Pressure cooker schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is GDS a pressure cooker? Is the homework a lot? Would it be described as intense? I feel like I can’t get a read. Earlier in this thread people said it was but later comments make it sound a lot less intense.

Asking specifically for high school

GDS lets kids make the experience as intense as they want it to be (although advisors strongly discourage schedules they view as too difficult), and that's what kids there do. If you want a full slate of UL classes in 11th and 12th and are trying for top grades in all classes, then you have just created a lot of pressure on yourself and will have loads of homework. But some kids go the other direction, and many pick whatever feels right somewhere in between, so experiences of course differ. The nice things is that there's a range, and from our experience, kids do feel OK deciding what kind of experience they want. Many are smart and ambitious, so a many have challenging schedules and a fair bit of homework. But there does not seem to be competition between students. As for homework, in our kid's experience, it's nowhere near the "3-4 hours of homework a night", no matter what they may have said on tours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a DC native, I always heard St. Anselm's was considered the most challenging curriculum in DC, though maybe it's more of a niche spot. Over the years, the Post has ranked it the most rigorous high school in the region. It was strict but never had the reputation of being cut-throat.

It sure is! Religion classes are theology classes at Duke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a DC native, I always heard St. Anselm's was considered the most challenging curriculum in DC, though maybe it's more of a niche spot. Over the years, the Post has ranked it the most rigorous high school in the region. It was strict but never had the reputation of being cut-throat.

It sure is! Religion classes are Philosophy and Theology classes at Duke.