Big 3, Big 5??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People....look at the the college admits.
GDS is #1 this year-with the most imprssoev results in a very difficult year. So if you are basing your "Big Three" on when you went to school in the 80's, I guess you can discount it, but for those of us living in 2024- GDS is the hardest school in the DMV to be accepted to and has the best admits this year. So for a current Big three list:
GDS
Sidwell
St Albans

Wait, aren’t parents sending their kids to your school for the education? It’s the journey, right?

Mmm hmm.

[Anonymous]

GDS had good ED results as did most schools but the are sending a fair number to Colorado and other not Top 20-30 schools as of late. RD rounds this week should be very telling as to whether or not top privates are still sending kids to the top schools!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People....look at the the college admits.
GDS is #1 this year-with the most imprssoev results in a very difficult year. So if you are basing your "Big Three" on when you went to school in the 80's, I guess you can discount it, but for those of us living in 2024- GDS is the hardest school in the DMV to be accepted to and has the best admits this year. So for a current Big three list:
GDS
Sidwell
St Albans

Wait, aren’t parents sending their kids to your school for the education? It’s the journey, right?

Mmm hmm.

Normal people are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GDS had good ED results as did most schools but the are sending a fair number to Colorado and other not Top 20-30 schools as of late. RD rounds this week should be very telling as to whether or not top privates are still sending kids to the top schools!

I hope you realize that students from every school have always matriculated to a range of colleges. I hope you also realize that your post comes across as critical of a large group of students, not their schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People....look at the the college admits.
GDS is #1 this year-with the most imprssoev results in a very difficult year. So if you are basing your "Big Three" on when you went to school in the 80's, I guess you can discount it, but for those of us living in 2024- GDS is the hardest school in the DMV to be accepted to and has the best admits this year. So for a current Big three list:
GDS
Sidwell
St Albans

The Big 3 is dead. Long live the Big 2. Sidwell and GDS are top of the heap. St. Alban's was #1 in the 80s, but no longer attracts same volume of top applicants and is easier to get into now. There are a number of area schools - boys, girls, and co-ed - that have tougher acceptance rates nowadays and stronger college placements. Washingtonian latest rankings reflect that (included St. Albans at #5). St. Alban's is still a terrific school, just not as sought after as it once was. Everyone agrees HYP are the Big 3 Ivies. Nobody tries to say the P stands for Penn or that Yale should be replaced by Cornell. DC area private schools has a Big 2 and lots of outstanding schools that are close.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People....look at the the college admits.
GDS is #1 this year-with the most imprssoev results in a very difficult year. So if you are basing your "Big Three" on when you went to school in the 80's, I guess you can discount it, but for those of us living in 2024- GDS is the hardest school in the DMV to be accepted to and has the best admits this year. So for a current Big three list:
GDS
Sidwell
St Albans

Slow down! GDS’ results are good this year (but quite mediocre last year). There are other schools that are doing just as well, or better than GDS right now. The jury is still out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People....look at the the college admits.
GDS is #1 this year-with the most imprssoev results in a very difficult year. So if you are basing your "Big Three" on when you went to school in the 80's, I guess you can discount it, but for those of us living in 2024- GDS is the hardest school in the DMV to be accepted to and has the best admits this year. So for a current Big three list:
GDS
Sidwell
St Albans

The Big 3 is dead. Long live the Big 2. Sidwell and GDS are top of the heap. St. Alban's was #1 in the 80s, but no longer attracts same volume of top applicants and is easier to get into now. There are a number of area schools - boys, girls, and co-ed - that have tougher acceptance rates nowadays and stronger college placements. Washingtonian latest rankings reflect that (included St. Albans at #5). St. Alban's is still a terrific school, just not as sought after as it once was. Everyone agrees HYP are the Big 3 Ivies. Nobody tries to say the P stands for Penn or that Yale should be replaced by Cornell. DC area private schools has a Big 2 and lots of outstanding schools that are close.

Are you referring to an article from three years ago that reported Niche rankings? Those are largely arbitrary.

And “Big 2” is also bogus, even for the smartest kids. Different schools have different personalities. Some kids very much want a coed experience, while others prefer single-sex. Whatever the “top” schools are will depend on your own standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who created the so-called Big 3, Big 5, Big 10, etc.? I noticed a thread pinned at the top, and I was curious to know how it came about. Was it based on college outplacement, where the wealthy sent their kids, SAT scores, etc.? Does anyone know? Does the Big 3 change year to year? I know there are a lot of great schools in the area, I just wonder why it's such a polarizing topic on this board.

I don’t know who created the term, but everyone agrees that Sidwell and STA are and have always been a part of the Big 3 (if they’re being honest). The others are debatable.

[Anonymous]

The Big 3 is Sidwell, GDS, and whatever school your kid goes to. So for a lot of moms on here that is STA.

[Anonymous]

GDS should serve lunch before piping up

[Anonymous]

No way GDS is a big 3. Please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People....look at the the college admits.
GDS is #1 this year-with the most imprssoev results in a very difficult year. So if you are basing your "Big Three" on when you went to school in the 80's, I guess you can discount it, but for those of us living in 2024- GDS is the hardest school in the DMV to be accepted to and has the best admits this year. So for a current Big three list:
GDS
Sidwell
St Albans

How can it be that difficult to get into if most top students in the DMV do not apply? Yes good school but we don’t know a single family that applied to GDS. I think your perception is based on a small bubble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who created the so-called Big 3, Big 5, Big 10, etc.? I noticed a thread pinned at the top, and I was curious to know how it came about. Was it based on college outplacement, where the wealthy sent their kids, SAT scores, etc.? Does anyone know? Does the Big 3 change year to year? I know there are a lot of great schools in the area, I just wonder why it's such a polarizing topic on this board.

I don’t know who created the term, but everyone agrees that Sidwell and STA are and have always been a part of the Big 3 (if they’re being honest). The others are debatable.

If you are looking at rankings - NCS is actually ranked higher than all of the schools above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No way GDS is a big 3. Please.

It’s not a Big 3. Never has been. We ne we even toured the school. We have a variety of friends across all political parties and races and religions and none even applied or toured GDS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People....look at the the college admits.
GDS is #1 this year-with the most imprssoev results in a very difficult year. So if you are basing your "Big Three" on when you went to school in the 80's, I guess you can discount it, but for those of us living in 2024- GDS is the hardest school in the DMV to be accepted to and has the best admits this year. So for a current Big three list:
GDS
Sidwell
St Albans

The Big 3 is dead. Long live the Big 2. Sidwell and GDS are top of the heap. St. Alban's was #1 in the 80s, but no longer attracts same volume of top applicants and is easier to get into now. There are a number of area schools - boys, girls, and co-ed - that have tougher acceptance rates nowadays and stronger college placements. Washingtonian latest rankings reflect that (included St. Albans at #5). St. Alban's is still a terrific school, just not as sought after as it once was. Everyone agrees HYP are the Big 3 Ivies. Nobody tries to say the P stands for Penn or that Yale should be replaced by Cornell. DC area private schools has a Big 2 and lots of outstanding schools that are close.

St. Albans had the best 2023 college placement in the DMV. 1/7 to Ivies and most of the rest to top 25.