Acceptance rates at private schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very true that Mcdonogh has cooled off, I’d be surprised if that 30 percent number is still accurate. It would have been 10 years ago when Mcdonogh was the hot school. Back then, the tri schools were spooked because even Calvert was sending a lot of kids to Mcdonogh. But that’s swung back in a big way.

In the past few years, a 30% overall admit rate has been accurate at McDonogh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree. I do not think that there is any evidence that Mcdonogh is more competitive than Gilman or Bryn Mawr. Other schools will be less competitive. We are very fortunate to have so many options here.

Those three are probably all similar in competitiveness. However the bus fleet and boarding program at McDonogh allow it to attract students from a wider geographic area. They are all great schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that McDonogh is so much more competitive. It's not one that we're interested in and I would not have assumed it was anywhere near as desirable as Bryn Mawr or Gilman. My perspective is probably just skewed by living much closer to those schools.

I don’t think that it is, in the sense that they don’t have higher academic standards. Mcdonogh does however, recruit much more aggressively for athletes than other Baltimore independents (the Catholic schools do as well, but much bigger classes) so there is going to be less room for normal “academic” candidates at both the middle school and upper school level.

Academically, the high school advanced track at Mcdonogh is similar to Bryn Mawr or Gilman. They produce similar numbers of national merit semi finalists and college outcomes are similar for students on that track. Of course there is year to year variation.

However, McDonogh also has a larger class size allowing it to cater to a wider range of students who are not all on the highest academic track.

The boarding program at McDonogh and their bus fleet allow them to capture students from a wider area than some of their peer schools.

Mcdonogh has the best athletics program in Maryland, a campus that rivals colleges, and is overall the most in-demand private school in the Baltimore area.

The national merit numbers are never actually as good, especially on per capita basis.

As for your last sentence, come on. Peak Mcdonogh was a decade ago, the last few years, it has been the second “hottest” school in the County to Saint Paul’s. Most people in the city no longer consider it.

Yes, actually the national merit semi finalist numbers are the same, even per capita, when you are comparing the kids on the advanced academic track.


As per the rest of what you are saying, you seem very out of touch with the private school scene in Baltimore.

Let’s look at the numbers and see who is “very out of touch:”

Gilman had 8 National merit semifinalists and 28 commended in a class of 118. So, 7 percent of class is a semifinalist and 24 percent are commended.

Bryn Mawr had 5 semi finalists and 14 commended in a class of 82. So 6 percent of class is a semifinalist and 17 percent are commended.

Mcdonogh has 6 semifinalists in a class of 166. That’s 4 percent of the class. They didn’t release commended students for this year yet, but last year, they had 11, which is 7 percent of the class.

Last year, Mcdonogh had 1 national merit semifinalist while Gilman had 5 and Bryn Mawr had 4. Keep in mind the Gilman class is smaller by more than 35 kids, and Bryn Mawr is roughly half the size of Mcdonogh.

We can also look at the average test scores of the top quarter

You aren't looking at all the data. The year that Gilman had 8 semifinalists was extremely unusual. Here is some more data:

Semifinalists at Gilman
2023 2 kids
2022 6 kids

Semifinalists at Bryn Mawr
2023 2 kids

Of course there is year to year variation. You seemed to have missed the point entirely in your last post. McDonogh has a larger class size than GIlman and Bryn Mawr, allowing it to cater to a wider range of students who are not all on the highest academic track. If you focus on the kids in the highest academic track, there is no difference between that track at McDonogh and that track at Gilman or Bryn Mawr.

Huh? I looked at the two most recent years but your cherry-picked data isn’t even right, Bryn Mawr has 3 semifinalists in 2023. 2023 was definitely an off year for a Gilman, as shown by the two most recent years, and your numbers from 2022.

Mcdonogh also had 2 in 2023, so even in Gilman’s outlier year, it still did better on a per capita basis than Mcdonogh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very true that Mcdonogh has cooled off, I’d be surprised if that 30 percent number is still accurate. It would have been 10 years ago when Mcdonogh was the hot school. Back then, the tri schools were spooked because even Calvert was sending a lot of kids to Mcdonogh. But that’s swung back in a big way.

In the past few years, a 30% overall admit rate has been accurate at McDonogh.

According to what published source? We all can make up numbers as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very true that Mcdonogh has cooled off, I’d be surprised if that 30 percent number is still accurate. It would have been 10 years ago when Mcdonogh was the hot school. Back then, the tri schools were spooked because even Calvert was sending a lot of kids to Mcdonogh. But that’s swung back in a big way.

In the past few years, a 30% overall admit rate has been accurate at McDonogh.

According to what published source? We all can make up numbers as well.

Of course it isn't published to the public and feel free to not believe me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that McDonogh is so much more competitive. It's not one that we're interested in and I would not have assumed it was anywhere near as desirable as Bryn Mawr or Gilman. My perspective is probably just skewed by living much closer to those schools.

I don’t think that it is, in the sense that they don’t have higher academic standards. Mcdonogh does however, recruit much more aggressively for athletes than other Baltimore independents (the Catholic schools do as well, but much bigger classes) so there is going to be less room for normal “academic” candidates at both the middle school and upper school level.

Academically, the high school advanced track at Mcdonogh is similar to Bryn Mawr or Gilman. They produce similar numbers of national merit semi finalists and college outcomes are similar for students on that track. Of course there is year to year variation.

However, McDonogh also has a larger class size allowing it to cater to a wider range of students who are not all on the highest academic track.

The boarding program at McDonogh and their bus fleet allow them to capture students from a wider area than some of their peer schools.

Mcdonogh has the best athletics program in Maryland, a campus that rivals colleges, and is overall the most in-demand private school in the Baltimore area.

The national merit numbers are never actually as good, especially on per capita basis.

As for your last sentence, come on. Peak Mcdonogh was a decade ago, the last few years, it has been the second “hottest” school in the County to Saint Paul’s. Most people in the city no longer consider it.

Yes, actually the national merit semi finalist numbers are the same, even per capita, when you are comparing the kids on the advanced academic track.


As per the rest of what you are saying, you seem very out of touch with the private school scene in Baltimore.

Let’s look at the numbers and see who is “very out of touch:”

Gilman had 8 National merit semifinalists and 28 commended in a class of 118. So, 7 percent of class is a semifinalist and 24 percent are commended.

Bryn Mawr had 5 semi finalists and 14 commended in a class of 82. So 6 percent of class is a semifinalist and 17 percent are commended.

Mcdonogh has 6 semifinalists in a class of 166. That’s 4 percent of the class. They didn’t release commended students for this year yet, but last year, they had 11, which is 7 percent of the class.

Last year, Mcdonogh had 1 national merit semifinalist while Gilman had 5 and Bryn Mawr had 4. Keep in mind the Gilman class is smaller by more than 35 kids, and Bryn Mawr is roughly half the size of Mcdonogh.

We can also look at the average test scores of the top quarter

You aren't looking at all the data. The year that Gilman had 8 semifinalists was extremely unusual. Here is some more data:

Semifinalists at Gilman
2023 2 kids
2022 6 kids

Semifinalists at Bryn Mawr
2023 2 kids

Of course there is year to year variation. You seemed to have missed the point entirely in your last post. McDonogh has a larger class size than GIlman and Bryn Mawr, allowing it to cater to a wider range of students who are not all on the highest academic track. If you focus on the kids in the highest academic track, there is no difference between that track at McDonogh and that track at Gilman or Bryn Mawr.

Huh? I looked at the two most recent years but your cherry-picked data isn’t even right, Bryn Mawr has 3 semifinalists in 2023. 2023 was definitely an off year for a Gilman, as shown by the two most recent years, and your numbers from 2022.

Mcdonogh also had 2 in 2023, so even in Gilman’s outlier year, it still did better on a per capita basis than Mcdonogh.

You are exhausting. There is no difference in these numbers between these schools. When you get into the details it becomes pointless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McDonogh has a larger class size than GIlman and Bryn Mawr, allowing it to cater to a wider range of students who are not all on the highest academic track. If you focus on the kids in the highest academic track, there is no difference between that track at McDonogh and that track at Gilman or Bryn Mawr.

I’m not even sure what you are trying to argue. The above is just an admission that Gilman/Bryn Mawr do in fact have higher admissions standards for academics for the class as a whole, making them a more competitive admit based on those criteria. Are there some advanced kids at McDonogh? I’m sure there are, but the best college results at McDonogh tend to be for the sports recruits specifically lacrosse and squash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that McDonogh is so much more competitive. It's not one that we're interested in and I would not have assumed it was anywhere near as desirable as Bryn Mawr or Gilman. My perspective is probably just skewed by living much closer to those schools.

I don’t think that it is, in the sense that they don’t have higher academic standards. Mcdonogh does however, recruit much more aggressively for athletes than other Baltimore independents (the Catholic schools do as well, but much bigger classes) so there is going to be less room for normal “academic” candidates at both the middle school and upper school level.

Academically, the high school advanced track at Mcdonogh is similar to Bryn Mawr or Gilman. They produce similar numbers of national merit semi finalists and college outcomes are similar for students on that track. Of course there is year to year variation.

However, McDonogh also has a larger class size allowing it to cater to a wider range of students who are not all on the highest academic track.

The boarding program at McDonogh and their bus fleet allow them to capture students from a wider area than some of their peer schools.

Mcdonogh has the best athletics program in Maryland, a campus that rivals colleges, and is overall the most in-demand private school in the Baltimore area.

The national merit numbers are never actually as good, especially on per capita basis.

As for your last sentence, come on. Peak Mcdonogh was a decade ago, the last few years, it has been the second “hottest” school in the County to Saint Paul’s. Most people in the city no longer consider it.

Yes, actually the national merit semi finalist numbers are the same, even per capita, when you are comparing the kids on the advanced academic track.


As per the rest of what you are saying, you seem very out of touch with the private school scene in Baltimore.

Let’s look at the numbers and see who is “very out of touch:”

Gilman had 8 National merit semifinalists and 28 commended in a class of 118. So, 7 percent of class is a semifinalist and 24 percent are commended.

Bryn Mawr had 5 semi finalists and 14 commended in a class of 82. So 6 percent of class is a semifinalist and 17 percent are commended.

Mcdonogh has 6 semifinalists in a class of 166. That’s 4 percent of the class. They didn’t release commended students for this year yet, but last year, they had 11, which is 7 percent of the class.

Last year, Mcdonogh had 1 national merit semifinalist while Gilman had 5 and Bryn Mawr had 4. Keep in mind the Gilman class is smaller by more than 35 kids, and Bryn Mawr is roughly half the size of Mcdonogh.

We can also look at the average test scores of the top quarter

You aren't looking at all the data. The year that Gilman had 8 semifinalists was extremely unusual. Here is some more data:

Semifinalists at Gilman
2023 2 kids
2022 6 kids

Semifinalists at Bryn Mawr
2023 2 kids

Of course there is year to year variation. You seemed to have missed the point entirely in your last post. McDonogh has a larger class size than GIlman and Bryn Mawr, allowing it to cater to a wider range of students who are not all on the highest academic track. If you focus on the kids in the highest academic track, there is no difference between that track at McDonogh and that track at Gilman or Bryn Mawr.

Huh? I looked at the two most recent years but your cherry-picked data isn’t even right, Bryn Mawr has 3 semifinalists in 2023. 2023 was definitely an off year for a Gilman, as shown by the two most recent years, and your numbers from 2022.

Mcdonogh also had 2 in 2023, so even in Gilman’s outlier year, it still did better on a per capita basis than Mcdonogh.

You are exhausting. There is no difference in these numbers between these schools. When you get into the details it becomes pointless.

Sweetie, you are ridiculous. Bryn Mawr and Gilman consistently have more semifinalists and commended despite being significantly smaller. By a lot most years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very true that Mcdonogh has cooled off, I’d be surprised if that 30 percent number is still accurate. It would have been 10 years ago when Mcdonogh was the hot school. Back then, the tri schools were spooked because even Calvert was sending a lot of kids to Mcdonogh. But that’s swung back in a big way.

In the past few years, a 30% overall admit rate has been accurate at McDonogh.

According to what published source? We all can make up numbers as well.

Of course it isn't published to the public and feel free to not believe me.

Oh, I don’t, no worries there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that McDonogh is so much more competitive. It's not one that we're interested in and I would not have assumed it was anywhere near as desirable as Bryn Mawr or Gilman. My perspective is probably just skewed by living much closer to those schools.

I don’t think that it is, in the sense that they don’t have higher academic standards. Mcdonogh does however, recruit much more aggressively for athletes than other Baltimore independents (the Catholic schools do as well, but much bigger classes) so there is going to be less room for normal “academic” candidates at both the middle school and upper school level.

Academically, the high school advanced track at Mcdonogh is similar to Bryn Mawr or Gilman. They produce similar numbers of national merit semi finalists and college outcomes are similar for students on that track. Of course there is year to year variation.

However, McDonogh also has a larger class size allowing it to cater to a wider range of students who are not all on the highest academic track.

The boarding program at McDonogh and their bus fleet allow them to capture students from a wider area than some of their peer schools.

Mcdonogh has the best athletics program in Maryland, a campus that rivals colleges, and is overall the most in-demand private school in the Baltimore area.

The national merit numbers are never actually as good, especially on per capita basis.

As for your last sentence, come on. Peak Mcdonogh was a decade ago, the last few years, it has been the second “hottest” school in the County to Saint Paul’s. Most people in the city no longer consider it.

Yes, actually the national merit semi finalist numbers are the same, even per capita, when you are comparing the kids on the advanced academic track.


As per the rest of what you are saying, you seem very out of touch with the private school scene in Baltimore.

Let’s look at the numbers and see who is “very out of touch:”

Gilman had 8 National merit semifinalists and 28 commended in a class of 118. So, 7 percent of class is a semifinalist and 24 percent are commended.

Bryn Mawr had 5 semi finalists and 14 commended in a class of 82. So 6 percent of class is a semifinalist and 17 percent are commended.

Mcdonogh has 6 semifinalists in a class of 166. That’s 4 percent of the class. They didn’t release commended students for this year yet, but last year, they had 11, which is 7 percent of the class.

Last year, Mcdonogh had 1 national merit semifinalist while Gilman had 5 and Bryn Mawr had 4. Keep in mind the Gilman class is smaller by more than 35 kids, and Bryn Mawr is roughly half the size of Mcdonogh.

We can also look at the average test scores of the top quarter

You aren't looking at all the data. The year that Gilman had 8 semifinalists was extremely unusual. Here is some more data:

Semifinalists at Gilman
2023 2 kids
2022 6 kids

Semifinalists at Bryn Mawr
2023 2 kids

Of course there is year to year variation. You seemed to have missed the point entirely in your last post. McDonogh has a larger class size than GIlman and Bryn Mawr, allowing it to cater to a wider range of students who are not all on the highest academic track. If you focus on the kids in the highest academic track, there is no difference between that track at McDonogh and that track at Gilman or Bryn Mawr.

Huh? I looked at the two most recent years but your cherry-picked data isn’t even right, Bryn Mawr has 3 semifinalists in 2023. 2023 was definitely an off year for a Gilman, as shown by the two most recent years, and your numbers from 2022.

Mcdonogh also had 2 in 2023, so even in Gilman’s outlier year, it still did better on a per capita basis than Mcdonogh.

You are exhausting. There is no difference in these numbers between these schools. When you get into the details it becomes pointless.

Sweetie, you are ridiculous. Bryn Mawr and Gilman consistently have more semifinalists and commended despite being significantly smaller. By a lot most years.

where is that eye roll emoji?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that McDonogh is so much more competitive. It's not one that we're interested in and I would not have assumed it was anywhere near as desirable as Bryn Mawr or Gilman. My perspective is probably just skewed by living much closer to those schools.

I don’t think that it is, in the sense that they don’t have higher academic standards. Mcdonogh does however, recruit much more aggressively for athletes than other Baltimore independents (the Catholic schools do as well, but much bigger classes) so there is going to be less room for normal “academic” candidates at both the middle school and upper school level.

Academically, the high school advanced track at Mcdonogh is similar to Bryn Mawr or Gilman. They produce similar numbers of national merit semi finalists and college outcomes are similar for students on that track. Of course there is year to year variation.

However, McDonogh also has a larger class size allowing it to cater to a wider range of students who are not all on the highest academic track.

The boarding program at McDonogh and their bus fleet allow them to capture students from a wider area than some of their peer schools.

Mcdonogh has the best athletics program in Maryland, a campus that rivals colleges, and is overall the most in-demand private school in the Baltimore area.

The national merit numbers are never actually as good, especially on per capita basis.

As for your last sentence, come on. Peak Mcdonogh was a decade ago, the last few years, it has been the second “hottest” school in the County to Saint Paul’s. Most people in the city no longer consider it.

Yes, actually the national merit semi finalist numbers are the same, even per capita, when you are comparing the kids on the advanced academic track.


As per the rest of what you are saying, you seem very out of touch with the private school scene in Baltimore.

Let’s look at the numbers and see who is “very out of touch:”

Gilman had 8 National merit semifinalists and 28 commended in a class of 118. So, 7 percent of class is a semifinalist and 24 percent are commended.

Bryn Mawr had 5 semi finalists and 14 commended in a class of 82. So 6 percent of class is a semifinalist and 17 percent are commended.

Mcdonogh has 6 semifinalists in a class of 166. That’s 4 percent of the class. They didn’t release commended students for this year yet, but last year, they had 11, which is 7 percent of the class.

Last year, Mcdonogh had 1 national merit semifinalist while Gilman had 5 and Bryn Mawr had 4. Keep in mind the Gilman class is smaller by more than 35 kids, and Bryn Mawr is roughly half the size of Mcdonogh.

We can also look at the average test scores of the top quarter

You aren't looking at all the data. The year that Gilman had 8 semifinalists was extremely unusual. Here is some more data:

Semifinalists at Gilman
2023 2 kids
2022 6 kids

Semifinalists at Bryn Mawr
2023 2 kids

Of course there is year to year variation. You seemed to have missed the point entirely in your last post. McDonogh has a larger class size than GIlman and Bryn Mawr, allowing it to cater to a wider range of students who are not all on the highest academic track. If you focus on the kids in the highest academic track, there is no difference between that track at McDonogh and that track at Gilman or Bryn Mawr.

Huh? I looked at the two most recent years but your cherry-picked data isn’t even right, Bryn Mawr has 3 semifinalists in 2023. 2023 was definitely an off year for a Gilman, as shown by the two most recent years, and your numbers from 2022.

Mcdonogh also had 2 in 2023, so even in Gilman’s outlier year, it still did better on a per capita basis than Mcdonogh.

You are exhausting. There is no difference in these numbers between these schools. When you get into the details it becomes pointless.

+1
DP

No to mention this is absolutely pointless unless one of those finalists is your kid. And then your kid is a finalist, so the school doesn’t matter.

My kid was a finalist at a tiny private school - 2 finalists in her class. Had she gone to the more competitive school she applied to (and was rejected), she still would have been a finalist - but maybe her recognition would have been diluted.

[Anonymous]

I don’t get the point of the lady saying McDonogh takes a wider range of students in academic ability . That’s just an admission that Gilman/Bryn Mawr have higher academic standards for the whole of their class. Isn’t that what op was asking about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that McDonogh is so much more competitive. It's not one that we're interested in and I would not have assumed it was anywhere near as desirable as Bryn Mawr or Gilman. My perspective is probably just skewed by living much closer to those schools.

I don’t think that it is, in the sense that they don’t have higher academic standards. Mcdonogh does however, recruit much more aggressively for athletes than other Baltimore independents (the Catholic schools do as well, but much bigger classes) so there is going to be less room for normal “academic” candidates at both the middle school and upper school level.

Academically, the high school advanced track at Mcdonogh is similar to Bryn Mawr or Gilman. They produce similar numbers of national merit semi finalists and college outcomes are similar for students on that track. Of course there is year to year variation.

However, McDonogh also has a larger class size allowing it to cater to a wider range of students who are not all on the highest academic track.

The boarding program at McDonogh and their bus fleet allow them to capture students from a wider area than some of their peer schools.

Mcdonogh has the best athletics program in Maryland, a campus that rivals colleges, and is overall the most in-demand private school in the Baltimore area.

The national merit numbers are never actually as good, especially on per capita basis.

As for your last sentence, come on. Peak Mcdonogh was a decade ago, the last few years, it has been the second “hottest” school in the County to Saint Paul’s. Most people in the city no longer consider it.

Yes, actually the national merit semi finalist numbers are the same, even per capita, when you are comparing the kids on the advanced academic track.


As per the rest of what you are saying, you seem very out of touch with the private school scene in Baltimore.

Let’s look at the numbers and see who is “very out of touch:”

Gilman had 8 National merit semifinalists and 28 commended in a class of 118. So, 7 percent of class is a semifinalist and 24 percent are commended.

Bryn Mawr had 5 semi finalists and 14 commended in a class of 82. So 6 percent of class is a semifinalist and 17 percent are commended.

Mcdonogh has 6 semifinalists in a class of 166. That’s 4 percent of the class. They didn’t release commended students for this year yet, but last year, they had 11, which is 7 percent of the class.

Last year, Mcdonogh had 1 national merit semifinalist while Gilman had 5 and Bryn Mawr had 4. Keep in mind the Gilman class is smaller by more than 35 kids, and Bryn Mawr is roughly half the size of Mcdonogh.

We can also look at the average test scores of the top quarter

You aren't looking at all the data. The year that Gilman had 8 semifinalists was extremely unusual. Here is some more data:

Semifinalists at Gilman
2023 2 kids
2022 6 kids

Semifinalists at Bryn Mawr
2023 2 kids

Of course there is year to year variation. You seemed to have missed the point entirely in your last post. McDonogh has a larger class size than GIlman and Bryn Mawr, allowing it to cater to a wider range of students who are not all on the highest academic track. If you focus on the kids in the highest academic track, there is no difference between that track at McDonogh and that track at Gilman or Bryn Mawr.

Huh? I looked at the two most recent years but your cherry-picked data isn’t even right, Bryn Mawr has 3 semifinalists in 2023. 2023 was definitely an off year for a Gilman, as shown by the two most recent years, and your numbers from 2022.

Mcdonogh also had 2 in 2023, so even in Gilman’s outlier year, it still did better on a per capita basis than Mcdonogh.

You are exhausting. There is no difference in these numbers between these schools. When you get into the details it becomes pointless.

+1
DP

No to mention this is absolutely pointless unless one of those finalists is your kid. And then your kid is a finalist, so the school doesn’t matter.

My kid was a finalist at a tiny private school - 2 finalists in her class. Had she gone to the more competitive school she applied to (and was rejected), she still would have been a finalist - but maybe her recognition would have been diluted.

How are you defining more competitive? And isn’t this thread about relative admission standards?

[Anonymous]

I’d only send my kid to a McDonogh as an athletic recruit, the athletes account for nearly all the admissions to top colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d only send my kid to a McDonogh as an athletic recruit, the athletes account for nearly all the admissions to top colleges.

This is not even remotely true. Why does McDonogh frost your pumpkins?