Better to be big fish in small pond (Field/Burke) or small fish in big pond (GDS/STA NCA/Sidwell)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Colleges know the differences in rigor amongst these schools. a 3.8 in a small pond is vastly different than 3.8 in a big pond. FACT!

A strong SAT/ACT can help to show parity.

That’s the theory. But they are swamped by applications now and use software to sort applications by GPA.

[Anonymous]

If top college is very important to the student and family, need to be among the top 5 students in a small pond school. These schools are tiny. May only have 50 students per grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For HS. What do colleges prefer? All else being equal.

Big fish in small pond, especially under Test Optional.

Agree. Bottom of class at Big 3 does you no favors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But it’s all about the journey!!!

I personally agree with that; but that is not what OP is asking, really.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:None of those ponds are actually big. Some might be bigger than others but are still not relatively large.

They are all small ponds. But some have a few big fish, while others are crowded with mostly big fish, making your own big fish hard to see.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None of those ponds are actually big. Some might be bigger than others but are still not relatively large.

They are all small ponds. But some have a few big fish, while others are crowded with mostly big fish, making your own big fish hard to see.

Ha, enjoying this metaphor!

I'm also wondering, how much does athletic recruitment (say, for Ivies) play into the college results that you see at Big3 schools?

[Anonymous]

Legacy, URM, Athletic standout, 1st Gen to go to College, Full Pay - ALL Help. In the DMV many double legacies from the best schools

[Anonymous]

I have no idea how to decide what kind of pond is a good fit when our fish has never been in a pond before. DC is coming into 9th from public school. I guess they are one of the big fish in the public stream. It is not an academically top notch public school but DC is a good student with all 99 and 98 percentiles on the ISEE. They are academically motivated, but they also have an extracurricular activity they are very devoted to. They have never been in a high pressure type environment before. I am nervous when I hear some schools described as “pressure cookers,” and when I hear how much harder the work is at the top private schools compared to public. I suspect they would welcome an academic/intellectual challenge but am not sure. How do you decide on fit when you are an outsider?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have no idea how to decide what kind of pond is a good fit when our fish has never been in a pond before. DC is coming into 9th from public school. I guess they are one of the big fish in the public stream. It is not an academically top notch public school but DC is a good student with all 99 and 98 percentiles on the ISEE. They are academically motivated, but they also have an extracurricular activity they are very devoted to. They have never been in a high pressure type environment before. I am nervous when I hear some schools described as “pressure cookers,” and when I hear how much harder the work is at the top private schools compared to public. I suspect they would welcome an academic/intellectual challenge but am not sure. How do you decide on fit when you are an outsider?

A 98/99 ISEE kid is very smart and certainly capable of doing the work at a top school. That is not an easy test!! The question becomes "does he want to do a lot of work?" But honestly I would say yes regardless. He is super bright and will be
able to cut some corners off the work load. There are a range of students at even the top high schools and if he is a 98/99 ISEE kid he will be at or near the top. Again, it's just not an easy test--much harder than the PSAT or SAT. My kids could
never get above an 80% and then went on to do well at Big3 schools and get 99%+ on the PSAT (without studying) and then SAT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no idea how to decide what kind of pond is a good fit when our fish has never been in a pond before. DC is coming into 9th from public school. I guess they are one of the big fish in the public stream. It is not an academically top notch public school but DC is a good student with all 99 and 98 percentiles on the ISEE. They are academically motivated, but they also have an extracurricular activity they are very devoted to. They have never been in a high pressure type environment before. I am nervous when I hear some schools described as “pressure cookers,” and when I hear how much harder the work is at the top private schools compared to public. I suspect they would welcome an academic/intellectual challenge but am not sure. How do you decide on fit when you are an outsider?

A 98/99 ISEE kid is very smart and certainly capable of doing the work at a top school. That is not an easy test!! The question becomes "does he want to do a lot of work?" But honestly I would say yes regardless. He is super bright and will be
able to cut some corners off the work load. There are a range of students at even the top high schools and if he is a 98/99 ISEE kid he will be at or near the top. Again, it's just not an easy test--much harder than the PSAT or SAT. My kids could
never get above an 80% and then went on to do well at Big3 schools and get 99%+ on the PSAT (without studying) and then SAT.

We’re leaning towards going with top choice if admitted. Mostly anxious about adjusting to big leap in work load and expectations. Did your kids have time for extracurriculars and other life balance while doing well academically at big 3?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None of those ponds are actually big. Some might be bigger than others but are still not relatively large.

They are all small ponds. But some have a few big fish, while others are crowded with mostly big fish, making your own big fish hard to see.

Which school is "rowded with mostly big fish"?

[Anonymous]

I think it's easier to get into college being a big fish in a small pond, but the big pond prepares you better for navigating college/real life.