Is it true the Big 3 kids are getting hammered this year- and by that I mean bad admissions results?

[Anonymous]

I'M THE OP!! and while I am not shocked at the amount of vitriol this post sparked from public school parents, their very presence on this thread continues to confound me.

Why do all the public school parents assume private school parents are rich? In our family, private is a huge financial investment and sacrifice. So yes I am concerned that my kid may but shut out of target colleges for friends' kids who are in public who, by my friends' description have sadly had no instruction and are still getting all A's for no work.

That said, I hope my kids will be better prepared heading into university, and as it has been pointed out by numerous PP's, getting into college is not the only reason to invest in private education. I know private school is not a guarantee of anything. My concern is that it is actually becoming a LIABILITY to be in private.

A few clarifications:
1. No I'm not a Maret parent- but I do not want to get more specific
2. I'm not worried about my "little snowflake" not getting into HYP. When I said getting hammered I meant kids not getting into 9 out of ten of their schools, getting shut out from targets and safeties.
3. Still interested in how kids are doing from real Big 3 parents. It sounds like a lot of low matches and safties and wait lists for unhooked kids?

[Anonymous]

Okay, parent of a "Big 3" here. I don't really believe you aren't a Maret parent, because only Maret parents count it as "big 3" (NCS St. Albans, Sidwell). It's a great school, but for a different kind of student and slightly different outcomes for college matriculation. In any event, my anecdotal experience is that the kids all got into the exact schools they should have. They all applied to more and, as usual, many who had not place to, reached for Ivies and top 10, kidding themselves that they were sure to get in. Instead, many are going to UVA, W&M, Michigan, which are great outcomes for those kids. The top kids are all going to Top 10, next tier down going to top 25. Bottom 50% going to Tulane, Elon, mid-tier LACS, SEC schools--again, all great options for kids who are well-prepared to do well wherever they go. My kid is one in the bottom half of the class. He is going to a top 25 because of a major connection, to be honest. Had that not worked out, he had great options. But I will say, he had no options after the EA round--deferred even from very safe safeties--most of which turned to acceptances in RD. As always, OP, the lesson learned is to be realistic. My kid's best friend got excellent grades in demanding classes, but just wasn't doing all the things that Ivy-bound students do--Regeneron, etc, and didn't realize just how long a long-shot Dartmouth and Princeton are, so he wound up disappointed, despite acceptances to great schools just one step down from those. The end results just weren't that different from other years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'M THE OP!! and while I am not shocked at the amount of vitriol this post sparked from public school parents, their very presence on this thread continues to confound me.

Why do all the public school parents assume private school parents are rich? In our family, private is a huge financial investment and sacrifice. So yes I am concerned that my kid may but shut out of target colleges for friends' kids who are in public who, by my friends' description have sadly had no instruction and are still getting all A's for no work.

That said, I hope my kids will be better prepared heading into university, and as it has been pointed out by numerous PP's, getting into college is not the only reason to invest in private education. I know private school is not a guarantee of anything. My concern is that it is actually becoming a LIABILITY to be in private.

A few clarifications:
1. No I'm not a Maret parent- but I do not want to get more specific
2. I'm not worried about my "little snowflake" not getting into HYP. When I said getting hammered I meant kids not getting into 9 out of ten of their schools, getting shut out from targets and safeties.
3. Still interested in how kids are doing from real Big 3 parents. It sounds like a lot of low matches and safties and wait lists for unhooked kids?

I just want to say that you are not expressing concern that your kid won't have a good place to learn in the next phase of his/her life, you are saying that you are concerned that they will be beat out for their spot by a public school student. (Like it would be okay if it was someone as good as them.) Plus, I have a hard time believing that many of your friends would send their kid to a school that offers "no instruction." Finally, you described most kids getting into their targets and safeties as "getting hammered." If you understand those categories, you should have predicted that they are exactly where "most kids" would be expected to land. Reaches are crap shoots, which accept less than 10% of applicants. So it still comes across as if you expected your tuition dollars to unlock some magic key and that you are shocked that your kid actually had to compete with the masses in the end.

[Anonymous]

OP, if your kid is at one of these schools, they'll know how to find the Instagram account for your school which shows where the seniors are going to college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, if your kid is at one of these schools, they'll know how to find the Instagram account for your school which shows where the seniors are going to college.

A true elite private school would not allow something so declasse as a social media account proclaiming where its students have landed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if your kid is at one of these schools, they'll know how to find the Instagram account for your school which shows where the seniors are going to college.

A true elite private school would not allow something so declasse as a social media account proclaiming where its students have landed.

No true scotsman!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if your kid is at one of these schools, they'll know how to find the Instagram account for your school which shows where the seniors are going to college.

A true elite private school would not allow something so declasse as a social media account proclaiming where its students have landed.

Except all of them do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if your kid is at one of these schools, they'll know how to find the Instagram account for your school which shows where the seniors are going to college.

A true elite private school would not allow something so declasse as a social media account proclaiming where its students have landed.

Except all of them do.

Not at my Big 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if your kid is at one of these schools, they'll know how to find the Instagram account for your school which shows where the seniors are going to college.

A true elite private school would not allow something so declasse as a social media account proclaiming where its students have landed.

Except all of them do.

Not at my Big 3.

They don't. It's true. Not even private ones just among the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if your kid is at one of these schools, they'll know how to find the Instagram account for your school which shows where the seniors are going to college.

A true elite private school would not allow something so declasse as a social media account proclaiming where its students have landed.

Except all of them do.

Not at my Big 3.

They don't. It's true. Not even private ones just among the kids.

I don't know about 2021 but all the Big 3's had accounts for 2020 seniors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if your kid is at one of these schools, they'll know how to find the Instagram account for your school which shows where the seniors are going to college.

A true elite private school would not allow something so declasse as a social media account proclaiming where its students have landed.

Except all of them do.

Not at my Big 3.

They don't. It's true. Not even private ones just among the kids.

I don't know about 2021 but all the Big 3's had accounts for 2020 seniors.

Except for STA. They are above the fray.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if your kid is at one of these schools, they'll know how to find the Instagram account for your school which shows where the seniors are going to college.

A true elite private school would not allow something so declasse as a social media account proclaiming where its students have landed.

Except all of them do.

Not at my Big 3.

They don't. It's true. Not even private ones just among the kids.

I don't know about 2021 but all the Big 3's had accounts for 2020 seniors.

Wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid who is a sophomore at a Big 3 and by that let's say I mean St Albans/NCS, GDS, Sidwell or Maret. I have heard through my school grapevine that this year the kids at the elite privates are having terrible results-
especially the unhooked kids. I have heard that they are negatively affected by test-optional, the elimination of AP's and grade deflation.

Ok please tell me your experiences- Big 3 parents only please...I am not interested in hearing how well your W school kid did, or how stupid you think I am for paying private school tuition.

The rumors are true. It's been horrible. Half a mil in private and ended up exactly where we would have if we stayed with our highly regarded public school.

This makes no sense to me. Was your whole goal for private college admissions? If so you didn’t deserve to take a spot from someone who actually wanted to be there for the experience. My kids have developed a love for learning and so much more that can’t be quantified. I truly wouldn’t care if they ended up at nova - the foundation is there & they’ll succeed in life irrespective of where they go for college

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay, parent of a "Big 3" here. I don't really believe you aren't a Maret parent, because only Maret parents count it as "big 3" (NCS St. Albans, Sidwell). It's a great school, but for a different kind of student and slightly different outcomes for college matriculation. In any event, my anecdotal experience is that the kids all got into the exact schools they should have. They all applied to more and, as usual, many who had not place to, reached for Ivies and top 10, kidding themselves that they were sure to get in. Instead, many are going to UVA, W&M, Michigan, which are great outcomes for those kids. The top kids are all going to Top 10, next tier down going to top 25. Bottom 50% going to Tulane, Elon, mid-tier LACS, SEC schools--again, all great options for kids who are well-prepared to do well wherever they go. My kid is one in the bottom half of the class. He is going to a top 25 because of a major connection, to be honest. Had that not worked out, he had great options. But I will say, he had no options after the EA round--deferred even from very safe safeties--most of which turned to acceptances in RD. As always, OP, the lesson learned is to be realistic. My kid's best friend got excellent grades in demanding classes, but just wasn't doing all the things that Ivy-bound students do--Regeneron, etc, and didn't realize just how long a long-shot Dartmouth and Princeton are, so he wound up disappointed, despite acceptances to great schools just one step down from those. The end results just weren't that different from other years.

Are Elon and Tulane that bad? Isn’t Tulane ranked about the same as W&M? Still top 50

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay, parent of a "Big 3" here. I don't really believe you aren't a Maret parent, because only Maret parents count it as "big 3" (NCS St. Albans, Sidwell). It's a great school, but for a different kind of student and slightly different outcomes for college matriculation. In any event, my anecdotal experience is that the kids all got into the exact schools they should have. They all applied to more and, as usual, many who had not place to, reached for Ivies and top 10, kidding themselves that they were sure to get in. Instead, many are going to UVA, W&M, Michigan, which are great outcomes for those kids. The top kids are all going to Top 10, next tier down going to top 25. Bottom 50% going to Tulane, Elon, mid-tier LACS, SEC schools--again, all great options for kids who are well-prepared to do well wherever they go. My kid is one in the bottom half of the class. He is going to a top 25 because of a major connection, to be honest. Had that not worked out, he had great options. But I will say, he had no options after the EA round--deferred even from very safe safeties--most of which turned to acceptances in RD. As always, OP, the lesson learned is to be realistic. My kid's best friend got excellent grades in demanding classes, but just wasn't doing all the things that Ivy-bound students do--Regeneron, etc, and didn't realize just how long a long-shot Dartmouth and Princeton are, so he wound up disappointed, despite acceptances to great schools just one step down from those. The end results just weren't that different from other years.

Are Elon and Tulane that bad? Isn’t Tulane ranked about the same as W&M? Still top 50

Tulane has become a destination school at my kids private as well as in my close-in-suburbs neighborhood.

Elon is where Tulane was about 10 years ago and is rapidly moving up the ranks.