Struggling between GDS, Sidwell and "safety school"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maret is no one's safety.

Absolutely false. It is primarily a back up. Current parents spin it as highly selective, but that is just a function of its small size and correspondingly small number of admits.

It is simply too small (facilities, sports teams, financial aid) to have critical mass compete with the elite schools. I understand you will try to convince yourself otherwise but please don't mislead anybody looking to these boards for actual information.

I think you are confusing Maret with GDS. GDS is certainly easier to get in to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maret is no one's safety.

Absolutely false. It is primarily a back up. Current parents spin it as highly selective, but that is just a function of its small size and correspondingly small number of admits.

It is simply too small (facilities, sports teams, financial aid) to have critical mass compete with the elite schools. I understand you will try to convince yourself otherwise but please don't mislead anybody looking to these boards for actual information.

I can't speak to GDS as I don't know the numbers, but Sidwell and Maret let exactly the same number of 9th graders in (25). So your argument works for earlier years (though still not true, IMO) but not for 9th grade entry. That said, my hope is that it will stay a school with an excellent reputation but that does need the "elite" designation that people like you like to throw around.

FYI, 23% of students at both schools get financial aid and it averages $23K per kid. We looked closely at both.

[Anonymous]

Sidwell out performs has in every single measure college success, reputation, faculty, facilities, endowment, athletics and they teach for every child not just the lucky few who are naturally gifted.

[Anonymous]

Sorry. Sidwell admits 38-40 9th graders, not 25.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry. Sidwell admits 38-40 9th graders, not 25.

From their website:

Although we will accept applications to each grade, we only increase the class size at certain grades. We have 22 openings for PK, 26 openings for K, 16 openings for third, 4 openings for fourth, 16 openings for sixth, 16 openings for seventh, 25 openings for ninth. Grades other than those mentioned above will have openings only through attrition of current students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell out performs has in every single measure college success, reputation, faculty, facilities, endowment, athletics and they teach for every child not just the lucky few who are naturally gifted.

Perhaps, but for a certain population only. I would challenge your assertion that they teach for every child. What is their attrition rate? And faculty have been leaving there in droves. Not to mention a student body focussed on grades grades grades and competition. That works for some kids, and that's great. Every school is different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is having s hard time deciding where to go for highschool. Thrilled she got into GDS and Sidwell, not really considering her 3rd choice which she was also admitted to. We are torn and wondering if 3rd choice just may be better---less stress, maybe easier to standout academically. Do these things matter when college rolls around? I know it's crazy to think of college now, but is it better to come from a big name school like GDS or Sidwell....or to be a big fish in a little pond at a smaller, less prestigious school.

I often wish my kids would consider less academically pressured schools, but making teens go to schools they aren't interested in can backfire. Also, if DD is very bright, she may long for like-minded classmates, and she may even get better grades if the classes are challenging and keep her engaged. Have lots of long conversations with your DD about the pros and cons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD is having s hard time deciding where to go for highschool. Thrilled she got into GDS and Sidwell, not really considering her 3rd choice which she was also admitted to. We are torn and wondering if 3rd choice just may be better---less stress, maybe easier to standout academically. Do these things matter when college rolls around? I know it's crazy to think of college now, but is it better to come from a big name school like GDS or Sidwell....or to be a big fish in a little pond at a smaller, less prestigious school.

I often wish my kids would consider less academically pressured schools, but making teens go to schools they aren't interested in can backfire. Also, if DD is very bright, she may long for like-minded classmates, and she may even get better grades if the classes are challenging and keep her engaged. Have lots of long conversations with your DD about the pros and cons.

Agree with PP, your DD has to be comfortable with the choice. I'd suggest she do a revisit to each and then talk through with you what she thought about each. If she made a list of what she was looking for in a HS before this process started (or you discussed it at all.. or she's hinted to things she likes/dislikes about current school) refer back to these qualities and have her think about which school best matches.

Good luck

[Anonymous]

I would go with the safety where your DD can stand out academically. I know so many kids who go to Sidwell and come out thinking they are "stupid" and it has long terms effects on their self-esteem, job choices etc.

[Anonymous]

"Perhaps, but for a certain population only. I would challenge your assertion that they teach for every child. What is their attrition rate? And faculty have been leaving there in droves. Not to mention a student body focussed on grades grades grades and competition. That works for some kids, and that's great. Every school is different."}

1) What do you mean by certain population only?
2) "They don't teach for every child" - Sidwell holds all students accountable to the same standards, they don't let kids slide by lowering expectations.
3) "Attrition rate": I'd say one or two kids might be counseled out each year. Impossible to tell.
4) "Teachers leaving in droves?" Don't know what you are talking about, however, administrative turn-over has been acceptable.
5) Focus on grades, grades, grade: I can't imagine that Sidwell students are more focused on grades than any other school in the area. That said, Sidwell teachers are tough graders - grade inflation is decidedly stagnant and has been for many years.
6) Competion: Sidwell doesn't rank students and has no academic awards so it lacks the transparency that promotes the sometimes unhealthy competition among parents and students at other schools.
7) Sidwell is extremely rigorous. It is not for every kid. But it's a great school, great facilities, and dramatically improved matriculation results from an already very good college acceptance record.

[Anonymous]

SFS upper school has accepted more than 25 students ( this is new for this year)

[Anonymous]

Maret usually takes 10-12 for ninth...definitely not 25. GDS takes around 55. Don't know about Sidwell.

[Anonymous]

I think we'd have to know the safety OP. Some safeties are terrible at getting kids into decent colleges. You might as well save your money and go public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think we'd have to know the safety OP. Some safeties are terrible at getting kids into decent colleges. You might as well save your money and go public.

I'm the Baltimore person who posted earlier about "Door #3." What we've found so rewarding about DC's school is that the entire focus of high school hasn't been on getting into college. It's been about trying new things, forming relationships, and gaining a sense of self that we don't think would have been possible in our large public school, and also not about the college rat race that seems prevalent in the more elite schools.

I will say that I've also come to believe that schools don't reform the raw materials of the students that come to them, but rather refine them. If your child is in the 97th+ percentile on prep school admissions tests, he/she will probably be at roughly the same level on the SAT, and if he/she isn't there in 8th grade, he/she probably won't be there in 11th grade either. So we've chosen to focus less on the academic grind and more on the entire high school experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maret usually takes 10-12 for ninth...definitely not 25. GDS takes around 55. Don't know about Sidwell.

From Maret's FAQ on the website: 25 new students enroll in the 9th grade.