Sidwell & Maret

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the term booster a bad term?

I can't identify the booster posters versus other parents.....

These school threads all seem the same to me--tit for tat on why certain schools are good or better or the best at x, y, and z.

Everyone chooses a school, and then vouches/boasts/"boosts" (funny as a verb) for it. The posts that state, "I am unhappy about my school" are outnumbered 10 to 1 on these boards.

I can't tell who the Maret booster is-- And a Yu Ying booster? That seems silly--most likely several parents posting when asked for feedback.
It seems like some people get offended when people recommend or offer accolades for a school.--Again, I ask why? And then to posit that there are actual students posting on these boards, that seems really far fetched.

To all you school boosters out there: Keep your posts coming! I personally like to hear about your love for schools.

I agree! would you rather just hear what people have "heard" about schools from other ignorant parents at playdates and parties? Silly factoids like what cars people drive and whether their children go to cotillion (no 8th grader ever remembers whether he or didn't anyway!)? Seems to me it's much better to hear from someone who has actually had experience with children older than five, parents who have actually had students at some of these schools and have some perspective on the panic most of you seem to be feeling about finding the one "perfect" place. Reading this website makes me want to invite many of you over for tea and to reassure you that, even if your children are "only" average (remember Lake Woebegone) and not headed for an Ivy, they and you will still have rich and productive lives! For the record, I have posted two favorable comments on a school based on my experience with two children there, and I am not on the board or even a very frequent volunteer!

[Anonymous]

According to www.petersons.com, 59 percent of applicants were accepted to Maret, whereas Sidwell's acceptance rate is only 15 percent. I think that proves that Sidwell is harder to get into, even considering its larger size. I suspect it has a larger applicant pool, too.

For comparison's sake, the rates listed for NCS, STA, and GDS are 30%, 49% and 35%, respectively.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:According to www.petersons.com, 59 percent of applicants were accepted to Maret, whereas Sidwell's acceptance rate is only 15 percent. I think that proves that Sidwell is harder to get into, even considering its larger size. I suspect it has a larger applicant pool, too.

For comparison's sake, the rates listed for NCS, STA, and GDS are 30%, 49% and 35%, respectively.

Your 'facts' are completely untrue. Maret gets between 8-10 applications for every 1 opening that they have. Your source is incorrect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:According to www.petersons.com, 59 percent of applicants were accepted to Maret, whereas Sidwell's acceptance rate is only 15 percent. I think that proves that Sidwell is harder to get into, even considering its larger size. I suspect it has a larger applicant pool, too.

For comparison's sake, the rates listed for NCS, STA, and GDS are 30%, 49% and 35%, respectively.

Your 'facts' are completely untrue. Maret gets between 8-10 applications for every 1 opening that they have. Your source is incorrect.

You might both be right. There might be 8-10 applications for every opening and Maret might still accept 59% of applicants because most of their accepted applicants are also accepted to other schools and go to those schools.

[Anonymous]

It probably depends on the grade. Maret is very competitive for K and 4th, but less so when they open significant #s of new spots in 7th and 9th (this year 6th). I was told that the average SSAT score for admitted 7th graders is 78% -- lower than what is expected at Sidwell and NCS.

[Anonymous]

Our kid applied to Maret for 7th a few years ago with an SSAT of 95th pctile, was waitlisted, and never got off the waitlist. Teacher recs and grades were also great. Which I guess anecdotally addresses two of the points above -- whether 79 pctl is enough to get you in, and whether the waitlist moves.

Our friends' kid got in, but both parents had very impressive jobs, unlike us. No idea what that kid's SSAT scores or grades were, didn't want to ask this personal question.

[Anonymous]

I think the Petersons numbers for Maret are wrong or totally outdated. When my DC applied for 9th grade a couple of years ago we were told there were 120+ applicants for 16-17 spots. I think they may have taken 1-2 off the waitlist (my DC not being one of them) that year but that's it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maret has improved by leaps and bounds in the last fifteen years, but it's still doesn't compare to Sidwell academically. If you want a smaller, more low-key school with more emphasis on arts, it's a great choice. But to pretend it's on par with Sidwell is, well, to pretend.

Booster or detractor, to me it doesnt matter. but a comment like this could be very helpful if there was more objective evidence anectodatle or otherwise to bolster it. how do you judge "on par"? SAT scores, colleges? are other aspects of the education, e.g. art/drama/social activism taken into account in making the judgment?

I am looking at both schools for K and I am interested in comparing them on all aspects. I would very much appreciate any thoughts.

[Anonymous]

When we applied to schools we asked the admissions offices for the acceptance rates. The figures were very different from the Petersons figures, also from Georgia Irvin's book.

[Anonymous]

Maret told our tour two years ago they had 15 applicants for every slot.

[Anonymous]

15:35 Maret has a reputation of waitlisting almost everyone it doesn't accept. I do not know anyone who has been rejected by Maret.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:15:35 Maret has a reputation of waitlisting almost everyone it doesn't accept. I do not know anyone who has been rejected by Maret.

Interesting, I know of several who have been rejected, especially at the upper school level.

[Anonymous]

Interesting, PP. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

I find these types of comparisons to be very unhelpful. You really need to go and tour the schools, talk to people who are there, and see where you believe you and your child would be comfortable. When we were looking at schools, I was totally put off by Sidwell. I know a ton of people there who are extremely happy; I just didn't get it from my time there. I know it's a great school - that's not really the issue - I just didn't think it was the right place for my child. I didn't see any differences between the kids I know accepted at Sidwell and the children I knew accepted at Maret. If there are differences, they are so tiny as not to be of any value. I can say that same about all the other great schools in this area. It comes down to personal preference and other issues like size of school, etc. I think making these comparisons are probably easier when your child is applying to the older grades, since you have a much better sense of how they learn and what kind of environment would suit them best.

[Anonymous]

Brilliant, PP!