Please tell me everything about McDonogh in Baltimore County

[Anonymous]

If you play lacrosse and haven’t been recruited for high school it will be tough to make the team let alone get playing time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you play lacrosse and haven’t been recruited for high school it will be tough to make the team let alone get playing time.

Pretty much same for every varsity sport, Mcdonogh recruits heavily compared to the other private schools.

[Anonymous]

Seems like it’s big on athletics and not so great for academics

How about diversity other than black people?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems like it’s big on athletics and not so great for academics

How about diversity other than black people?

It is excellent for academics but also serves a range of student abilities. Athletics are especially outstanding. Diversity info is found easily through a google search. Overall very inclusive community.

[Anonymous]

It’s a step less rigorous than some of the others discussed even for the more advanced students but there are definitely some advanced students there. The athlete/non athlete divide is real, but not really present until high school.

An early poster mentioned SATs being similar among 5 or so schools two decades ago, but you will find more national merit semifinalists and commended at Bryn Mawr, Gilman, and even Park, than Mcdonogh, particularly on a per capita basis (Mcdonogh’s class is significantly larger).

[Anonymous]

I'm a McDonogh parent.

Academics:
As others have said the school serves a wider range of students particularly in high school when the student body widens. Its certainly not the pressure cooker environment that Gilman and Bryn Mawr have the reputation for being and I have never heard of a student being counseled out expect when major learning disabilities/ behavior issues appear. There's plenty of smart kids that end up at the name brand schools a certain segment of this board are obsessed with.

Athletics:
Certain varsity teams (Lax/Football) are very competitive with recruiting for the 9th grade entry year. Facilities and staff are top notch; there's an gold medalist sprinter on staff that coaches speed, etc.

Misc.:
Campus is first class. They have a huge endowment and just announced another $90mil legacy campaign with $80mil already prefunded by large donors. I can only imagine what they have planned for it. Parents association is very active. Have found other parents to be great; I'm a blue collar guy who didn't go to college. I expected to always feel out of my element and this hasn't been the case at all. Student body is more diverse than I would expect. Admission is competitive ~875 applicants for 200 spaces school wide for the 2024 school year.

All in all we have been very happy with our decision but its all about finding the right fit for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pro, it’s coed and has reasonably rigorous academics available, strong theater program, beautiful campus Cons: lots of kids coming from a distance in all directions leads to a less cohesive community, traditionally a social divide between the recruited/top athletes and everyone else, limited opportunities for average athlete to participate in sports, traditionally matriculation for recruited athletes much better than for rest of class.

Tends to draw more conservative families than other privates (along with Saint Paul’s).

This is very true. The girls basketball team is crazy good, but sounds as if they completely keep to themselves. The campus is gorgeous, it feels like a college. Like many privates, there are great people associated with the school, and there are people who want to be sure to let you know they send their kids there. If your daughter likes it and you can afford it, she will be on a good trajectory. Having said that, I have sent three kids to schools other than McDonogh

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pro, it’s coed and has reasonably rigorous academics available, strong theater program, beautiful campus Cons: lots of kids coming from a distance in all directions leads to a less cohesive community, traditionally a social divide between the recruited/top athletes and everyone else, limited opportunities for average athlete to participate in sports, traditionally matriculation for recruited athletes much better than for rest of class.

Tends to draw more conservative families than other privates (along with Saint Paul’s).

This is very true. The girls basketball team is crazy good, but sounds as if they completely keep to themselves. The campus is gorgeous, it feels like a college. Like many privates, there are great people associated with the school, and there are people who want to be sure to let you know they send their kids there. If your daughter likes it and you can afford it, she will be on a good trajectory. Having said that, I have sent three kids to schools other than McDonogh

Curious, why did you chose other schools over McDonogh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is equal to McDonogh in the DMV?

A recent thread here put it in the "Big 3" equivalent of Baltimore. It is co-ed so that distinguishes it in the area from Gilman and Bryn Mawr.

I’d say Park over Mcdonogh, based on academic rigor. Mcdonogh has more of a spread of kids in academic ability than the others.

Park has a very progressive vibe, great for some kids, awful for others. I would not say academically way more rigorous than McD, it comes down to taste and fit whether you thrive there

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a McDonogh parent.

Academics:
As others have said the school serves a wider range of students particularly in high school when the student body widens. Its certainly not the pressure cooker environment that Gilman and Bryn Mawr have the reputation for being and I have never heard of a student being counseled out expect when major learning disabilities/ behavior issues appear. There's plenty of smart kids that end up at the name brand schools a certain segment of this board are obsessed with.

Athletics:
Certain varsity teams (Lax/Football) are very competitive with recruiting for the 9th grade entry year. Facilities and staff are top notch; there's an gold medalist sprinter on staff that coaches speed, etc.

Misc.:
Campus is first class. They have a huge endowment and just announced another $90mil legacy campaign with $80mil already prefunded by large donors. I can only imagine what they have planned for it. Parents association is very active. Have found other parents to be great; I'm a blue collar guy who didn't go to college. I expected to always feel out of my element and this hasn't been the case at all. Student body is more diverse than I would expect. Admission is competitive ~875 applicants for 200 spaces school wide for the 2024 school year.

All in all we have been very happy with our decision but its all about finding the right fit for you.

I am guessing this is the parent of a boy. Their girls basketball team has a member of the U18 national team and sends just about every senior starter to DI schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pro, it’s coed and has reasonably rigorous academics available, strong theater program, beautiful campus Cons: lots of kids coming from a distance in all directions leads to a less cohesive community, traditionally a social divide between the recruited/top athletes and everyone else, limited opportunities for average athlete to participate in sports, traditionally matriculation for recruited athletes much better than for rest of class.

Tends to draw more conservative families than other privates (along with Saint Paul’s).

This is very true. The girls basketball team is crazy good, but sounds as if they completely keep to themselves. The campus is gorgeous, it feels like a college. Like many privates, there are great people associated with the school, and there are people who want to be sure to let you know they send their kids there. If your daughter likes it and you can afford it, she will be on a good trajectory. Having said that, I have sent three kids to schools other than McDonogh

Curious, why did you chose other schools over McDonogh?

They didn’t like the fit there quite as well as others. Plus about a 25-minute farther ride each way, each day. Loyola, Bryn Mawr, no complaints. Great fit for us and they have thrived there. There is no one right answer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pro, it’s coed and has reasonably rigorous academics available, strong theater program, beautiful campus Cons: lots of kids coming from a distance in all directions leads to a less cohesive community, traditionally a social divide between the recruited/top athletes and everyone else, limited opportunities for average athlete to participate in sports, traditionally matriculation for recruited athletes much better than for rest of class.

Tends to draw more conservative families than other privates (along with Saint Paul’s).

This is very true. The girls basketball team is crazy good, but sounds as if they completely keep to themselves. The campus is gorgeous, it feels like a college. Like many privates, there are great people associated with the school, and there are people who want to be sure to let you know they send their kids there. If your daughter likes it and you can afford it, she will be on a good trajectory. Having said that, I have sent three kids to schools other than McDonogh

Curious, why did you chose other schools over McDonogh?

They didn’t like the fit there quite as well as others. Plus about a 25-minute farther ride each way, each day. Loyola, Bryn Mawr, no complaints. Great fit for us and they have thrived there. There is no one right answer

What factors were involved in determining the fit, besides the distance?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is equal to McDonogh in the DMV?

A recent thread here put it in the "Big 3" equivalent of Baltimore. It is co-ed so that distinguishes it in the area from Gilman and Bryn Mawr.

I’d say Park over Mcdonogh, based on academic rigor. Mcdonogh has more of a spread of kids in academic ability than the others.

Park has a very progressive vibe, great for some kids, awful for others. I would not say academically way more rigorous than McD, it comes down to taste and fit whether you thrive there

Progressive educational approaches is always a binary, it either works for you or it doesn't. Saying Park is rigorous is a chicken or egg situation. Which came first, the student or the school? For Park parents, it can be preaching to the choir - overeducated parents getting an educational approach for highly capable kids and when the kids do well, they pat themselves on the back and say it's a rigorous education!

At the end of the day, all big Baltimore private schools are capable of educating their students to perform well at the best colleges in the country. The differences is just the spread of capabilities across the student body. Some schools just have more better performing students than others. That's why fit, more than the college placement record or SAT average, is key to a student's happiness at a school.

[Anonymous]

Some schools do a better job of retaining good teachers, others churn through them. Some schools hold on to notoriously bad teachers.
It’s not just about the students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pro, it’s coed and has reasonably rigorous academics available, strong theater program, beautiful campus Cons: lots of kids coming from a distance in all directions leads to a less cohesive community, traditionally a social divide between the recruited/top athletes and everyone else, limited opportunities for average athlete to participate in sports, traditionally matriculation for recruited athletes much better than for rest of class.

Tends to draw more conservative families than other privates (along with Saint Paul’s).

This is very true. The girls basketball team is crazy good, but sounds as if they completely keep to themselves. The campus is gorgeous, it feels like a college. Like many privates, there are great people associated with the school, and there are people who want to be sure to let you know they send their kids there. If your daughter likes it and you can afford it, she will be on a good trajectory. Having said that, I have sent three kids to schools other than McDonogh

Curious, why did you chose other schools over McDonogh?

They didn’t like the fit there quite as well as others. Plus about a 25-minute farther ride each way, each day. Loyola, Bryn Mawr, no complaints. Great fit for us and they have thrived there. There is no one right answer

What factors were involved in determining the fit, besides the distance?

A couple of them thought that they would have little chance to play varsity sports in the sports they wanted to play. One of them liked the feel they got when they were on campus with other students. With the shorter commute, I was fine with it, and they did well.