WIS - Middle and Upper School spirit and community

[Anonymous]

They look down on Americans from… WIS???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WIS is not an American school. It does not have American school spirit. This is not a bad thing or a good thing. It is a matter of taste.

There are people at WIS, however, who chose WIS because it is not an American school. This means either that they dislike certain elements of American private school culture or didn’t want it or don’t want it or look down on it.

No, no one looks down on Americans. However, some look down American private school culture.

[Anonymous]

But, from … WIS? 😂

[Anonymous]

What’s WIS admittance rate for students without any disability? What about students with learning differences? By school? Serious question.

[Anonymous]

To clarify, one of the criteria is non-selectiveness. I’ve never met anyone who said they applied and didn’t get in but it might be that people who didn’t get it don’t want to talk about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To clarify, one of the criteria is non-selectiveness. I’ve never met anyone who said they applied and didn’t get in but it might be that people who didn’t get it don’t want to talk about it.

I’m probably just shouting into a trollstorm, but it’s usually 60-70 apps for 5-10 openings for 9th grade per admissions. Don’t know where that sits in the not selective/ selective spectrum

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But, from … WIS? 😂

People find all kinds of stupid reasons to look down on each other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:STAY AWAY FROM WIS. ONLY REGRETS

Elaborate?

PP above has SERIOUS ISSUES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s WIS admittance rate for students without any disability? What about students with learning differences? By school? Serious question.

I don’t think they support learning differences much. The IB program is known to be rigorous. But I can’t speak for what it’s REALLY like at WIS. Not sure what’s up with this school.

At every school we visited, the shadows my son had all told some cautionary tale about WIS. DMV privâtes are small and everyone seems to know each other, but WIS definitely has a reputation among the kids as the school you don’t want to go to.

My son also said kids were on their phones during 9th grade math.. likely because the teacher’s accent was so thick no one could understand her. He said he couldn’t follow her at all.

The phone policy thing turned me off big time. The slacker vibes turned off my kid. That and the fact that his shadow told him there are better schools for him to attend 😳 Loved the admissions team though. Georgia is a gem and will not mince words helping you decide if it’s the right place for your kid.

[Anonymous]

Current WIS parent here - would agree with above post - wish my student had been warned on their shadow day. Minimal school spirit or sense of community, maybe there is more if you are an international family and/or on the soccer or tennis teams which seem to get a lot of attention and are prioritized by the school - we are neither - this is just our experience.

[Anonymous]

WIS parent here. Lots of people want to go to WIS. Few get in because of the limited spots available per grade. Plus it is an absolute rigorous school and the kids are up to their necks in schoolwork, especially if you are doing the IB program the last two final years of high school. The IB program breaks a lot of kids with the pace of it. Slackers are usually counseled out to another school. There is school spirit as seen on Valentine’s Day celebrations for example, soccer, track and field, and volleyball and during other events. It is not an Americna rah, rah, ran school
Like Saint Johns College High School. If that’s what you crave, go there. This is indeed and internationally focused school. There are plenty of Americans who attend WIS because they want that international aspect and also understand the requirements and dedication of the IB program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Current WIS parent here - would agree with above post - wish my student had been warned on their shadow day. Minimal school spirit or sense of community, maybe there is more if you are an international family and/or on the soccer or tennis teams which seem to get a lot of attention and are prioritized by the school - we are neither - this is just our experience.

This tracks. We have lived outside of the US and DS completed “middle school” in France. School spirit/community etc are not a thing in European schools. At least in France it isn’t, so I’m not surprised that it’s nonexistent at WIS.

We were drawn to WIS because of the languages aspect, but it felt like the sort of place for kids who are extremely independent learners. The kids there we met seemed super mature.. like college students already! Just not our vibe at all in terms of classroom atmosphere or pedagogy.

Your kid needs to be bright to go to this school, that’s for sure.. but it doesn’t seem like a place that will nurture your kid.
It’s more sink or swim.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s WIS admittance rate for students without any disability? What about students with learning differences? By school? Serious question.

I don’t think they support learning differences much. The IB program is known to be rigorous. But I can’t speak for what it’s REALLY like at WIS. Not sure what’s up with this school.

At every school we visited, the shadows my son had all told some cautionary tale about WIS. DMV privâtes are small and everyone seems to know each other, but WIS definitely has a reputation among the kids as the school you don’t want to go to.

My son also said kids were on their phones during 9th grade math.. likely because the teacher’s accent was so thick no one could understand her. He said he couldn’t follow her at all.

The phone policy thing turned me off big time. The slacker vibes turned off my kid. That and the fact that his shadow told him there are better schools for him to attend 😳 Loved the admissions team though. Georgia is a gem and will not mince words helping you decide if it’s the right place for your kid.

WIS parent, and we hear similar sentiments from our daughter. Kids grow accustomed to always having personal tech on them starting in 6th grade, when they have Ipads on them all day. The principal believes it helps reduce stress during lunch for kids to be on Ipads. But the kids are dependent and addicted. Then cell phone use in high school becomes constant because the principal's philosophy is that it helps them learn how to manage themselves. Most schools have now realized that a strict no phones policy is best, even in high school, which is backed by students. WIS is very much behind in this area.