Landon (Upper School) academics, how do they compare with GP, STA, SFS, GDS

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t understand how someone would even begin to try to compare these five schools. The difference between Prep and Landon and one hand and GDS and Sidwell on the other hand is as different as night and day. Start with the difference between coed and all boys – a very big difference. Then there is the emphasis on balance academics-sports-arts you find at Prep and Landon (and to a lesser extent STA), which can consume 3 hours or more a day in contrast to the academics first focus of GDS and Sidwell. Then there is the difference in campus environment and culture – jock vs nerd (broadly put).
STA has a bit of both groups, but otherwise the differences overwhelm any similarity.

OP here. Comments were spot on and much appreciated. Did not end up applying to GDS because of comments here and did not feel school was a good fit for DS. In the end we want a school that has a strong focus on sports and academics. Single-sex vs. Co-ed was not as important as academics and athletics. I do believe that SFS and STA stand out for their academics and Landon and GP stand out for athletics although I believe smart kids that are athletically focused will be challenged at all four school. Thanks again for the insights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:... The biggest difference I've observed is how socially adept the graduates are. To me, graduates of all boys schools are far more polished than graduates of coed schools - but reasonable minds can differ.

As a graduate of an all-boys school, with many good friends whose sons are at all-boys schools, I have to disagree. I agree with you that grads from all-boys school are usually able to throw up a veneer of social polish and gentlemanly behavior at will, because the schools invariably are strict about requiring that veneer on command. But in my experience, many students from all-boys schools often struggle to adjust to the wider co-ed society. It can take a couple years of co-ed college to force them to re-calibrate. Some never successfully adjust. I say all that as someone who has a lot of respect for the positives of all-boys schools and some positive values they can develop. But in my experience, the negative values they harbor can often outweigh the positives. A lot depends on the particular boy. Many all-boys grads are great; but some always seem to grow wrong.

[Anonymous]

I went co-ed and still struggled in society.