SCHOOL WITHOUT WALLS INTERVIEWS TOMORROW...

[Anonymous]

Perhaps they considered it an interview for you, not them. After all, they don't really need to sell the school to you at this point.

[Anonymous]

Good point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps they considered it an interview for you, not them. After all, they don't really need to sell the school to you at this point.

Yeah, pretty much this. As interviewers, while we took questions, it was mostly to look at the students and parents to see whether we thought they would fit in. For example: the school didn't want to base it completely off exam scores, but also look at the personality of the student and whether they would fit in. There were definitely some students with amazing exam scores and grades that me (and the rest in my room) gave lower scores to then those who didn't do so well, simply because they came off as being too full of themselves, or like they wouldn't fit well with the school.

I remember on who had all As, but was telling us how he was a good student and to get all those As he often worked 3-4 hours of studying and would stay up extremely late. We didn't think he would be able to handle the work load at walls (which is condsiderably greater then most schools in the city, especially middle schools) if he was working for 3-4 hours a night to succeed at middle school, how much would he be working to succeed at high school?

[Anonymous]

Why don't you just give the guy's name, 14:18? Geez.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps they considered it an interview for you, not them. After all, they don't really need to sell the school to you at this point.

Yeah, pretty much this. As interviewers, while we took questions, it was mostly to look at the students and parents to see whether we thought they would fit in. For example: the school didn't want to base it completely off exam scores, but also look at the personality of the student and whether they would fit in. There were definitely some students with amazing exam scores and grades that me (and the rest in my room) gave lower scores to then those who didn't do so well, simply because they came off as being too full of themselves, or like they wouldn't fit well with the school.

I remember on who had all As, but was telling us how he was a good student and to get all those As he often worked 3-4 hours of studying and would stay up extremely late. We didn't think he would be able to handle the work load at walls (which is condsiderably greater then most schools in the city, especially middle schools) if he was working for 3-4 hours a night to succeed at middle school, how much would he be working to succeed at high school?

Glad that this extremely unprofessional interviewer is blabbing so much - it is very instructive! How can DCPS let such flakiness and caprice regulate admissions at one of its top schools? Is this a teacher? Good grief! Why should someone with excellent grades who works hard be rejected because someone doesn't like their personality or positive work ethic? This is public school not a country club. I hope someone with oversight authority casts a scrutinizing eye on this little fiefdom!

[Anonymous]

While I concur with the PP that the interviewer (if it really is someone involved with the interviews) is showing a tremendous lack of discretion and professionalism, it also would be naive to think that the admissions process at any school does not have a healthy dose of capriciousness associated with it.

[Anonymous]

I think it's expected/inevitable that an interview is subjective...otherwise the computer could just spit out the names of the top 100 testers, and that is the accepted class
And the 'interviewer' is correct, that a person who has to put in 3hrs plus a night in middle school will have a nervous breakdown with the Walls' workload

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's expected/inevitable that an interview is subjective...otherwise the computer could just spit out the names of the top 100 testers, and that is the accepted class
And the 'interviewer' is correct, that a person who has to put in 3hrs plus a night in middle school will have a nervous breakdown with the Walls' workload

Actually, the family whose kid was rejected because he puts in 3 hours a night now might have a good reason to sue, if for instance the student has a 504 plan or other ADA accomodations and is one who needs extra time for things.

[Anonymous]

The interview panel is a mix of teachers and students, so my guess is that the above post about scoring an applicant low comes from a student interviewer. It was a bit like walking into American Idol, with 5 Walls reps seated in a semi-circle, with the applicant taking a seat. Then again it's probably a good way to determine one's threshold for composure under the spotlight.

[Anonymous]

I agree with PP. The interviewer said the boy was an A student. Results should matter not one person's uninformed guess about whether someone might or might not be able to handle a demanding high school workload.

[Anonymous]

I wonder if there might be some middle schools that might give more homework or some kids might who just go the extra mile. The kid might also exaggerate how much work he/she has. My middle schooler has certainly spent 3 hours on homework some nights . . . when the workload has been about an hour's worth of work, but there is younger sibling's computer game to comment on, several texts from friends, a side conversation with dad about a sports game, etc. Then I get an ear full about the unfairness of the teachers for assigning so much work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's expected/inevitable that an interview is subjective...otherwise the computer could just spit out the names of the top 100 testers, and that is the accepted class
And the 'interviewer' is correct, that a person who has to put in 3hrs plus a night in middle school will have a nervous breakdown with the Walls' workload

Actually, the family whose kid was rejected because he puts in 3 hours a night now might have a good reason to sue, if for instance the student has a 504 plan or other ADA accomodations and is one who needs extra time for things.

I don't believe a magnet program has to accept students with academic challenges...it's just not allowed to discriminate by race/gender/ethnicity/physical challenges....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with PP. The interviewer said the boy was an A student. Results should matter not one person's uninformed guess about whether someone might or might not be able to handle a demanding high school workload.

Isn't that the whole purpose of the interviews, to evaluate which applicants are likely to enroll and succeed? and I'm sure the teachers' input will outweigh the students....I actually believe the students are there mostly as 'foils', so the applicant will feel somewhat at ease in a room of other teens

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Actually, the family whose kid was rejected because he puts in 3 hours a night now might have a good reason to sue, if for instance the student has a 504 plan or other ADA accomodations and is one who needs extra time for things.

how would that change the fact that, instead of needing to do 3.5 hrs of homework a night, that child now needs to do 7 hrs? And that this is not likely a sustainable situation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's expected/inevitable that an interview is subjective...otherwise the computer could just spit out the names of the top 100 testers, and that is the accepted class
And the 'interviewer' is correct, that a person who has to put in 3hrs plus a night in middle school will have a nervous breakdown with the Walls' workload

Actually, the family whose kid was rejected because he puts in 3 hours a night now might have a good reason to sue, if for instance the student has a 504 plan or other ADA accomodations and is one who needs extra time for things.

I don't believe a magnet program has to accept students with academic challenges...it's just not allowed to discriminate by race/gender/ethnicity/physical challenges....

A child with an "A" average doesn't have academic challenges. And you should read the ADA. This interviewer said an A student was rejected because because of the interviewer's ungrounded view that a student who spends a lot of time on homework wouldn't "fit in" or "handle" SWW.