Does this sound like Maret?
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Anonymous
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My cousin's neighbor and her family are moving to DC from Seattle. They're looking for a school for their DD for entry next fall into 9th grade. They love their current coed school, which they describe as cozy, nurturing, somewhat structured and traditional, but with room innovation, academically challenging -- but not a pressure-cooker -- and an inclusive community which meets kids where they are. They describe their DD as a solid student (mostly Bs with occasional As), a very good athlete (think NESCAC-level competition in college), a good musician (think competent audition-vocal group singer, but not a soloist), creative, and the kind of kid teachers call "a good scout" (cheerful, energetic, enthusiastic, friendly, hard-working). She is sociable and makes friends easily.
Their description of the school sounds a lot like Maret to me, though I don't have first-hand experience. For those who do, am I on the right track here? And does their description of their DD sound like the kind of kid who would thrive at Maret? TIA. |
Anonymous
| Good athlete = not Maret |
Anonymous
| Maret will love an outstanding athlete, in recent years they have really sought out athletes to beef up their saleability to other athletes. Other than that I believe that Maret is much more academically competitive than you are thinking and I don't think they are much in the business of "meeting kids where they are." Generally speaking mostly B's and a few A's are not going to go that far at Maret admissions unless your applicant has a really outstanding non-academic hook. I would advise your friends to look at Bullis. |
Anonymous
| Also maybe Saint Andrews, a bit warmer and more personal perhaps than Bullis. Agree mostly Bs and a few As will not be competitive for Maret without some other real "hook" and NESCAC level sports skills for a girl not likely to make a big difference (boys basketball or baseball maybe). But always worth a try, never know, and if SSATs particularly high also would help. |
Anonymous
| Sounds like saint andrews or Bullis. Not maret. At least to me. |
Anonymous
| Non-sense. Grades alone will not disqualify -- A strong SSAT can offset. Teacher recs will also play a part. Forget Bullis. Good school but at bottom of heap. Use it as a safety school if you can't do Maret or SAES and do not want to do public. Potomac might be an option if you move to Virginia. |
Anonymous
| The family should also be working through their current school administration to help identify a compatible school in DC. |
Anonymous
Maret is fairly competitive in admissions so I agree that the "mostly Bs and a few As" may not be enough. I do think the atmosphere is a bit more laid back than some of the other in-town schools. Regarding the sports, it is certainly worth highlighting at any school; for Maret in particular, their recruiting has very much focused on boys' sports (basketball, baseball, some football). The only girls' sport where they seem to push for athletes is basketball, so it may depend upon what your friend's daughter plays. In terms of additional schools, I hear nice things about St. Andrews (this is the one in Potomac, not the DE Boarding School) and it sounds like it would fit your criteria. |
Anonymous
| Let's not overemphasize the importance of sports at any of these schools. If the kid is a serious athlete, she is not likely to develop playing at a school like Maret or SAES. Sidwell and Bullis are more competitive and might be a better fit, although Sidwell is more rigorous academically. |
Anonymous
| This sounds like a kid who would fit in well at St. Andrew's. As for all of the assumptions above about academic fit, let's recall no one here has any idea how the school this girl attends grades. I would not be at all concerned about the grades in terms of applications, and agree that testing and recommendations will matter more. Interestingly, I have heard some faculty at St. Andrew's say that if that school were located downtown it would be called, "Maret." B |
Anonymous
| Continued post: Both schools have a wider range of students academically than places like Sidwell, St. Albans, etc. As for sports, you can't generalize. It really depends on the specific sport in question as different schools have different relative strengths. I agree with posters above that if you're looking for a school that puts a lot of emphasis on community, warmth and support but also offers challenging academics for those students who can handle them, St. Andrew's is a must see. |
Anonymous
| Thanks, all. I will certainly suggest that they take a look at SAES. I'm somewhat surprised at the characterization of Maret, however. While I've always perceived it as quite selective due to its small size and the number of sibling applicants, my impressions has been that the school is not an academic powerhouse/pressure-cooker. |
Anonymous
My impression is that it is academically rigorous but lighter on the pressure-cooker aspect than other DC privates -- a nice combination, actually. |
Anonymous
Hmmm -- college admissions would suggest that it's not on par with STA/NCS, SFS, GDS. |
Anonymous
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http://www.maret.org/news/article/index.aspx?pageaction=ViewSinglePublic&LinkID=4784&ModuleID=104
How so? Given the class size is really small, I see Harvard, Stanford, Yale, and Princeton on there... |