Getting into St. Albans

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are 43 fourth graders this year (42 started at the beginning of the year and one entered mid year). I'll try to dig up where I saw the 45 for next year. I don't think there are intentions to raise it beyond the 45.

Wow a boy started mid-year! Politician kid??????? or some other DC power player????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Methinks this recent talk about two different tests - one for Beauvoir boys and another for "the others," as well as the talk suggesting Beauvoir feeds a lower percentage than one might think, is yet additional evidence of a hobby around here . . . to bash and diminish Beauvoir.

Fact 1. All C form applicants take the same admission's test.

Fact 2. For the last 5 years, no more than 3 boys from Beauvoir have been rejected each year. Yes, some of the 40 boys are advised not to apply for various reasons, and a few always say no after getting the acceptance. But as a general matter 90% of the Beauvoir boys who apply to STA get into STA.

Are you a member of STA's admissions committee? If not, no way that you can be sure of "Fact 1." From the comments of non-Beauvoir parents and my son's comments after the test clearly the material was on a more difficult scale for non-Beauvoir applicants, i.e., the math section.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps in recognition of weaknesses in Beauvoir's math program? (Said tongue-in-cheek.) See the "Frustrated with Quality of Math at Beauvoir?" thread.

[Anonymous]

The PP does not know about the numbers. Our year 7 or 8 Beauvoir boys were outright REJECTED. Some chose not to apply, some were accepted and chose to go elsewhere but 7 (or 8) applies and did not get in, with several shockers. Full stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The PP does not know about the numbers. Our year 7 or 8 Beauvoir boys were outright REJECTED. Some chose not to apply, some were accepted and chose to go elsewhere but 7 (or 8) applies and did not get in, with several shockers. Full stop.

I remember this year. We were talking about it in aftercare.

[Anonymous]

What were the reasons the boys weren't accepted?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Methinks this recent talk about two different tests - one for Beauvoir boys and another for "the others," as well as the talk suggesting Beauvoir feeds a lower percentage than one might think, is yet additional evidence of a hobby around here . . . to bash and diminish Beauvoir.

Fact 1. All C form applicants take the same admission's test.

Fact 2. For the last 5 years, no more than 3 boys from Beauvoir have been rejected each year. Yes, some of the 40 boys are advised not to apply for various reasons, and a few always say no after getting the acceptance. But as a general matter 90% of the Beauvoir boys who apply to STA get into STA.

Are you a member of STA's admissions committee? If not, no way that you can be sure of "Fact 1." From the comments of non-Beauvoir parents and my son's comments after the test clearly the material was on a more difficult scale for non-Beauvoir applicants, i.e., the math section.

right back at ya. unless you're with STA, you couldn't possibly know. perhaps, just perhaps, what you hear from the Beauvoir apps is that the tests weren't so bad b/c, egads, they were better prepared?!?!

stop all this beauvoir bashing. hope not to see you next year in C form.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Methinks this recent talk about two different tests - one for Beauvoir boys and another for "the others," as well as the talk suggesting Beauvoir feeds a lower percentage than one might think, is yet additional evidence of a hobby around here . . . to bash and diminish Beauvoir.

Fact 1. All C form applicants take the same admission's test.

Fact 2. For the last 5 years, no more than 3 boys from Beauvoir have been rejected each year. Yes, some of the 40 boys are advised not to apply for various reasons, and a few always say no after getting the acceptance. But as a general matter 90% of the Beauvoir boys who apply to STA get into STA.

Are you a member of STA's admissions committee? If not, no way that you can be sure of "Fact 1." From the comments of non-Beauvoir parents and my son's comments after the test clearly the material was on a more difficult scale for non-Beauvoir applicants, i.e., the math section.

Ridiculous. Who cares if the Beauvoir boys take the same test or a different test than the non-Beauvoir boys? My son took the test this past weekend and he told us that it was the "easiest test I have taken in all of 3rd grade" and he specifically commented that the Math section was the easiest section and that he finished it in 15 minutes. He described the problems to us as adding and subtracting 3 digit numbers and some simple word problems.

Now, who knows how he actually performed on the test... but I'm just saying that not every boy that took the test on Saturday thought it was awful.

I'm sorry if your son had a difficult time with the test. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Saying that the test administered on Saturday was a "harder version" sounds like a lame excuse.

I do believe that Beauvoir boys have a huge advantage because it is a feeder school, but such is life. I don't think that STA is out to make the application process any harder for the non-Beauvoir boys than it already is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Methinks this recent talk about two different tests - one for Beauvoir boys and another for "the others," as well as the talk suggesting Beauvoir feeds a lower percentage than one might think, is yet additional evidence of a hobby around here . . . to bash and diminish Beauvoir.

Fact 1. All C form applicants take the same admission's test.

Fact 2. For the last 5 years, no more than 3 boys from Beauvoir have been rejected each year. Yes, some of the 40 boys are advised not to apply for various reasons, and a few always say no after getting the acceptance. But as a general matter 90% of the Beauvoir boys who apply to STA get into STA.

Are you a member of STA's admissions committee? If not, no way that you can be sure of "Fact 1." From the comments of non-Beauvoir parents and my son's comments after the test clearly the material was on a more difficult scale for non-Beauvoir applicants, i.e., the math section.

right back at ya. unless you're with STA, you couldn't possibly know. perhaps, just perhaps, what you hear from the Beauvoir apps is that the tests weren't so bad b/c, egads, they were better prepared?!?!

stop all this beauvoir bashing. hope not to see you next year in C form.

Not bashing Beauvoir, loved the school, truth be told it has a weak math program.

My son is a Beauvoir alum. We've been at STA for several years now. Many of his classmates cried during the math portion of the test. And many of his classmates arrived at STA with weak math skills. The lower school head at several meetings starting in C form implored parents to make sure that their sons knew their multiplication facts. As a matter of fact the first two years the boys were drilled in all basic math facts, relentlessly. In general, the non-Beauvoir boys came in with stronger math skills (computation & conceptual). To succeed at STA academically you need to have strong math ability and reading comprehension skills or you will struggle in the upper grades.

Welcome to STA asshole!

[Anonymous]

I hope NCS families are nicer than this.

[Anonymous]

Welcome to STA asshole!

Thanks fellow Beauvoir parent!! You are really helping to strengthen the image of Beauvoir parents!
Sorry, everybody.

[Anonymous]

Could it be that the non-Beauvoir boys coming into St. Albans have higher math scores because the admissions committee can be more selective in choosing them? It's pretty hard to tell (at the K level) who is going to be an academic superstar (and yes, while St. Albans can reject some Beauvoir students, they do seem to accept most of them). It becomes easier at the 4th grade level, and probably progressively easier on up through the grades. It would be interesting to look at St. Albans' top tenth percentile and figure out when they were admitted. Just a thought.....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could it be that the non-Beauvoir boys coming into St. Albans have higher math scores because the admissions committee can be more selective in choosing them? It's pretty hard to tell (at the K level) who is going to be an academic superstar (and yes, while St. Albans can reject some Beauvoir students, they do seem to accept most of them). It becomes easier at the 4th grade level, and probably progressively easier on up through the grades. It would be interesting to look at St. Albans' top tenth percentile and figure out when they were admitted. Just a thought.....

Annually, STA lists its Cum Laude inductees. Yes, it would be interesting to look at when these guys were first admitted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could it be that the non-Beauvoir boys coming into St. Albans have higher math scores because the admissions committee can be more selective in choosing them? It's pretty hard to tell (at the K level) who is going to be an academic superstar (and yes, while St. Albans can reject some Beauvoir students, they do seem to accept most of them). It becomes easier at the 4th grade level, and probably progressively easier on up through the grades. It would be interesting to look at St. Albans' top tenth percentile and figure out when they were admitted. Just a thought.....

I think you got it! The range in performance comes from the Beauvoir boys and they cherry pick the "best" from other schools. Therefore many Beauvoir boys look poorly prepared relatively. Most National Merit Semi-finalists come from the LS and of that majority half start in 4th. Some of the strongest came from Beauvoir! Look it up!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Could it be that the non-Beauvoir boys coming into St. Albans have higher math scores because the admissions committee can be more selective in choosing them? It's pretty hard to tell (at the K level) who is going to be an academic superstar (and yes, while St. Albans can reject some Beauvoir students, they do seem to accept most of them). It becomes easier at the 4th grade level, and probably progressively easier on up through the grades. It would be interesting to look at St. Albans' top tenth percentile and figure out when they were admitted. Just a thought.....

I think you got it! The range in performance comes from the Beauvoir boys and they cherry pick the "best" from other schools. Therefore many Beauvoir boys look poorly prepared relatively. Most National Merit Semi-finalists come from the LS and of that majority half start in 4th. Some of the strongest came from Beauvoir! Look it up!

2008, 6 out 10 of the National Merit semifinalists from STA are Beauvoir alum. Unclear when the remaining 4 on the list were admitted at STA. There were two finalists in '08 one was a Beauvoir alum and the other a non-Beauvoirian.