FAQ: What is the "Big 3"? (or "Big 5", or "Big 10", etc)

[Anonymous]

True about Whitman.

[Anonymous]

Don't you think the number of top schools has increased over the years? We bought our house from an older couple who insisted that we only send our children to NCS/Albans or Sidwell. That was the lay of the land in the 1960's, I guess. Now I think there are lots of other great schools for DC families -- Holton, GDS, Maret to name a few. I personally prefer co-ed schools, and GDS is a little too liberal for me, so our decision came down to Sidwell and Maret. We chose Sidwell, but just because it was a great fit for our family, not an arbitrary Big# designation on DCUM. Maybe people feel the need to justify their decisions (expensive ones to be sure) by promoting their own schools, but it's silly really.

[Anonymous]

When trying to decide which school to send your kid to here in the DC area, be warned: do not choose a private high school on the basis of how many of their grads go to Yale, Princeton, etc. because a number of those admits will be legacies or children of well-known people, or even minority children who are accepted on the basis of affirmative action. Sometimes that can work to your advantage (assuming you aren't in one of those categories) --if your kid is a straight A student and the college in question admits a vastly inferior student-- they may have to take your kid as well to make it look good. But not always. Some high schools actually discourage kids from applying to colleges they might reasonably expect to get into because the h.s. is tagging those spots for some favored kids--and often an elite university will admit only so many for diversity's sake. A good question to ask is how many smart kids of ordinary folks get into top schools? That statistic will mean something. I am in a position to refer applicants I interview to a particular ivy so i know a little bit about it.

[Anonymous]

We moved here from elsewhere and were "unenlightened" enough to pick Landon over STA because we couldn't face the morning traffic. But our experience was a good one. Although we are nobodies--and lowly "land grant" graduates to boot, both our kids got into ivy league schools, neither played sports. Daughter went to the sister school. Those girls work their buns off over there, the boys would never do that! Her friends at NCS make the same claim relative to STA boys. Frankly I wish the girls would revolt. Some habitually stay up til 3 a.m. to study. You need to be young when you're young--

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When trying to decide which school to send your kid to here in the DC area, be warned: do not choose a private high school on the basis of how many of their grads go to Yale, Princeton, etc. because a number of those admits will be legacies or children of well-known people, or even minority children who are accepted on the basis of affirmative action. Sometimes that can work to your advantage (assuming you aren't in one of those categories) --if your kid is a straight A student and the college in question admits a vastly inferior student-- they may have to take your kid as well to make it look good. But not always. Some high schools actually discourage kids from applying to colleges they might reasonably expect to get into because the h.s. is tagging those spots for some favored kids--and often an elite university will admit only so many for diversity's sake. A good question to ask is how many smart kids of ordinary folks get into top schools? That statistic will mean something. I am in a position to refer applicants I interview to a particular ivy so i know a little bit about it.

The problem is that these "unhooked" applicants, i.e. those that are not legacies at the Ivies, are going to face the same problem at any DC-area school they attend, whether private or public. Each the top area publics (e.g., Whitman, Betheda-Chevy Chase, Jefferson) and privates has a handful or more of HYP legacies and other Ivy legacies. On another thread, a poster suggested sending one's unhooked child to the type of no-name private to which Ivy alums tned not to send their kids, but what parent in her right mind is going to choose a school that no one else who has a choice would choose???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We moved here from elsewhere and were "unenlightened" enough to pick Landon over STA because we couldn't face the morning traffic. But our experience was a good one. Although we are nobodies--and lowly "land grant" graduates to boot, both our kids got into ivy league schools, neither played sports. Daughter went to the sister school. Those girls work their buns off over there, the boys would never do that! Her friends at NCS make the same claim relative to STA boys. Frankly I wish the girls would revolt. Some habitually stay up til 3 a.m. to study. You need to be young when you're young--

You say that NCS girls claim that STA boys don't study as hard? That makes me laugh. The STA boys study very hard, and they say that NCS is a cakewalk by comparison. The grass is always greener . . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We moved here from elsewhere and were "unenlightened" enough to pick Landon over STA because we couldn't face the morning traffic. But our experience was a good one. Although we are nobodies--and lowly "land grant" graduates to boot, both our kids got into ivy league schools, neither played sports. Daughter went to the sister school. Those girls work their buns off over there, the boys would never do that! Her friends at NCS make the same claim relative to STA boys. Frankly I wish the girls would revolt. Some habitually stay up til 3 a.m. to study. You need to be young when you're young--

You say that NCS girls claim that STA boys don't study as hard? That makes me laugh. The STA boys study very hard, and they say that NCS is a cakewalk by comparison. The grass is always greener . . . .

This isn't true. While NCS girls do indeed claim that they work and study harder than STA boys, the STA boys never make the claim that they study as hard or harder than NCS girls. Obviously this is a generalization, and there are many exceptions, but on the whole it is pretty unanimously agreed upon that NCS girls are more studious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We moved here from elsewhere and were "unenlightened" enough to pick Landon over STA because we couldn't face the morning traffic. But our experience was a good one. Although we are nobodies--and lowly "land grant" graduates to boot, both our kids got into ivy league schools, neither played sports. Daughter went to the sister school. Those girls work their buns off over there, the boys would never do that! Her friends at NCS make the same claim relative to STA boys. Frankly I wish the girls would revolt. Some habitually stay up til 3 a.m. to study. You need to be young when you're young--

You say that NCS girls claim that STA boys don't study as hard? That makes me laugh. The STA boys study very hard, and they say that NCS is a cakewalk by comparison. The grass is always greener . . . .

This isn't true. While NCS girls do indeed claim that they work and study harder than STA boys, the STA boys never make the claim that they study as hard or harder than NCS girls. Obviously this is a generalization, and there are many exceptions, but on the whole it is pretty unanimously agreed upon that NCS girls are more studious.

How can it be "unanimously agreed upon" when I have a son who says otherwise? I think you are making generalizations based on a very small sample, and I was just saying that I've heard STA boys say otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We moved here from elsewhere and were "unenlightened" enough to pick Landon over STA because we couldn't face the morning traffic. But our experience was a good one. Although we are nobodies--and lowly "land grant" graduates to boot, both our kids got into ivy league schools, neither played sports. Daughter went to the sister school. Those girls work their buns off over there, the boys would never do that! Her friends at NCS make the same claim relative to STA boys. Frankly I wish the girls would revolt. Some habitually stay up til 3 a.m. to study. You need to be young when you're young--

You say that NCS girls claim that STA boys don't study as hard? That makes me laugh. The STA boys study very hard, and they say that NCS is a cakewalk by comparison. The grass is always greener . . . .

This isn't true. While NCS girls do indeed claim that they work and study harder than STA boys, the STA boys never make the claim that they study as hard or harder than NCS girls. Obviously this is a generalization, and there are many exceptions, but on the whole it is pretty unanimously agreed upon that NCS girls are more studious.

How can it be "unanimously agreed upon" when I have a son who says otherwise? I think you are making generalizations based on a very small sample, and I was just saying that I've heard STA boys say otherwise.

No dog in this fight, but I think the word "pretty", utilized in this setting, creates the needed margin of error to validate the statement. At least I'm pretty sure.

[Anonymous]

It's not even near pretty-unanimously-agreed-upon at STA.

[Anonymous]

St. Albans and Sidwell are generally the two "best" or most prestigious options for boys. As for girls, it's NCS and Sidwell. Holton is close. GDS is very prominent and academically rigorous now as well.
So because of this, the "big three" is Sidwell, NCS/STA, GDS. Obviously someone is going to quote this post and find fault with it, but I think it is the truth, whether we like it or not.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely true, PP. People can deny it all they wish, but those are the Big 3.

[Anonymous]

NP here. I agree with this ranking.

Anonymous wrote:St. Albans and Sidwell are generally the two "best" or most prestigious options for boys. As for girls, it's NCS and Sidwell. Holton is close. GDS is very prominent and academically rigorous now as well.
So because of this, the "big three" is Sidwell, NCS/STA, GDS. Obviously someone is going to quote this post and find fault with it, but I think it is the truth, whether we like it or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I agree with this ranking.

Anonymous wrote:St. Albans and Sidwell are generally the two "best" or most prestigious options for boys. As for girls, it's NCS and Sidwell. Holton is close. GDS is very prominent and academically rigorous now as well.
So because of this, the "big three" is Sidwell, NCS/STA, GDS. Obviously someone is going to quote this post and find fault with it, but I think it is the truth, whether we like it or not.

Whatever. I think there is some general agreement around StA and Sidwell being known as the most prestigious (which does not necessarily correlate to "the best"), but there is little agreement that GDS is the 3rd (schools like Holton, Potomac, Maret, etc could all legitimately lay claim). My kids are sporty, outgoing types and would never consider GDS to be a school they would want to attend.

[Anonymous]

The implication is that GDS is not a school for athletic children. I admit, I am not very familiar with the school. So I'm wondering, is there any truth to this?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I agree with this ranking.

Anonymous wrote:St. Albans and Sidwell are generally the two "best" or most prestigious options for boys. As for girls, it's NCS and Sidwell. Holton is close. GDS is very prominent and academically rigorous now as well.
So because of this, the "big three" is Sidwell, NCS/STA, GDS. Obviously someone is going to quote this post and find fault with it, but I think it is the truth, whether we like it or not.

Whatever. I think there is some general agreement around StA and Sidwell being known as the most prestigious (which does not necessarily correlate to "the best"), but there is little agreement that GDS is the 3rd (schools like Holton, Potomac, Maret, etc could all legitimately lay claim). My kids are sporty, outgoing types and would never consider GDS to be a school they would want to attend.