Wilson/Walls College Admissions Results

[Anonymous]

We may now be at the tipping point in which the top independent schools in DC lose steam, as parents realize finally that paying expensive private tuition doesn't lead to better college choices. Indeed, as institutional priorities at the college level more and more seem to favor public education and greater diversity, the opposite may become true.

[Anonymous]

People are jumping to grand conclusions based on some anonymous thread.

[Anonymous]

The reason I'd do a top ranked private if I could afford it (I can't) is because I am not sure what will happen in college. Lots of smart, capable kids flunk out for maturity reasons. Some never go back. But sending my kids to a top ranked private means he would leave 12th grade able to write and read and think critically, skills that will serve him well in the world. I am not as sure a public school will provide the same degree of mastery of these skills, and I can't count on him getting them in college, either because he drops out or he majors in a non-liberal arts field.

But it's all moot since 40,000 is way more than we have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The reason I'd do a top ranked private if I could afford it (I can't) is because I am not sure what will happen in college. Lots of smart, capable kids flunk out for maturity reasons. Some never go back. But sending my kids to a top ranked private means he would leave 12th grade able to write and read and think critically, skills that will serve him well in the world. I am not as sure a public school will provide the same degree of mastery of these skills, and I can't count on him getting them in college, either because he drops out or he majors in a non-liberal arts field.

But it's all moot since 40,000 is way more than we have.

If your child is at Wilson and Walls, "he would leave 12th grade able to write and read and think critically, skills that will serve him well in the world," unless he chooses not to pay attention and do the work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason I'd do a top ranked private if I could afford it (I can't) is because I am not sure what will happen in college. Lots of smart, capable kids flunk out for maturity reasons. Some never go back. But sending my kids to a top ranked private means he would leave 12th grade able to write and read and think critically, skills that will serve him well in the world. I am not as sure a public school will provide the same degree of mastery of these skills, and I can't count on him getting them in college, either because he drops out or he majors in a non-liberal arts field.

But it's all moot since 40,000 is way more than we have.

If your child is at Wilson and Walls, "he would leave 12th grade able to write and read and think critically, skills that will serve him well in the world," unless he chooses not to pay attention and do the work.

he will be assigned more writing and get much more feedback on this writing from a teacher at a private school. It is a better quality of education (doubtfully 40,000 a year better though).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason I'd do a top ranked private if I could afford it (I can't) is because I am not sure what will happen in college. Lots of smart, capable kids flunk out for maturity reasons. Some never go back. But sending my kids to a top ranked private means he would leave 12th grade able to write and read and think critically, skills that will serve him well in the world. I am not as sure a public school will provide the same degree of mastery of these skills, and I can't count on him getting them in college, either because he drops out or he majors in a non-liberal arts field.

But it's all moot since 40,000 is way more than we have.

If your child is at Wilson and Walls, "he would leave 12th grade able to write and read and think critically, skills that will serve him well in the world," unless he chooses not to pay attention and do the work.

he will be assigned more writing and get much more feedback on this writing from a teacher at a private school. It is a better quality of education (doubtfully 40,000 a year better though).

But he will have NO math or science foundations. Not better quality education

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason I'd do a top ranked private if I could afford it (I can't) is because I am not sure what will happen in college. Lots of smart, capable kids flunk out for maturity reasons. Some never go back. But sending my kids to a top ranked private means he would leave 12th grade able to write and read and think critically, skills that will serve him well in the world. I am not as sure a public school will provide the same degree of mastery of these skills, and I can't count on him getting them in college, either because he drops out or he majors in a non-liberal arts field.

But it's all moot since 40,000 is way more than we have.

If your child is at Wilson and Walls, "he would leave 12th grade able to write and read and think critically, skills that will serve him well in the world," unless he chooses not to pay attention and do the work.

he will be assigned more writing and get much more feedback on this writing from a teacher at a private school. It is a better quality of education (doubtfully 40,000 a year better though).

But he will have NO math or science foundations. Not better quality education

This is untrue. Just because a kid does not take multi-variable calculus in high school does not mean there is no math or science foundation. The issue that most scientists and PhDs really have is that they are great in science but not great writers. Ask anyone applying for grants what the real challenges in science are. They are communicating your hypotheses and your results in a succinct and meaningful manner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We may now be at the tipping point in which the top independent schools in DC lose steam, as parents realize finally that paying expensive private tuition doesn't lead to better college choices. Indeed, as institutional priorities at the college level more and more seem to favor public education and greater diversity, the opposite may become true.

DCPS is finally on a roll!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason I'd do a top ranked private if I could afford it (I can't) is because I am not sure what will happen in college. Lots of smart, capable kids flunk out for maturity reasons. Some never go back. But sending my kids to a top ranked private means he would leave 12th grade able to write and read and think critically, skills that will serve him well in the world. I am not as sure a public school will provide the same degree of mastery of these skills, and I can't count on him getting them in college, either because he drops out or he majors in a non-liberal arts field.

But it's all moot since 40,000 is way more than we have.

If your child is at Wilson and Walls, "he would leave 12th grade able to write and read and think critically, skills that will serve him well in the world," unless he chooses not to pay attention and do the work.

he will be assigned more writing and get much more feedback on this writing from a teacher at a private school. It is a better quality of education (doubtfully 40,000 a year better though).

But he will have NO math or science foundations. Not better quality education

This is untrue. Just because a kid does not take multi-variable calculus in high school does not mean there is no math or science foundation. The issue that most scientists and PhDs really have is that they are great in science but not great writers. Ask anyone applying for grants what the real challenges in science are. They are communicating your hypotheses and your results in a succinct and meaningful manner.

This is ridiculous about no prep. Out of the 10 or 12 National Merit Finalists for DC this year, my son went to school with 4 of them at either Murch or Deal.

[Anonymous]

UC Berkeley admit from Wilson

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You folks are so unbelievably racist. Update from DC, three kids from SWW got into Yale ED. Two were white. Do you just have to believe that your private-school kid must be better at all things, and that it's just reverse racism keeping them out of the top schools that DCPS kids are getting into? So obnoxious on so many fronts. The SWW kids are great kids and great students and the uninformed bullshit here makes me sad for our country. And, FWIW, I'm white.

Yale legacies? One URM.

I know of a white student who just got into Yale from SWW and is not a legacy. Walls has always had strong acceptances for white, non-legacy students. And for the record, the three black students going to Yale, Harvard, Caltech, and Stanford are all academic superstars that have contributed a lot to the school community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You folks are so unbelievably racist. Update from DC, three kids from SWW got into Yale ED. Two were white. Do you just have to believe that your private-school kid must be better at all things, and that it's just reverse racism keeping them out of the top schools that DCPS kids are getting into? So obnoxious on so many fronts. The SWW kids are great kids and great students and the uninformed bullshit here makes me sad for our country. And, FWIW, I'm white.

Yale legacies? One URM.

I know of a white student who just got into Yale from SWW and is not a legacy. Walls has always had strong acceptances for white, non-legacy students. And for the record, the three black students going to Yale, Harvard, Caltech, and Stanford are all academic superstars that have contributed a lot to the school community.

Whoops, *four black students. Added Caltech and forgot to change the number.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason I'd do a top ranked private if I could afford it (I can't) is because I am not sure what will happen in college. Lots of smart, capable kids flunk out for maturity reasons. Some never go back. But sending my kids to a top ranked private means he would leave 12th grade able to write and read and think critically, skills that will serve him well in the world. I am not as sure a public school will provide the same degree of mastery of these skills, and I can't count on him getting them in college, either because he drops out or he majors in a non-liberal arts field.

But it's all moot since 40,000 is way more than we have.

If your child is at Wilson and Walls, "he would leave 12th grade able to write and read and think critically, skills that will serve him well in the world," unless he chooses not to pay attention and do the work.

he will be assigned more writing and get much more feedback on this writing from a teacher at a private school. It is a better quality of education (doubtfully 40,000 a year better though).

But he will have NO math or science foundations. Not better quality education

This is crazy. My kids went to Deal and are now at a local private high school. The math instruction at their private runs circles around DCPS. I am by no means anti-DCPS. However, this statement is just fundamentally untrue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The reason I'd do a top ranked private if I could afford it (I can't) is because I am not sure what will happen in college. Lots of smart, capable kids flunk out for maturity reasons. Some never go back. But sending my kids to a top ranked private means he would leave 12th grade able to write and read and think critically, skills that will serve him well in the world. I am not as sure a public school will provide the same degree of mastery of these skills, and I can't count on him getting them in college, either because he drops out or he majors in a non-liberal arts field.

But it's all moot since 40,000 is way more than we have.

When I taught college, there was not 1 type of student that dropped out. There is one type of student that excels at college/university and that is the self-motivated student, regardless of background. They are self-motivated to achieve. They don’t have to have parents constantly riding them to succeed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason I'd do a top ranked private if I could afford it (I can't) is because I am not sure what will happen in college. Lots of smart, capable kids flunk out for maturity reasons. Some never go back. But sending my kids to a top ranked private means he would leave 12th grade able to write and read and think critically, skills that will serve him well in the world. I am not as sure a public school will provide the same degree of mastery of these skills, and I can't count on him getting them in college, either because he drops out or he majors in a non-liberal arts field.

But it's all moot since 40,000 is way more than we have.

If your child is at Wilson and Walls, "he would leave 12th grade able to write and read and think critically, skills that will serve him well in the world," unless he chooses not to pay attention and do the work.

he will be assigned more writing and get much more feedback on this writing from a teacher at a private school. It is a better quality of education (doubtfully 40,000 a year better though).

But he will have NO math or science foundations. Not better quality education

This is crazy. My kids went to Deal and are now at a local private high school. The math instruction at their private runs circles around DCPS. I am by no means anti-DCPS. However, this statement is just fundamentally untrue.

You are comparing MS math instruction to Private HS instruction? How does that work? Would like examples or details, please.