How much do admitted family events sway your decision?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just came home from the Bullis Upper School admitted families event. We thought it was great, nice performances, good speeches, we met a lot of teachers and fellow parents and current students -- I think we're sold!

This sounds exactly like the Bullis poster after the LS event. Do you work for the school?? Sure sounds like a planted troll.

Nope. Another attendee of that event and it was great. I really hate how everyone on DCUM assumes that anyone who likes Bullis is a troll. I was actually going to create a post that says, why does everyone hate Bullis? The event affirmed all the things we thought about the school- they meet kids where they are and it’s not a total sports factory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Accepted students events are great opportunities to talk to current parents. While the school is not likely to have families there that are disgruntled (and those families would likely not volunteer), as a parent who does volunteer - I try to be very honest. I think it's really important that parents know what they are getting into and determine that their values are in alignment with the school. Nobody wants a situation where a parent feels baited and switched.

When I was doing second visits a year ago, the Bullis show was extremely off putting to me. But there are some people who loved it. And I love that for them. The school is going to speak to their people - we were just not their people.

Thank you. This is exactly right. Bullis is not for you but it is for many people. This is why we go to these events!

[Anonymous]

OP here,
To clarify my post, the school was not Bullis.

[Anonymous]

The admitted students events we attended last year informed our decision. They provided context for school leadership, families and school culture. We were deciding between two schools. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

If it didn’t resonate, it didn’t resonate. Go to the school that feels like the best fit for your child and family. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here,
To clarify my post, the school was not Bullis.

What were you looking for in particular? I wonder if you weren’t at our school, which has a very low key new admit night and is a reflection of the culture. Just parents and teachers mixing, no flash or dazzle, very down to earth. But if it didn’t resonate, go to wherever does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Accepted students events are great opportunities to talk to current parents. While the school is not likely to have families there that are disgruntled (and those families would likely not volunteer), as a parent who does volunteer - I try to be very honest. I think it's really important that parents know what they are getting into and determine that their values are in alignment with the school. Nobody wants a situation where a parent feels baited and switched.

When I was doing second visits a year ago, the Bullis show was extremely off putting to me. But there are some people who loved it. And I love that for them. The school is going to speak to their people - we were just not their people.

Could you please explain why? Thank you.

[Anonymous]

We were torn between two schools last year and the admitted student/family events gave us more opportunities to talk to parents, students, and staff to help us make that decision.

My favorite anecdote is actually that friends of ours were really split between two different schools. Mom leaned one way, Dad leaned the other, and kid wasn’t sure and had friends going to both. We were at a parent get-together and one mom introduced herself to me and then said she had two children at two different school—and they happened to be the exact schools my friend’s family was torn between. I introduced them and they had a great conversation about both schools. Even though we were at an event for just one of them, the mom didn’t have a bias toward either school and was a great resource for my friend.

That’s just one example, but yeah, we found the events helpful.

[Anonymous]

OP, we were probably at the same event. I agree, it was underwhelming. But I know enough about the school that it hasn't affected our decision to accept the spot and turn down another school (highly sought after on this board). No school is perfect. You will not get a lot of flash at this school and perhaps that's what they were trying to convey? I did think the parents and staff we talked with were nice and welcoming and that's been my overall impression of the school throughout this process. Let your kid attend a shadow day (if they haven't already) and use that experience to guide your decision. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it didn’t resonate, it didn’t resonate. Go to the school that feels like the best fit for your child and family. Good luck!

It’s really a gut check. And if you are honest with yourself, you actually know when it’s a good fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, we were probably at the same event. I agree, it was underwhelming. But I know enough about the school that it hasn't affected our decision to accept the spot and turn down another school (highly sought after on this board). No school is perfect. You will not get a lot of flash at this school and perhaps that's what they were trying to convey? I did think the parents and staff we talked with were nice and welcoming and that's been my overall impression of the school throughout this process. Let your kid attend a shadow day (if they haven't already) and use that experience to guide your decision. Good luck!

NP, but we may have been at the same event. I was also underwhelmed, especially after comparing it to two other schools. But I appreciate they weren't trying to win me over with swag and photo opps. My kid had a great time and said they were able to connect with both current students and new admits. It was very informal, but of the three events I attended it did give the most opportunity to talk to current teachers and families, which is important. DC was sold at the end of it and asked me this morning if I had let the school know yet.

[Anonymous]

Last year we were really torn between WIS and another school and the admitted students event was helpful in us turning down WIS. The event was awesome but it was by talking to other parents about their investment in bilingual education that we realized it wasn’t the same priority for us. The event itself was wonderful and this isn’t a knock on the school, the event helped us realize that we weren’t a good fit. Very glad we went and talked to more people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, we were probably at the same event. I agree, it was underwhelming. But I know enough about the school that it hasn't affected our decision to accept the spot and turn down another school (highly sought after on this board). No school is perfect. You will not get a lot of flash at this school and perhaps that's what they were trying to convey? I did think the parents and staff we talked with were nice and welcoming and that's been my overall impression of the school throughout this process. Let your kid attend a shadow day (if they haven't already) and use that experience to guide your decision. Good luck!

NP, but we may have been at the same event. I was also underwhelmed, especially after comparing it to two other schools. But I appreciate they weren't trying to win me over with swag and photo opps. My kid had a great time and said they were able to connect with both current students and new admits. It was very informal, but of the three events I attended it did give the most opportunity to talk to current teachers and families, which is important. DC was sold at the end of it and asked me this morning if I had let the school know yet.

Sounds like the same event, yes. Felt like they had never done this before and that very little thought had gone into it (like, maybe speakers should introduce who they are?) Maybe it was just a misstep, but it raised concerns.

Kid shadow is most important, but it made me sad to leave with more concerns than I arrived with.

[Anonymous]

Didn't sway our opinion either way. But it was nice in that there was more opportunity to interact with actual teachers in their classrooms and to get a feel for other families who all seemed surprisingly open about which way they were leaning, etc.

Kid event was separate; my son didn't like how it was organized. The shadow day sold him, however, because he met kids his age, interacted with teachers, and felt he got a real feel for the school.

[Anonymous]

Not really, but I found it incredibly helpful to talk with current parents that the admissions team put me in touch with. Obviously, they aren't going to connect me with families who are disgruntled, but the people we spoke with came across as honest and gave us a better sense of the school, some things to get excited about and some things they wish were different. One school was very proactive about connect us with families, the other school needed a bit of prodding. Ultimately we chose the school where we spoke to multiple parents because we felt we had a better sense of who went there. We've been very happy.