Question for Current/Former Potomac School, High School Parents- Is it Worth It?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is why they love to admit students either an Ivy parent or two. So OP, are you or your spouse Ivy. Potomac absolutely factors that into who they admit… as do many others for sure. Many UVA acceptances were also legacy and while UVA isn’t supposed to do legacy, the same isn’t true for donors. Legacy families donate, families that donate have an edge in admissions.

Virginia law changed for both legacy and donors at the same time. Public universities in Virginia are NOT allowed to give preference to donors. UVa complies with that law fully.

Yeah. I said that. But alums tend to donate. So the admissions office can see who has donated a lot and use that as a proxy. So now poor or lmc kids of alums don’t get a boost but the rich and UMC kids of alums do. It’s worse than before because kids of an alum who chose to teach or work in a less lucrative career can’t get the legacy boost while the rich kids of alums who became drs and lawyers can. But now we can say no legacy. Dumb is dumb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the school is a pressure cooker, both academically and socially. you will hear a lot of discussion of Ivy league admissions, SAT prep, and spring break ski trips to Aspen. if that is your scene, you will like Potomac.

That sounds awful

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is why they love to admit students either an Ivy parent or two. So OP, are you or your spouse Ivy. Potomac absolutely factors that into who they admit… as do many others for sure. Many UVA acceptances were also legacy and while UVA isn’t supposed to do legacy, the same isn’t true for donors. Legacy families donate, families that donate have an edge in admissions.

Virginia law changed for both legacy and donors at the same time. Public universities in Virginia are NOT allowed to give preference to donors. UVa complies with that law fully.

Yeah. I said that. But alums tend to donate. So the admissions office can see who has donated a lot and use that as a proxy. So now poor or lmc kids of alums don’t get a boost but the rich and UMC kids of alums do. It’s worse than before because kids of an alum who chose to teach or work in a less lucrative career can’t get the legacy boost while the rich kids of alums who became drs and lawyers can. But now we can say no legacy. Dumb is dumb.

No, Admissions cannot see who donated. Under the new VA law, that is not allowed in any way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That is why they love to admit students either an Ivy parent or two. So OP, are you or your spouse Ivy. Potomac absolutely factors that into who they admit… as do many others for sure. Many UVA acceptances were also legacy and while UVA isn’t supposed to do legacy, the same isn’t true for donors. Legacy families donate, families that donate have an edge in admissions.

Oh please. They do not admit based on where your parents went. Stop blowing smoke. Their college matriculation list is incredibly strong and its not all legacies. As others have said, you will have an easier time getting in from Leesburg as they like geographic diversity. however, i would not send your kids there if you dont plan to move--they will be disconnected from the school community which is what makes the place tick.

For any private, don't rely on the college counselors to get your kid in anywyere--they have to do the work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is why they love to admit students either an Ivy parent or two. So OP, are you or your spouse Ivy. Potomac absolutely factors that into who they admit… as do many others for sure. Many UVA acceptances were also legacy and while UVA isn’t supposed to do legacy, the same isn’t true for donors. Legacy families donate, families that donate have an edge in admissions.

Oh please. They do not admit based on where your parents went. Stop blowing smoke. Their college matriculation list is incredibly strong and its not all legacies. As others have said, you will have an easier time getting in from Leesburg as they like geographic diversity. however, i would not send your kids there if you dont plan to move--they will be disconnected from the school community which is what makes the place tick.

For any private, don't rely on the college counselors to get your kid in anywyere--they have to do the work.

A good buddy of mine — an alumnus — was speaking to the admissions director about his kid potentially attending. The director asked him where he went to college — which he thought was odd and in poor taste. But it’s consistent with the idea the school cares about the academic pedigree of the prospective parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:the school is a pressure cooker, both academically and socially. you will hear a lot of discussion of Ivy league admissions, SAT prep, and spring break ski trips to Aspen. if that is your scene, you will like Potomac.

That sounds awful

Agree and it is untrue. The open question is not whether, but instead why, the prior poster is trying to scare people away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is why they love to admit students either an Ivy parent or two. So OP, are you or your spouse Ivy. Potomac absolutely factors that into who they admit… as do many others for sure. Many UVA acceptances were also legacy and while UVA isn’t supposed to do legacy, the same isn’t true for donors. Legacy families donate, families that donate have an edge in admissions.

Oh please. They do not admit based on where your parents went. Stop blowing smoke. Their college matriculation list is incredibly strong and its not all legacies. As others have said, you will have an easier time getting in from Leesburg as they like geographic diversity. however, i would not send your kids there if you dont plan to move--they will be disconnected from the school community which is what makes the place tick.

For any private, don't rely on the college counselors to get your kid in anywyere--they have to do the work.

A good buddy of mine — an alumnus — was speaking to the admissions director about his kid potentially attending. The director asked him where he went to college — which he thought was odd and in poor taste. But it’s consistent with the idea the school cares about the academic pedigree of the prospective parents.

Yeah, and my friend's neighbor's cousin brother said that Potomac asked him where where he went to college...come on. You know you sound ridiculous right? Not to mention, your 'em dashes' seriously erode your credibility...

FWIW, do you never ask anybody where they went to school out of interest or to build a potentially common connection? It's not an uncommon question at all in any small talk context...almost as common as where did you grow up.

[Anonymous]

No - absolutely not worth it. We had an 30 min commute each way and it sucked the soul out of the high school experience. We regret putting our kid through that ridiculous commute.

[Anonymous]

Even coming from Arlington, it’s a 20-30 minute commute to any of these schools so some of these comments seem ridiculous, particularly when the buses make it pretty easy. We love Potomac: the lower school was warm and nurturing and the middle school has been engaging and thoughtful. We are definitely not big money, but haven’t ever felt socially excluded and have found our tribe of parent friends.

Suggest you go through the admissions process and see if it feels like a fit for you and then assess what makes sense for your family.