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POLL: How many schools are you applying to? What's your top choice? How old is your dc?
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Anonymous
| We're applying to six schools. GDS. Daughter is 5. |
Anonymous
| I do not think anyone is going to respond to this...sorry. But best of luck with GDS! |
Anonymous
| Why wouldn't they. Don't they want to suss out the competition? These are typical questions for NYC and wouldn't be a cause for concern there. |
Anonymous
| it's anonymous. 3, charter, dc4 |
Anonymous
| In order of preference for K - Beauvoir, Maret, GDS, Capitol Hill Day School, Lowell, Sheridan |
Anonymous
| Five schools, dc5, Sidwell. |
Anonymous
| 4 schools. WIS. kindergarten. |
Anonymous
This is such an odd list. Beauvoir, your 1st choice is the odd one out. It doesn't fit philosophically with any of the other schools (although, admittedly, I know little about CHDS). I have to ask, why? Frankly, if B is truly your first choice, based on the nature of the school itself and your child's learning style, the rest probably should not be on here. Have you already gone on tours? |
Anonymous
| three schools. sidwell. dd5. |
Anonymous
I often see posters question others' choice of school applications. It is possible that a child would do well in many types of educational settings, and that the parents find something appealing about different types of schools. So it would follow that the parents my apply to different types of schools. There doesn't have to be a "trend". Maybe the poster likes that Beauvoir is K-3 and is a cathedral school, that Maret is a small K-12, that GDS is liberal/diverse, that CHDS is close to home, that Lowell is ultra progressive, etc. |
Anonymous
| 3 schools: GDS, Sidwell, Maret |
Anonymous
| 4 schools and GDS first choice |
Anonymous
Not the PP, but this list seems reasonable to me. I believe that my kids would do well in any academically strong school run by competent educators who have plenty of time/resources to provide individual attention and where there is at least some selection on ability. Beauvoir, GDS, and Sidwell (don't know much about Maret) fit those criteria, regardless of "philosophical" differences. Of those I would go for Beauvoir for the PK-3 focus because I think that getting those years right is the key, and I know that they are good at it. But the other two would be fine too. And if we didn't get into any of those, there would be a bunch of other schools which would also meet the criteria and would probably work out just fine in the long run. Of course, if there there are special issues or you have strong views on a particular style of education then the school's philosophy makes a difference. But then it is like debating which religion you believe in ---knowing others' choices is not that informative, especially on an anonymous board where you don't know who the people posting are and how they make choices other important choices in life. |
Anonymous
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It seems to me that there is one poster who has repeatedly criticized others for the lack of purity in their school choices. This poster usually focuses on Beauvoir as the odd man out and ends up concluding that anyone who applies to both Beauvoir and almost any other highly competitive school must be driven by prestige alone. I suspect it is the same poster who likes to warn parents of the potentially dire consequences of revealing to Sidwell that you are also applying to Beauvoir and vice versa.
I think this attitude is absurd. As many other posters have indicated, when you get beyond the level of "how do children address their teachers," Beavoir, Sidwell, Maret, and so on are not that different in terms of educational philosophy and curriculum, at least in the early years, which is where most parents focus. They are all warm, nurturing places. None espouses a highly traditional teaching style. Some children may naturally gravitate to the more structured atmosphere of Beauvoir or the more casual environment of GDS, but just as many intelligent, inquisitive children are sufficiently adaptable to do well in either environment. Similarly, parents may prefer one school to another based on gut feel alone, but after factoring in other important factors such as commute, sibling policy, etc. may find that they are essentially indifferent between them and therefore apply to both. |
Anonymous
I do not agree, nor do I agree with another PP's response to this. I am very familiar with Beauvoir and GDS, to start with. The type of child who will thrive in each school is VERY different. The former is very structured with high expectations of "good" behavior and rule following ability/willingness and a more structured method of learning. The latter is very free form, much less focus on good manners or rule following, and more individualized and open. The latter is also very loud, full of noise and constant activity, in fact chaotic is how many describe it, whereas the former is much more disciplined, subdued and calm (as least as calm as 4,5 and 6+ year olds can be!). The parent-social atmosphere is vastly different as well, and that most importantly includes social norms and values at home. I do NOT believe one is better than the other and have attempted to use as neutral language as possible but I do strongly believe that they are vastly different atmospheres that very different learners respond to. We have friends with kids at both and I think most of them would agree. |