Twins -- accepted/rejected? And by whom?

[Anonymous]

I would never accept an offer for one twin and not the other unless one twin had special needs that the school could not address. I am the mother who mentioned above that I was told at Potomac that we had virtually no chance, and one administrator did ask me at the playdate, "what if one gets in and the other doesn't?" which I thought was a strange question, given that they were little kids with similar profiles. Admitting only one and thinking a family would accept is the ultimate in snootiness and family unfriendliness, in my view. I had the feeling they'd rather admit two new families than one family with twins simply because they'd get double the annual fund and other contributions. I should add that my twins went to little Langley for their early years and were not the only set of twins in the class in which they started, so we did not see that kind of bias there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the parents of twins, would you ever put them in different school? Just curious as the decision must be SO hard!

Yes, if necessary. What I would not do is put one in private and one in public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the parents of twins, would you ever put them in different school? Just curious as the decision must be SO hard!

Under the right circumstances, yes; however, we would not put one in private and another in public.

[Anonymous]

Potomac seems to pride themselves on their NON-sibling preference, which I think is bullshit. It makes life a lot more difficult for families and decreases a family's committment to any one school when the have to deal with multiple schools. Seems like a foolish way to act!

[Anonymous]

We know several Potomac families with kids who do well there but have had their other children rejected multiple times. There are times when a school just needs to make it easier for families and having all your kids at one school keeps your family happy and productive. The only real reason for turning down another sibling is that they have special needs that the school cannot supply.

Have heard of another school that historically takes siblings but the new AD turned down established families (some of them with 3 kids already attending there) and it created a huge problem with many angry parents. AD ended up being fired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We know several Potomac families with kids who do well there but have had their other children rejected multiple times. There are times when a school just needs to make it easier for families and having all your kids at one school keeps your family happy and productive. The only real reason for turning down another sibling is that they have special needs that the school cannot supply.

Have heard of another school that historically takes siblings but the new AD turned down established families (some of them with 3 kids already attending there) and it created a huge problem with many angry parents. AD ended up being fired.

I'm all for sibling preferences--in fact our second child just got accepted this year to the school our older child attends and we are thrilled--but I can also think of lots of good reasons to turn down a sibling. For one, if it is a competitive school, you do want to make room for new families, for all sorts of reasons. Certainly the year when our oldest child was applying, we were glad that there were spots available for new families! I suspect those of you complaining about turning down siblings would have been miffed if, when your first child was applying, he/she didn't get in because there were too many siblings that year!

Second, a sibling may not have special needs, but still may not be a good fit at a particular school. I think siblings should have some kind of priority, yes, but I don't think it should be considered a virtual guarantee. At the same time, I think schools should be very kind and delicate if they are turning down a sibling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We know several Potomac families with kids who do well there but have had their other children rejected multiple times. There are times when a school just needs to make it easier for families and having all your kids at one school keeps your family happy and productive. The only real reason for turning down another sibling is that they have special needs that the school cannot supply.

Have heard of another school that historically takes siblings but the new AD turned down established families (some of them with 3 kids already attending there) and it created a huge problem with many angry parents. AD ended up being fired.

I'm all for sibling preferences--in fact our second child just got accepted this year to the school our older child attends and we are thrilled--but I can also think of lots of good reasons to turn down a sibling. For one, if it is a competitive school, you do want to make room for new families, for all sorts of reasons. Certainly the year when our oldest child was applying, we were glad that there were spots available for new families! I suspect those of you complaining about turning down siblings would have been miffed if, when your first child was applying, he/she didn't get in because there were too many siblings that year!

Second, a sibling may not have special needs, but still may not be a good fit at a particular school. I think siblings should have some kind of priority, yes, but I don't think it should be considered a virtual guarantee. At the same time, I think schools should be very kind and delicate if they are turning down a sibling.

I think the problem is, Potomac does not turn people down gently, and the fact that siblings apply several years in a row and are never admitted is crazy. The AD should be honest and say to the family that that child will never get in, and save them time, money and heartbreak.

[Anonymous]

PP, question here is about twins and not siblings.

[Anonymous]

So, it's just the Sidwell K twin girls then? They must be pretty special.

I am imagining two beautiful (we already know that) kids of a cabinet member who happen to be of color and able to donate 1M+, with strong board contacts, 99.999% WPPSI and, of course, strong athletes. Oh, and an older sib and parents are alum (of Sidwell and Harvard). Am I close?

[Anonymous]

Evan Baye's twins were accepted to Beauvoir years ago.

Any Beauvoir twins this year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I saw that on a previous post as well: beautiful twin girls. Same that you were referring to?

Actually the twins to whom I am referring are twin boys accepted to Sidwell K this year for Fall 2010

[Anonymous]

So, parents of twins, given that for many schools admissions is a very competitive process with many kids turned down, would you prefer to have your kids considered aa a package, increasing the chances that both are rejected, or have them considered as individuals, increasing the chances that they get into different schools?

I would compare this to couples who apply for university jobs as a package - you might end up with one hired but not the other, you might end up with no jobs at all because there isn't a space for both. So do you maximize the chances of two jobs at different (but nearby) universities or hold out for two slots at one place?

[Anonymous]

FWIW, 9:03, POTS (= parents of twins) don't necessarily get to call the shots. Some schools told us that they will accept one and reject another; other schools told us that they may reject both if they decide not to take "weaker" student. Each school has its own culture and that will ultimately determine how they make a decision - and if they will consider the parents' wishes.

[Anonymous]

At entry level, I would want them considered as a package, unless one had some sort of learning disibility. At an older entry age, it would probably make sense to have them considered separately.

[Anonymous]

Identical vs. fraternal is also an issue. My twins are probably identical. They are middle schoolers and have virtually identical grades and the same extracurricular interests (not their parents doing). Their personalities are not very different. Although they have been in separate classes, they probably would not want to go to separate schools. Now that they are older, they enjoy being in the same classes so that they can study together. The identical twin bond is one that schools should honor if families request it, and I think other kids find being around identicals fun. I know I was always fascinated by them when I was in school, and I was shocked to discover that being a twin could be a disadvantage in the school admissions process.