Forum Index
»
Private & Independent Schools
Sidwell throttling down college admissions?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
|
My kid is a SFS lifer. We have consistently had a great experience there and continue to love the school now that my child is in the upper school.
However, judging from this board and other things i have heard, we are not going to take any chances and will hire a private counselor for some extra advice. I don't think having a private counselor can hurt and it may help. |
Anonymous
|
We also love our school experience at Sidwell Friends. 10th grade onwards is very stressful here and at every other school due to the college application process.
Does anyone know if most kids at Sidwell do outside tutoring for SAT/ACT? I feel it should not be needed due to the wonderful education my kid and their peers are receiving but if everyone is doing it, it is hard to be the lone family going against the tide. Also, does anyone have experience with whether it is worth spending the $ on individual one-one tutoring or is taking a Saturday class offered at school fine? |
Anonymous
| Your education is not what makes you great at taking these tests. Schooling gives you the basic math and a decent vocabulary, but that doesn't get you all the way on these tests. |
Anonymous
The Sidwell student paper recently did a story that included a pie chart showing what percentage of kids have received tutoring. I don't remember the results. |
Anonymous
we were SFS and did not do tutors or formal ACT prep. however, there are families with a lot of money to throw at things, and they do. but it is not necessary unless struggling. IMO. |
Anonymous
|
Test prep can be done very effectively at home. Getting used to specific strategies for making the most efficient use of time — and familiarizing yourself with the format of the test — are the most important skills. A test prep place can help you gain these skills quickly and share time-saving “tricks.” However, they can’t help the student much if they don’t already have fluency over the subject matter — a rich vocabulary, verbal and math reasoning skills, and writing skills.
Test prep shouldn’t be “crammed” though. The best time to begin text prep is a good 6 months before you plan to take the test. |
Anonymous
It depends on the kid. They're all really busy and there's a lot of time pressure in Junior and Senior year. Some kids are great about prepping themselves, some do better when a scheduled time is on the books (that was my DC). I thought the one on one was a better use of time. They hone in on what area could use some focus so overall the total amount of time spent was a lot less than a generic class. I think DC would have done well anyway but it threw the scores into once and done. May be we paid for 2-3 sessions and it was worth it to us to get it off the table. |
Anonymous
| Take a sample, non-official SAT or ACT to see how your child does. Then decide what kind of help is needed. |
Anonymous
| Prep Matters offered free practice test taking days on weekends which simulated the real environment. The results are only provided at a summary level but it was enough to help us make a decision about paid prep help and what type. |
Anonymous
| I don't understand. How can we pay all this money for the so called "best" private school in DC and STILL have to pay for tutors AND a private college counselor?? What the heck. |
Anonymous
All driven by fear. |
Anonymous
| FOMO is a powerful force. |
Anonymous
We are in lower school and already have been "recommended" a tutor. Apparently, a few kids in DC's class have one. I'm just like, when does it stop! |
Anonymous
Arms race moving to Lee-K |