Types of students at schools- stereotypes and personifications

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No PP -- people in the private elite h.s. here don't have extra time. It was written by a bitter mom whose kid didn't get in anywhere and is going to some atrocious public h.s. in VA

This is wrong, even kids in the most challenging schools still find plenty of time for FB and pranks on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Dear OP,

You need to stop posting on DCUM and start studying for your SAT, since you are clearly a high school student in need of some work on your grammar and spelling. Good luck with that! Also, a little hint: you might want to downplay your personality a bit when you go through the college admissions process - I think it could be a problem for you. Maybe some therapy would help?

love,

an actual DCUM

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Found myself in a discussion a few days ago with several parents with kids in various private schools as well as a few recent graduates from these same schools. Many people, myself included, noticed that there are several generalizations and "types" for the different schools we all love to discuss here.

I am a somewhat recent (past 10 years) graduate of a DC private school so I have a bit of personal experience here's what I've come up with...

The DC area private school scene...

ST. ALBANS/LANDON/G.PREP- The golden boys of the DC prep scene. STA is somewhat comparable to a class president with it's long-standing reputation and decent athletics. The men of STA are somewhat reserved in comparison to Landon and Prep. Landon is the obvious Jock school of the three. Despite a rough scandal- filled couple years Landon continues to thrive and has maintained its iconic status as the lacrosse power house of the Mid- Atlantic. Landon's student body is somewhat more conservative and preppy than the other two schools. Georgetown Prep is a bit of a curve ball in this mix. Both Landon and STA are located in extremely affluent and well- known areas (NW DC and Bethesda), Prep however is situated off a major road in the middle class area of Rockville. Academically, Prep falls slightly below STA and Landon however, the boarding option makes Prep extremely attractive to international students. The Landon/Prep lacrosse rivalry is a nation- wide phenomenon and like Landon, Prep has emerged as a top prep school partly because of its athletic program.


HOLTON/NCS- The queen bees. The two most academically rigorous, cutthroat all- girls schools in the mid- atlantic region. Holton girls are famously known for their 6+ hours of homework/night and both Holton and NCS boast extremely impressive matriculation reports with dozens of Ivy League acceptances per year. The girls at both these schools are classy, driven, passionate and focused. NCS girls are slightly less social, and the past few graduation classes have been slightly unmemorable. Holton is perhaps the most spirited girls school in the are. Sister school to Landon, the girls of Holton arms are fiercely loyal to their Bears and the Holton-Landon crowd is highly exclusive and it is not uncommon to spot Holton girls sporting a Landon lacrosse pinny or a car with both a Holton bumper sticker as well as a Landon one.

POTOMAC SCHOOL- the VA jock loners. Rarely associate with the other private schools in the area. Enormous emphasis on athletics and hardly any attention or appreciation for the arts. Academically strong but does not hold the same prestigious reputation as the single- sex prep schools mentioned previously. Large class sizes in comparison to other private schools.

SIDWELL- happily on the radar now that Obama's daughters are attending. Has a reputation of providing students with a superb academic education. Unfortunately the school is filled to the brim with anti- social students. To be blunt, the students at Sidwell have a reputation of being very smart yet very weird.

HOLY CROSS/HOLY CHILD- These are the schools that girls attend when they get rejected from every single other private school in the area. The academics at both schools are terrible and students are usually better off attending their local public school than either AHC or HC. Both schools are considered joke schools and are often not even included in lists of DC area private schools. Highly promiscuous student body and a reputation for being superficial and unintelligent. Bottom line- only send your daughter here is you hope for her to attend a mediocre state school and spend her high school years sleeping around with boys from STA/Landon/Prep.

MARET/GDS- alternative hipster wannabe schools. GDS lacks structure and their care-free attitude towards school results in a less than challenging academic experience. Maret is attempting to launch itself into the top tier of private schools. Unfortunately, Maret is unable to shake its reputation of being a last resort school and a place where students go if they were expelled from one of he other private schools.

BULLIS- there is nothing to say about Bullis. The co-ed version of Holy Cross or Holy Child.

Dumbass. St Albans also has dorms. NCS girls wear STA lax shirts. Holton shop at various schools. With a few occasional exceptions girl parents are the houses with big frat style bashes. The OP might be a grad but is not a current student since Madeira girls run the clubs or frats at parents houses now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell: Smart kids who will one day run the country
STA: Smart kids who will one day be senior vice presidents.
Landon: the ultimate lax bro school.
Potomac: It's kinda too far away for me to really care.

Uhhh, not quite:

Sidwell: Smart kids who will spend their next 3 decades after Sidwell populating the couches of therapists across the land to discuss their crazy helicopter parents, the fact that all that pressure robbed them of any real fond school memories, and the goals set for them by everyone else proved to be illusory and elusive.

STA: Smart kids who will chuck that blazer and all the trappings of that prep school experience the moment they leap out those Cathedral doors, will dabble quite a bit in weed, throw themselves head first into the pleasures of the flesh of the opposite sex (often quite literally), and likely to something like join the Peace Corps or the likes to demonstrate to Mum the ultimate in Rebellion. All before settling down on Wall Street.

Landon: The ultimate lax bro school sure to generate stats for the criminal blotters of many a newspaper.


Potomac: Yeah, you got that one right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell: Smart kids who will one day run the country
STA: Smart kids who will one day be senior vice presidents.
Landon: the ultimate lax bro school.
Potomac: It's kinda too far away for me to really care.

"lax bro"????

[Anonymous]

Was there any particular reason to revive this ridiculous thread?

[Anonymous]

I dont understand why Landon is always associated with lacrosse. The irony strikes me when I see their college matriculation list and it is almost at par with STA's. I just think majority of the "stereotypes" are unfair in this post. OP has way too much free time on his/or her hand.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps since November, 2010, s/he has found more worthwhile pursuits...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I dont understand why Landon is always associated with lacrosse. The irony strikes me when I see their college matriculation list and it is almost at par with STA's. I just think majority of the "stereotypes" are unfair in this post. OP has way too much free time on his/or her hand.

Well, as long as Landon vigorously recruits for lacrosse and the school culture is so wrapped up in whether it will "beat Prep" and win the IAC in lacrosse; and as long as lacrosse at the high school level maintains its bad boy/party/preppy slacker culture; the phrases "Landon" and "lax bro" will go together. It is a good academic school, but not strong enough to overcome the perception of the primacy of lacrosse in its culture.

On the issue of college matriculations, here's a link to a college matriculations chart to compare Landon vs. St. Albans and some of the other area day schools: http://matriculationstats.org/day-schools-outside-of-nyc

Another proxy for the strength of an academic cohort is National Merit Semifinalists. There is a chart in the FAQ section that collects multi-year data. This year's class of 2012 totals are in the linked newspaper article: http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/2011/09/areas-national-merit-semifinalists/118321 (A sampling: Landon/3; GDS/15; St. Albans/11; NCS/5; Sidwell/8; Bullis/0; Holton/3; Georgetown Prep/1)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Found myself in a discussion a few days ago with several parents with kids in various private schools as well as a few recent graduates from these same schools. Many people, myself included, noticed that there are several generalizations and "types" for the different schools we all love to discuss here.

I am a somewhat recent (past 10 years) graduate of a DC private school so I have a bit of personal experience here's what I've come up with...

The DC area private school scene...

ST. ALBANS/LANDON/G.PREP- The golden boys of the DC prep scene. STA is somewhat comparable to a class president with it's long-standing reputation and decent athletics. The men of STA are somewhat reserved in comparison to Landon and Prep. Landon is the obvious Jock school of the three. Despite a rough scandal- filled couple years Landon continues to thrive and has maintained its iconic status as the lacrosse power house of the Mid- Atlantic. Landon's student body is somewhat more conservative and preppy than the other two schools. Georgetown Prep is a bit of a curve ball in this mix. Both Landon and STA are located in extremely affluent and well- known areas (NW DC and Bethesda), Prep however is situated off a major road in the middle class area of Rockville. Academically, Prep falls slightly below STA and Landon however, the boarding option makes Prep extremely attractive to international students. The Landon/Prep lacrosse rivalry is a nation- wide phenomenon and like Landon, Prep has emerged as a top prep school partly because of its athletic program.


HOLTON/NCS- The queen bees. The two most academically rigorous, cutthroat all- girls schools in the mid- atlantic region. Holton girls are famously known for their 6+ hours of homework/night and both Holton and NCS boast extremely impressive matriculation reports with dozens of Ivy League acceptances per year. The girls at both these schools are classy, driven, passionate and focused. NCS girls are slightly less social, and the past few graduation classes have been slightly unmemorable. Holton is perhaps the most spirited girls school in the are. Sister school to Landon, the girls of Holton arms are fiercely loyal to their Bears and the Holton-Landon crowd is highly exclusive and it is not uncommon to spot Holton girls sporting a Landon lacrosse pinny or a car with both a Holton bumper sticker as well as a Landon one.

POTOMAC SCHOOL- the VA jock loners. Rarely associate with the other private schools in the area. Enormous emphasis on athletics and hardly any attention or appreciation for the arts. Academically strong but does not hold the same prestigious reputation as the single- sex prep schools mentioned previously. Large class sizes in comparison to other private schools.

SIDWELL- happily on the radar now that Obama's daughters are attending. Has a reputation of providing students with a superb academic education. Unfortunately the school is filled to the brim with anti- social students. To be blunt, the students at Sidwell have a reputation of being very smart yet very weird.

HOLY CROSS/HOLY CHILD- These are the schools that girls attend when they get rejected from every single other private school in the area. The academics at both schools are terrible and students are usually better off attending their local public school than either AHC or HC. Both schools are considered joke schools and are often not even included in lists of DC area private schools. Highly promiscuous student body and a reputation for being superficial and unintelligent. Bottom line- only send your daughter here is you hope for her to attend a mediocre state school and spend her high school years sleeping around with boys from STA/Landon/Prep.

MARET/GDS- alternative hipster wannabe schools. GDS lacks structure and their care-free attitude towards school results in a less than challenging academic experience. Maret is attempting to launch itself into the top tier of private schools. Unfortunately, Maret is unable to shake its reputation of being a last resort school and a place where students go if they were expelled from one of he other private schools.

BULLIS- there is nothing to say about Bullis. The co-ed version of Holy Cross or Holy Child.

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The OP paints with a broad brush by pairing schools, instead of reviewing the schools individually. Paint a Picasso, instead of spray painting the side of a barn. OP, please separate the pairings, and re-submit, if you would.

[Anonymous]

The OP posted 16 months ago, PP. I don't think he's going to be "resubmitting" anytime soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I dont understand why Landon is always associated with lacrosse. The irony strikes me when I see their college matriculation list and it is almost at par with STA's. I just think majority of the "stereotypes" are unfair in this post. OP has way too much free time on his/or her hand.

This is just funny. ``I don't understand why Landon is always associated with lacrosse.'' And now with prison too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I dont understand why Landon is always associated with lacrosse. The irony strikes me when I see their college matriculation list and it is almost at par with STA's. I just think majority of the "stereotypes" are unfair in this post. OP has way too much free time on his/or her hand.

This is just funny. ``I don't understand why Landon is always associated with lacrosse.'' And now with prison too.

Mean but funny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Found myself in a discussion a few days ago with several parents with kids in various private schools as well as a few recent graduates from these same schools. Many people, myself included, noticed that there are several generalizations and "types" for the different schools we all love to discuss here.

I am a somewhat recent (past 10 years) graduate of a DC private school so I have a bit of personal experience here's what I've come up with...

The DC area private school scene...

ST. ALBANS/LANDON/G.PREP- The golden boys of the DC prep scene. STA is somewhat comparable to a class president with it's long-standing reputation and decent athletics. The men of STA are somewhat reserved in comparison to Landon and Prep. Landon is the obvious Jock school of the three. Despite a rough scandal- filled couple years Landon continues to thrive and has maintained its iconic status as the lacrosse power house of the Mid- Atlantic. Landon's student body is somewhat more conservative and preppy than the other two schools. Georgetown Prep is a bit of a curve ball in this mix. Both Landon and STA are located in extremely affluent and well- known areas (NW DC and Bethesda), Prep however is situated off a major road in the middle class area of Rockville. Academically, Prep falls slightly below STA and Landon however, the boarding option makes Prep extremely attractive to international students. The Landon/Prep lacrosse rivalry is a nation- wide phenomenon and like Landon, Prep has emerged as a top prep school partly because of its athletic program.


HOLTON/NCS- The queen bees. The two most academically rigorous, cutthroat all- girls schools in the mid- atlantic region. Holton girls are famously known for their 6+ hours of homework/night and both Holton and NCS boast extremely impressive matriculation reports with dozens of Ivy League acceptances per year. The girls at both these schools are classy, driven, passionate and focused. NCS girls are slightly less social, and the past few graduation classes have been slightly unmemorable. Holton is perhaps the most spirited girls school in the are. Sister school to Landon, the girls of Holton arms are fiercely loyal to their Bears and the Holton-Landon crowd is highly exclusive and it is not uncommon to spot Holton girls sporting a Landon lacrosse pinny or a car with both a Holton bumper sticker as well as a Landon one.

POTOMAC SCHOOL- the VA jock loners. Rarely associate with the other private schools in the area. Enormous emphasis on athletics and hardly any attention or appreciation for the arts. Academically strong but does not hold the same prestigious reputation as the single- sex prep schools mentioned previously. Large class sizes in comparison to other private schools.

SIDWELL- happily on the radar now that Obama's daughters are attending. Has a reputation of providing students with a superb academic education. Unfortunately the school is filled to the brim with anti- social students. To be blunt, the students at Sidwell have a reputation of being very smart yet very weird.

HOLY CROSS/HOLY CHILD- These are the schools that girls attend when they get rejected from every single other private school in the area. The academics at both schools are terrible and students are usually better off attending their local public school than either AHC or HC. Both schools are considered joke schools and are often not even included in lists of DC area private schools. Highly promiscuous student body and a reputation for being superficial and unintelligent. Bottom line- only send your daughter here is you hope for her to attend a mediocre state school and spend her high school years sleeping around with boys from STA/Landon/Prep.

MARET/GDS- alternative hipster wannabe schools. GDS lacks structure and their care-free attitude towards school results in a less than challenging academic experience. Maret is attempting to launch itself into the top tier of private schools. Unfortunately, Maret is unable to shake its reputation of being a last resort school and a place where students go if they were expelled from one of he other private schools.

BULLIS- there is nothing to say about Bullis. The co-ed version of Holy Cross or Holy Child.

1st let me say that I have no dog in this fight since I have a 3 year old, the only reason I opened this thread was becuase I went to a local private (not one listed) and wanted to see what people are saying.
This OP must be very young, since clearly they have no idea that Sidwell has been "happily on the radar" since The Clinton Era, if not before.

[Anonymous]

Clinton era? Since at least the Eisenhower era ....