Mater dei

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No open house at mater dei this year. What's the story

I"m pretty sure there was one. I drive by there multiple times a day and there was a sign out front for one this fall.

There’s a big splash announcement on the website saying the previously announced date has been canceled and that there will be no open house this year.

So basically they have everyone they need. Don't bother applying

Possibly.

They are still offering tours though.

Less work and more selective than an open house.

Because they have had open houses for years, they know what they yield in terms of applicants. So, discontinuing them suggests that they can easily do without them.

Admissions departments are frequently evaluated on how many total applications there are. So, there's an incentive for the Admissions staff to hold things like Open Houses hoping to generate numbers of applications.

Mater Dei serves a relatively narrow slice of MoCo and NWDC families who want their DS's to be on a track to go to GP, GZA or St Johns. Those in the target market are well aware of the school. Many MD students transfer in from the local parish school. Events like Open Houses attract the curious and the "shoppers". To the school that might sound like a lot of work that yields little.

No Mater Dei serves MAGA OPUS DEI families.

Seems like a positve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does this school still hold all the boys back? At least those with spring and summer birthdays?

They don't require it.

They might recommend it.

Ned Williams, the former headmaster, who had a Doctorate from Harvard in Education, believed that being older had academic and social benefits for boys.

It also has huge benefits for the boys in athletics, which is the reason why many MD families reclass their boys. The school historically is very permissive there too.

I heard they won't admit kids who are May-Aug birthdays unless they reclass. May just be rumor though

They don't call it Mater Delay for nothing.

[Anonymous]

How else are you supposed to dunk a basketball in 5th grade? You need to be 17

[Anonymous]

Can't hurt trying to get in if you like the school, despite no open house

[Anonymous]

My son graduated from MDS and subsequently Prep. He absolutely loved both schools, but when asked which experience he enjoyed more, he said he would probably pick Prep, although he felt that MDS was more "impactful" in that it "toughened" him up, in a positive way, at a much earlier age than some of his peers. We also held him back one year, and I can tell you it was one of the best things we ever did for him. At then end of the day, what does it matter if he is 23 when he graduates from college? Nobody is going to care by that time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After mater dei, who feeds the most into Georgetown Prep?

Also, who feeds most into Gonzaga? St Johns?

I went to MD and Prep. I’m sending my kid to parochial school (and probably Prep but who knows).

There is no one feeder parochial school. There are many parochial schools that send some but not all boys to Prep. Go look at the ones near your house and pick one that’s a good fit. Where you think your kid will fit in and get a rigorous education.

Was there a reason you chose parochial over MD for your own kids? Did you think MD/Prep was a good experience?

Do you have a sense which parochial in this area near Prep are rigorous (I agree with you on that point and it is very important to me)?

Also, does anyone have feedback on staff and headmaster leaving MD? Similarly, I saw the principal at St Janes is retiring and I heard she was very good at running the school.

I liked Prep and did very well academically and got into a great college. I expect my sons will attend. (Nothing is certain but the older one has very good grades so far.) But I’m not insisting on it. It’s just an option I’m willing to pay for if they want and get in.

I thought I got a good education at Mater Dei but struggled socially. I came in middle school, was a summer birthday and not held back and didn’t play lacrosse. There is a clique, and I wasn’t in it. I had friends in elementary, high school and college so the common denominator was MD not me. I am guessing from internet gossip the culture is still similar. Because there is a mold, I would avoid it unless you know your kid fits it. Parochial schools don’t necessarily have a mold and that has advantages. Plus my kids like it, get good grades and have friends. Since everything is working fine, there’s no reason to pay more money and risk a bad fit. It’s a different calculation if your current school isn’t working well. (I know there are many people that love it, this is just my experience.)

Prep recruits the top couple kids (who are interested) from pretty much every parochial school on the western side of MoCo. That’s why I didn’t provide a specific list before. Blessed Sacrament, St. Barts, Little Flower, Our Lady of Mercy, Our Lady of Lourdes, Holy Redeemer, De Chantal, St. Elizabeth’s, St. Raphael’s and Mary of Nazareth all feed regularly. There are granular reputational differences that wax and wane over time (IMO, if the principal is good/not good the school will rise or fall accordingly). If you narrow your list you will get more specific feedback as to current conditions.

They take students from DC, VA, eastern MoCo, PG too, I am just listing the most likely suspects. These are community schools and most people live close by, so you and your kids will have a better experience if you pick one close, go to mass there and sign your kids up for the after school activities.

If they are one of the top 2-3 boys academically at any of these schools, and you can pay and are a known good member of the local community, your kid has an excellent shot of admission to Prep. Historically they went lower in the class for Mater Dei kids, but I just wasn’t convinced that marginal difference (if it still exists) is worth it or necessary for my kids.

Last piece of advice. When I applied to Prep, the librarian apparently called the admissions director and told him I was always very polite to her and loved reading. This was unsolicited but I heard about it from the admissions director later. So keep in mind there are all sorts of community connections at play here. The best way to have that work in your favor is to join the community - get involved, go to mass, meet your priest, coach rec soccer, volunteer at the food drive and teach your kids to be hard working, polite and enthusiastic. If you do that it will work out at Prep or Gonzaga or SJC or anywhere else.

Thanks. Very helpful. Assume the culture at Prep was more welcoming than MD (by the fact that you had friends)? But can you speak more to what is a fit there?

Yes. There is still a type at Prep but there is a wider array of kids that will fit in. There are lacrosse kids of course but also track kids and soccer kids and theater kids and model UN kids. So it’s easier to find your group, and also as kids mature they get better at just letting people in other groups alone. So it’s not that I became friends with the lax bros over time, it’s that I made a bunch of new friends and just didn’t really interact with them anymore and vice-versa.

Prep is still very… preppy obviously, even the theater kids, so if someone doesn’t like that vibe they might prefer somewhere else. But that’s the brand so nobody should be surprised about that.

How much socialization with teenage girls do the prep boys get? Is there homecoming? Prom? Is it just no engagement with women? What are the pros and cons?

Also, how much socialization is there with girls in MD? Any dances? Coordinated activities with any girl schools?

My son graduated from Mater Dei and Prep. His senior year at Prep, he attended four Proms, including his own. He barely missed a single dance from either Stone Ridge, Holy Child or Visitation his Sophmore, Junior and Senior years. He absolutely loved his experience at Mater Dei and Prep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After mater dei, who feeds the most into Georgetown Prep?

Also, who feeds most into Gonzaga? St Johns?

I went to MD and Prep. I’m sending my kid to parochial school (and probably Prep but who knows).

There is no one feeder parochial school. There are many parochial schools that send some but not all boys to Prep. Go look at the ones near your house and pick one that’s a good fit. Where you think your kid will fit in and get a rigorous education.

Was there a reason you chose parochial over MD for your own kids? Did you think MD/Prep was a good experience?

Do you have a sense which parochial in this area near Prep are rigorous (I agree with you on that point and it is very important to me)?

Also, does anyone have feedback on staff and headmaster leaving MD? Similarly, I saw the principal at St Janes is retiring and I heard she was very good at running the school.

I liked Prep and did very well academically and got into a great college. I expect my sons will attend. (Nothing is certain but the older one has very good grades so far.) But I’m not insisting on it. It’s just an option I’m willing to pay for if they want and get in.

I thought I got a good education at Mater Dei but struggled socially. I came in middle school, was a summer birthday and not held back and didn’t play lacrosse. There is a clique, and I wasn’t in it. I had friends in elementary, high school and college so the common denominator was MD not me. I am guessing from internet gossip the culture is still similar. Because there is a mold, I would avoid it unless you know your kid fits it. Parochial schools don’t necessarily have a mold and that has advantages. Plus my kids like it, get good grades and have friends. Since everything is working fine, there’s no reason to pay more money and risk a bad fit. It’s a different calculation if your current school isn’t working well. (I know there are many people that love it, this is just my experience.)

Prep recruits the top couple kids (who are interested) from pretty much every parochial school on the western side of MoCo. That’s why I didn’t provide a specific list before. Blessed Sacrament, St. Barts, Little Flower, Our Lady of Mercy, Our Lady of Lourdes, Holy Redeemer, De Chantal, St. Elizabeth’s, St. Raphael’s and Mary of Nazareth all feed regularly. There are granular reputational differences that wax and wane over time (IMO, if the principal is good/not good the school will rise or fall accordingly). If you narrow your list you will get more specific feedback as to current conditions.

They take students from DC, VA, eastern MoCo, PG too, I am just listing the most likely suspects. These are community schools and most people live close by, so you and your kids will have a better experience if you pick one close, go to mass there and sign your kids up for the after school activities.

If they are one of the top 2-3 boys academically at any of these schools, and you can pay and are a known good member of the local community, your kid has an excellent shot of admission to Prep. Historically they went lower in the class for Mater Dei kids, but I just wasn’t convinced that marginal difference (if it still exists) is worth it or necessary for my kids.

Last piece of advice. When I applied to Prep, the librarian apparently called the admissions director and told him I was always very polite to her and loved reading. This was unsolicited but I heard about it from the admissions director later. So keep in mind there are all sorts of community connections at play here. The best way to have that work in your favor is to join the community - get involved, go to mass, meet your priest, coach rec soccer, volunteer at the food drive and teach your kids to be hard working, polite and enthusiastic. If you do that it will work out at Prep or Gonzaga or SJC or anywhere else.

Thanks. Very helpful. Assume the culture at Prep was more welcoming than MD (by the fact that you had friends)? But can you speak more to what is a fit there?

Yes. There is still a type at Prep but there is a wider array of kids that will fit in. There are lacrosse kids of course but also track kids and soccer kids and theater kids and model UN kids. So it’s easier to find your group, and also as kids mature they get better at just letting people in other groups alone. So it’s not that I became friends with the lax bros over time, it’s that I made a bunch of new friends and just didn’t really interact with them anymore and vice-versa.

Prep is still very… preppy obviously, even the theater kids, so if someone doesn’t like that vibe they might prefer somewhere else. But that’s the brand so nobody should be surprised about that.

How much socialization with teenage girls do the prep boys get? Is there homecoming? Prom? Is it just no engagement with women? What are the pros and cons?

Also, how much socialization is there with girls in MD? Any dances? Coordinated activities with any girl schools?

My son graduated from Mater Dei and Prep. His senior year at Prep, he attended four Proms, including his own. He barely missed a single dance from either Stone Ridge, Holy Child or Visitation his Sophmore, Junior and Senior years. He absolutely loved his experience at Mater Dei and Prep.

The Prep campus is filled with girls in their school uniforms after school whenever there’s any kind of event. a(Stone Ridge, Holy Cross, Visitation, Holy Child)
There is absolutely no problem with Prep boys not having enough exposure to girls. It’s a total non-issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does this school still hold all the boys back? At least those with spring and summer birthdays?

They don't require it.

They might recommend it.

Ned Williams, the former headmaster, who had a Doctorate from Harvard in Education, believed that being older had academic and social benefits for boys.

It also has huge benefits for the boys in athletics, which is the reason why many MD families reclass their boys. The school historically is very permissive there too.

I heard they won't admit kids who are May-Aug birthdays unless they reclass. May just be rumor though

They don't call it Mater Delay for nothing.

That’s Major Delay. And yes that’s absolutely true - you will have kids turning 15 in your son’s 8th grade class.

[Anonymous]

Traditionally, have most of the 5th grade admitted already completed 5th grade at their current school? I know know have 10 new students in 5th grade and 10 new students in 6th grade. So does Mater Dei use their 6th grade applicant pool to fill some of the 5th grade spots?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No open house at mater dei this year. What's the story

I"m pretty sure there was one. I drive by there multiple times a day and there was a sign out front for one this fall.

There’s a big splash announcement on the website saying the previously announced date has been canceled and that there will be no open house this year.

So basically they have everyone they need. Don't bother applying

Possibly.

They are still offering tours though.

Less work and more selective than an open house.

Because they have had open houses for years, they know what they yield in terms of applicants. So, discontinuing them suggests that they can easily do without them.

Admissions departments are frequently evaluated on how many total applications there are. So, there's an incentive for the Admissions staff to hold things like Open Houses hoping to generate numbers of applications.

Mater Dei serves a relatively narrow slice of MoCo and NWDC families who want their DS's to be on a track to go to GP, GZA or St Johns. Those in the target market are well aware of the school. Many MD students transfer in from the local parish school. Events like Open Houses attract the curious and the "shoppers". To the school that might sound like a lot of work that yields little.

No Mater Dei serves MAGA OPUS DEI families.

You're confusing Mater Dei with The Heights.

MD is an independent Catholic school.
The heights is under the prelature of the Opus Dei.

Both may have some MAGA. But who really cares. At least MAGA are the winning team. Progressive / woke liberals are extreme too. Ds are losers.

They both prob have moderates.

But I know some Obama administration officials who sent their children to MD. Prob won't see that at the heights.

I just think, “Ew,” when I hear about both.

[Anonymous]

It's wild how old some of the kids are at major delay.

You have some kids in 8th grade, yes, 8th grade, who have turned 15 in December.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's wild how old some of the kids are at major delay.

You have some kids in 8th grade, yes, 8th grade, who have turned 15 in December.

That can’t be true. So they’re about to turn 20 when they go to college?

The redshirting occurs at all of MD entry points? 1, 5 and 6?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's wild how old some of the kids are at major delay.

You have some kids in 8th grade, yes, 8th grade, who have turned 15 in December.

That can’t be true. So they’re about to turn 20 when they go to college?

The redshirting occurs at all of MD entry points? 1, 5 and 6?

Someone who enters high school at 15 would enter college four years later at 19.

Mater Dei and Landon have been pointing fingers at one another for decades over the age of their 7th and 8th graders.

Most of the upset is over athletics and the parents who are looking for reasons for losses to MD.

This isn't done anywhere near as frequently as these people suggest it is. And the research I have seen says that boys who are older do better academically, socially and, yes, athletically.

[Anonymous]

You don’t hear as much about it at Landon. Maybe because they’re bigger and the few instances are hidden.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No open house at mater dei this year. What's the story

I"m pretty sure there was one. I drive by there multiple times a day and there was a sign out front for one this fall.

There’s a big splash announcement on the website saying the previously announced date has been canceled and that there will be no open house this year.

So basically they have everyone they need. Don't bother applying

Possibly.

They are still offering tours though.

Less work and more selective than an open house.

Because they have had open houses for years, they know what they yield in terms of applicants. So, discontinuing them suggests that they can easily do without them.

Admissions departments are frequently evaluated on how many total applications there are. So, there's an incentive for the Admissions staff to hold things like Open Houses hoping to generate numbers of applications.

Mater Dei serves a relatively narrow slice of MoCo and NWDC families who want their DS's to be on a track to go to GP, GZA or St Johns. Those in the target market are well aware of the school. Many MD students transfer in from the local parish school. Events like Open Houses attract the curious and the "shoppers". To the school that might sound like a lot of work that yields little.

No Mater Dei serves MAGA OPUS DEI families.

You're confusing Mater Dei with The Heights.

MD is an independent Catholic school.
The heights is under the prelature of the Opus Dei.

Both may have some MAGA. But who really cares. At least MAGA are the winning team. Progressive / woke liberals are extreme too. Ds are losers.

They both prob have moderates.

But I know some Obama administration officials who sent their children to MD. Prob won't see that at the heights.

I just think, “Ew,” when I hear about both.

why?