Big 3 and college admissions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be helpful to folks new to the area if posters named the "Big 3". Thanks !

If you need to know that, you don’t count. Move along now.

Wow, the OP asks about the Big 3 without knowing what they are? Sounds like a troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be helpful to folks new to the area if posters named the "Big 3". Thanks !

Refer to this thread if you want to know about the Big 3 - it's pegged at the top of Private School Forum

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/99579.page

Sidwell, NCS and STA

GDS, Sidwell, Cathedral schools (NCS/STA)

There about six schools in the Big 3. See Independent School Board for these fights. Add Holton, Potomac, and Maret to GDS, Sidwell, NCS/Albans. Basically, "Big 3" is a euphemism for a top area private where monied, connected, or other elites send their children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be helpful to folks new to the area if posters named the "Big 3". Thanks !

Refer to this thread if you want to know about the Big 3 - it's pegged at the top of Private School Forum

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/99579.page

Sidwell, NCS and STA

GDS, Sidwell, Cathedral schools (NCS/STA)

There about six schools in the Big 3. See Independent School Board for these fights. Add Holton, Potomac, and Maret to GDS, Sidwell, NCS/Albans. Basically, "Big 3" is a euphemism for a top area private where monied, connected, or other elites send their children.

Or -if you are at Sidwell, NCS, STA - it's those 3
OR if you are GDS you add yourself by combining NCS-STA into "Cathedral schools"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My sense is that every other post on this forum is from a Big 3 parent. Do others agree?

No, I think it's primarily FCPS, MCPS and APS. You can generally pick out them out..."top private", no APs, willingness/ability to full pay at schools like Bard, Kenyon and Muhlenberg

[Anonymous]

I think it is mostly public school parents who love UVA

[Anonymous]

Big 3 is:

Sidwell
GDS
Maret

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My sense is that every other post on this forum is from a Big 3 parent. Do others agree?

No, I think it's primarily FCPS, MCPS and APS. You can generally pick out them out..."top private", no APs, willingness/ability to full pay at schools like Bard, Kenyon and Muhlenberg

Also seek schools that are nurturing.

[Anonymous]

Holton is going downhill fast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, the Big 3 seem to be mentioned a lot, but it could be that Big 3 parents like to brag about where their kids are going to high school more than other posters, so that’s why. Most normal parents don’t think it’s necessary to identify high schools.

I'm a Big 3 parent, and I mention it when there are questions (or answers) where being Big 3 could make a difference in context. For example, our school's grading is not the same as the public schools in the area and there is also no weighting of any grades for course rigor. So GPA discussions (or answers) need to be taken in context. There is also a shift in APs at our school, so that also is in different context in AP discussions. I do it just as someone might do if there was something specific to MCPS or FCPS, it's not a brag.

Oh, please. You don’t need to add your two cents into any discussions of APs or public school GPAs. You just like to grab any opportunity you can to mention that your kid goes to a Big 3. You’re not kidding anybody.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be helpful to folks new to the area if posters named the "Big 3". Thanks !

Refer to this thread if you want to know about the Big 3 - it's pegged at the top of Private School Forum

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/99579.page

Sidwell, NCS and STA

GDS, Sidwell, Cathedral schools (NCS/STA)

There about six schools in the Big 3. See Independent School Board for these fights. Add Holton, Potomac, and Maret to GDS, Sidwell, NCS/Albans. Basically, "Big 3" is a euphemism for a top area private where monied, connected, or other elites send their children.

Or -if you are at Sidwell, NCS, STA - it's those 3
OR if you are GDS you add yourself by combining NCS-STA into "Cathedral schools"

If you know anything about college admissions in DC, you know that Sidwell, GDS and NCS/STA are on a slightly higher level than other privates in how they are perceived by admissions offices, which is reflected in the outcomes. You only look ignorant if you don't include GDS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Big 3 is:

Sidwell
GDS
Maret

[Anonymous]

I think it is a high proportion of VA public school parents. So many threads cite Va state colleges as either the be all end all (read: UVA) or they name Va state schools as their kid’s safeties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it is a high proportion of VA public school parents. So many threads cite Va state colleges as either the be all end all (read: UVA) or they name Va state schools as their kid’s safeties.

Yea that’s true. Yet whenever there’s a thread on that somebody invariably jumps in and says “well, at our Big 3 . . .”

Nauseating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is a high proportion of VA public school parents. So many threads cite Va state colleges as either the be all end all (read: UVA) or they name Va state schools as their kid’s safeties.

Yea that’s true. Yet whenever there’s a thread on that somebody invariably jumps in and says “well, at our Big 3 . . .”

Nauseating.

You seem oddly triggered by this.
If someone mentions a Big3, 90% of the time it's in the context of the grading scale being deflated. When the rest of the DCUM world is chatting about 4.0--4.7 GPAs and your kid is at the top of their class with a 3.8 it's confusing
and it usually takes people a post to get this ironed out in their head. The schools themselves aren't transparent about it

[Anonymous]

I cringe whenever I see the term big three on here. I lived in Beverly Hills for years and even in Los Angeles we never use terms like this. I also lived in Manhattan, and the same goes for New York. Obviously, these cities have prestigious schools and people simply knew which were the best schools. Quite frankly, hearing a term like “big 3” we’ll it sounds very small town an unsophisticated.