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Are Average Scoring kids ever accepted into Sidwell?
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Anonymous
Regardless of Sidwell or another school, isn't this life? I mean, not everyone is a great student, just like not everyone is a great basketball player. It should be about fit - fit for the academics, for the extracurricular opportunities, and fit for the overall community. |
Anonymous
| This isn't college. Do you really think "big donors" means compromising academic standards for a place like sidwell? there are plenty of generous families with smart kids. Sidwell doesn't have to accept "dumdums" just to get a donation. This is just more envious bs from outsiders. |
Anonymous
| Wow.."dumdums"..great choice of words thier...im the poster n only asked because i didnt see the question asked n apparently im the only person with a average scoring kid who feels my child.deserves a chance here as well as any other private...my hopes are not high at all..they werent before i posted...even with a strong visit i dnt think our odds r good...but hry i got till march to hear not accepted..he doesnt really care but i know small classes n being surounded by brighy students rubs off(personal experience) |
Anonymous
| I wouldn't apply my daughter to either of them. |
Anonymous
| Ooops - 15:49 here - posted on wrong thread. Sorry. |
Anonymous
| Are IQ tests still required for admission to 9th grade? isn't it possible that an child with an average IQ, but outstanding achievement could be admitted in the upper years? |
Anonymous
| You have to take a test for high school pp. Plain and simple...average kids aren't getting into Sidwell without some very special ticket. |
Anonymous
my apologies if you thought i was referring to you. I absolutely don't think "average" students are "dumdums" I was referring to the perception that wealthy families can get kids in who otherwise wouldn't qualify academically. sidwell is a great school and if you and your child like it, you should absolutely try. you just never know. |
Anonymous
For 6th grade and up (so middle and high school) the test is the SSAT, which is an achievement test. So yes, a child who had earned average IQ scores but who works very hard could do well and get in - by then kids are judged by their own record, not by WPPSI scores. As for the "big donor" theory, as a parent of a high school kid I don't see it. The kids admitted to 9th grade are high achievers - academic, athletic, or otherwise - no poor students in the bunch. As for the kids with exceptionally wealthy parents, they seem to be normally distributed as to grades and ability - some very high, some average - as are the kids of less wealthy families. |
Anonymous
| There used to be something on the Sidwell website about applicants needing scores at 85th percentile or above. I don't see that anymore. Maybe they changed their policy, or maybe they aren't advertising it anymore? Either way, maybe it's a good guideline to go by. You could call their AD and ask. |
Anonymous
Two thoughts, as the parent of an older Sidwell student: First, a lot depends on the individual kid. The average grade in upper school is a B, so plenty of kids are getting B's and C's. Some feel awful about it, and others are fine with it, as long as it's not D's and F's. Especially if they excel in some other area - music, athletics, theater, leadership - they still get plenty of respect from the other students. Second, though, the work is very challenging, and it becomes harder and harder for a student who is truly average (in the sense of a national sample, not average for DC private schools) to keep up. I was looking at my child's study sheet for today's English midterm (which four students created cooperatively) and the amount of information and sophistication of the concepts were pretty daunting. Clearly, some kids will find the environment inspiring/challenging/exciting, while others will see it as crushing/draining/discouraging. It depends on personality as well as ability, and a lot on work ethic. |
Anonymous
I don't think that was ever on the Sidwell website, just on DCUM! I know of kids accepted with lower scores than that (and no, their parents were neither rich nor famous). |
Anonymous
| I'm almost certain it was on their website. It might have been years ago. Maybe it was more of a guideline than a hard and fast cut off? Anyway, it's gone, so perhaps it's irrelevant. Certainly sounds like it's irrelevant based on your observation about kids you know. |
Anonymous
First of all, your use of quotation marks is misleading. "Dumdum" is your word not mine; I referred to students with average grades and scores. Yes, these students are sometimes admitted even in the US, though as I noted in my post, in general, students admitted in the US are academic high-achievers. And, how would I know any of this? I'm a Sidwell parent, not an "envious . . outsider". |
Anonymous
| I don't think you should send your kid to Sidwell if they have average scores - especially in the higher grades. I don't know much about the admission process for high school, (my kids are lifers) but i just don't see the point of putting your kid in to such a high octane academic environment if they don't have really, really solid learning abilities. the high school is rigorous and we have yet to come across a teacher who is an easy grader. |