After all the drama, Big3 college admissions are really as strong as ever this year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op seems to be exaggerating a bit as Sidwell list looks good but definitely has schools outside T50.

ok, 85-90% to top50?

If your source is instagram, only 60% seniors posted. Anyway, top50 is a low standard for a top private.

You sound bitter (and broke)!

There are nearly 4,000 accredited four-year colleges in the US. Getting 125 students (not all of them are great students—especially some of the lifers) into Top 50 schools is a high bar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm having trouble understanding how these results are worth bragging about. You're paying all that money for, what, a 20 percent chance of Ivy admissions, which is an inflated number to start with because we know that there are many more Ivy legacies at the top privates than publics.

My kids weren't geniuses, but they were good students at solid but no tippy top public schools in the DMV. They all got into either UVA, William and Mary or both, and they all went to one or the other except for one who chose a top ten LAC instead. I don't think their going to a so-called Big 3 would have made a bit of a difference in their college admissions, and we saved a lot of money and remained a part of our local neighborhood in the process.

The idea that, standing alone, attending the Big 3 over a good public school in the DMV makes a big difference in college admissions has long been debunked.

You have no idea if it would have made a difference. All of your children graduated from public school. You have no firsthand basis for comparison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel sorry for the kids at these schools who are average students and sensitive. It must be very difficult to be surrounded by such cutthroat, competitive classmates and their parents.

They better toughen up! Life outside of NCS won’t be any easier. Competition is the American way!

[Anonymous]

I think the complaints were about admissions for unhooked kids.

This. It has been addressed many times on this forum.

[Anonymous]

I'm having trouble understanding how these results are worth bragging about. You're paying all that money for, what, a 20 percent chance of Ivy admissions, which is an inflated number to start with because we know that there are many more Ivy legacies at the top privates than publics.

My kids weren't geniuses, but they were good students at solid but no tippy top public schools in the DMV. They all got into either UVA, William and Mary or both, and they all went to one or the other except for one who chose a top ten LAC instead. I don't think their going to a so-called Big 3 would have made a bit of a difference in their college admissions, and we saved a lot of money and remained a part of our local neighborhood in the process.

The idea that, standing alone, attending the Big 3 over a good public school in the DMV makes a big difference in college admissions has long been debunked.

Most people are paying the money for the outstanding, rigorous academics in small classes with many other intellectual students who enjoy discourse and debate, and teachers who know the kids well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op seems to be exaggerating a bit as Sidwell list looks good but definitely has schools outside T50.

ok, 85-90% to top50?

If your source is instagram, only 60% seniors posted. Anyway, top50 is a low standard for a top private.

Oh please! No private school can guarantee admission to Ivies/Ivy equivalent colleges. Not the Big 3, Harvard-Westlake, the top NYC private schools, nor NE boarding schools. All of those schools will send a few/some/many students to colleges that are not in the top 50 (or **gasp** the top 100). However, when you compare the college destinations of top private high school graduates to top public graduates, a much higher percentage of the private school students usually go to top 50 colleges. If you don’t believe me, just take a look at Whitman, Churchill, Langley, and compare those percentages to Sidwell, Spence, Trinity, etc.).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Money and privilege still matter, absolutely shocking

Lol seriously. And the school already by and large screened out kids with learning differences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Money and privilege still matter, absolutely shocking

Lol seriously. And the school already by and large screened out kids with learning differences.

That’s not true. Kids with learning differences are welcome if they chose to stay. It may not be the best idea as the workload is intense but they are not asked to leave. They are quite supportive of kids with learning disabilities actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op seems to be exaggerating a bit as Sidwell list looks good but definitely has schools outside T50.

Often that is for speciat type programs like Berkelee or Pratt, or for aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:we know that there are many more Ivy legacies at the top privates than publics

There are 50 million public school students in this country, and 6 million private school students. Private schools certainly have a higher percentage of Ivy legacies, but absolute numbers? LOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Money and privilege still matter, absolutely shocking

Lol seriously. And the school already by and large screened out kids with learning differences.

That’s not true. Kids with learning differences are welcome if they chose to stay. It may not be the best idea as the workload is intense but they are not asked to leave. They are quite supportive of kids with learning disabilities actually.

And they are also very supportive of siblings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op seems to be exaggerating a bit as Sidwell list looks good but definitely has schools outside T50.

ok, 85-90% to top50?

If your source is instagram, only 60% seniors posted. Anyway, top50 is a low standard for a top private.

You sound bitter (and broke)!

There are nearly 4,000 accredited four-year colleges in the US. Getting 125 students (not all of them are great students—especially some of the lifers) into Top 50 schools is a high bar.

Why the dig at lifers. I hear this a lot on this forum and it’s just not backed up by data. Sounds like jealousy to me b/c you weren’t able to provide private for your kid for all 13 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op seems to be exaggerating a bit as Sidwell list looks good but definitely has schools outside T50.

ok, 85-90% to top50?

If your source is instagram, only 60% seniors posted. Anyway, top50 is a low standard for a top private.

You sound bitter (and broke)!

There are nearly 4,000 accredited four-year colleges in the US. Getting 125 students (not all of them are great students—especially some of the lifers) into Top 50 schools is a high bar.

Why the dig at lifers. I hear this a lot on this forum and it’s just not backed up by data. Sounds like jealousy to me b/c you weren’t able to provide private for your kid for all 13 years.

Yes, there are a few lifers who rise to the top and the sibling admits for ninth grade are not always top students. But face it: lifers never have to compete for their place on merit. Just keep you head down and for goodness sake, don’t turn out to have a disability that makes the school do any extra work. And you’re golden.

What if every ninth grade seat was up for grabs? What if every lifer had to earn their US place?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op seems to be exaggerating a bit as Sidwell list looks good but definitely has schools outside T50.

ok, 85-90% to top50?

If your source is instagram, only 60% seniors posted. Anyway, top50 is a low standard for a top private.

You sound bitter (and broke)!

There are nearly 4,000 accredited four-year colleges in the US. Getting 125 students (not all of them are great students—especially some of the lifers) into Top 50 schools is a high bar.

Why the dig at lifers. I hear this a lot on this forum and it’s just not backed up by data. Sounds like jealousy to me b/c you weren’t able to provide private for your kid for all 13 years.

Agree. Lifers are well represented among the top students at my DC’s Big 3. That includes math and science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op seems to be exaggerating a bit as Sidwell list looks good but definitely has schools outside T50.

ok, 85-90% to top50?

If your source is instagram, only 60% seniors posted. Anyway, top50 is a low standard for a top private.

You sound bitter (and broke)!

There are nearly 4,000 accredited four-year colleges in the US. Getting 125 students (not all of them are great students—especially some of the lifers) into Top 50 schools is a high bar.

Why the dig at lifers. I hear this a lot on this forum and it’s just not backed up by data. Sounds like jealousy to me b/c you weren’t able to provide private for your kid for all 13 years.

Agreed that comments about lifers are off base. At our private, lifers do quite well in college admissions with half of them going to a top 10 school this year.