Prep - Good Counsel- Bullis - St Andrews?
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Anonymous
You are aware that Prep is all boys right? |
Anonymous
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We have 2 kids at Bullis, one is in the Upper School. He is a very strong athlete and plays on a high level club team. He has enjoyed trying out some different sports at Bullis, along with playing his main sport. While the school team is not as strong as his club team, he loves playing-it is such a different experience playing a high school game with so many of your peers cheering you on than the basically parent only crowd at his club games. The college counseling team provides support for families navigating the NCAA.
The resources at Bullis are great. For a child that loves science, the labs and other technology offerings are fantastic. We have also been very impressed with the Arts department. There has been staff turnover, but there have been a lot of changes over the past 6 years with higher up positions, so I think it’s natural that people come and go as things settle-new HOS, new lower school head (previous one retired), new upper school head (previous one took another head position to be closer to family a distance away) , new middle school head (previous one retired). My children are extremely happy. The academics are strong and you, as a student, can really lean in and push yourself, if you choose to. I have one child that is all in academically and one that is not. The faculty support for both is strong. The school works very hard at building relationships with students, in our experience. We are not close to the wealth of many families at Bullis, but no one really cares, and if they do, we haven’t felt it. It is an inclusive community with many opportunities to get involved, should you choose to. Good luck with admissions and your decision. All of your options are good ones! |
Anonymous
| Prep is the sexiest |
Anonymous
| My kids are at Bullis. We know a handful of maga families but FAR more liberal families. We also get FA. We know other families who do, families who budget a lot to afford Bullis, families who get family help to attend, and families who are uber wealthy. We’ve been at Bullis a long time and never had a situation where we were uncomfortable about our financial situation, even though we are at the lower end for Bullis. |
Anonymous
| At St Andrew's, it depends on the sport. Some once-strong sports are languishing mostly because of coaches who don't seem to have the time of day to foster team bonding, mentor students into sports leadership roles, or communicate to parents in a timely way. The best coach at the school left for Good Counsel a few years ago. |
Anonymous
Prep would definitely be my choice over St. Andrew's. |
Anonymous
This hasn't been our Bullis experience at all. We have not had any issues with turnover. There may be a few MAGA but most everyone I have met is not. Please refrain from "my friend's kid...." posts |
Anonymous
Almost half the teachers in the upper school alone quit last year… An email went out to families about it. Also, the school got rid of their DEI director a while ago and never replaced that role despite numerous issues… These problems seem like red flags. Prep is the smart choice. Good culture. Good institutional history. Very little faculty turnover. |
Anonymous
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Bullis for sports.
Prep for prestige. Good Counsel for warm environment and experience. If your child was unable to participate in sports tomorrow, which would be the best option for them? If they went to GC, would he be top of his class/top in athletics? What will quality of life be at any of these schools? I feel like you already answered your own question in your post <3 |
Anonymous
Bullis family of 9 years here and I do have to agree with this. It is a great school, challenging, and they are really starting to promote sports again. However, it most definitely has an air about it and there is a lot of entitlement which feels like it’s become more prevalent with the growth of the school. That said, it’s a solid choice if that doesn’t bother you. |
Anonymous
Seeking "prestige" as a reason for selecting Prep? I guess it's possible that a small percentage of families do that. But the primary drivers are: A Family connection to the school (father, grandfather, uncle, etc) The Jesuit model especially if the parents attended or are connected to another Jesuit high school in another city or went to a Jesuit college. Membership in the local Catholic community that provides a lot of the Prep students. The desire to have a high quality of life on campus. Few schools can compete with Prep as a wonderful experience for boys. |
Anonymous
I don't understand why you think he wouldn't get into Prep. My son is a student there and he also had good grades but we are not Catholic, not connected, and he actually had terrible test scores. As others have said, Prep admits a larger freshman class than certainly SAES or Bullis. And my son is an athlete but certainly not going to play in college and definitely not professionally. I wouldn't count Prep out. That said, it is an all-boys school which I think you said you didn't want? My DS has been very happy there. They really encourage and foster the service to the community aspect and taking care of one another which I appreciate. It is very challenging academically which has been good for my son. We are not MAGA (actually the other end of the spectrum) and, while there is a mix of backgrounds for sure, we have found our people there including some who are more conservative than us. I think you might be surprised when the results come out. |
Anonymous
| I think he has a strong chance at Prep but I’m confused why he applied there if he doesn’t want all-boys. |
Anonymous
Dp, We know more than one conservative family who left the DC privates for Bullis for the political climate. Not maga, but very conservative. |
Anonymous
We are at Bullis and are super liberal. We know a few vocally conservative families but far more who align (or at least trend) closer to us… |