Bullis - a word of caution

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bullis parent here. We have been happy with both the MS and US program. I pretty good balance of arts, sports and academics. Though our child has not liked every teacher the overall experience has been outstanding. I will say the English and History teachers do assign a heavy load of homework throughout the year. We are happy with our decision to attend Bullis. Yes we have met some families with extreme wealth, but if you go to a school with a $40k price tag of course you will find wealthy families. Everyone we have associated with has been kind and welcoming. Good luck to those awaiting to hear from admissions.

I posted above regarding what we found to be a rather garish emphasis on money at Bullis. While I would agree that there are wealthy families at every private school, we didn't see that same emphasis on flaunting wealth at the two other independent schools our kids have attended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bullis parent here. We have been happy with both the MS and US program. I pretty good balance of arts, sports and academics. Though our child has not liked every teacher the overall experience has been outstanding. I will say the English and History teachers do assign a heavy load of homework throughout the year. We are happy with our decision to attend Bullis. Yes we have met some families with extreme wealth, but if you go to a school with a $40k price tag of course you will find wealthy families. Everyone we have associated with has been kind and welcoming. Good luck to those awaiting to hear from admissions.

I posted above regarding what we found to be a rather garish emphasis on money at Bullis. While I would agree that there are wealthy families at every private school, we didn't see that same emphasis on flaunting wealth at the two other independent schools our kids have attended.

What kind of flaunting pp? Our experience at privates have included schools in Los Angeles where the wealth can be utterly extraordinary, but actually with zero flaunting, even from folks living in a $14 million house (and owning a few others). I want to know what flaunting goes on in the greater DC area, please.

[Anonymous]

Really pretty pathetic poster with a lot of social insecurities. Lots of major wealth there- so if you feel uncomfortable---go someplace else.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Sorry to be so cryptic, but surely you will understand the reluctance of a current family to out themselves by providing details in a public forum. Suffice to say it has nothing to do with admissions or socio-economic issues. The school has hurt DC and us very deeply. I very much look forward to proving the school wrong about certain things. We are extremely disappointed.

[Anonymous]

Didn't that snooty Real Housewife of Potomac send her kid there? Ick.

[Anonymous]

Bullis is a public school education for $40K a year. It is for Maryland elite whose kids can't get into schools like Sidwell, STA, Holton or they just prefer a more laxed approach. They don't care their competitive teams are all out of county, out of state recruitments. That kids come live in sponsor homes to play a sport for the school for a free education that those elitist pay with an endowment. They feel their school can compete against other local privates that way. It is like a cliquey college campus. Parents and kids.

[Anonymous]

OP here again. I want to thank the trolls for taking a serious and personal issue and turning it, once again, into a forum for their oft-regurgitated and off-point drivel. Don't you get tired of regurgitating the same vomit over and over again? There is a real issue, of which I will share no further detail in this setting. People considering Bullis would do well to ignore the boring clichés spouted by people who live only to knock others down and pay attention to the fact that in its drive to compete with the best area private schools, Bullis is trampling on some of their most vulnerable members.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, OP. At our K-8, we were told by exmissions counselor that we might not like Bullis because of the "social environment." I believe code for what you are mentioning. I'm sorry you've had a rough time. Maybe you can apply to some of the religious schools? They seem open to taking kids who transfer in due to bullying, etc. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I am a parent at another private in the area. Last week I was in the Starbucks in Potomac village with my middle school daughter. In line in front of us were 2 bullis girls, probably 4th grade with a nanny. 2 girls behind us in 7th grade from bullis were chatting away about who was wearing what etc to an upcoming event. As we were all waiting for our drinks the 4th grade girls started chatting with the 7th grade girls. The entire conversation was about how much their fake nails cost, how long they would last, how much was their phone cases and where they could get one just like that. My daughter was disgusted that kids her age would only talk about monetary value of possessions. The best one was from 7th grader to 4th grader---you might want to watch the whipped cream on your frap. When you get older you are going to want to have it with no whip to save on the calories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a parent at another private in the area. Last week I was in the Starbucks in Potomac village with my middle school daughter. In line in front of us were 2 bullis girls, probably 4th grade with a nanny. 2 girls behind us in 7th grade from bullis were chatting away about who was wearing what etc to an upcoming event. As we were all waiting for our drinks the 4th grade girls started chatting with the 7th grade girls. The entire conversation was about how much their fake nails cost, how long they would last, how much was their phone cases and where they could get one just like that. My daughter was disgusted that kids her age would only talk about monetary value of possessions. The best one was from 7th grader to 4th grader---you might want to watch the whipped cream on your frap. When you get older you are going to want to have it with no whip to save on the calories.

This is sad and one of the main reasons we stay away from secular schools...including public.

[Anonymous]

OP your posts are so vague that you are unable to articulate any coherent reason for someone to be wary of Bullis. Therefore the trolls come out. It's your own fault. Why did you even bother posting? What were you hoping to achieve? Private schools are businesses, in the business of education but businesses nonetheless. There are always unhappy customers, unhappy for many different reasons. But posting on here that people should be wary of Bullis because they supposed didn't treat you fairly, with NO details, is not going to dissuade someone from looking at it or going there. It will bring out the haters and you should have seen that coming. Our child had an incredibly positive experience there and our family cannot say enough positive things about the school. But we could say negative things about our experiences with other privates. When you invest that amount of time and money into a private school community it can cause a lifetime of resentment when you feel wronged by that school. But that is not a situation unique to Bullis. It is just your experience. A dissatisfied customer. Hopefully you can move on to greener pastures. But I would not hesitate to recommend Bullis as one of the most "normal" high school experiences for kids in this area among privates. And I mean that as a compliment. Kids and parents are relaxed and "nice" as can be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a parent at another private in the area. Last week I was in the Starbucks in Potomac village with my middle school daughter. In line in front of us were 2 bullis girls, probably 4th grade with a nanny. 2 girls behind us in 7th grade from bullis were chatting away about who was wearing what etc to an upcoming event. As we were all waiting for our drinks the 4th grade girls started chatting with the 7th grade girls. The entire conversation was about how much their fake nails cost, how long they would last, how much was their phone cases and where they could get one just like that. My daughter was disgusted that kids her age would only talk about monetary value of possessions. The best one was from 7th grader to 4th grader---you might want to watch the whipped cream on your frap. When you get older you are going to want to have it with no whip to save on the calories.

Yes at Sidwell GDS Maret or Cathedral schools they wouldn't be caught dead at a Starbucks in Potomac. God forbid your kids have to go to school in the suburbs! We parents at big 5 would rather our children be snubbed by kids who summer in the vineyard or ACK, snubbed by kids who spend their free time at the Chevy Chase Club. We would prefer our kids to be stressed out and depressed all four years of high school so they can go to Williams or Davidson then come live at home and in work unpaid internships or work for Headfirst or make sandwiches at Jetties while they lounge at the pool at Chevy. They have no jobs and no prospects but at least they didn't go to Bullis!

[Anonymous]

Our kids have attended schools in both Potomac and Northwest DC. There is a style difference between the two communities which transfers over to their respective schools. I'm surprised the PP above believes NW kids are underemployed but then again may be the two crowds don't cross paths often. We have ties to both communities and like both but they are soooo different. I can see why families happy with one may be a bad fit for the other.

[Anonymous]

My daughter got rejected from a Big 3. Went to Bullis and did incredibly well. She ended up being a big fish in a little pond. If she had gone to Big 3 I don't think she would have had such a great High School experience. There were a lot of "new" money families there, but they were definitely not snobs. They were incredibly friendly to our daughter and to us. She also found it to be a much more diverse student body than her peers had at Big 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP your posts are so vague that you are unable to articulate any coherent reason for someone to be wary of Bullis. Therefore the trolls come out. It's your own fault. Why did you even bother posting? What were you hoping to achieve? Private schools are businesses, in the business of education but businesses nonetheless. There are always unhappy customers, unhappy for many different reasons. But posting on here that people should be wary of Bullis because they supposed didn't treat you fairly, with NO details, is not going to dissuade someone from looking at it or going there. It will bring out the haters and you should have seen that coming. Our child had an incredibly positive experience there and our family cannot say enough positive things about the school. But we could say negative things about our experiences with other privates. When you invest that amount of time and money into a private school community it can cause a lifetime of resentment when you feel wronged by that school. But that is not a situation unique to Bullis. It is just your experience. A dissatisfied customer. Hopefully you can move on to greener pastures. But I would not hesitate to recommend Bullis as one of the most "normal" high school experiences for kids in this area among privates. And I mean that as a compliment. Kids and parents are relaxed and "nice" as can be.

+1
These random cryptic postings just make OP look a bit off.