What are the “Big 3” or “Big 5” in Baltimore?

[Anonymous]

Girls: Bryn Mawr, Roland Park, St. Paul’s, Garrison Forest

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Girls: Bryn Mawr, Roland Park, St. Paul’s, Garrison Forest

That can't be right. You need an odd number.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Things have shifted a bit over the years. Friends isn't quite the academic powerhouse it was 25 years ago, having priced themselves out of a highly educated but not highly paid demographic that now mostly goes to public schools. Even Park has slipped in that sense. While schools like Gilman and Bryn Mawr had a long history among socially prominent Baltimoreans, even that has changed greatly in the last decade.

I'd rank the schools as follows - strictly by academic outcome as measured in college placements, NOT in any sense of superiority, AND it's because the schools get the kids more likely to go to an Ivy, NOT because the schools are able to turn a dullard into an Ivy bound student.

Tier 1: Gilman, Bryn Mawr, McDonogh

Tier 2: Everyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things have shifted a bit over the years. Friends isn't quite the academic powerhouse it was 25 years ago, having priced themselves out of a highly educated but not highly paid demographic that now mostly goes to public schools. Even Park has slipped in that sense. While schools like Gilman and Bryn Mawr had a long history among socially prominent Baltimoreans, even that has changed greatly in the last decade.

I'd rank the schools as follows - strictly by academic outcome as measured in college placements, NOT in any sense of superiority, AND it's because the schools get the kids more likely to go to an Ivy, NOT because the schools are able to turn a dullard into an Ivy bound student.

Tier 1: Gilman, Bryn Mawr, McDonogh

Tier 2: Everyone else.

I agree with everything you said except I would put Park in there before your “everyone else” category.
It just has a different vibe from the other schools but it seems to attract many intellectually curious kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there some kind of rule against having an even number of "Big" Schools? I have always wondered why people don't talk about the Big 4 or Big 6, and now we're assuming Baltimore must have an odd number too? Does Wichita have an odd number? How about NYC?

Haha Wichita does in fact have just one top school so yes an odd number!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Girls: Bryn Mawr, Roland Park, St. Paul’s, Garrison Forest

That can't be right. You need an odd number.

Forgot to add St. Timothy’s. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Girls: Bryn Mawr, Roland Park, St. Paul’s, Garrison Forest

That’s just a list of every girl’s school in Baltimore and no, they are no where close to the same in rigor or results.

[Anonymous]

How would you rank your obsession with rankings?

[Anonymous]

Any feedback on OldFields?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How would you rank your obsession with rankings?

Personally I have a tier 1 level obsession.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would remove Gilman until they are cleared of wrongdoing

I wonder how many families declined acceptances due to wrongdoing at Gilman.

My guess is not enough to budge yield by even a percentage point.

By that rubric you’d have to also rule out Friends, McDonogh, and Park… I guess that leaves you with Boys Latin.

But back on topic, the big 3 are Gilman, McDonogh, Bryn Mawr. If you go to 5, add in Park and maybe Friends. Though I don’t think there’s much to choose from between Friends and Boys Latin as far as academics, selectivity, and matriculations.

All great schools, and we’re lucky to have so many.

[Anonymous]

I am an alum of one of the schools in Roland Park and pretty much my entire family went to one of the Roland Park schools or McDonogh. I think people are right to say that it is tough to do an apples to apples comparison with DC. The biggest thing I would say is that the top kids from each school, despite the schools reputation for academic rigor, got into top schools. These schools also do not have an abundance of applicants where they are rejecting hoards of students or can fill classes with kids guaranteed to get 1500s on their SATs (this is the impression I am starting to get from the DC schools). Each school really emphasized fit. And a lot of my friends seemed to go to one school over another simple because it was close by or they had a family member (like a cousin) already going there. When I was there in the aughts, this was what the rep was for each school:

The Roland Park 5

Gilman - old money, elitist, more
academically rigorous

Boys Latin - lax jocks, less academically rigorous with more
emphasis on smaller class sizes/saying they were a family

Friends - art types with more programs focused on dance, music, etc. also the only coed school in the Roland Park 5. Emphasized quicker values.

Bryn Mawr - girl Gilman with a little less elitism and similar academic rigor

Roland Park Country School - girl Gilman with a little more focus on athletics with slightly less academic rigor

Catholic Schools (don’t know these reps as well)

Calvert Hall - large student body, opposite of elitist

Loyola - most elite catholic school (but not like in the same sense as gilman)

NDP - jocks

Maryvale - smallest student body catholic school

Burb Schools

Garrison Forest - wealthy (polo arena and boarders); skewed less academically rigorous

Park - Jewish artsy kids (I don’t think it ever had a religious affiliation unlike most the other schools, which is why it skews jewish)

St Paul’s - new money and skewed towards lax jocks

McDonogh - Similar to Gilman but coed and campus has more of a country feel due to location; felt less elitist and old moneyish/WASPy

There are other schools like St Tims and Oldfields that I really know nothing about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am an alum of one of the schools in Roland Park and pretty much my entire family went to one of the Roland Park schools or McDonogh. I think people are right to say that it is tough to do an apples to apples comparison with DC. The biggest thing I would say is that the top kids from each school, despite the schools reputation for academic rigor, got into top schools. These schools also do not have an abundance of applicants where they are rejecting hoards of students or can fill classes with kids guaranteed to get 1500s on their SATs (this is the impression I am starting to get from the DC schools). Each school really emphasized fit. And a lot of my friends seemed to go to one school over another simple because it was close by or they had a family member (like a cousin) already going there. When I was there in the aughts, this was what the rep was for each school:

The Roland Park 5

Gilman - old money, elitist, more
academically rigorous

Boys Latin - lax jocks, less academically rigorous with more
emphasis on smaller class sizes/saying they were a family

Friends - art types with more programs focused on dance, music, etc. also the only coed school in the Roland Park 5. Emphasized quicker values.

Bryn Mawr - girl Gilman with a little less elitism and similar academic rigor

Roland Park Country School - girl Gilman with a little more focus on athletics with slightly less academic rigor

Catholic Schools (don’t know these reps as well)

Calvert Hall - large student body, opposite of elitist

Loyola - most elite catholic school (but not like in the same sense as gilman)

NDP - jocks

Maryvale - smallest student body catholic school

Burb Schools

Garrison Forest - wealthy (polo arena and boarders); skewed less academically rigorous

Park - Jewish artsy kids (I don’t think it ever had a religious affiliation unlike most the other schools, which is why it skews jewish)

St Paul’s - new money and skewed towards lax jocks

McDonogh - Similar to Gilman but coed and campus has more of a country feel due to location; felt less elitist and old moneyish/WASPy

There are other schools like St Tims and Oldfields that I really know nothing about.

It’s funny that people consider Maryvale “Baltimore” and St Paul’s a “burb school.”
St Paul’s is actually closer to the Baltimore Beltway than Maryvale is. They and St Tim’s are all within about two miles of each other

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am an alum of one of the schools in Roland Park and pretty much my entire family went to one of the Roland Park schools or McDonogh. I think people are right to say that it is tough to do an apples to apples comparison with DC. The biggest thing I would say is that the top kids from each school, despite the schools reputation for academic rigor, got into top schools. These schools also do not have an abundance of applicants where they are rejecting hoards of students or can fill classes with kids guaranteed to get 1500s on their SATs (this is the impression I am starting to get from the DC schools). Each school really emphasized fit. And a lot of my friends seemed to go to one school over another simple because it was close by or they had a family member (like a cousin) already going there. When I was there in the aughts, this was what the rep was for each school:

The Roland Park 5

Gilman - old money, elitist, more
academically rigorous

Boys Latin - lax jocks, less academically rigorous with more
emphasis on smaller class sizes/saying they were a family

Friends - art types with more programs focused on dance, music, etc. also the only coed school in the Roland Park 5. Emphasized quicker values.

Bryn Mawr - girl Gilman with a little less elitism and similar academic rigor

Roland Park Country School - girl Gilman with a little more focus on athletics with slightly less academic rigor

Catholic Schools (don’t know these reps as well)

Calvert Hall - large student body, opposite of elitist

Loyola - most elite catholic school (but not like in the same sense as gilman)

NDP - jocks

Maryvale - smallest student body catholic school

Burb Schools

Garrison Forest - wealthy (polo arena and boarders); skewed less academically rigorous

Park - Jewish artsy kids (I don’t think it ever had a religious affiliation unlike most the other schools, which is why it skews jewish)

St Paul’s - new money and skewed towards lax jocks

McDonogh - Similar to Gilman but coed and campus has more of a country feel due to location; felt less elitist and old moneyish/WASPy

There are other schools like St Tims and Oldfields that I really know nothing about.

It’s funny that people consider Maryvale “Baltimore” and St Paul’s a “burb school.”
St Paul’s is actually closer to the Baltimore Beltway than Maryvale is. They and St Tim’s are all within about two miles of each other

I think the PP had maryvale in the Catholic heading, not the burb heading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am an alum of one of the schools in Roland Park and pretty much my entire family went to one of the Roland Park schools or McDonogh. I think people are right to say that it is tough to do an apples to apples comparison with DC. The biggest thing I would say is that the top kids from each school, despite the schools reputation for academic rigor, got into top schools. These schools also do not have an abundance of applicants where they are rejecting hoards of students or can fill classes with kids guaranteed to get 1500s on their SATs (this is the impression I am starting to get from the DC schools). Each school really emphasized fit. And a lot of my friends seemed to go to one school over another simple because it was close by or they had a family member (like a cousin) already going there. When I was there in the aughts, this was what the rep was for each school:

The Roland Park 5

Gilman - old money, elitist, more
academically rigorous

Boys Latin - lax jocks, less academically rigorous with more
emphasis on smaller class sizes/saying they were a family

Friends - art types with more programs focused on dance, music, etc. also the only coed school in the Roland Park 5. Emphasized quicker values.

Bryn Mawr - girl Gilman with a little less elitism and similar academic rigor

Roland Park Country School - girl Gilman with a little more focus on athletics with slightly less academic rigor

Catholic Schools (don’t know these reps as well)

Calvert Hall - large student body, opposite of elitist

Loyola - most elite catholic school (but not like in the same sense as gilman)

NDP - jocks

Maryvale - smallest student body catholic school

Burb Schools

Garrison Forest - wealthy (polo arena and boarders); skewed less academically rigorous

Park - Jewish artsy kids (I don’t think it ever had a religious affiliation unlike most the other schools, which is why it skews jewish)

St Paul’s - new money and skewed towards lax jocks

McDonogh - Similar to Gilman but coed and campus has more of a country feel due to location; felt less elitist and old moneyish/WASPy

There are other schools like St Tims and Oldfields that I really know nothing about.

It’s funny that people consider Maryvale “Baltimore” and St Paul’s a “burb school.”
St Paul’s is actually closer to the Baltimore Beltway than Maryvale is. They and St Tim’s are all within about two miles of each other

‘Burb=Baltimore County… Right??