2025 Admission Results

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do FA families have a harder time getting in? Wondering why we struck out this year and if needing FA was a factor. Is there a threshold of a certain percentage of aid needed that makes it harder?

Yes, of course.

And I don't mean to sound sarcastic or mean, but this should make sense to you. However, I know how the schools present the FA situation and I think it can be very misleading and unfair.

If you can't afford to pay for the tuition and other families can, they are going to have the upper hand. No matter what the schools say about how generous they are with FA, requiring it automatically puts you at a disadvantage.

I can't afford a $5,000,000 home. Someone else is going to pay cash. Who do you think the sellers want to work with?

I wish this was true at my school but it’s not. We are need blind and it’s actually need blind. The kids get their acceptance and then - if they applied for aid, they find out separately if they got it and how much. This is fine for lower school but for middle and upper it shouldn’t be this way. If you’re getting aid as a 7th grader and older, you should be bringing something specific to the school - athletics, academics, arts, diversity. No average white kids please, those should be the ones paying full freight.

[Anonymous]

Why???

[Anonymous]

Because private school is not a right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Do FA families have a harder time getting in? Wondering why we struck out this year and if needing FA was a factor. Is there a threshold of a certain percentage of aid needed that makes it harder?

I would assume so. Most of these schools don't have a large endowment and the non-super rich full pays don't donate a lot of money because tuition costs $50,000 a year per child.

But when schools advertise the average award, it seems significant. Some around 50% of tuition. I'm just trying to understand, they seem to welcome FA students but then won't accept them?

If you're an FA family getting 50% or more, what kind of student do you have? They can't all be straight A students and world class athletes.

We received this award at four competitive schools and DC is a very impressive child. I would share their qualities, but for privacy reasons I am limited.

Basically, if you are going for FA you need to bring something to the table to elevate the class

Would love to know how a kid elevates the class. Please tell.

If you have to ask…

Sounds bogus. Not getting a reply confirms that.

Our packages speak for themselves. I was just giving hope to the poster who asked because if I was in their shoes I would want to know. On the other hand, I am not entertaining snarky like yours. Enjoy squabbling among each other, trolls! We’ve got exciting decisions to make.

Getting financial aid doesn’t mean your kid is elevating the class.

It means you are the recipient of charity that was donated to the school to help less fortunate families.

You are lucky enough to be getting a bailout from the parents at that school who donate towards financial aid.

Show some gratitude and lose the entitlement. You are just getting financial aid.

Actually, if the school is willing to award them them that kind of aid, the school is saying they absolutely see something of value in the family that they absolutely want and are putting their money where their mouth is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do FA families have a harder time getting in? Wondering why we struck out this year and if needing FA was a factor. Is there a threshold of a certain percentage of aid needed that makes it harder?

I would assume so. Most of these schools don't have a large endowment and the non-super rich full pays don't donate a lot of money because tuition costs $50,000 a year per child.

But when schools advertise the average award, it seems significant. Some around 50% of tuition. I'm just trying to understand, they seem to welcome FA students but then won't accept them?

If you're an FA family getting 50% or more, what kind of student do you have? They can't all be straight A students and world class athletes.

We received this award at four competitive schools and DC is a very impressive child. I would share their qualities, but for privacy reasons I am limited.

Basically, if you are going for FA you need to bring something to the table to elevate the class

Would love to know how a kid elevates the class. Please tell.

If you have to ask…

Sounds bogus. Not getting a reply confirms that.

Our packages speak for themselves. I was just giving hope to the poster who asked because if I was in their shoes I would want to know. On the other hand, I am not entertaining snarky like yours. Enjoy squabbling among each other, trolls! We’ve got exciting decisions to make.

Getting financial aid doesn’t mean your kid is elevating the class.

It means you are the recipient of charity that was donated to the school to help less fortunate families.

You are lucky enough to be getting a bailout from the parents at that school who donate towards financial aid.

Show some gratitude and lose the entitlement. You are just getting financial aid.

She was responding to me when I asked about FA making for more competitive admissions. We're trying to make sense of what happened and why my DC was not offered a place anywhere. Wondering if we have any hope of getting off a waitlist and also receiving FA we need. I guess seflishly I want to be able to tell him that it was the FA that did it so the fault isn't on him. We're confused, we were told that FA was need based and all the letters on Friday all said he would make a great addition to the school and they hope a spot will open up for him but that he was put on the waitlist until one does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do FA families have a harder time getting in? Wondering why we struck out this year and if needing FA was a factor. Is there a threshold of a certain percentage of aid needed that makes it harder?

Yes, of course.

And I don't mean to sound sarcastic or mean, but this should make sense to you. However, I know how the schools present the FA situation and I think it can be very misleading and unfair.

If you can't afford to pay for the tuition and other families can, they are going to have the upper hand. No matter what the schools say about how generous they are with FA, requiring it automatically puts you at a disadvantage.

I can't afford a $5,000,000 home. Someone else is going to pay cash. Who do you think the sellers want to work with?

I wish this was true at my school but it’s not. We are need blind and it’s actually need blind. The kids get their acceptance and then - if they applied for aid, they find out separately if they got it and how much. This is fine for lower school but for middle and upper it shouldn’t be this way. If you’re getting aid as a 7th grader and older, you should be bringing something specific to the school - athletics, academics, arts, diversity. No average white kids please, those should be the ones paying full freight.

What does race of the kids have anything to do with it?

Kids have no control over their race and it should have no impact on admissions or financial aid.

Financial aid is charity. Plain and simple. Based on the financial status of the parents. Kids also have no control over this.

While I wish the financial aid kids stood out as exceptional, the reality is that they do not. The exceptional kids tend to be full pay, with some exceptions. The financial aid kids are usually just treading water after arriving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do FA families have a harder time getting in? Wondering why we struck out this year and if needing FA was a factor. Is there a threshold of a certain percentage of aid needed that makes it harder?

I would assume so. Most of these schools don't have a large endowment and the non-super rich full pays don't donate a lot of money because tuition costs $50,000 a year per child.

But when schools advertise the average award, it seems significant. Some around 50% of tuition. I'm just trying to understand, they seem to welcome FA students but then won't accept them?

If you're an FA family getting 50% or more, what kind of student do you have? They can't all be straight A students and world class athletes.

We received this award at four competitive schools and DC is a very impressive child. I would share their qualities, but for privacy reasons I am limited.

Basically, if you are going for FA you need to bring something to the table to elevate the class

Would love to know how a kid elevates the class. Please tell.

If you have to ask…

Sounds bogus. Not getting a reply confirms that.

Our packages speak for themselves. I was just giving hope to the poster who asked because if I was in their shoes I would want to know. On the other hand, I am not entertaining snarky like yours. Enjoy squabbling among each other, trolls! We’ve got exciting decisions to make.

Getting financial aid doesn’t mean your kid is elevating the class.

It means you are the recipient of charity that was donated to the school to help less fortunate families.

You are lucky enough to be getting a bailout from the parents at that school who donate towards financial aid.

Show some gratitude and lose the entitlement. You are just getting financial aid.

Actually, if the school is willing to award them them that kind of aid, the school is saying they absolutely see something of value in the family that they absolutely want and are putting their money where their mouth is.

It just means that among the pool of financial aid kids, they were more competitive. It says nothing about how they compare to the rest of the class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do FA families have a harder time getting in? Wondering why we struck out this year and if needing FA was a factor. Is there a threshold of a certain percentage of aid needed that makes it harder?

Yes, of course.

And I don't mean to sound sarcastic or mean, but this should make sense to you. However, I know how the schools present the FA situation and I think it can be very misleading and unfair.

If you can't afford to pay for the tuition and other families can, they are going to have the upper hand. No matter what the schools say about how generous they are with FA, requiring it automatically puts you at a disadvantage.

I can't afford a $5,000,000 home. Someone else is going to pay cash. Who do you think the sellers want to work with?

I wish this was true at my school but it’s not. We are need blind and it’s actually need blind. The kids get their acceptance and then - if they applied for aid, they find out separately if they got it and how much. This is fine for lower school but for middle and upper it shouldn’t be this way. If you’re getting aid as a 7th grader and older, you should be bringing something specific to the school - athletics, academics, arts, diversity. No average white kids please, those should be the ones paying full freight.

What does race of the kids have anything to do with it?

Kids have no control over their race and it should have no impact on admissions or financial aid.

Financial aid is charity. Plain and simple. Based on the financial status of the parents. Kids also have no control over this.

While I wish the financial aid kids stood out as exceptional, the reality is that they do not. The exceptional kids tend to be full pay, with some exceptions. The financial aid kids are usually just treading water after arriving.

Well, this is so not true, but ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes I’m wondering the same, seems like most people are waitlisted for Sidwell for K

Yes rejected for K many years ago and admitted in 9th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do FA families have a harder time getting in? Wondering why we struck out this year and if needing FA was a factor. Is there a threshold of a certain percentage of aid needed that makes it harder?

I would assume so. Most of these schools don't have a large endowment and the non-super rich full pays don't donate a lot of money because tuition costs $50,000 a year per child.

But when schools advertise the average award, it seems significant. Some around 50% of tuition. I'm just trying to understand, they seem to welcome FA students but then won't accept them?

If you're an FA family getting 50% or more, what kind of student do you have? They can't all be straight A students and world class athletes.

We received this award at four competitive schools and DC is a very impressive child. I would share their qualities, but for privacy reasons I am limited.

Basically, if you are going for FA you need to bring something to the table to elevate the class

Would love to know how a kid elevates the class. Please tell.

If you have to ask…

Sounds bogus. Not getting a reply confirms that.

Our packages speak for themselves. I was just giving hope to the poster who asked because if I was in their shoes I would want to know. On the other hand, I am not entertaining snarky like yours. Enjoy squabbling among each other, trolls! We’ve got exciting decisions to make.

Getting financial aid doesn’t mean your kid is elevating the class.

It means you are the recipient of charity that was donated to the school to help less fortunate families.

You are lucky enough to be getting a bailout from the parents at that school who donate towards financial aid.

Show some gratitude and lose the entitlement. You are just getting financial aid.

Actually, if the school is willing to award them them that kind of aid, the school is saying they absolutely see something of value in the family that they absolutely want and are putting their money where their mouth is.

It just means that among the pool of financial aid kids, they were more competitive. It says nothing about how they compare to the rest of the class.

So, competitive? Cool. Glad we agree.

Despite your clear basis towards those on financial aid, these classes are so small and each choice is very intentional.

[Anonymous]

Bias*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do FA families have a harder time getting in? Wondering why we struck out this year and if needing FA was a factor. Is there a threshold of a certain percentage of aid needed that makes it harder?

I would assume so. Most of these schools don't have a large endowment and the non-super rich full pays don't donate a lot of money because tuition costs $50,000 a year per child.

But when schools advertise the average award, it seems significant. Some around 50% of tuition. I'm just trying to understand, they seem to welcome FA students but then won't accept them?

If you're an FA family getting 50% or more, what kind of student do you have? They can't all be straight A students and world class athletes.

We received this award at four competitive schools and DC is a very impressive child. I would share their qualities, but for privacy reasons I am limited.

Basically, if you are going for FA you need to bring something to the table to elevate the class

Would love to know how a kid elevates the class. Please tell.

If you have to ask…

Sounds bogus. Not getting a reply confirms that.

Our packages speak for themselves. I was just giving hope to the poster who asked because if I was in their shoes I would want to know. On the other hand, I am not entertaining snarky like yours. Enjoy squabbling among each other, trolls! We’ve got exciting decisions to make.

Getting financial aid doesn’t mean your kid is elevating the class.

It means you are the recipient of charity that was donated to the school to help less fortunate families.

You are lucky enough to be getting a bailout from the parents at that school who donate towards financial aid.

Show some gratitude and lose the entitlement. You are just getting financial aid.

Actually, if the school is willing to award them them that kind of aid, the school is saying they absolutely see something of value in the family that they absolutely want and are putting their money where their mouth is.

It just means that among the pool of financial aid kids, they were more competitive. It says nothing about how they compare to the rest of the class.

So, competitive? Cool. Glad we agree.

Despite your clear basis towards those on financial aid, these classes are so small and each choice is very intentional.

Not trying to be biased. Some of the full pay kids have had access to private tutors, private athletic coaches, international travel, and more their whole lives. Just be realistic about what this means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do FA families have a harder time getting in? Wondering why we struck out this year and if needing FA was a factor. Is there a threshold of a certain percentage of aid needed that makes it harder?

I would assume so. Most of these schools don't have a large endowment and the non-super rich full pays don't donate a lot of money because tuition costs $50,000 a year per child.

But when schools advertise the average award, it seems significant. Some around 50% of tuition. I'm just trying to understand, they seem to welcome FA students but then won't accept them?

If you're an FA family getting 50% or more, what kind of student do you have? They can't all be straight A students and world class athletes.

We received this award at four competitive schools and DC is a very impressive child. I would share their qualities, but for privacy reasons I am limited.

Basically, if you are going for FA you need to bring something to the table to elevate the class

Would love to know how a kid elevates the class. Please tell.

If you have to ask…

Sounds bogus. Not getting a reply confirms that.

Our packages speak for themselves. I was just giving hope to the poster who asked because if I was in their shoes I would want to know. On the other hand, I am not entertaining snarky like yours. Enjoy squabbling among each other, trolls! We’ve got exciting decisions to make.

Getting financial aid doesn’t mean your kid is elevating the class.

It means you are the recipient of charity that was donated to the school to help less fortunate families.

You are lucky enough to be getting a bailout from the parents at that school who donate towards financial aid.

Show some gratitude and lose the entitlement. You are just getting financial aid.

Actually, if the school is willing to award them them that kind of aid, the school is saying they absolutely see something of value in the family that they absolutely want and are putting their money where their mouth is.

This is what I was trying to say. I think “elevate” was taken the wrong way and I should have said “contribute”. These schools don’t just hand money out. You have to bring something to the table.

This forum is so cruel towards those asking about FA so I spoke up. The 50% awards schools advertise are real. We can attest to that x4.

[Anonymous]

For those disappointed about financial aid offers from schools, please know that schools are having to give several families already in the community either more or new aid thanks to Trump’s firings and funding freezes. So you can thank him for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Daughter got waitlisted at the potomac school & got into madeira. everybody else that applied (from her school) also got waitlisted, so are they just politely rejecting? does anybody actually get off the waitlist? We've also heard that they only take 1 boy 1 girl from each school, so does anyone know anything about that?
Potomac was her top choice and she doesnt want to go anywhere else. we'll be reaching out and letting them know it's her top choice, hopefully that may have some effect...

If the Potomac WL is unsuccessful, Madeira is a great school as well. Congrats!

she's not too much a fan of the all girls. also didn't get the best impression from madeira academically. debating whether to go to madeira or just langley, but still hoping to get out of potomac wait pool!