Sidwell vs Maret

[Anonymous]

+1

[Anonymous]

We looked at both schools and we found the culture significantly different. The welcoming and warm atmosphere at Maret was totally absent at Sidwell, from their student interviews to the teacher attitudes at admission events.

[Anonymous]

Things like homework load or individual happiness can vary based on the particular child and be subject to factors beyond the school itself. But i'm interested in hearing from people who have or know students at both Maret and SFS whether one school seems to have more "joy" than the other or if they both have generally happy students. My limited experience is that kids at both are happy, but I have heard differently from others with more exposure. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

What are the clear differences in academic experience at Sidwell and Maret?

[Anonymous]

Sidwell parent here. I can't imagine a more warm and open environment. I did notice that during the admission process Sidwell didn't seem to "try" as hard as some of the other schools, but I think that has a lot of do with the number of applicants.

[Anonymous]

You will be splitting hairs with respect to academics and intensity (in high school). I would also not worry about organizational challenges in middle school - middle school is meant to teach the kids how to study and organize and get them prepared for high school (at least that's how it works at Maret). After touring both we preferred the atmosphere at Maret, but we have lots of friends who are very happy at Sidwell.

[Anonymous]

The organization required for success for US at Sidwell is not just keeping track of assignments and due dates. It has to do with time management when there is simply not enough time to do everything well and there is a lot of peer pressure and self-imposed pressure to do extremely well at everything. It also has to do with decisions about spending time on social life, vs. extracurricular activities vs. sleep. Some kids love this pressure cooker and others, who may be very, very bright, get depressed or decide to just get by. It also can be hard on parents to see their once carefree middle schooler up studying for exams at 1 am. It is important to think how your daughter would feel under these circumstances, and to prepare her with excellent time management skills and coping skills in middle school. I would encourage you to apply to a wider range of middle schools because even very bright students with excellent scores and references may not get in to either Sidwell or Maret. And because your daughter is creative she might be happier at Burke, or Field where there is more time for creative work in US. I have had kids and grand kids at several of these schools and one size does not fit all. Sometimes parents want the most "academic" program to demonstrate how bright their child is, but all these schools can provide a stimulating academic program for bright kids. As everyone says, it comes down to what is the best fit for each individual child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The organization required for success for US at Sidwell is not just keeping track of assignments and due dates. It has to do with time management when there is simply not enough time to do everything well and there is a lot of peer pressure and self-imposed pressure to do extremely well at everything. It also has to do with decisions about spending time on social life, vs. extracurricular activities vs. sleep. Some kids love this pressure cooker and others, who may be very, very bright, get depressed or decide to just get by. It also can be hard on parents to see their once carefree middle schooler up studying for exams at 1 am. It is important to think how your daughter would feel under these circumstances, and to prepare her with excellent time management skills and coping skills in middle school. I would encourage you to apply to a wider range of middle schools because even very bright students with excellent scores and references may not get in to either Sidwell or Maret. And because your daughter is creative she might be happier at Burke, or Field where there is more time for creative work in US. I have had kids and grand kids at several of these schools and one size does not fit all. Sometimes parents want the most "academic" program to demonstrate how bright their child is, but all these schools can provide a stimulating academic program for bright kids. As everyone says, it comes down to what is the best fit for each individual child.

Oh my gosh this is the most reasonable, helpful post i have read in a very long time. Thank you Sidwell Mom or Dad!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell parent here. I can't imagine a more warm and open environment. I did notice that during the admission process Sidwell didn't seem to "try" as hard as some of the other schools, but I think that has a lot of do with the number of applicants.

Thank you PP - could you expand on your description of the warm environment at Sidwell. I haven't heard the school described this way before and would love to hear more!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The organization required for success for US at Sidwell is not just keeping track of assignments and due dates. It has to do with time management when there is simply not enough time to do everything well and there is a lot of peer pressure and self-imposed pressure to do extremely well at everything. It also has to do with decisions about spending time on social life, vs. extracurricular activities vs. sleep. Some kids love this pressure cooker and others, who may be very, very bright, get depressed or decide to just get by. It also can be hard on parents to see their once carefree middle schooler up studying for exams at 1 am. It is important to think how your daughter would feel under these circumstances, and to prepare her with excellent time management skills and coping skills in middle school. I would encourage you to apply to a wider range of middle schools because even very bright students with excellent scores and references may not get in to either Sidwell or Maret. And because your daughter is creative she might be happier at Burke, or Field where there is more time for creative work in US. I have had kids and grand kids at several of these schools and one size does not fit all. Sometimes parents want the most "academic" program to demonstrate how bright their child is, but all these schools can provide a stimulating academic program for bright kids. As everyone says, it comes down to what is the best fit for each individual child.

Oh my gosh this is the most reasonable, helpful post i have read in a very long time. Thank you Sidwell Mom or Dad!

Good post. Not everything is Sidwell or Maret, and I'm a Sidwell parent. It's about fit.