Don't understand the crazy about sidwell friend

[Anonymous]

Should be 30 years ago. Sidwell wasn't all that back then. It was a good school as was GDS, but nothing special.

[Anonymous]

We are at another Big 3. I can attest to the fact that the people of color in our grade are wealthier on average than the average white student. There is little to no economic diversity. I think a good number of the parents thing our family is broke, HHI $250.

[Anonymous]

I applied to Sidwell Fiends 30 years ago and it was prestigious back then as well. Just blew up after Chelsea and the Obama girls even more.

My kids are at another big name school in the area but did not get into Sidwell. They got into other so called Big 3 or Big 5 and Sidwell was their only rejection out of all the top schools they applied to. We were ready to go to public if we didn't get in to a top school. Not worth the money.

[Anonymous]

No worries OP--your kid would not get in anyway . and you know that

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We went to sidwell friend's open house past weekend, I was not very impressed of either the curriculum or the facilities(including outdoor play areas) of the lower school. So I guess I must have missed something. Are teachers better? I guess it is a highly sought-after school, so they don't have to impress any one? Or the strength is at middle/higher school and people just want to get into the school earlier?

I didn't care for it either. Found it dark and humorless. We'll look again at US.

But, yes, many people love it, which is great for them.

Good luck with that. Admit rate at 9th grade is about 8%.

Yea, go tour the upper school numbnut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are at another Big 3. I can attest to the fact that the people of color in our grade are wealthier on average than the average white student. There is little to no economic diversity. I think a good number of the parents thing our family is broke, HHI $250.

That IS broke for the Washington area when you are paying for private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's "cachet" not "cache".

Personally I liked the double pun of "cache."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:It got popular when Chelsea went there, and then when the Obama girls went there. This city is full of a$$ kissers, and people wanted to be there just to be able to say they send their kids to school with the president's kids.

The city is full of:

1. Highly educated parents who want the best education money can buy
2. Families with progressive attitudes
3. Families not interested in an overly religious educational experience
4. Students / parents not interested in single sex education
5. Families living in areas with lower quality public options
6. Upper middle class AA families who don't care for the limited diversity offered in their publics school (e.g. Whitman is 4% AA)
7. Students who thrive in a more intimate setting than larger schools provide
8. Parents desirous of a school that seeks to develop the whole child

I am not saying that social climbers are absent from the community. Nor am I saying that Sidwell is unique in being able to offer these attributes. But, reducing the many and varied reasons to a stupid axiom speaks only to your ignorance.

The Sidwell (or "Friends" as it used to be called) families of old see a major difference. Trust me.

And, the Sidwell Friends of old was segregated. What is your point? The world has changed and so should institutions.

The point is that the parents used to be interested and cultured. Now they're social climbers. One of the K dads a year ago was 80 years old! Come on.

A statement completely lacking in perspective and humility. Sorry that the crunchy do-gooders are now outnumbered by members of the commercial class. The fact is that the DC metro area is a much different place demographically than it was in years "of old".

Your fellow parents, ladies and gentlemen!
- Sidwell grad who'd never consider sending my kids there

I don't think the was a Sidwell parent making that statement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We went to sidwell friend's open house past weekend, I was not very impressed of either the curriculum or the facilities(including outdoor play areas) of the lower school. So I guess I must have missed something. Are teachers better? I guess it is a highly sought-after school, so they don't have to impress any one? Or the strength is at middle/higher school and people just want to get into the school earlier?

I didn't care for it either. Found it dark and humorless. We'll look again at US.

But, yes, many people love it, which is great for them.

Good luck with that. Admit rate at 9th grade is about 8%.

Lol, I know an admissions officer and she says the hype over the low acceptance rate is greatly overblown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We went to sidwell friend's open house past weekend, I was not very impressed of either the curriculum or the facilities(including outdoor play areas) of the lower school. So I guess I must have missed something. Are teachers better? I guess it is a highly sought-after school, so they don't have to impress any one? Or the strength is at middle/higher school and people just want to get into the school earlier?

I didn't care for it either. Found it dark and humorless. We'll look again at US.

But, yes, many people love it, which is great for them.

Good luck with that. Admit rate at 9th grade is about 8%.

Lol, I know an admissions officer and she says the hype over the low acceptance rate is greatly overblown.

So what is the acceptance rate or number of applicants? We always noticed that each intake year has an increasing number of brilliant scholarship kids, usually non-Americans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We went to sidwell friend's open house past weekend, I was not very impressed of either the curriculum or the facilities(including outdoor play areas) of the lower school. So I guess I must have missed something. Are teachers better? I guess it is a highly sought-after school, so they don't have to impress any one? Or the strength is at middle/higher school and people just want to get into the school earlier?

I didn't care for it either. Found it dark and humorless. We'll look again at US.

But, yes, many people love it, which is great for them.

Good luck with that. Admit rate at 9th grade is about 8%.

Lol, I know an admissions officer and she says the hype over the low acceptance rate is greatly overblown.

So what is the acceptance rate or number of applicants? We always noticed that each intake year has an increasing number of brilliant scholarship kids, usually non-Americans.

She said more like 20 percent.

[Anonymous]

Op here. I definitely don't intend to offend the current parents in, I apologize if I did. Just trying to figure out what is special/good about the school that I didn't see from the open house. I'm not crazy about big N either, the school that fits the kid is the best. My older kid is enrolled in a non big N school, which kid loves. I know that sidwell does not care little bit if we apply or not as it does not need to impress anyone to get funding. Again, just trying to understand and from the posts I believe I get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We went to sidwell friend's open house past weekend, I was not very impressed of either the curriculum or the facilities(including outdoor play areas) of the lower school. So I guess I must have missed something. Are teachers better? I guess it is a highly sought-after school, so they don't have to impress any one? Or the strength is at middle/higher school and people just want to get into the school earlier?

I didn't care for it either. Found it dark and humorless. We'll look again at US.

But, yes, many people love it, which is great for them.

Good luck with that. Admit rate at 9th grade is about 8%.

Yea, go tour the upper school numbnut.

Op here again, I think that's a good suggestion, we will take a tour to the upper school.

[Anonymous]

If have a hard time taking OP seriously. "Impressed of"? That's mighty poor grammar for someone who wants to send their kid to an elite private.

It's a highly competitive process, and parental education makes a difference.

[Anonymous]

"Take a tour to the upper school"? Are you from another country? You have serious issues with prepositions.