St. Albans acceptance rate = 25 to 30%?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s the word on the new AD in terms of who he favors. The last 2 coached lax and soccer so it was no surprise who had an edge in admissions. The new guy is not a coach so I’m hoping some reasonableness returns to the admissions equation??

Define "reasonableness". His agenda seems to be one of "diversity"

+1. He talks a good game, but in the end, most admits are siblings, legacies (a lock for admission) and families with hooks/ connections of some sort.

Do you blame him? The big donors and VIPs at Sta and on the cathedral close have a lot of power and believe me they use it for themselves and for their friends. I don’t blame him for not going up against them.

So he’s a good guy who has to do a lot of butt licking to keep the big donors and VIP’ at STA and on the cathedral happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s the word on the new AD in terms of who he favors. The last 2 coached lax and soccer so it was no surprise who had an edge in admissions. The new guy is not a coach so I’m hoping some reasonableness returns to the admissions equation??

Define "reasonableness". His agenda seems to be one of "diversity"

AA or other forms of diversity?

AA not so much Hispanic (very underrepresented), Persian, Indian, or Asian

In other words, Smart.... and similar to the kids from past many years.

Joe Viola is a very fine man and, if for some reason your child is not accepted, you can be sure he looked hard at it and he was fair

This sounds like STA admin to me, keep up the posting.

Nope, just a very satisfied parent who's child got a great education and interaction with Dr Viola was from when he was Lower School Dean

His roles are very different now. Your past interaction with him as Lower School Dean has no bearing on those who have interacted with him as AD. He was not a good pick for his current role. He is better suited to his former one.

STA Admin and Board disagree with you and what poor form to target a singularly named individual in a public forum while keeping yourself anonymous.

If your son or one you advocated for was not admitted, try again next year, is the STA way- not anonymously attacking their person that you perceive was responsible. - perhaps you should look in the mirror on that front

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s the word on the new AD in terms of who he favors. The last 2 coached lax and soccer so it was no surprise who had an edge in admissions. The new guy is not a coach so I’m hoping some reasonableness returns to the admissions equation??

Define "reasonableness". His agenda seems to be one of "diversity"

AA or other forms of diversity?

They don’t want too many Black kids at STA.

This kind of post must be called out and challenged because it is so deliberately misleading to the great many AA parents in the DC metro area who aspire to a great education for their sons.

The FACTS: there is no other Private School in Washington that admits a higher percentage of AA Boys AND, not to say that AA boys need FA, but it is also true that STA provides more FA than ANY other Private.

Once admitted, these young men are genuinely respected for what they bring with them: various academic, gifts in the Arts ( music, chorister, theatre, writing) and Athletics.

And STA has been doing that for decades and decades and certainly NOT by being sanctimonious like some schools, but by admitting that it is imperfect, that it is determined to improve and then by doing so.

Read this interview by Skip Grant, who was recruited to STA by HOS Martin ( hired away from CYO and SJC, I think ) in the 1960's I believe:https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/a36673974/skip-grant-athletic-director-interview/

Those aren’t facts. They don’t admit the highest percentage of Black boys. And what does financial aid have to do with Black boys?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s the word on the new AD in terms of who he favors. The last 2 coached lax and soccer so it was no surprise who had an edge in admissions. The new guy is not a coach so I’m hoping some reasonableness returns to the admissions equation??

Define "reasonableness". His agenda seems to be one of "diversity"

AA or other forms of diversity?

AA not so much Hispanic (very underrepresented), Persian, Indian, or Asian

In other words, Smart.... and similar to the kids from past many years.

Joe Viola is a very fine man and, if for some reason your child is not accepted, you can be sure he looked hard at it and he was fair

This sounds like STA admin to me, keep up the posting.

Nope, just a very satisfied parent who's child got a great education and interaction with Dr Viola was from when he was Lower School Dean

His roles are very different now. Your past interaction with him as Lower School Dean has no bearing on those who have interacted with him as AD. He was not a good pick for his current role. He is better suited to his former one.

STA Admin and Board disagree with you and what poor form to target a singularly named individual in a public forum while keeping yourself anonymous.

If your son or one you advocated for was not admitted, try again next year, is the STA way- not anonymously attacking their person that you perceive was responsible. - perhaps you should look in the mirror on that front

Oh please stop being so dramatic, nothing bad was said about him in the least, just a difference of opinion. Constructive criticism and self-reflection --that's the St. Alban's way. You sound very personally and irrationally invested.

[Anonymous]

Lots of side dialogs on this thread. Bottom line is that if you are absolutely convinced that STA (or any other school) is the right choice for your son, then the question isn't what the overall admissions rate is today, but rather whether after doing everything you can to get him admitted (indicating first choice, additional recommendations, etc . . .) you can get your son off the WL by March 18. If you are convinced STA and is the place for you and you haven't taken these steps yet, then it's unjust to point fingers because I promise you those who have been admitted didn't wait this long to do so.

If you don't think STA is the place for your son, then you should 100% not send him there because I can assure you that future opportunities will not materially differ if he attends a school that fits him best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of side dialogs on this thread. Bottom line is that if you are absolutely convinced that STA (or any other school) is the right choice for your son, then the question isn't what the overall admissions rate is today, but rather whether after doing everything you can to get him admitted (indicating first choice, additional recommendations, etc . . .) you can get your son off the WL by March 18. If you are convinced STA and is the place for you and you haven't taken these steps yet, then it's unjust to point fingers because I promise you those who have been admitted didn't wait this long to do so.

If you don't think STA is the place for your son, then you should 100% not send him there because I can assure you that future opportunities will not materially differ if he attends a school that fits him best.

The STA waitlist isn’t moving at this point. That ship sailed already

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s the word on the new AD in terms of who he favors. The last 2 coached lax and soccer so it was no surprise who had an edge in admissions. The new guy is not a coach so I’m hoping some reasonableness returns to the admissions equation??

Define "reasonableness". His agenda seems to be one of "diversity"

AA or other forms of diversity?

They don’t want too many Black kids at STA.

This kind of post must be called out and challenged because it is so deliberately misleading to the great many AA parents in the DC metro area who aspire to a great education for their sons.

The FACTS: there is no other Private School in Washington that admits a higher percentage of AA Boys AND, not to say that AA boys need FA, but it is also true that STA provides more FA than ANY other Private.

Once admitted, these young men are genuinely respected for what they bring with them: various academic, gifts in the Arts ( music, chorister, theatre, writing) and Athletics.

And STA has been doing that for decades and decades and certainly NOT by being sanctimonious like some schools, but by admitting that it is imperfect, that it is determined to improve and then by doing so.

Read this interview by Skip Grant, who was recruited to STA by HOS Martin ( hired away from CYO and SJC, I think ) in the 1960's I believe:https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/a36673974/skip-grant-athletic-director-interview/

This has been such a huge push to the point of disadvantaging other minorities who a re grossly underrepresented at thge school. The statement that STA doesn't want AA students is absurd.

Ok, I have to call out this very dangerous and flawed reasoning. Put aside the numbers, which you can look up on your own. The implication of this last post is that admissions for and among non-white or otherwise diverse students is a zero-sum game among them, and therefore they have adverse interests in terms of diversity initiatives and similar. That is only true if an institution caps diversity admissions (which would be discriminatory). This false adversarialism is a not-so-subtle ploy to pit underserved groups against one another instead of against the historical status quo, which tends to disfavor all minorities regardless of their merit.

Does that mean everyone has to have the same views on dei and dei initiatives in admissions? Of course not. Does that mean everyone has to agree about admissions testing, etc? No. But the narrative about diversity being a zero sum game is a total abs often intentional red herring. And it should be called out as such.

[Anonymous]

STA Admin and Board disagree with you and what poor form to target a singularly named individual in a public forum while keeping yourself anonymous.

If your son or one you advocated for was not admitted, try again next year, is the STA way- not anonymously attacking their person that you perceive was responsible. - perhaps you should look in the mirror on that front


Oh please stop being so dramatic, nothing bad was said about him in the least, just a difference of opinion. Constructive criticism and self-reflection --that's the St. Alban's way. You sound very personally and irrationally invested.

NP. I am also offended on behalf of Dr. Viola. Posts went far beyond simply expressing a difference of opinion, and your latest post reeks of rationalizing poor behavior. Anyone who has actually interacted with Dr. Viola would recognize his sincerity, intellect and, quite simply, his goodness. The comments targeting him are not only untrue, they are unfair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Judging from the kids at Beauvoir, NCS and St. Albans, admissions can’t be that selective. The whole exclusive thing is a myth created to separate fools from their money..

I don't think 25 to 30 percent is THAT selective, ultimately. That's equivalent to a low tier Little Ivy acceptance rate.

I think it is not very selective coming in at 4th from BVR. If the question is how selective is it for 9th grade? VERY. Many more very qualified and impressive applicants and only about 10 available slots(some filled by those with hooks or sons of VIPs)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s the word on the new AD in terms of who he favors. The last 2 coached lax and soccer so it was no surprise who had an edge in admissions. The new guy is not a coach so I’m hoping some reasonableness returns to the admissions equation??

Define "reasonableness". His agenda seems to be one of "diversity"

AA or other forms of diversity?

AA not so much Hispanic (very underrepresented), Persian, Indian, or Asian

In other words, Smart.... and similar to the kids from past many years.

Joe Viola is a very fine man and, if for some reason your child is not accepted, you can be sure he looked hard at it and he was fair

This sounds like STA admin to me, keep up the posting.

Nope, just a very satisfied parent who's child got a great education and interaction with Dr Viola was from when he was Lower School Dean

His roles are very different now. Your past interaction with him as Lower School Dean has no bearing on those who have interacted with him as AD. He was not a good pick for his current role. He is better suited to his former one.

I think he’s doing a fine job. I’m not sure what your particular issue is. Previous AD is a really nice guy but in regards to being an admissions director he made the school more clubby and Republican than it has been in probably 30 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Judging from the kids at Beauvoir, NCS and St. Albans, admissions can’t be that selective. The whole exclusive thing is a myth created to separate fools from their money..

I don't think 25 to 30 percent is THAT selective, ultimately. That's equivalent to a low tier Little Ivy acceptance rate.

I think it is not very selective coming in at 4th from BVR. If the question is how selective is it for 9th grade? VERY. Many more very qualified and impressive applicants and only about 10 available slots(some filled by those with hooks or sons of VIPs)

What about those coming in from 4th grade who are non-Beauvoir or are from MCPS or Virginia Public Schools? I know a couple folks who got waitlisted outside of Beauvoir. Great kids and families who are full pay. Too sad. What other factors if even underrepresented folks are being waitlisted?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s the word on the new AD in terms of who he favors. The last 2 coached lax and soccer so it was no surprise who had an edge in admissions. The new guy is not a coach so I’m hoping some reasonableness returns to the admissions equation??

Define "reasonableness". His agenda seems to be one of "diversity"

AA or other forms of diversity?

AA not so much Hispanic (very underrepresented), Persian, Indian, or Asian

In other words, Smart.... and similar to the kids from past many years.

Joe Viola is a very fine man and, if for some reason your child is not accepted, you can be sure he looked hard at it and he was fair

This sounds like STA admin to me, keep up the posting.

Nope, just a very satisfied parent who's child got a great education and interaction with Dr Viola was from when he was Lower School Dean

His roles are very different now. Your past interaction with him as Lower School Dean has no bearing on those who have interacted with him as AD. He was not a good pick for his current role. He is better suited to his former one.

I think he’s doing a fine job. I’m not sure what your particular issue is. Previous AD is a really nice guy but in regards to being an admissions director he made the school more clubby and Republican than it has been in probably 30 years.

Correct. His legacy lives on and not in a good way for most of us who are neither clubby nor Republican.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of side dialogs on this thread. Bottom line is that if you are absolutely convinced that STA (or any other school) is the right choice for your son, then the question isn't what the overall admissions rate is today, but rather whether after doing everything you can to get him admitted (indicating first choice, additional recommendations, etc . . .) you can get your son off the WL by March 18. If you are convinced STA and is the place for you and you haven't taken these steps yet, then it's unjust to point fingers because I promise you those who have been admitted didn't wait this long to do so.

If you don't think STA is the place for your son, then you should 100% not send him there because I can assure you that future opportunities will not materially differ if he attends a school that fits him best.

The STA waitlist isn’t moving at this point. That ship sailed already

(nP) WL here and that’s we assumed. This party is over. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of side dialogs on this thread. Bottom line is that if you are absolutely convinced that STA (or any other school) is the right choice for your son, then the question isn't what the overall admissions rate is today, but rather whether after doing everything you can to get him admitted (indicating first choice, additional recommendations, etc . . .) you can get your son off the WL by March 18. If you are convinced STA and is the place for you and you haven't taken these steps yet, then it's unjust to point fingers because I promise you those who have been admitted didn't wait this long to do so.

If you don't think STA is the place for your son, then you should 100% not send him there because I can assure you that future opportunities will not materially differ if he attends a school that fits him best.

The STA waitlist isn’t moving at this point. That ship sailed already

(nP) WL here and that’s we assumed. This party is over. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

If it moves, when? After next Friday?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of side dialogs on this thread. Bottom line is that if you are absolutely convinced that STA (or any other school) is the right choice for your son, then the question isn't what the overall admissions rate is today, but rather whether after doing everything you can to get him admitted (indicating first choice, additional recommendations, etc . . .) you can get your son off the WL by March 18. If you are convinced STA and is the place for you and you haven't taken these steps yet, then it's unjust to point fingers because I promise you those who have been admitted didn't wait this long to do so.

If you don't think STA is the place for your son, then you should 100% not send him there because I can assure you that future opportunities will not materially differ if he attends a school that fits him best.

The STA waitlist isn’t moving at this point. That ship sailed already

(nP) WL here and that’s we assumed. This party is over. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

If it moves, when? After next Friday?

Yes, but I honestly don't think STA waitlist ever moves. They seem to get a very high yield each year.