Big 3 (or thereabouts) College Results - Class of 2021

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ NP. I am guessing that the Big 3 kids in your classes were not the ones in the top of the class at their Big 3s, but the W kids were probably at the top of class or closer to it. So you are not comparing the same tier of kids. I have kids who have attended public and Big 3, and am very confident that the top 50% at the Big 3 are at least as strong academically as the top 15-20% at a W school (and we are in a W district).

I doubt it. I don't want to out myself on this board, but there's no way a student not in the top of their class got into the school I teach at. We live in the DC area, I "super commute" when I am teaching in person bc my spouse works in this area. My kids go to a Big 3 but I'm thinking strongly of pulling them before MS.

It's not at all fabrication, but you believe what you want.

I have a kid at each. The top students at both Big 3 schools and a school like Whitman are all very bright and hard working. But public school kids often have more grit.
Private school parents love to put down the public schools, saying they can retake tests and have rampant grade inflation. The retaking tests is in MS. My kid at Whitman has never been allowed to retake a test. And there is grade inflation, which hurts the top students somewhat. But it is actually very rare for kids to graduate with a perfect 4.0 unweighted. The teacher and classes are tough. And there is not the hand holding that you get in private school. It’s more sink or swim.

That is nice. I bet those wealthy Bethesda kids at Whitman are actually tough and oh so gritty after growing up there. As for handholding: there is good teaching and access to teachers at our school but no handholding for my kid.

[Anonymous]

Not sure why we're comparing top students from public and privates. Seems silly.

I call BS on the "professor's post" as well. One point I'd address is that when a school claims to seek diversity, it's great when they pick students from 1st gen households or lower/middle class families. But let's not give the college too much credit when they pick the wealthy kid from NCS who just happens to check their minority status box. Yes they've had a different experience than the white kid, but they've also had a relatively silver spoon compared to the kid from Harlem who isn't full pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ NP. I am guessing that the Big 3 kids in your classes were not the ones in the top of the class at their Big 3s, but the W kids were probably at the top of class or closer to it. So you are not comparing the same tier of kids. I have kids who have attended public and Big 3, and am very confident that the top 50% at the Big 3 are at least as strong academically as the top 15-20% at a W school (and we are in a W district).

I doubt it. I don't want to out myself on this board, but there's no way a student not in the top of their class got into the school I teach at. We live in the DC area, I "super commute" when I am teaching in person bc my spouse works in this area. My kids go to a Big 3 but I'm thinking strongly of pulling them before MS.

It's not at all fabrication, but you believe what you want.

So let’s assume this is true. How many students from four high schools in DC are going to this school each year from the “top of the class”? Those kids are going to HYPS or equivalent. Maybe 10-15? How many of those kids are taking classes from this one professor? The odds strains credulity that this “professor” has seen more than a handful of students who self identified their high school as well.

And if the kids are still young enough to not be in MS yet, let’s think about how long this person has realistically been teaching as a professor.

Nice try though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ NP. I am guessing that the Big 3 kids in your classes were not the ones in the top of the class at their Big 3s, but the W kids were probably at the top of class or closer to it. So you are not comparing the same tier of kids. I have kids who have attended public and Big 3, and am very confident that the top 50% at the Big 3 are at least as strong academically as the top 15-20% at a W school (and we are in a W district).

I doubt it. I don't want to out myself on this board, but there's no way a student not in the top of their class got into the school I teach at. We live in the DC area, I "super commute" when I am teaching in person bc my spouse works in this area. My kids go to a Big 3 but I'm thinking strongly of pulling them before MS.

It's not at all fabrication, but you believe what you want.

I have a kid at each. The top students at both Big 3 schools and a school like Whitman are all very bright and hard working. But public school kids often have more grit.
Private school parents love to put down the public schools, saying they can retake tests and have rampant grade inflation. The retaking tests is in MS. My kid at Whitman has never been allowed to retake a test. And there is grade inflation, which hurts the top students somewhat. But it is actually very rare for kids to graduate with a perfect 4.0 unweighted. The teacher and classes are tough. And there is not the hand holding that you get in private school. It’s more sink or swim.

That is nice. I bet those wealthy Bethesda kids at Whitman are actually tough and oh so gritty after growing up there. As for handholding: there is good teaching and access to teachers at our school but no handholding for my kid.

Don’t be so quick to judge. I’m sure kids from Whitman are writing their college application essays on the incredibly rough childhood they had growing up in the upper 1%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because Wilson is so gritty

You are rolling your eyes but I agree with you. Wilson isn't gritty to the upper NW kids. They are mostly walled off in their AP courses. Our kid's neighborhood friends at Wilson are the children of doctors, lawyers, journalists, etc. They have every advantage of my my other child's friends at the Big3. Same incomes,
same privileges.
But the AD don't know this. They view my Wilson kid as fighting his/her way through a challenging experience at a diverse, high FARMs urban school (both of which Wilson is) and they LOVE it. They eat this SH%^&T up in admissions. The admission rates (especially this year) are off the charts for kids who have good grades at Wilson and a few leadership activities.
I'm actually worried about my Big3 kid (a few years younger).

Wilson kids are getting in for the same reasons other kids get in: hooks.

Not the ones I know.
They are not connected.

Patently false. Everyone is connected or hooked.

No, the ones I know are not hooked.
They are not legacy or sports recruits or URM to the top 20 schools where they've been accepted.
They do have interesting extracurriculars at which they have excelled. I don't know if you consider this "hooked". If so then maybe they're hooked.
But then every kid with any resume would be "hooked".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ NP. I am guessing that the Big 3 kids in your classes were not the ones in the top of the class at their Big 3s, but the W kids were probably at the top of class or closer to it. So you are not comparing the same tier of kids. I have kids who have attended public and Big 3, and am very confident that the top 50% at the Big 3 are at least as strong academically as the top 15-20% at a W school (and we are in a W district).

I doubt it. I don't want to out myself on this board, but there's no way a student not in the top of their class got into the school I teach at. We live in the DC area, I "super commute" when I am teaching in person bc my spouse works in this area. My kids go to a Big 3 but I'm thinking strongly of pulling them before MS.

It's not at all fabrication, but you believe what you want.

I have a kid at each. The top students at both Big 3 schools and a school like Whitman are all very bright and hard working. But public school kids often have more grit.
Private school parents love to put down the public schools, saying they can retake tests and have rampant grade inflation. The retaking tests is in MS. My kid at Whitman has never been allowed to retake a test. And there is grade inflation, which hurts the top students somewhat. But it is actually very rare for kids to graduate with a perfect 4.0 unweighted. The teacher and classes are tough. And there is not the hand holding that you get in private school. It’s more sink or swim.

That is nice. I bet those wealthy Bethesda kids at Whitman are actually tough and oh so gritty after growing up there. As for handholding: there is good teaching and access to teachers at our school but no handholding for my kid.

Don’t be so quick to judge. I’m sure kids from Whitman are writing their college application essays on the incredibly rough childhood they had growing up in the upper 1%.

Exactly. What a joke. The helicopter moms in Bethesda are intense too—those kids are not fighting it out alone on the mean suburban streets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ NP. I am guessing that the Big 3 kids in your classes were not the ones in the top of the class at their Big 3s, but the W kids were probably at the top of class or closer to it. So you are not comparing the same tier of kids. I have kids who have attended public and Big 3, and am very confident that the top 50% at the Big 3 are at least as strong academically as the top 15-20% at a W school (and we are in a W district).

I doubt it. I don't want to out myself on this board, but there's no way a student not in the top of their class got into the school I teach at. We live in the DC area, I "super commute" when I am teaching in person bc my spouse works in this area. My kids go to a Big 3 but I'm thinking strongly of pulling them before MS.

It's not at all fabrication, but you believe what you want.

So let’s assume this is true. How many students from four high schools in DC are going to this school each year from the “top of the class”? Those kids are going to HYPS or equivalent. Maybe 10-15? How many of those kids are taking classes from this one professor? The odds strains credulity that this “professor” has seen more than a handful of students who self identified their high school as well.

And if the kids are still young enough to not be in MS yet, let’s think about how long this person has realistically been teaching as a professor.

Nice try though.

I had 3 NCS girls and a Whitman student in my core (ie. prereq) class this fall, along with a couple students from Silver Spring area HSs, and I do teach at a HYPS. I sit on several scholarship and awards committees for the undergrads, so also see their CVs and transcripts. You're making a lot of incorrect assumptions.

I was worried I'd shared too much and potentially outed myself, so I'm somewhat relieved (and amused) none of you seem to believe me. Thanks for reminding me why I rarely spend time on this board!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ NP. I am guessing that the Big 3 kids in your classes were not the ones in the top of the class at their Big 3s, but the W kids were probably at the top of class or closer to it. So you are not comparing the same tier of kids. I have kids who have attended public and Big 3, and am very confident that the top 50% at the Big 3 are at least as strong academically as the top 15-20% at a W school (and we are in a W district).

I doubt it. I don't want to out myself on this board, but there's no way a student not in the top of their class got into the school I teach at. We live in the DC area, I "super commute" when I am teaching in person bc my spouse works in this area. My kids go to a Big 3 but I'm thinking strongly of pulling them before MS.

It's not at all fabrication, but you believe what you want.

So let’s assume this is true. How many students from four high schools in DC are going to this school each year from the “top of the class”? Those kids are going to HYPS or equivalent. Maybe 10-15? How many of those kids are taking classes from this one professor? The odds strains credulity that this “professor” has seen more than a handful of students who self identified their high school as well.

And if the kids are still young enough to not be in MS yet, let’s think about how long this person has realistically been teaching as a professor.

Nice try though.

I had 3 NCS girls and a Whitman student in my core (ie. prereq) class this fall, along with a couple students from Silver Spring area HSs, and I do teach at a HYPS. I sit on several scholarship and awards committees for the undergrads, so also see their CVs and transcripts. You're making a lot of incorrect assumptions.

I was worried I'd shared too much and potentially outed myself, so I'm somewhat relieved (and amused) none of you seem to believe me. Thanks for reminding me why I rarely spend time on this board!

You’re embarrassing yourself, frankly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ NP. I am guessing that the Big 3 kids in your classes were not the ones in the top of the class at their Big 3s, but the W kids were probably at the top of class or closer to it. So you are not comparing the same tier of kids. I have kids who have attended public and Big 3, and am very confident that the top 50% at the Big 3 are at least as strong academically as the top 15-20% at a W school (and we are in a W district).

I doubt it. I don't want to out myself on this board, but there's no way a student not in the top of their class got into the school I teach at. We live in the DC area, I "super commute" when I am teaching in person bc my spouse works in this area. My kids go to a Big 3 but I'm thinking strongly of pulling them before MS.

It's not at all fabrication, but you believe what you want.

So let’s assume this is true. How many students from four high schools in DC are going to this school each year from the “top of the class”? Those kids are going to HYPS or equivalent. Maybe 10-15? How many of those kids are taking classes from this one professor? The odds strains credulity that this “professor” has seen more than a handful of students who self identified their high school as well.



And if the kids are still young enough to not be in MS yet, let’s think about how long this person has realistically been teaching as a professor.

Nice try though.

I had 3 NCS girls and a Whitman student in my core (ie. prereq) class this fall, along with a couple students from Silver Spring area HSs, and I do teach at a HYPS. I sit on several scholarship and awards committees for the undergrads, so also see their CVs and transcripts. You're making a lot of incorrect assumptions.

I was worried I'd shared too much and potentially outed myself, so I'm somewhat relieved (and amused) none of you seem to believe me. Thanks for reminding me why I rarely spend time on this board!

3 NCS girls and a Whitman kid all in the same class??? And somehow you got to know them well this fall via zoom??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ NP. I am guessing that the Big 3 kids in your classes were not the ones in the top of the class at their Big 3s, but the W kids were probably at the top of class or closer to it. So you are not comparing the same tier of kids. I have kids who have attended public and Big 3, and am very confident that the top 50% at the Big 3 are at least as strong academically as the top 15-20% at a W school (and we are in a W district).

I doubt it. I don't want to out myself on this board, but there's no way a student not in the top of their class got into the school I teach at. We live in the DC area, I "super commute" when I am teaching in person bc my spouse works in this area. My kids go to a Big 3 but I'm thinking strongly of pulling them before MS.

It's not at all fabrication, but you believe what you want.

So let’s assume this is true. How many students from four high schools in DC are going to this school each year from the “top of the class”? Those kids are going to HYPS or equivalent. Maybe 10-15? How many of those kids are taking classes from this one professor? The odds strains credulity that this “professor” has seen more than a handful of students who self identified their high school as well.

New poster, and I know who you are (though I do think youve changed a detail or two but I’m not sure). My experience is different from yours, and I have also had good reason to have close contact and assessment of the essentially same type of comparators. I would never assume my experience, though, spoke to a wider whole. And really, these kids are all terrific students, and will all have wonderful opportunities to do what they want in life.
And if the kids are still young enough to not be in MS yet, let’s think about how long this person has realistically been teaching as a professor.

Nice try though.

I had 3 NCS girls and a Whitman student in my core (ie. prereq) class this fall, along with a couple students from Silver Spring area HSs, and I do teach at a HYPS. I sit on several scholarship and awards committees for the undergrads, so also see their CVs and transcripts. You're making a lot of incorrect assumptions.

I was worried I'd shared too much and potentially outed myself, so I'm somewhat relieved (and amused) none of you seem to believe me. Thanks for reminding me why I rarely spend time on this board!

[Anonymous]

No one on this board wants to believe that the top students at a public are as good or better than the top students at their private, especially the “big 3.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure why we're comparing top students from public and privates. Seems silly.

I call BS on the "professor's post" as well. One point I'd address is that when a school claims to seek diversity, it's great when they pick students from 1st gen households or lower/middle class families. But let's not give the college too much credit when they pick the wealthy kid from NCS who just happens to check their minority status box. Yes they've had a different experience than the white kid, but they've also had a relatively silver spoon compared to the kid from Harlem who isn't full pay.

This one is rich (so to speak). Don’t you think NCS would claim that same kid as evidence of all their diversity even if that kid‘s family is wealthy? Of course they would. Let’s talk about diversity at NCS or other privates compared to public schools in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one on this board wants to believe that the top students at a public are as good or better than the top students at their private, especially the “big 3.”

Give it a rest. No one is saying they are not as good. It is the public school people who are saying how poorly prepared etc the private school kids are doing. For God's sake, we have lost our damn way if this is what people are arguing about. There are successful kids from all schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ NP. I am guessing that the Big 3 kids in your classes were not the ones in the top of the class at their Big 3s, but the W kids were probably at the top of class or closer to it. So you are not comparing the same tier of kids. I have kids who have attended public and Big 3, and am very confident that the top 50% at the Big 3 are at least as strong academically as the top 15-20% at a W school (and we are in a W district).

I doubt it. I don't want to out myself on this board, but there's no way a student not in the top of their class got into the school I teach at. We live in the DC area, I "super commute" when I am teaching in person bc my spouse works in this area. My kids go to a Big 3 but I'm thinking strongly of pulling them before MS.

It's not at all fabrication, but you believe what you want.

So let’s assume this is true. How many students from four high schools in DC are going to this school each year from the “top of the class”? Those kids are going to HYPS or equivalent. Maybe 10-15? How many of those kids are taking classes from this one professor? The odds strains credulity that this “professor” has seen more than a handful of students who self identified their high school as well.

And if the kids are still young enough to not be in MS yet, let’s think about how long this person has realistically been teaching as a professor.

Nice try though.

I had 3 NCS girls and a Whitman student in my core (ie. prereq) class this fall, along with a couple students from Silver Spring area HSs, and I do teach at a HYPS. I sit on several scholarship and awards committees for the undergrads, so also see their CVs and transcripts. You're making a lot of incorrect assumptions.

I was worried I'd shared too much and potentially outed myself, so I'm somewhat relieved (and amused) none of you seem to believe me. Thanks for reminding me why I rarely spend time on this board!

If you think the is helping your case, you’re sadly mistaken.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I interviewed a kid from the "Big 3" for my HYPS alma mater and I'm sad she got deferred. She seemed great!

Did she tell you she got deferred or does the school tell you that?

The school tells me. You can login to your alumni reviewer portal and check on the status of kids you’ve interviewed. They ask you to contact anyone who got in to say congrats; they ask you not to contact anyone who didn’t. Anyways, I just really liked this kid — one of the best two I’ve interviewed in about 10 years — so I was disappointed she ended up deferred. No doubt she’ll get in somewhere great though.