Georgetown Prep?

[Anonymous]

I wanted to respond to some of the criticisms of Georgetown Prep I've read here... I graduated from Georgetown Prep over 20 years ago, and in my opinion what distinguished the school from others was its emphasis on creating "men for others." There may be other schools who place more students at ivy league schools, etc., but my experiences with the Jesuits and the incredibly committed teaching staff there were all positive. I was involved in sports, and the athletic program is very strong, but sports were always kept in perspective; I remember a strong emphasis on sports as character building and not as an end in themselves...

[Anonymous]

I agree with you PP. We have many close friends who sons graduate from there. The thing that always struck me about Prep was the incredible balance it had. It does all things very well. There may be a few schools that are marginally better in academics (and Prep doesn't have to apologize against any other school in that area), but I have never seen a program that has the balance of high quality academia, athletics, facilities, attitude, and yes, moral compass. All in one package.

[Anonymous]

Can any GP parents or recent alums comment on how GP creates "men for others" specifically? What is the spriritual formation like, and how (if at all) do boys at such a lovely school keep from developing an unattractive sense of entitlement? I read Mark Judge's book God and Man at Georgetown Prep, and it paints a pretty cynical picture. Will be looking at Catholic high schools next year and would appreciate any thoughtful responses.

[Anonymous]

I gaduated from Prep almost 25 years ago and can honestly say that no institution in my life played a more instrumental role in shaping the person that I am today. The relationships that I developed there have last a life time and served me well as an adult. Although Prep has always fielded a strong athletic program, my lack of athletic ability did not hinder me from thoroughly enjoying my years at Prep. As an immigrant and someone who did not come from wealth, I still found that the Prep community (i.e., students, alumni, faculty and to a lesser degree parents) was the most nurturing group of individuals I have ever had the privilege of knowing and being a part of. While I still see my Prep buddies on a regular basis, I miss my days at Prep and only hope that my son will have the same good fortune and attend Prep one day. While Prep may not be suitable for every young man, if your son expresses an interest in the school, I would have no resevations in recommending Prep. My only word of caution is that Prep will challenge your son and is not a place for a child not willing to work hard for four years. I (along with many of my classmates) found it harder than college and law school.

[Anonymous]

Can someone tell me how academically selective Prep is -- really? The website talks about how hard it is to get in, but some of the kids I have seen go there from our middle school were not, shall we say, the cream of the crop. Presumably they were athletic recruits. I know they have some top notch students, and they had a Presidential Scholar this year. But I'm wondering if there is a big intellectual range, and if so, are all the kids mixed together in the same classes, or are there honors classes (before you get to AP in the later years) for the more academically inclined? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone tell me how academically selective Prep is -- really? The website talks about how hard it is to get in, but some of the kids I have seen go there from our middle school were not, shall we say, the cream of the crop. Presumably they were athletic recruits. I know they have some top notch students, and they had a Presidential Scholar this year. But I'm wondering if there is a big intellectual range, and if so, are all the kids mixed together in the same classes, or are there honors classes (before you get to AP in the later years) for the more academically inclined? Thanks.

Depends on how you define "Cream of the Crop." But I think it's fair to say that cream of the crop athletes (esp. in DC metro) are a much rarer breed than cream of the crop (i.e., straight-A) students. And to survive at Georgetown Prep, the "athletic recruit" and everyone else needs to meet an incredibly high academic bar. There certainly aren't any remedial classes, any grade inflation, and very few electives. You won't get in if you can't handle the work, and you'll get counseled out if you blow it off. So, you might want to give the Prep-bound middle schoolers who crossed your path a little more credit. On the whole, they are probably just as gifted as anyone else you and your DC have sized up.

To give you a sense for range (which I believe exists at every school), Prep will send 10 kids to Ivies 2 to Stanford, a handful each to Duke, Michigan, and Northwestern this fall. As always, Georgetown and UVA are very well represented (the prez scholar is going to UVA, BTW). On the other end of the spectrum, there are guys heading to Boston College, Elon U., Miami of Ohio, Notre Dame, and Villanova.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone tell me how academically selective Prep is -- really?

See statistics linked from FAQ (http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/99066.page). Academically, Georgetown Prep seems pretty comparable to Landon.

[Anonymous]

23:58 I agree with much of your post but I think you are unaware of how selective BC and Notre Dame are-- they are very strong schools in the Georgetown category.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info. By "cream of the crop" I did mean top of their classes academically. If Boston College and Notre Dame are really the "other end of the spectrum" at GP, that is impressive, because those are reputed to be fine schools. With a school that is as much of an athletic powerhouse as GP, though, I worry that those great college placements are due to athletics, and my DS won't get in that way. Are there any GP parents who can attest that their not particularly athletic sons (or friends' sons) thrived there? So much on DCUM counsels against going to GP if you're not a big athlete. Also, what percent of the kids come from Mater Dei? If you're not from there, is it hard to fit in? Thanks again.

[Anonymous]

Mater Dei is the primary feeder (at least it used to be), but kids come from all over and bond with one another pretty quickly freshman year. If anything, boarding students are the ones who complain about being socially excluded from day students. Geography of day students can make a little difference. Population from Potomac, Chevy Chase, Bethesda outweigh NW DC, NW DC outweighs suburban VA.

And yes, non athletes get plenty of respect. The President of the Yard (i.e., prez of student body voted by students) is most often a non athlete. My senior year, the POY was also the valedictorian – asian minority, zero sports (not even club fencing ), not one to socialize on the weekends, and from (gasp) Wheaton. He clearly fit in fine.

But the culture values well-roundedness (academics, social, athletics) above all else. I think that's typical in any school. Admissions looks for balance – kids who are at least proficient in all key areas but also REALLY excel at one or two things be it lacrosse, piano, baseball, or mathematics, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:23:58 I agree with much of your post but I think you are unaware of how selective BC and Notre Dame are-- they are very strong schools in the Georgetown category.

23:53 here. Agreed. Those are all strong schools, but still a different quartile than ivies, Duke, etc. if you buy into the U.S. News rankings. To be clear, Prep will send individuals to less reputable schools than BC and ND (e.g., Wisconsin, University of So. Calif, Dayton), but those are one-off destinations. Same can be said for Vandy, Wake, Davidson, and Emory -- there are a smattering of kids going there as well. I listed the BCs and NDs b/c they were places at the "lower end" of the spectrum where multiple kids (i.e., >3) from Prep's class of 2010 will go this fall.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info. My DS thinks GP is just for jocks. I hope the school does a good job at the open house and on shadow days of making the "non-jocks" see that there is a place for them.

[Anonymous]

Be assured, it is not just a school for jocks. Sometimes it gets this reputation (as to other schools) because of its athletic excellence. Many people abhor the fact that a school could actually have both athletic and academic excellence. They seem to have disdain toward students that are proficient at both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the info. My DS thinks GP is just for jocks. I hope the school does a good job at the open house and on shadow days of making the "non-jocks" see that there is a place for them.

There are plenty of non-jocks at Prep. There were a few in my class who entered as non-jocks and picked up a sport -- like track. If not, there's debate, model UN, drama and probably a dozen or more other clubs. Really, there's something for eveyone.

[Anonymous]

"The Geeks, sportos, motorheads, dweebs, dorks, sluts, buttheads...they all adore him. They think he's a righteous dude." Name that film.