Getting into St. Albans

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, so much stereotyping and inferring on the few pages I browsed.

I knew As and Bs students went to St Albans. And their parents are normal working parents like the rest of us. It is just a school, not Hoggwards.

Not true. St. Albans is a magical place where each boy is considered unique and special and after undergoing an exquisite grooming process, they depart on their quest to make the world a better place.

No, STA is not Hogwarts, it's STA.

Ha. Hyperbole. Well, maybe only slightly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, so much stereotyping and inferring on the few pages I browsed.

I knew As and Bs students went to St Albans. And their parents are normal working parents like the rest of us. It is just a school, not Hoggwards.

Not true. St. Albans is a magical place where each boy is considered unique and special and after undergoing an exquisite grooming process, they depart on their quest to make the world a better place.

No, STA is not Hogwarts, it's STA.

Ha. Hyperbole. Well, maybe only slightly.

So who is Dumbledore?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, so much stereotyping and inferring on the few pages I browsed.

I knew As and Bs students went to St Albans. And their parents are normal working parents like the rest of us. It is just a school, not Hoggwards.

Not true. St. Albans is a magical place where each boy is considered unique and special and after undergoing an exquisite grooming process, they depart on their quest to make the world a better place.

No, STA is not Hogwarts, it's STA.

Ha. Hyperbole. Well, maybe only slightly.

So who is Dumbledore?

Why you, of course, Zeb.

You, sly, ole dawg, Happy 2013!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
"You sound fairly tense and competitive yourself. Also, when i read (or her) comments along the lines of "my son had the wrong teacher and it affected his transcript/college options," my take is that most likely the parents are unrealistic about the child's talents and/or work ethic. Not everyone is good at everything; not every boy studies the same amount. And agreed, not every teacher is equally good, at any school. But hard-work and brains do come through (on testing, if nothing else). The boys tend to be pretty clear-eyed about things, though--more than many of their parents."


What a gift . . . you read one paragraph and draw many conclusions about the author and his/her parenting skills. I will always wonder how such nastiness is so easily dropped on others. Probably says a lot about those who feel comfortable going the "anonymous" route with mean-spirited, judgmental statements. In any event, my goal was to provide a counterpoint to the prior posting that STA was "magical." While it might be magical to some, I think that it is worthwhile for those contemplating applying to STA to know that it is a tough road and not always so pleasant. We are not bitter about the school or the way our boys have progressed. Rather, the process at the school is quite grinding and there are missed opportunities for family fun that in retrospect should not have been missed. Having missed some of that fun and with a son now off at college, I did not want others to have those same regrets. Make no mistake, STA has a lot going for it as a school. Could it be better? Most definitely.

We could so be friends!! I love your message, which is do not let STA or any high school take over your family's life. Great advice.

Well, I read the original post, and the message was not "do not let STA or any high school take over your family's life" -- your message was that STA did not have consistently good teaching; did not have good college counseling; had teachers who graded unfairly; and was filled with people who were judgmental about college choices. So, although you say "we are not bitter about the school," it certainly came across that way.


It really is quite interesting to jump on this board and read the same post referenced above. That post could not possibly be read as outlined just above. Some of people who post on this thread are just plain nuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, so much stereotyping and inferring on the few pages I browsed.

I knew As and Bs students went to St Albans. And their parents are normal working parents like the rest of us. It is just a school, not Hoggwards.

Not true. St. Albans is a magical place where each boy is considered unique and special and after undergoing an exquisite grooming process, they depart on their quest to make the world a better place.

No, STA is not Hogwarts, it's STA.

Ha. Hyperbole. Well, maybe only slightly.

So who is Dumbledore?

Why you, of course, Zeb.

You, sly, ole dawg, Happy 2013!

????

[Anonymous]

Inside joke, 23:28. Kind of a weak inside joke, but that's all.

[Anonymous]

Beauvoir parents, I have heard that you have already heard about 2013-14 4th grade admissions. Do you know whether the number of admits is the same as in previous years (30 or so out of 40)?

[Anonymous]

Lots of kids this morning testing for the 15 remaining spots. Oh dear!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of kids this morning testing for the 15 remaining spots. Oh dear!

If you don't get in this year and your famiy is still interested, consider applying down the road when kids have more of a track record and your child, if a strong student, can differentiate himself more. The ultimate graduation class basically expands 100% (40 to 80) from the size in the first entry year (4th grade).

[Anonymous]

Tell me about what happens during the student/parent visit, please.

[Anonymous]

Search "crab football." BTW, there is also crab soccer! Who knew???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell me about what happens during the student/parent visit, please.

The parents tour the school. The kids get tested and play crab football, which are actually one and the same.

Love that place already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell me about what happens during the student/parent visit, please.

The boys go off in a small group of about six, with a faculty member, and the parents go off in a small group wiht one of the admissions staff for a tour of the school. I recall some parents' being obviously competitive and trying to say impressive things, other parents' asking very nitpicky questions. Afterwards, I asked my son what they had done in their group, and he said they had just sat around and talked. Did you say anything, I asked. No, he said, not a word, the whole time! Oh, no, I thought. But he did get accepted after all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell me about what happens during the student/parent visit, please.

The boys go off in a small group of about six, with a faculty member, and the parents go off in a small group wiht one of the admissions staff for a tour of the school. I recall some parents' being obviously competitive and trying to say impressive things, other parents' asking very nitpicky questions. Afterwards, I asked my son what they had done in their group, and he said they had just sat around and talked. Did you say anything, I asked. No, he said, not a word, the whole time! Oh, no, I thought. But he did get accepted after all.

Better manners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell me about what happens during the student/parent visit, please.

The boys go off in a small group of about six, with a faculty member, and the parents go off in a small group wiht one of the admissions staff for a tour of the school. I recall some parents' being obviously competitive and trying to say impressive things, other parents' asking very nitpicky questions. Afterwards, I asked my son what they had done in their group, and he said they had just sat around and talked. Did you say anything, I asked. No, he said, not a word, the whole time! Oh, no, I thought. But he did get accepted after all.

Better manners.

It also becomes clear during these interviews which boys were prompted by their parents to volunteer to say things to try to appear engaged and bright. Such a tactic tends to backfire, as those doing the evaluating figure either the parents or the boys or both are insufferable.