Sidwell throttling down college admissions?

[Anonymous]

Someone else wisely posted that if you think you are paying for IVY admission, you're mistaken.

Elite privates only make sense if you value the actual education delivered. It's a sucker's bet if you think you are putting a down payment for an IVY degree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Someone else wisely posted that if you think you are paying for IVY admission, you're mistaken.

Elite privates only make sense if you value the actual education delivered. It's a sucker's bet if you think you are putting a down payment for an IVY degree.

1. Why are you capitalizing all the letters in "Ivy"? It's not an acronym.

2. The idea that a degree from an Ivy League school means a better education, or better career prospects, than graduating from another top school, is stupid. The Ivy League is not a merit-based organization. Even if there were a way to pay for guaranteed admission to an Ivy League university, it would be stupid to waste your money on it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The vast majority of sfs kids are not hitting Ivy League schools.

The vast majority of kids everywhere are not going to ivy league schools.

Yes, but Sidwell touts itself as the most prestigious school in the area so it needs to do better than "everywhere else". What the past few years of college admissions results show is that Sidwell is not living up to its "elite" name and paying more than half a million $$ for 13 years of education is just not worth it, if the point is to guarantee a spot for the upper school.

Well, they are leaving a lot of high stat kids on the reject and wait lists, so that must not actually be their goal.

Maybe it's not just the counseling office that needs work but also the admissions team. From what we can see, they are leaving academically strong candidates on the reject and waitlists. This is for the upper school that we had experience with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The vast majority of sfs kids are not hitting Ivy League schools.

The vast majority of kids everywhere are not going to ivy league schools.

Yes, but Sidwell touts itself as the most prestigious school in the area so it needs to do better than "everywhere else". What the past few years of college admissions results show is that Sidwell is not living up to its "elite" name and paying more than half a million $$ for 13 years of education is just not worth it, if the point is to guarantee a spot for the upper school.

Well, they are leaving a lot of high stat kids on the reject and wait lists, so that must not actually be their goal.

Maybe it's not just the counseling office that needs work but also the admissions team. From what we can see, they are leaving academically strong candidates on the reject and waitlists. This is for the upper school that we had experience with.

That is because Sidwell wants to create a well-rounded upper school, and students bring more to the equation than just their academic strengths. You sound a little bitter about the rejection or waitlist, as you have now posted that criticism at least twice. If your "academically strong candidate" was admitted to GDS, NCS, STA, or any of a number of very good local private or public (TJ) schools, you should count your blessings instead of dwelling on your disappointments, as your child will receive an excellent education at their second choice schools as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The vast majority of sfs kids are not hitting Ivy League schools.

The vast majority of kids everywhere are not going to ivy league schools.

Yes, but Sidwell touts itself as the most prestigious school in the area so it needs to do better than "everywhere else". What the past few years of college admissions results show is that Sidwell is not living up to its "elite" name and paying more than half a million $$ for 13 years of education is just not worth it, if the point is to guarantee a spot for the upper school.

Well, they are leaving a lot of high stat kids on the reject and wait lists, so that must not actually be their goal.

Maybe it's not just the counseling office that needs work but also the admissions team. From what we can see, they are leaving academically strong candidates on the reject and waitlists. This is for the upper school that we had experience with.

That is because Sidwell wants to create a well-rounded upper school, and students bring more to the equation than just their academic strengths. You sound a little bitter about the rejection or waitlist, as you have now posted that criticism at least twice. If your "academically strong candidate" was admitted to GDS, NCS, STA, or any of a number of very good local private or public (TJ) schools, you should count your blessings instead of dwelling on your disappointments, as your child will receive an excellent education at their second choice schools as well.

Don't you think that most top schools try to create a well-rounded class? Look at Andover's and Exeter's classes and then tell me they aren't well-rounded. You can't use that as an excuse for Sidwell not performing as well as those schools in college admissions.

[Anonymous]

Nice strawman. No one has claimed that Sidwell does (or should do) as well as Andover or Exeter in college admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nice strawman. No one has claimed that Sidwell does (or should do) as well as Andover or Exeter in college admissions.

Tell that to the Sidwell boosters. If Sidwell isn't expected to do as well as Andover or Exeter, then Sidwell parents need to admit that Sidwell isn't the best HS in the country, which most of them would be very uncomfortable doing.

[Anonymous]

Again with the strawmen. Where on DCUM, or elsewhere, has anyone (whether affiliated with Sidwell or not) ever claimed that it's the best HS in the country?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Again with the strawmen. Where on DCUM, or elsewhere, has anyone (whether affiliated with Sidwell or not) ever claimed that it's the best HS in the country?

Given the insane clamor for admission to the school, and the accusations by Sidwell parents that anyone who criticizes it is just jealous, one would be forgiven if one thought that people who go there don't think it's the best thing since sliced bread.

Otherwise, let's describe it as it is--a very good local high school that can't compete with the powerhouse private high schools in the NE--and stop acting like it's any different than any of the other strong high schools in the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nice strawman. No one has claimed that Sidwell does (or should do) as well as Andover or Exeter in college admissions.

Tell that to the Sidwell boosters. If Sidwell isn't expected to do as well as Andover or Exeter, then Sidwell parents need to admit that Sidwell isn't the best HS in the country, which most of them would be very uncomfortable doing.

LOL . You either have really ridiculous friends or a big chip. I am a SFS parent and would never claim that. I would laugh if I heard that from a fellow parent, as there is absolutely no way to determine that, even if it were my goal to have my kid attend the best school. Many parents choose Sidwell for the Quaker aspect, which is unique in DC. Movin on!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nice strawman. No one has claimed that Sidwell does (or should do) as well as Andover or Exeter in college admissions.

Tell that to the Sidwell boosters. If Sidwell isn't expected to do as well as Andover or Exeter, then Sidwell parents need to admit that Sidwell isn't the best HS in the country, which most of them would be very uncomfortable doing.

LOL . You either have really ridiculous friends or a big chip. I am a SFS parent and would never claim that. I would laugh if I heard that from a fellow parent, as there is absolutely no way to determine that, even if it were my goal to have my kid attend the best school. Many parents choose Sidwell for the Quaker aspect, which is unique in DC. Movin on!

Well, tell that to the people who practically speak in hushed tones about what a freaking magical place it is.

I don't have a chip on my shoulder; I just know BS when I see it. And there are lots of people spewing BS about this school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nice strawman. No one has claimed that Sidwell does (or should do) as well as Andover or Exeter in college admissions.

Tell that to the Sidwell boosters. If Sidwell isn't expected to do as well as Andover or Exeter, then Sidwell parents need to admit that Sidwell isn't the best HS in the country, which most of them would be very uncomfortable doing.

LOL . You either have really ridiculous friends or a big chip. I am a SFS parent and would never claim that. I would laugh if I heard that from a fellow parent, as there is absolutely no way to determine that, even if it were my goal to have my kid attend the best school. Many parents choose Sidwell for the Quaker aspect, which is unique in DC. Movin on!

Well, tell that to the people who practically speak in hushed tones about what a freaking magical place it is.

I don't have a chip on my shoulder; I just know BS when I see it. And there are lots of people spewing BS about this school.

Maybe you need to find a new social scene then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Again with the strawmen. Where on DCUM, or elsewhere, has anyone (whether affiliated with Sidwell or not) ever claimed that it's the best HS in the country?

Given the insane clamor for admission to the school, and the accusations by Sidwell parents that anyone who criticizes it is just jealous, one would be forgiven if one thought that people who go there don't think it's the best thing since sliced bread.

Otherwise, let's describe it as it is--a very good local high school that can't compete with the powerhouse private high schools in the NE--and stop acting like it's any different than any of the other strong high schools in the area.

So basically, you were full of it and have no proof that anyone actually thinks or claims Sidwell is the best HS in the country.

Also, in the brief time I've been on DCUM, it seems like Sidwell is most commonly (if not usually) discussed as one of the "Big 3" and nothing more/less. Hardly deserving of the pearl-clutching hyperbole that you seem to be expressing constantly in this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nice strawman. No one has claimed that Sidwell does (or should do) as well as Andover or Exeter in college admissions.

Tell that to the Sidwell boosters. If Sidwell isn't expected to do as well as Andover or Exeter, then Sidwell parents need to admit that Sidwell isn't the best HS in the country, which most of them would be very uncomfortable doing.

LOL . You either have really ridiculous friends or a big chip. I am a SFS parent and would never claim that. I would laugh if I heard that from a fellow parent, as there is absolutely no way to determine that, even if it were my goal to have my kid attend the best school. Many parents choose Sidwell for the Quaker aspect, which is unique in DC. Movin on!

Well, tell that to the people who practically speak in hushed tones about what a freaking magical place it is.

I don't have a chip on my shoulder; I just know BS when I see it. And there are lots of people spewing BS about this school.

Maybe you need to find a new social scene then.

And maybe DCUM should stop acting like Sidwell is any different than any number of other DC-area private schools. Stop telling people who are choosing between Sidwell and another strong school to "obviously choose Sidwell."

It's like the responses to the OP who was choosing between Lowell and Maret -- so many people were saying "obviously you choose Maret." Why? Because Maret is considered to be more prestigious? That's stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Again with the strawmen. Where on DCUM, or elsewhere, has anyone (whether affiliated with Sidwell or not) ever claimed that it's the best HS in the country?

Given the insane clamor for admission to the school, and the accusations by Sidwell parents that anyone who criticizes it is just jealous, one would be forgiven if one thought that people who go there don't think it's the best thing since sliced bread.

Otherwise, let's describe it as it is--a very good local high school that can't compete with the powerhouse private high schools in the NE--and stop acting like it's any different than any of the other strong high schools in the area.

For someone living in DC, a NE boarding school may not be an attractive option. And bear in mind that if you're looking to do better than Sidwell (or NCS/STA or GDS), there's a fairly narrow range of NE schools that could claim to be a step up. Most are not, and are well behind And/Ex.