los Angeles Magazine about this

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://lamag.com/news/harvard-westlake-school-suicides

There was an article in Los Angeles Magazine about this

The whole article focuses on "pressure" academic, social and the expectations of an elite class of kids to get into Ivy league colleges when the acceptance numbers are dwindling.

It's awful. I also think the pandemic has a lot to do with it - but they don't mention that.

[Anonymous]

It’s huge - something like 300 kids in each grade for HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://lamag.com/news/harvard-westlake-school-suicides

There was an article in Los Angeles Magazine about this

Thank you for sharing! How devastating for those families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure if anyone is still interested in hearing about this school. My DD took her SAT there yesterday. The campus is very well concealed from the public eye, there's plenty of amenities, sports fields, pool, etc. The classrooms are modern, well kept and there's art work and sculpture in between. Security is excellent and access is difficult if you're not affiliated.

But we met a parent there yesterday, who told us that 3 juniors committed suicide this year alone. So the pressure must be enormous.

I think each student had their own personal issues. It's highly competitive but it is a big school with amazing opportunities. My DC was a sensitive child but did very well with a kind friend group and excellent teachers.

do you know this for sure, or is this just speculation?

I'm not the PP above, (I am a PP from last year with the '21 grad and now a 23' grad). Yes while of course it is, and only can be, speculation, I too think that each case was pretty unique, and can't be blamed solely on academic pressure. (there were outside things going on in each situation).

Separate from that, I do think that there is an issue with many elite private schools in that--no matter what they say--their version of "success" is Ivy or other high-ranking schools. Once you get into the system, you realize that most of those spots are really reserved for legacy or URM or athletes or otherwise hooked, not your run-of-the-mill student, even if they are a very-high achieving kid. And there is no fleshing out of other "successful" choices. Which makes sense on some level because it's a college-prep school, but not on another level in that it starts in 7th and there's no way to assemble a class that is made up of kids made for Ivy colleges (or even colleges)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure if anyone is still interested in hearing about this school. My DD took her SAT there yesterday. The campus is very well concealed from the public eye, there's plenty of amenities, sports fields, pool, etc. The classrooms are modern, well kept and there's art work and sculpture in between. Security is excellent and access is difficult if you're not affiliated.

But we met a parent there yesterday, who told us that 3 juniors committed suicide this year alone. So the pressure must be enormous.

I think each student had their own personal issues. It's highly competitive but it is a big school with amazing opportunities. My DC was a sensitive child but did very well with a kind friend group and excellent teachers.

do you know this for sure, or is this just speculation?

I'm not the PP above, (I am a PP from last year with the '21 grad and now a 23' grad). Yes while of course it is, and only can be, speculation, I too think that each case was pretty unique, and can't be blamed solely on academic pressure. (there were outside things going on in each situation).

Separate from that, I do think that there is an issue with many elite private schools in that--no matter what they say--their version of "success" is Ivy or other high-ranking schools. Once you get into the system, you realize that most of those spots are really reserved for legacy or URM or athletes or otherwise hooked, not your run-of-the-mill student, even if they are a very-high achieving kid. And there is no fleshing out of other "successful" choices. Which makes sense on some level because it's a college-prep school, but not on another level in that it starts in 7th and there's no way to assemble a class that is made up of kids made for Ivy colleges (or even colleges)

That is literally the content of the article.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure if anyone is still interested in hearing about this school. My DD took her SAT there yesterday. The campus is very well concealed from the public eye, there's plenty of amenities, sports fields, pool, etc. The classrooms are modern, well kept and there's art work and sculpture in between. Security is excellent and access is difficult if you're not affiliated.

But we met a parent there yesterday, who told us that 3 juniors committed suicide this year alone. So the pressure must be enormous.

I think each student had their own personal issues. It's highly competitive but it is a big school with amazing opportunities. My DC was a sensitive child but did very well with a kind friend group and excellent teachers.

do you know this for sure, or is this just speculation?

I'm not the PP above, (I am a PP from last year with the '21 grad and now a 23' grad). Yes while of course it is, and only can be, speculation, I too think that each case was pretty unique, and can't be blamed solely on academic pressure. (there were outside things going on in each situation).

Separate from that, I do think that there is an issue with many elite private schools in that--no matter what they say--their version of "success" is Ivy or other high-ranking schools. Once you get into the system, you realize that most of those spots are really reserved for legacy or URM or athletes or otherwise hooked, not your run-of-the-mill student, even if they are a very-high achieving kid. And there is no fleshing out of other "successful" choices. Which makes sense on some level because it's a college-prep school, but not on another level in that it starts in 7th and there's no way to assemble a class that is made up of kids made for Ivy colleges (or even colleges)

That is literally the content of the article.

Not sure if you are being snarky or saying that the article and I agree. Anyways, this is my opinion from experience, not from the article. I skimmed the article whenever it came out--all I recall is it was pretty short and didn't provide much detail.

[Anonymous]

As someone that went to MIT from a public school - I can totally see what one of the PPs is saying about conversations in high school. But, frankly, even at MIT when I was out of the lab or not working on a pset I surrounded myself with normal, fun individuals.

There were living groups at MIT that were more intense but they also seemed to be more fueled by drugs and other eccentricities. Which, good for them. For me, MIT was intense enough that I needed a sanctuary to come home to where people could just relax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure if anyone is still interested in hearing about this school. My DD took her SAT there yesterday. The campus is very well concealed from the public eye, there's plenty of amenities, sports fields, pool, etc. The classrooms are modern, well kept and there's art work and sculpture in between. Security is excellent and access is difficult if you're not affiliated.

But we met a parent there yesterday, who told us that 3 juniors committed suicide this year alone. So the pressure must be enormous.

I think each student had their own personal issues. It's highly competitive but it is a big school with amazing opportunities. My DC was a sensitive child but did very well with a kind friend group and excellent teachers.

do you know this for sure, or is this just speculation?

I'm not the PP above, (I am a PP from last year with the '21 grad and now a 23' grad). Yes while of course it is, and only can be, speculation, I too think that each case was pretty unique, and can't be blamed solely on academic pressure. (there were outside things going on in each situation).

Separate from that, I do think that there is an issue with many elite private schools in that--no matter what they say--their version of "success" is Ivy or other high-ranking schools. Once you get into the system, you realize that most of those spots are really reserved for legacy or URM or athletes or otherwise hooked, not your run-of-the-mill student, even if they are a very-high achieving kid. And there is no fleshing out of other "successful" choices. Which makes sense on some level because it's a college-prep school, but not on another level in that it starts in 7th and there's no way to assemble a class that is made up of kids made for Ivy colleges (or even colleges)

That is literally the content of the article.

Not sure if you are being snarky or saying that the article and I agree. Anyways, this is my opinion from experience, not from the article. I skimmed the article whenever it came out--all I recall is it was pretty short and didn't provide much detail.

Re-stating what was in the article only shows that you know nothing further. You're just posturing.

[Anonymous]

Each of those three kids had different situations going on that had little to nothing to do with being a HW student. Not going deeper than that because these families tragedies are not message board fodder.

Their college acceptance rates are still impressive regardless of what the PP said, that sounds like sour grapes to me.

Overall you can't go wrong with any of the top private secondary schools in LA - they are all great and it's tiresome when parents go on and on about how their kids' school is better than others. People absolutely get stuck on HW here due to brand name and that obsession starts with parents riiiiiiiiiight around Kindergarten. It's funny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Each of those three kids had different situations going on that had little to nothing to do with being a HW student. Not going deeper than that because these families tragedies are not message board fodder.

Their college acceptance rates are still impressive regardless of what the PP said, that sounds like sour grapes to me.

Overall you can't go wrong with any of the top private secondary schools in LA - they are all great and it's tiresome when parents go on and on about how their kids' school is better than others. People absolutely get stuck on HW here due to brand name and that obsession starts with parents riiiiiiiiiight around Kindergarten. It's funny.

1. Then stop posting and making them fodder. Dead fodder.
2. Yes you can there are plenty of terrible privates in LA and the reason is because the bar is so low already among the publics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Each of those three kids had different situations going on that had little to nothing to do with being a HW student. Not going deeper than that because these families tragedies are not message board fodder.

Their college acceptance rates are still impressive regardless of what the PP said, that sounds like sour grapes to me.

Overall you can't go wrong with any of the top private secondary schools in LA - they are all great and it's tiresome when parents go on and on about how their kids' school is better than others. People absolutely get stuck on HW here due to brand name and that obsession starts with parents riiiiiiiiiight around Kindergarten. It's funny.

1. Then stop posting and making them fodder. Dead fodder.
2. Yes you can there are plenty of terrible privates in LA and the reason is because the bar is so low already among the publics.

1. That was my first and only post on this thread in response to PP's above sort of insinuating that the pressure of HW had something to do with what happened in any of those situations.
2. Please post the list of "PLENTY" of terrible secondary private schools in Los Angeles along with the amount of kids you have and each of their and your individual experiences within these schools... I'll wait. You're full of it and your opinions are based on nothing or word of mouth which essentially amounts to nothing.