How many kids with very high WPPSI scores WERE accepted at B/G/S/(M) last year?

[Anonymous]

Would 12:40 be annoyed if I basically stole your point about volunteering and made a new thread about it? It's something I've wondered about for a while.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC scored at the 99% across the board for the WPPSI. I think my child is smart, but not overly gifted. My child is outgoing, athletic and personable. However, we did not get into Beauvoir or Sidwell for Pre K. We are trying for Sidwell again this year, though chances are very slim. One person asked for hindsight, I honestly don't have any. I think we handled everything well, playdates went well, we did secure a letter or two from a current family, our recs were good. I think it was just numbers. I am not going to obsess over it and I think that our child will do well wherever.

From what I understand of last years Sidwell Pre-K, there was about a 1-10 chance of acceptance, so it is really a numbers game.

What are the chances at Maret or Beauvoir, or GDS.

[Anonymous]

Depends who you are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends who you are.

I just mean the numbers of applicants to spots.

[Anonymous]

I would guess all the schools you mention get pretty similar numbers of applicants, so the main differences probably come down to how many spots are available.

Roughly:

Beauvoir has 63 in pre-K and another 21 in K
Sidwell has 22 in pre-K and another 26 in K
Maret has none in pre-K and 20 in K
GDS I'm not sure about, but I think about 20-24 in pre-K and another 20-24 in K

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would guess all the schools you mention get pretty similar numbers of applicants, so the main differences probably come down to how many spots are available.

Roughly:

Beauvoir has 63 in pre-K and another 21 in K
Sidwell has 22 in pre-K and another 26 in K
Maret has none in pre-K and 20 in K
GDS I'm not sure about, but I think about 20-24 in pre-K and another 20-24 in K

From what I have been reading on these threads, it seems like these schools are next to impossible to get into unless you are a sibling, alumni, politically connected or very wealthy.

Are there other schools that are good private schools that don't have this celebrity status that's causing these next to impossible odds of getting dc admitted? You would think with all these bright children in the DC area applying to provate schools, why not make more classrooms in the private? Instead of one class of 20, how about 2 or 3 class of 18-20 for the pre-k class?

We have a wonderful dc who is applying to Pre-K with 99.9%ile on her WPPSI, who loves to paint, dance and sing. Dc is just a nice, caring & loving child, who we want to place at a school where she will be enriched, stimulated, and encouraged by supportive teachers and faculty. She's curious to learn about so many things. Being a "good" mother who has to also work for a living, I'd like to find a good school without all this drama and politics. Ive read many people calling us crazy for wanting the same thing for all out dc, the best fitting school environment possible. Since they are only 4 yrs old we have to do it b/c they can't do this for themselves. This is part of being a good parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Ive read many people calling us crazy for wanting the same thing for all out dc, the best fitting school environment possible. Since they are only 4 yrs old we have to do it b/c they can't do this for themselves. This is part of being a good parent.

So every child has the "best fit" with GDS, B, M or S? Seriously? That is what is wrong with this process. There are many wonderful schools out there, and clearly there are parents who are looking for the name more than the individual fit - even if it is subconscious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Ive read many people calling us crazy for wanting the same thing for all out dc, the best fitting school environment possible. Since they are only 4 yrs old we have to do it b/c they can't do this for themselves. This is part of being a good parent.

So every child has the "best fit" with GDS, B, M or S? Seriously? That is what is wrong with this process. There are many wonderful schools out there, and clearly there are parents who are looking for the name more than the individual fit - even if it is subconscious.

The PP asked if there were other schools besides those schools. Sounds like they would like a good private school other than those named or for them to expand their available spaces so there would be less frenzy about getting their child into them. I'm sure if there were other options, those schools would alos become immediately popular.

[Anonymous]

"If there were other options?"

Of course there are other options! There are a few prestigious schools. That doesn't mean that they will necessarily provide a better education to your child than schools with lower profiles.

[Anonymous]

I have a child at Norwood and feel that in terms of the educational experience, it compares well with BGSM. The main disadvantages are the distance and to some extent the fact that the school is only K-8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would guess all the schools you mention get pretty similar numbers of applicants, so the main differences probably come down to how many spots are available.

Roughly:

Beauvoir has 63 in pre-K and another 21 in K
Sidwell has 22 in pre-K and another 26 in K
Maret has none in pre-K and 20 in K
GDS I'm not sure about, but I think about 20-24 in pre-K and another 20-24 in K

If it is safe to assume that the same group applies to all four, and there are 10 applications per spot, that is about 250 applications per school.
There are 80 spots mentioned above for K. The chances are about 1 in 3.
Is my math way off?

[Anonymous]

Put that way, the odds look pretty good! I don't think the applicant pools are identical, but I'm sure there's significant overlap.

As a first stab at the problem, I would modify your assumptions as follows:

- 90 spaces in K; assume about 60% will go to siblings, leaving 36 non-sibling spaces
- assume siblings have an 80% acceptance rate, meaning there are about 70 sibling applicants
- that leaves 180 non-sibling applicants for 36 non-sibling spaces, making the odds 1 in 5

- if you assume further that are 20 applicants from high-profile families and that they also have an 80% acceptance rate, that leaves 160 non-sibling, "ordinary" applicants competing for 20 spaces, making the odds 1 in 8

Some of these assumptions are fairly heroic; none are particularly well-informed; but I do think some adjustments to your model are probably necessary.

[Anonymous]

(Actually, you should throw the non-accepted sibling applicants back into the ordinary applicant pool, but on the other hand, the sibling and high-visibility applicants may overlap, so maybe it's a wash.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:(Actually, you should throw the non-accepted sibling applicants back into the ordinary applicant pool, but on the other hand, the sibling and high-visibility applicants may overlap, so maybe it's a wash.)

Also take into account that with the recent publicity from the Obama's visit to GDS their applicant numbers probably went up. This would mean for Sidwell their application probably doubled from previous years. So the bottom line is that it's VERY difficult to get into these school, even if your Dc is bright, with high WPPSI scores and is a lovely bright child.

[Anonymous]

I heard recently from the AD that Sidwell has not seen a significant bump up in their applications.