Sidwell Obsession

Anonymous
Sidwell is only super hot for the students and families paying to attend. And that is where the mercury ends.

Sidwell is ice cold for students attending St Albans (NCS), GDS, Maret, TJ or Blair Magnet. Students and families from these schools view them as super hot.

What super hot school does your child attend and what ice cold school does your child not attend?

Ironically, when families are counselled out of their super hot school, leave prematurely or can't pay the bills, the mercury drops to ice cold levels.

So much for waxing and waning super-hot and ice-cold schools.

Most of the kids of the moms beating their breast about super hot schools unfortunately will not amount to a hill of refried beans.

Mark these words.

Anonymous
Yup, many will move back and live in their divorced parents super-hot home if they are not already there.
SAM2
Member Offline
I don't think it's a dumb question at all. OP acknowledged that it's a top-notch school. Her question was why it gets so much more attention on this board than many other top-notch schools in the area that have similar credentials.

It certainly seems to me there are more Sidwell threads now than there were a year ago. I think part of the answer is that in the past few months a couple people seem to have gone on a crusade to criticize Sidwell, and have been posting several extra threads about the school. Interestingly, it almost seems like the criticism may be backfiring, making it seem like even more people are obsessed with the school.

I just know I'm sick of hearing it. Maybe we should create an "All things Sidwell" thread, sort of like someone did for St Albans, so at least all the crap can be collected in one bowl.
Anonymous
Sidwell is not "super hot", especially to kids/parents whose kids attend great schools already (e.g. STA, NCS, Potomac, et al.)

Nobody is ganging up on Sidwell. Nobody is creating the poem that slurred femals students at Sidwell - that happened. Nobody created a rumor that Sidwell had a teacher who sexually abused students (including at a summer camp) - that happened. Attempting to sweep these things under the rug is sad.
Anonymous
I think you're right. Sidwell gets more applications than any school in the DC metropolitan area and also has the lowest acceptance rate. Granted, Sidwell has a great reputation, but I think all of these threads help create a sort of mystique about the school. And that probably causes even more people to apply for their DCs.

SAM2 wrote:I don't think it's a dumb question at all. OP acknowledged that it's a top-notch school. Her question was why it gets so much more attention on this board than many other top-notch schools in the area that have similar credentials.

It certainly seems to me there are more Sidwell threads now than there were a year ago. I think part of the answer is that in the past few months a couple people seem to have gone on a crusade to criticize Sidwell, and have been posting several extra threads about the school. Interestingly, it almost seems like the criticism may be backfiring, making it seem like even more people are obsessed with the school.

I just know I'm sick of hearing it. Maybe we should create an "All things Sidwell" thread, sort of like someone did for St Albans, so at least all the crap can be collected in one bowl.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I think you're right. Sidwell gets more applications than any school in the DC metropolitan area and also has the lowest acceptance rate. Granted, Sidwell has a great reputation, but I think all of these threads help create a sort of mystique about the school. And that probably causes even more people to apply for their DCs.


Do you know for a fact that Sidwell has both the highest number of applicants AND the lowest acceptance rate? Where was that published.

As for our kids, I think Sidwell has a very good reputation of college placement and have a diverse student body. But I want a meaningful experience for my kids outside the classroom, and that's where Sidwell falters in particular. Reading about the poem slamming the females at the school and the hiring of the pedophile doesn't exactly help matters, at least for us.
Anonymous
Well that explains it then. Enough said.


Anonymous wrote:I think you're right. Sidwell gets more applications than any school in the DC metropolitan area and also has the lowest acceptance rate. Granted, Sidwell has a great reputation, but I think all of these threads help create a sort of mystique about the school. And that probably causes even more people to apply for their DCs.

SAM2 wrote:I don't think it's a dumb question at all. OP acknowledged that it's a top-notch school. Her question was why it gets so much more attention on this board than many other top-notch schools in the area that have similar credentials.

It certainly seems to me there are more Sidwell threads now than there were a year ago. I think part of the answer is that in the past few months a couple people seem to have gone on a crusade to criticize Sidwell, and have been posting several extra threads about the school. Interestingly, it almost seems like the criticism may be backfiring, making it seem like even more people are obsessed with the school.

I just know I'm sick of hearing it. Maybe we should create an "All things Sidwell" thread, sort of like someone did for St Albans, so at least all the crap can be collected in one bowl.
Anonymous
Maret has the lowest acceptance rate (smaller school).
Anonymous
TJ and the Blair magnet also have very low acceptance rates (1/8 for Blair magnet). But the application process for these schools is completely transparent, because it's based on a test.

Whereas with any private school in the area, acceptance is based on a mysterious alchemy of test scores, who the parents are, who the parents know, and whether the school needs an oboe player. It's the mystery that drives people nuts on DCUM.
Anonymous
Lowest acceptance rate and unequivocally the highest performance (academic) in the D.C. area (TJ and Blair Magnet). Hands done. No debate. No schizophrenia over what makes up the next "Big 3"

The undeniable Top 2 high schools (private or public) in the D.C. area and tri-state region are Blair Magnet and TJ.

Now that's real hot.

The lower tier schools (Sidwell, STA, NCS, Landon et al) are slugging it out for consolation bragging rights. Keep up the good fight.
Anonymous
When some loud braggart tries to put me down and say his school is great I tell them right away, now what's the matter buddy ain't you heard of my school? It's #1 in the state!
Anonymous
Lowest acceptance rate and unequivocally the highest performance (academic) in the D.C. area (TJ and Blair Magnet). Hands done. No debate. No schizophrenia over what makes up the next "Big 3"

The undeniable Top 2 high schools (private or public) in the D.C. area and tri-state region are Blair Magnet and TJ.

Now that's real hot.

The lower tier schools (Sidwell, STA, NCS, Landon et al) are slugging it out for consolation bragging rights. Keep up the good fight.



All your students have to do is perform like the TJ and Blair Magnet kids: SAT, PSAT, NMSF, AP awards, Intel and a bushel of US olympiad awards. Why not let your school's performance speak for itself? Like TJ and Blair Magnet.

It's very simple show us the beef. These numbers are not manipulated by legacy, siblings, money, haughty entitlement. We are talking pure and unadulterated academic and intellectual performance. Not lacrosse. Not football. Not sailing. Not cooking. Let's talk metrics we can all relate to.

You all are the only one's putting your schools down.

For TJ and Blair Magnet the facts speak for themselves. For your schools no facts just pretentious bragging about nothing...no metrics...save where mommy and daddy went to school.


Anonymous
For all the chest puffing the endowments of area private schools have always been comparatively in the dumps!
Anonymous
TJ McDouche Blair, stop kidding yourself and go back to the public school forum.
Anonymous
Are there any facts you want to dispute in a rationale fashion or do you prefer typical DCUM private school style sans supratentorial input?


I'll hang out here and see which school my private school folk are dragging under the bus this week.
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