Walt Whitman High School versus Bethesda Chevy Chase?

[Anonymous]

PP -- interesting you should say that. One of my neighbors has gone to DC publics all the way through. He just learned he was accepted Early Decision into U. Penn. My husband asked me why we spent so much on private. Our kid is also already at an Ivy.

[Anonymous]

What DC publics did this neighbor go to?

Anonymous wrote:PP -- interesting you should say that. One of my neighbors has gone to DC publics all the way through. He just learned he was accepted Early Decision into U. Penn. My husband asked me why we spent so much on private. Our kid is also already at an Ivy.

[Anonymous]

Whitman students with guns 1
B-CC 0

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP -- interesting you should say that. One of my neighbors has gone to DC publics all the way through. He just learned he was accepted Early Decision into U. Penn. My husband asked me why we spent so much on private. Our kid is also already at an Ivy.

Totally agree with this. There was a girl in my class at Holton who was a totally average student, but then she transferred to Wilson, got into multiple Ivies, and ended up with a full ride to UVa. Crazy. She never would have been able to compete with the girls in our class who were looking for the same college choices.

[Anonymous]

Right. I'm the Whitman parent again. My daughters' friends have been finding out about Early Decisions these past few days. Lots of rejection from Ivy League schools for straight A/many AP students with 2200+ SATs. Again - definitely a solid academic education at Whitman and will certainly be prepared for college, but getting into a top school is a lot tougher from Whitman and the students have to compete for EVERYTHING else there, including college recommendations which I find ridiculous. I'm trying to see it as a character building experience!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You still might find Mercedes driving teens at BCC but there will be less of them! Weekend beer parties will be prevalent at ALL schools in the area (private and public). There's actually quite a bit of cocaine and MJ as well to think about (and I'm talking about the suburban schools/ private schools here).

I know students attending both schools and like them equally. I think BCC is definitely more diverse socio economically because of the availability of affordable (relatively speaking) apartments/ townhouses in Downtown. Also, BCC is walking distance to downtown and the metro so the kids are out and about a bit more. My husband employs a BCC student part time and she is terrific. There are similar opportunities for AP classes and good sports teams at both schools.

If I ever decide to move to Bethesda, I'd go with BCC.

But, I live in DC and don't plan on moving so it will likely be School without Walls or Wilson for my kiddos. If you do want to live in Georgetown, don't rule out public schools. I would seriously look at School without Walls- I've met many many teens who go there and have been quite impressed by the talent and caliber of the graduates. I know students who have gone on to Yale, U Chicago, Wesleyan, etc. Their parents are store owners, attorneys, doctors, lobbyists, etc. And the benefit of GW classes and credit for free is quite nice.

BTW, I am a professional who works with teens so I'm pretty familiar with all of the local schools (private and public).

So then you know that legal, prescription meds are highly abused by teens as well as illegal drugs. Oxycotin for one is readily available and highly abused. Probably due to the pressure cooker environment in the suburban schools.

[Anonymous]

Is BCC a pressure cooker too?

[Anonymous]

My understanding is that it is less so. The student (and parent) community is much more diverse which seems to lead to a more diverse set of goals.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry if I said what schools the boy went to -- it would be crystal clear who he is. Let me just say he didn't go to the fancy elementary or middle schools...the high school is the small one. Nice kid -- white.

Anonymous wrote:What DC publics did this neighbor go to?

Anonymous wrote:PP -- interesting you should say that. One of my neighbors has gone to DC publics all the way through. He just learned he was accepted Early Decision into U. Penn. My husband asked me why we spent so much on private. Our kid is also already at an Ivy.

[Anonymous]

Jumping into this conversation ... it appears to me that staying in DC and going to Wilson would have greatly improved my child's chances at a top college. She is hearing now and it's not going great. By any standards other than Whitman, she would probably do very well - many AP courses, excellent AP scores (5s), good but not stellar grades, SAT scores that put her in the 95th percentile, strong extracurriculars. From Whitman, that doesn't appear to be good enough. Wherever she goes, however, she will be very well prepared. It's a trade-off without question.

[Anonymous]

I know Wilson very well. I think a long-term benefit of a student going to a school like Wilson, rather than BCC or Whitman, is that "if they can make it there, they'll make it anywhere". LOL. Students really have to be self-advocates at a place like Wilson in a way that students at a typical MCPS high school don't have to do. That is a life skill that will be useful throughout the lifespan. (With that said, I'd still prefer my kids go to a MCPS high school than to Wilson--for MANY reasons.)

[Anonymous]

I have many friends and acquaintances who send their children to Wilson and I agree with you on the "if they can make it there..." statement! I believe students at MCPS high schools - including Whitman - also need to be self-advocates, very much so. They change teachers every semester so they don't build strong ties to teachers, everything is competitive, the guidance counselors are try hard but have little time to spend with any individual. If a student is not a superstar nor in need of help/support, Whitman is not an especially nurturing environment.

[Anonymous]

B.C.C. - OK!

As a 1971 graduate, I have found my education at BCC exceeded most of my peers' college educations. The school gave me the tools to further my knowledge on my own, and also instilled the desire to learn.