How intellectually mature is the average HS senior/lifer at Sidwell,Maret,GDS,Cathedral Schools ?

[Anonymous]

OP, you haven't hit any nerves. I have to agree that your posts are very poorly written not to mention that your point is not even clear. The point of your first post seemed to be to trash some kid (who, to me, didn't seem nearly as status-conscious as YOU) then you seemed to morph into asking if the schools, plural, are responsible for such a TERRIBLE result, then you apparently moved into trying to find out which schools are responsible for such an ALARMING incident as the one line you heard third hand was expressed by one child.

As far as I can tell, you aren't even a parent applying to schools, so I have to conclude that your point is your original one, to bash this child. Have fun with that. The only "damn shame" here is you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most kids that age are not intellectually mature. They care about what people think of them because they are still pretty self-centered. Their parents might add to this by vocalizing how important "status" is by material possessions. I've heard parents say many things in front of their kids like "Don't wear that. You look like a homeless person." or "That school is full of weirdos." Etc. Kids internalize this after many years of it.

I disagree and 19 years old is not a "kid". I am not talking about HS freshman. I am talking about HS seniors. Was is Piaget or Erikkson who said that,"identity is the developmental task of the teenager" Seems you need that to choose a college and a major. It is not the sum of a transcript plus extracurriculars.

[Anonymous]

I totally get the question. I have two kids in college and three in high school. Our high school senior was accepted to Princeton. And she turned it down for University of Florida. (Also, surprisingly competitive....I had no idea!)

Her reasons:
1. She wanted to be closer to family (but not in the same town).
2. She wants to go to medical school and UF has an outstanding accelerated medical school program. You apply your sophomore year and basically start medical school during your junior year.
3. She was offered a full scholarship.
4. She loves the weather.
5. She wanted a more "normal" (her words) college experience.

We never pushed her to go to Princeton. We want her to go where she will be the happiest. Some (most?) high school kids DO have the emotional maturity to make good decisions about their lives. It's the parents, not the schools, that prevent emotional maturity by treating high schoolers like little children and refusing to treat their ADULT college kids as adults.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I totally get the question. I have two kids in college and three in high school. Our high school senior was accepted to Princeton. And she turned it down for University of Florida. (Also, surprisingly competitive....I had no idea!)

Her reasons:
1. She wanted to be closer to family (but not in the same town).
2. She wants to go to medical school and UF has an outstanding accelerated medical school program. You apply your sophomore year and basically start medical school during your junior year.
3. She was offered a full scholarship.
4. She loves the weather.
5. She wanted a more "normal" (her words) college experience.

We never pushed her to go to Princeton. We want her to go where she will be the happiest. Some (most?) high school kids DO have the emotional maturity to make good decisions about their lives. It's the parents, not the schools, that prevent emotional maturity by treating high schoolers like little children and refusing to treat their ADULT college kids as adults.

You have a great story here. It's similar to our experience with DS who was the only one in his large competitive FCPS class who went to a particular (out of state) state school for great reasons personal to him. But I don't think these stories answer in any way the completely disjointed question(s)/comment(s) posed by OP.

[Anonymous]

I disagree and 19 years old is not a "kid". I am not talking about HS freshman. I am talking about HS seniors. Was is Piaget or Erikkson who said that,"identity is the developmental task of the teenager" Seems you need that to choose a college and a major. It is not the sum of a transcript plus extracurriculars.

This quote must come from OP again. The grammatical and syntax errors in this post are so abundant that there's no meaning left to your writing.

[Anonymous]

Turned down Princeton for Florida? Sounds like another tale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Turned down Princeton for Florida? Sounds like another tale.

I don't think it sounds like a tale at all. Given the costs associated with college, the chance to have no debt is pretty enticing. Also, it is very hard for an out of state kid to get into UF so if she did get in, she has to be a pretty bright and have excellent grades. Yes Princeton sounds great paper but so does an accelerated med school program which are also really hard to get into.

[Anonymous]

Is this speculative sound bites or do you know for sure the kid opted for the accelerated medical school program at Florida?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Turned down Princeton for Florida? Sounds like another tale.

The University of Florida is ranked among the top 20 public universities in the country.

The fall 2011 incoming freshman class had an average 4.3 GPA, 1963 SAT score, and 30 ACT score. Last year they received almost 30,000 applications for fall. They admitted about 11,000. That's an acceptance rate of about 39%. Definitely not as competitive as Princeton. And don't get me wrong, she was thrilled to have been accepted and we couldn't have been prouder. But after several visits, lots of research, and lots of thought, she decided that University of Florida is just a better fit for her.

And on topic with this thread, we feel like she has the intellectual maturity to make the decision. She has always made outstanding grades. She is a national merit scholar. And her test scores were amazing. However, those aren't the things that really matter in life. There are plenty of college grads flipping burgers, or worse, homeless. And there are Ivy grads living in mom and dad's basement. Being book smart will only get you so far. Kids need to be emotionally and intellectually mature in order to be successful. My daughter took her time making the decision. She wasn't trying to please mom and dad, nor impress her friends. She is making a responsible decision based on her own priorities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I totally get the question. I have two kids in college and three in high school. Our high school senior was accepted to Princeton. And she turned it down for University of Florida. (Also, surprisingly competitive....I had no idea!)

Her reasons:
1. She wanted to be closer to family (but not in the same town).
2. She wants to go to medical school and UF has an outstanding accelerated medical school program. You apply your sophomore year and basically start medical school during your junior year.
3. She was offered a full scholarship.
4. She loves the weather.
5. She wanted a more "normal" (her words) college experience.

We never pushed her to go to Princeton. We want her to go where she will be the happiest. Some (most?) high school kids DO have the emotional maturity to make good decisions about their lives. It's the parents, not the schools, that prevent emotional maturity by treating high schoolers like little children and refusing to treat their ADULT college kids as adults. [/quote

Thank You. I assume that you are on the private school forum because it is relevant to you, so would you mind sharing which school your DC went to where the atmosphere obviously wasn't ," go Ivy or hang your head in shame" .

[Anonymous]

Is this speculative sound bites or do you know for sure the kid opted for the accelerated medical school program at Florida?

Very speculative because she is a high school senior and can't even apply for the program until her sophomore year in college. All we know right now is that she will attend the University.

Here's how the program works (copied and pasted from the U.F. site.)

"Junior Honors Medical Program offers a fast track to medical school. Students apply to this highly competitive program (12 spaces only) in the second semester of the second year of undergraduate study. If selected, they begin coursework for medical school in the third year and enter the M.D. program in the fourth year. After completion of the first year of medical school, students earn their B.S. degree.
Admission Criteria: 1200 SAT; 3.5 GPA. Apply during sophomore year"

And you don't have to take the MCAT if you are accepted to the program! We have a close friend who just went through the program. It's obviously very competitive and there are no guarantees my daughter will get in. If she doesn't get in, she can just go the traditional route if she still wants to be a doctor. And I say "if" because I changed my major three times when I was in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I disagree and 19 years old is not a "kid". I am not talking about HS freshman. I am talking about HS seniors. Was is Piaget or Erikkson who said that,"identity is the developmental task of the teenager" Seems you need that to choose a college and a major. It is not the sum of a transcript plus extracurriculars.

This quote must come from OP again. The grammatical and syntax errors in this post are so abundant that there's no meaning left to your writing.

Bullshit. Let me guess, you are parent driving her child nuts with:

1) two after school classes each day of week
2) four hours of home work a night for all her AP classes
3) a private SAT prep course

All so that you can brag that she got into an Ivy. Meanwhile, your 18 year old doesn't have a clue who she really is. Go ahead, flame away on a syntax error and duck the central question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I disagree and 19 years old is not a "kid". I am not talking about HS freshman. I am talking about HS seniors. Was is Piaget or Erikkson who said that,"identity is the developmental task of the teenager" Seems you need that to choose a college and a major. It is not the sum of a transcript plus extracurriculars.

This quote must come from OP again. The grammatical and syntax errors in this post are so abundant that there's no meaning left to your writing.

Bullshit. Let me guess, you are parent driving her child nuts with:

1) two after school classes each day of week
2) four hours of home work a night for all her AP classes
3) a private SAT prep course

All so that you can brag that she got into an Ivy. Meanwhile, your 18 year old doesn't have a clue who she really is. Go ahead, flame away on a syntax error and duck the central question.

I am not the quoted poster, but I am a pp who indicated that your writing needs some serious help. I have absolutely no dog in this fight, other than the fact that I tried to read your post and the posturing obscured the meaning. This post is not nearly as bad as your prior ones, by the way. Remember: Shorter is better.

[Anonymous]

What is the central question? Thats the problem we're having with your writing.

[Anonymous]

OP, I think your question is totally reasonable. And frankly, well-written compared to most drivel on this forum. Not sure why it has evoked the nasties here. Maybe just a slow rainy Saturday? Anyway, I'll be interested in any real responses you get.