2023 Niche results: Basis McLean #1 in VA in 3 categories: best private HS in VA, best college prep…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Very strong academics. Basis kids are learning two grades ahead of most privates.

Saint Stephens Saint Agnes is better than Basis

As are many other schools (for most kids). This is just a Basis self-promotion marketing thread, but everyone on this site knows to take whatever is said here with a giant heaping tablespoon of salt. I'm sure there's a few kids who are well-suited to it, but would wager that given the choice about 90% of families if given the choice to send their kids here vs. a top private in the area would make the other choice (and that would likely be the better choice for their kid). But Basis has its niche... the self-promotion just gets a bit tiresome.

Their niche consists mostly of jamming as much material into kids as early as possible to be regurgitated in endless rounds of tests. For example, no one questions if middle schoolers should be reading Julius Caesar or Macbeth when they are emotionally unequipped to grasp the language or the themes. Just do it to say we did it! Rah rah!

It's a one-trick pony with dubious value for the actual kids unless you like driving them hard 24/7.

Macbeth and Caesar are torturous.

They can be fascinating explorations of the human psyche, history, and all kinds of things for people who can grasp the concepts. But not 11- and 12-year olds. The moral ambiguity of murder is kind of beyond them.

If your 11 or 12 year struggles with this level of reading they don’t belong at a school like BIM and would probably be more comfortable at a lower ranked school with less of a focus on academic rigor.

The same BIM that I heard advertised on the radio in between Christmas carols? 😬

NP. I was also surprised at those ads. Really? A radio ad?

Yup radio ads played over and over. Desperate for students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very strong academics. Basis kids are learning two grades ahead of most privates.

Saint Stephens Saint Agnes is better than Basis

As are many other schools (for most kids). This is just a Basis self-promotion marketing thread, but everyone on this site knows to take whatever is said here with a giant heaping tablespoon of salt. I'm sure there's a few kids who are well-suited to it, but would wager that given the choice about 90% of families if given the choice to send their kids here vs. a top private in the area would make the other choice (and that would likely be the better choice for their kid). But Basis has its niche... the self-promotion just gets a bit tiresome.

Their niche consists mostly of jamming as much material into kids as early as possible to be regurgitated in endless rounds of tests. For example, no one questions if middle schoolers should be reading Julius Caesar or Macbeth when they are emotionally unequipped to grasp the language or the themes. Just do it to say we did it! Rah rah!

It's a one-trick pony with dubious value for the actual kids unless you like driving them hard 24/7.

Macbeth and Caesar are torturous.

They can be fascinating explorations of the human psyche, history, and all kinds of things for people who can grasp the concepts. But not 11- and 12-year olds. The moral ambiguity of murder is kind of beyond them.

If your 11 or 12 year struggles with this level of reading they don’t belong at a school like BIM and would probably be more comfortable at a lower ranked school with less of a focus on academic rigor.

The same BIM that I heard advertised on the radio in between Christmas carols? 😬

I think the fact that you were listening to radio commercials says more about you than it does about BIM.

Hit a nerve? So no listening to music in the car in case a commercial comes on? That's your response instead of addressing the issue that your tuition money is being used for ads played so often everyone has heard them and is talking about it? I think your response says a lot about you. It makes no sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very strong academics. Basis kids are learning two grades ahead of most privates.

Saint Stephens Saint Agnes is better than Basis

As are many other schools (for most kids). This is just a Basis self-promotion marketing thread, but everyone on this site knows to take whatever is said here with a giant heaping tablespoon of salt. I'm sure there's a few kids who are well-suited to it, but would wager that given the choice about 90% of families if given the choice to send their kids here vs. a top private in the area would make the other choice (and that would likely be the better choice for their kid). But Basis has its niche... the self-promotion just gets a bit tiresome.

Their niche consists mostly of jamming as much material into kids as early as possible to be regurgitated in endless rounds of tests. For example, no one questions if middle schoolers should be reading Julius Caesar or Macbeth when they are emotionally unequipped to grasp the language or the themes. Just do it to say we did it! Rah rah!

It's a one-trick pony with dubious value for the actual kids unless you like driving them hard 24/7.

Macbeth and Caesar are torturous.

They can be fascinating explorations of the human psyche, history, and all kinds of things for people who can grasp the concepts. But not 11- and 12-year olds. The moral ambiguity of murder is kind of beyond them.

If your 11 or 12 year struggles with this level of reading they don’t belong at a school like BIM and would probably be more comfortable at a lower ranked school with less of a focus on academic rigor.

The same BIM that I heard advertised on the radio in between Christmas carols? 😬

I think the fact that you were listening to radio commercials says more about you than it does about BIM.

Hit a nerve? So no listening to music in the car in case a commercial comes on? That's your response instead of addressing the issue that your tuition money is being used for ads played so often everyone has heard them and is talking about it? I think your response says a lot about you. It makes no sense.

Only the poors and the elderly listen to music via car radio.

[Anonymous]

Not much of a response on the merits. The existence of radio ads tells you all you need to know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. DC is currently in the Early Learning Program so at least from that perspective and talking to countless families in the primary school, I don’t understand the extreme negative reviews here at all. The teachers have been amazing, the curriculum and activities keep DC engaged and interested in learning, and the staff I’ve talked to in the ELP have all been wonderful. There is no pressure cooker environment, although I’ve heard the homework and tests get alot more serious around 4th grade. The turnover before the school year started hasn’t affected the learning at all, except for ONE music teacher vacancy, and that vacancy has since been filled. Maybe there is a lot more chaos going on in the administration, but I haven’t found that to affect DC’s experience at all.

No one cares about your personal experience at the school. If BIM advertises on the radio it must be terrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very strong academics. Basis kids are learning two grades ahead of most privates.

Saint Stephens Saint Agnes is better than Basis

As are many other schools (for most kids). This is just a Basis self-promotion marketing thread, but everyone on this site knows to take whatever is said here with a giant heaping tablespoon of salt. I'm sure there's a few kids who are well-suited to it, but would wager that given the choice about 90% of families if given the choice to send their kids here vs. a top private in the area would make the other choice (and that would likely be the better choice for their kid). But Basis has its niche... the self-promotion just gets a bit tiresome.

Their niche consists mostly of jamming as much material into kids as early as possible to be regurgitated in endless rounds of tests. For example, no one questions if middle schoolers should be reading Julius Caesar or Macbeth when they are emotionally unequipped to grasp the language or the themes. Just do it to say we did it! Rah rah!

It's a one-trick pony with dubious value for the actual kids unless you like driving them hard 24/7.

Macbeth and Caesar are torturous.

They can be fascinating explorations of the human psyche, history, and all kinds of things for people who can grasp the concepts. But not 11- and 12-year olds. The moral ambiguity of murder is kind of beyond them.

If your 11 or 12 year struggles with this level of reading they don’t belong at a school like BIM and would probably be more comfortable at a lower ranked school with less of a focus on academic rigor.

The same BIM that I heard advertised on the radio in between Christmas carols? 😬

I think the fact that you were listening to radio commercials says more about you than it does about BIM.

Hit a nerve? So no listening to music in the car in case a commercial comes on? That's your response instead of addressing the issue that your tuition money is being used for ads played so often everyone has heard them and is talking about it? I think your response says a lot about you. It makes no sense.

Only the poors and the elderly listen to music via car radio.

And from all the discussions I've heard so do the wealthy younger folks. Still trying to divert the ficus? No matter who listens to it Basis is running radio ads. Do you think the "poors and elderly" are the audience they're trying to reach?

[Anonymous]

You mean Basis You mean Basis is spending all that money on ads and don't even know their target audience? No wonder there's space there. All the other privates have wait lists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here. DC is currently in the Early Learning Program so at least from that perspective and talking to countless families in the primary school, I don’t understand the extreme negative reviews here at all. The teachers have been amazing, the curriculum and activities keep DC engaged and interested in learning, and the staff I’ve talked to in the ELP have all been wonderful. There is no pressure cooker environment, although I’ve heard the homework and tests get alot more serious around 4th grade. The turnover before the school year started hasn’t affected the learning at all, except for ONE music teacher vacancy, and that vacancy has since been filled. Maybe there is a lot more chaos going on in the administration, but I haven’t found that to affect DC’s experience at all.

No one cares about your personal experience at the school. If BIM advertises on the radio it must be terrible.

+1000

[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:Very strong academics. Basis kids are learning two grades ahead of most privates.

Saint Stephens Saint Agnes is better than Basis

As are many other schools (for most kids). This is just a Basis self-promotion marketing thread, but everyone on this site knows to take whatever is said here with a giant heaping tablespoon of salt. I'm sure there's a few kids who are well-suited to it, but would wager that given the choice about 90% of families if given the choice to send their kids here vs. a top private in the area would make the other choice (and that would likely be the better choice for their kid). But Basis has its niche... the self-promotion just gets a bit tiresome.

Their niche consists mostly of jamming as much material into kids as early as possible to be regurgitated in endless rounds of tests. For example, no one questions if middle schoolers should be reading Julius Caesar or Macbeth when they are emotionally unequipped to grasp the language or the themes. Just do it to say we did it! Rah rah!

It's a one-trick pony with dubious value for the actual kids unless you like driving them hard 24/7.

Macbeth and Caesar are torturous.

They can be fascinating explorations of the human psyche, history, and all kinds of things for people who can grasp the concepts. But not 11- and 12-year olds. The moral ambiguity of murder is kind of beyond them.

If your 11 or 12 year struggles with this level of reading they don’t belong at a school like BIM and would probably be more comfortable at a lower ranked school with less of a focus on academic rigor.

The same BIM that I heard advertised on the radio in between Christmas carols? 😬

I think the fact that you were listening to radio commercials says more about you than it does about BIM.

Hit a nerve? So no listening to music in the car in case a commercial comes on? That's your response instead of addressing the issue that your tuition money is being used for ads played so often everyone has heard them and is talking about it? I think your response says a lot about you. It makes no sense.

Only the poors and the elderly listen to music via car radio.

And from all the discussions I've heard so do the wealthy younger folks. Still trying to divert the ficus? No matter who listens to it Basis is running radio ads. Do you think the "poors and elderly" are the audience they're trying to reach?

Radio stations know exactly who is listening; that's how they get advertisers to advertise there. So there is a healthy slice of 30-60 year olds with children on the other end of those ads, you can count on it.

That said, PP's contrast between wait lists elsewhere and mass market advertising from BIM is very striking. Maybe not enough people follow Niche ratings, huh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. DC is currently in the Early Learning Program so at least from that perspective and talking to countless families in the primary school, I don’t understand the extreme negative reviews here at all. The teachers have been amazing, the curriculum and activities keep DC engaged and interested in learning, and the staff I’ve talked to in the ELP have all been wonderful. There is no pressure cooker environment, although I’ve heard the homework and tests get alot more serious around 4th grade. The turnover before the school year started hasn’t affected the learning at all, except for ONE music teacher vacancy, and that vacancy has since been filled. Maybe there is a lot more chaos going on in the administration, but I haven’t found that to affect DC’s experience at all.

You wouldn't see 95% of the chaos and tension downstairs in the ELP wing. It's all happening a floor or two above in the rest of the school. By all accounts, BIM does a decent job with the little ones. But if they stick around to 5th grade and beyond, they better be ready for a pressure cooker. That's all BIM offers in MS and HS.

[Anonymous]

Actually, it’s never about the school. It’s the students that make this school great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually, it’s never about the school. It’s the students that make this school great.

Just disregard the erratic parade of managers, the high faculty turnover, the limited facilities, the test-obsessed curriculum, etc.

What's great about the students? That they can survive the gauntlet with lots of test scores?

[Anonymous]

BIM is a feeder for Northeastern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BIM is a feeder for Northeastern.

Not impressed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BIM is a feeder for Northeastern.

Not impressed

That's like getting a great deal on a new Chevy when you really wanted a Mercedes.

The top schools all have 20 applicants for every place, so many, many students with stellar numbers still won't get in. At BIM, if you want to distinguish yourself in anything but test scores, you will have to do it outside the school on your own time while keeping up with the grind.

That's why they're more likely to get into Northeastern than an Ivy. Top colleges are looking for more now.