Bullis school

[Anonymous]

All high school applicants have to complete a writing sample at their shadow visit. Not sure about middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course it's easier. There is a reason Sidwell, gds, sta/Ncs get so many kids into Ivy League schools...THEY ARE HARD and the colleges know that.

Bullis does not have academic reputation of a Sidwell Friends, etc. That doesn't mean it doesn't have a rigorous academic curriculum.

Since when does Bullis require an on campus essay? I never knew that.

Keep telling yourself that. There's a reason why all the athletes who can't make it at other league schools end up there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course it's easier. There is a reason Sidwell, gds, sta/Ncs get so many kids into Ivy League schools...THEY ARE HARD and the colleges know that.

Bullis does not have academic reputation of a Sidwell Friends, etc. That doesn't mean it doesn't have a rigorous academic curriculum.

Since when does Bullis require an on campus essay? I never knew that.

Keep telling yourself that. There's a reason why all the athletes who can't make it at other league schools end up there.

Regarding "athletes who can't make it at other league schools", I have no idea if that's true - maybe it is.

That wasn't my point, however. My point was that it is possible to be a rigorous academic school without having the reputation as some others. Is that the case for Bullis? No idea.

[Anonymous]

It's a much healthier atmosphere academically than the other schools.

Yes, you can have a rigorous academic experoience if you choose but won't get counseled out if you, gasp, get a C.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a much healthier atmosphere academically than the other schools.

Yes, you can have a rigorous academic experoience if you choose but won't get counseled out if you, gasp, get a C.

Broader gap from top to bottom -- courses include remedial level courses which all passes. Good teaching. Classes at the top cover less material at slightly less advanced level than comparable highest level classes at strongest privates. Plenty of good students, fewer great students than at some of the strongest privates. Good diversity, including Chinese students from abroad. Much more willing to make accommodations for sports (no SSAT required, acceptance of senior transfers, redshirting by "reclassifying" students) than strongest privates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a much healthier atmosphere academically than the other schools.

Yes, you can have a rigorous academic experoience if you choose but won't get counseled out if you, gasp, get a C.

Broader gap from top to bottom -- courses include remedial level courses which all passes. Good teaching. Classes at the top cover less material at slightly less advanced level than comparable highest level classes at strongest privates. Plenty of good students, fewer great students than at some of the strongest privates. Good diversity, including Chinese students from abroad. Much more willing to make accommodations for sports (no SSAT required, acceptance of senior transfers, redshirting by "reclassifying" students) than strongest privates.

I agree with all of this except the "reclassify" statement. All the schools have kids that are redshirted. Every single one.

I know a kid who went to Bullis because it was one of the few that did not ask him to repeat 8th grade. (his grades are A/B at a academically rigorous school, his puberty was behind the curve though)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a much healthier atmosphere academically than the other schools.

Yes, you can have a rigorous academic experoience if you choose but won't get counseled out if you, gasp, get a C.

Broader gap from top to bottom -- courses include remedial level courses which all passes. Good teaching. Classes at the top cover less material at slightly less advanced level than comparable highest level classes at strongest privates. Plenty of good students, fewer great students than at some of the strongest privates. Good diversity, including Chinese students from abroad. Much more willing to make accommodations for sports (no SSAT required, acceptance of senior transfers, redshirting by "reclassifying" students) than strongest privates.

I agree with all of this except the "reclassify" statement. All the schools have kids that are redshirted. Every single one.

I know a kid who went to Bullis because it was one of the few that did not ask him to repeat 8th grade. (his grades are A/B at a academically rigorous school, his puberty was behind the curve though)


Bullis is the only private actively recruiting and accepting senior transfers. By doing this, it tells people that winning at sports is what important Bullis. The Bullis community keeps insisting academics are important yet they keep pursuing senior transfers. The parents and the Board don't seem willing to stop it so this is the conclusion people reach.

[Anonymous]

It does not tell me this. It tells me that Bullis can educate kids that can't be educated in other places. I know non-athletes that go there - transfer late in the game. They don't just do it for athletes, they do it because they care about kids.

[Anonymous]

They care about $$$$ and finding it anywhere they can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They care about $$$$ and finding it anywhere they can.

Yeah, they sure are building a lot of patio's over there too. What's next?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a much healthier atmosphere academically than the other schools.

Yes, you can have a rigorous academic experoience if you choose but won't get counseled out if you, gasp, get a C.

Broader gap from top to bottom -- courses include remedial level courses which all passes. Good teaching. Classes at the top cover less material at slightly less advanced level than comparable highest level classes at strongest privates. Plenty of good students, fewer great students than at some of the strongest privates. Good diversity, including Chinese students from abroad. Much more willing to make accommodations for sports (no SSAT required, acceptance of senior transfers, redshirting by "reclassifying" students) than strongest privates.

I agree with all of this except the "reclassify" statement. All the schools have kids that are redshirted. Every single one.

I know a kid who went to Bullis because it was one of the few that did not ask him to repeat 8th grade. (his grades are A/B at a academically rigorous school, his puberty was behind the curve though)

I would not agree with your conclusion.

First, we are not talking about what people sometimes call "redshirting" -- holding kids (often boys) back from school so they'll be a year or two older and get a developmental or athletic advantage. "Reclassifying," at least as used around here in the sports leagues, means a student who is already in high school repeating a grade when he goes to his new school. Bullis does this a significant amount, seemingly most in basketball and lacrosse. Bullis is not alone in this, true -- interestingly, Maret seems to be going in for this in a big way recently -- but not every school does it. Sidwell does not do it (their big basketball star came in his "true" grade), St. Albans does not do it, I have not heard of GDS doing it, I have not heard of Potomac doing it.

As others have noted, Bullis's recent practice of recruiting students to spend just their senior year at Bullis -- all big athletes -- is very unusual and is far from the norm. In fact, I do not know of any other IAC/MAC/ISL school that admits students as seniors. Bullis got a little bit of a black eye this year for admitting a star baseball player after his senior year had already begun, and for having a star football player go back to his old high school after football season ended.

Lastly, Bullis aggressively recruits students at other league schools. I have seen some of this first-hand, as their coaches contact players who go to other schools or schmooze younger players on opposing teams after games. Lately they've been raiding the talent pools of Prep and Landon most often.

The WCAC recruits and is highly aggressive, but is also much more highly regulated than the "gentlemen's" league of the IAC, so, to be fair Bullis is not violating any league rules by reclassifying its students or accepting seniors (and they appear to use go-betweens to evade the letter of the law of the "no first contact" recruiting rule when recruiting players off other league teams).

They are outside the mainstream in how they're running their sports right now. Everyone else may join them; the rules may tighten up; they may get tossed from the league; or the league may just wait it out until the next admin cycle and someone is brought in to "rein in" athletics.

[Anonymous]

"and for having a star football player go back to his old high school after football season ended."...you've got to be kidding, that happened?

[Anonymous]

I would not agree with your conclusion.

Well then we will agree to disagree. I know many, many boys that are asked to repeat 8th grade and come in at 9th, so it looks better, in all the schools. It's being done all over.

You should ask some of the coaches of highly regarded middle school leagues. They will tell you who does not do it. I would say that Sidwell does not do it but coaches don't feed to Sidwell which leaves parent doing the recruiting - and you see how well that went.

It's easy - go to a showcase and see all the men with clipboards and IAC/MAC sweatshirts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I would not agree with your conclusion.

Well then we will agree to disagree. I know many, many boys that are asked to repeat 8th grade and come in at 9th, so it looks better, in all the schools. It's being done all over.

You should ask some of the coaches of highly regarded middle school leagues. They will tell you who does not do it. I would say that Sidwell does not do it but coaches don't feed to Sidwell which leaves parent doing the recruiting - and you see how well that went.

It's easy - go to a showcase and see all the men with clipboards and IAC/MAC sweatshirts.

Redshirting before starting HS is not what is being discussed. It is Bullis taking kids who have already started HS and transferring as a Junior or Senior. Bullis is the only school proactively doing this which what posters are discussing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I would not agree with your conclusion.

Well then we will agree to disagree. I know many, many boys that are asked to repeat 8th grade and come in at 9th, so it looks better, in all the schools. It's being done all over.

You should ask some of the coaches of highly regarded middle school leagues. They will tell you who does not do it. I would say that Sidwell does not do it but coaches don't feed to Sidwell which leaves parent doing the recruiting - and you see how well that went.

It's easy - go to a showcase and see all the men with clipboards and IAC/MAC sweatshirts.

Redshirting before starting HS is not what is being discussed. It is Bullis taking kids who have already started HS and transferring as a Junior or Senior. Bullis is the only school proactively doing this which what posters are discussing.

So, to you it is normal for a parent to think my 11 yo is really great at sports - i am going to hold him back in case he is going to be recruited.

But you don't think it is normal for a kid that is getting looks from colleges for a parent to say when he is 15-16, holy crap, this is confusing, I better go to a school that knows how to handle this.

Still, I am going to have agree to disagree that this is a less healthy way to deal with an athletic kid.