College Counseling at Sidwell - One Year Later

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It also needs to come to terms with the fact that it is a very good local school, not a nationally recognized prep school, and adjust expectations accordingly.

While the school has been living off the Obama glow for over a decade and not addressing problems or adapting to change, other DC privates (particularly GDS) have advanced ahead.

As demonstrated by GDS having six times as many NMSF this year. Oh, wait...

+1. Bless their hearts; they so badly want to be like Sidwell

I thought that GDS is now at the top of the “Big 3.”

Actually, I don't think GDS is even in the Big 3. It's Sidwell, STA and NCS, no?

[Anonymous]

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/99579.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It also needs to come to terms with the fact that it is a very good local school, not a nationally recognized prep school, and adjust expectations accordingly.

While the school has been living off the Obama glow for over a decade and not addressing problems or adapting to change, other DC privates (particularly GDS) have advanced ahead.

As demonstrated by GDS having six times as many NMSF this year. Oh, wait...

+1. Bless their hearts; they so badly want to be like Sidwell

I thought that GDS is now at the top of the “Big 3.”

Actually, I don't think GDS is even in the Big 3. It's Sidwell, STA and NCS, no?

Of course it is - you either are new here or an anti-GDS troll. And GDS is certainly seen as being on the same level by college admissions offices, which is what is relevant to this discussion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:0 out of 8 for Duke ED isn't too great.

Wait, what?! Is this really true??

[Anonymous]

Wow. Duke really seems to not value the DC privates anymore. So strange.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It also needs to come to terms with the fact that it is a very good local school, not a nationally recognized prep school, and adjust expectations accordingly.

While the school has been living off the Obama glow for over a decade and not addressing problems or adapting to change, other DC privates (particularly GDS) have advanced ahead.

As demonstrated by GDS having six times as many NMSF this year. Oh, wait...

+1. Bless their hearts; they so badly want to be like Sidwell

I thought that GDS is now at the top of the “Big 3.”

Actually, I don't think GDS is even in the Big 3. It's Sidwell, STA and NCS, no?

STA and NCS are basically considered as two divisions of one school for Big Three purposes. GDS has been in the Big Three for at least two decades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It also needs to come to terms with the fact that it is a very good local school, not a nationally recognized prep school, and adjust expectations accordingly.

While the school has been living off the Obama glow for over a decade and not addressing problems or adapting to change, other DC privates (particularly GDS) have advanced ahead.

As demonstrated by GDS having six times as many NMSF this year. Oh, wait...

+1. Bless their hearts; they so badly want to be like Sidwell

I thought that GDS is now at the top of the “Big 3.”

Actually, I don't think GDS is even in the Big 3. It's Sidwell, STA and NCS, no?

Of course it is - you either are new here or an anti-GDS troll. And GDS is certainly seen as being on the same level by college admissions offices, which is what is relevant to this discussion.

This. GDS arguably punches above its size in selective college admissions for its students.

[Anonymous]

Get your own thread troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Then suggest it to the administration rather than complaining about it on an anonymous message board.

The administration is weak and terrible, as you surely know if you have 2 kids in US. The teachers are great but happy with the way things are.

+1. The upper school administration is incompetent. Teachers are great.

I agree that the faculty are great and about the administration. The dysfunction was in the college counseling office last year and the year before. One counselor was just plain incompetent. It took too long, but the admin finally showed him the door. The CCO director was too stubborn, refused to admit he had a staff problem, and grew increasingly frustrated and checked out. Now he’s gone, gone, Gonzaga. To the extent that the administration is to blame, they took too long to force changes, and they still need to provide additional resources to the CCO. But they did act in the end, and recruited back an excellent director to lead and rebuild the CCO.

It's quite the opposite. The administration is completely incompetent and the teachers (who I agree are top-notch) are all trying to figure out how to abandon the sinking ship. The administration (truly led by the current Assistant Head of School who is delusional - she believes that Sidwell is perfect in every way and will hear nothing to the contrary) is more concerned with Sidwell's image than they are with the well-being of the students or the faculty. Ask anyone who works there.

The majority of families thought that last year's CCO director, who is currently very successful and happy at Gonzaga, was a rockstar. The actual reason why he left was because he thought the US Principal was incompetent, and he no longer felt comfortable working for him. He voiced his concerns, but the administration did not listen. And the fact that he tried to stick up for one of his employees and to help him perform better in his job instead of just getting rid of him, I find to be commendable. The "excellent" director that they recruited back was originally asked to leave because she was spending too much time on her outside consulting practice and not enough time on working with the Sidwell students. They were grasping at straws and offered her a boatload of money to come back for a year. Funny how they asked her to leave and then 3 years later begged her to come back.

The administration treats the CCO with such little respect, the only CC left from last year has now resigned - and broken her contract. The woosies at the school are not going to announce this until the middle of December - after EA and ED decisions come out. I am sure they are scrambling to replace her before they have to announce that she too is leaving.

If the administration is not to blame for last year's entire CC department leaving - who is? Someone had to have hired them all thinking they were competent, and now all 3 have left. Why would 3 employees leave Sidwell all at once if they were being treated well and respected by the administration? And it wasn't because of the parents. Granted, last year's graduating class had its share of difficult parents. But these are professionals who know how to deal with parents. They only left because they did not feel supported by the administration.

Many of the points made in this earlier post—which was written before the news of Emily’s departure was widely announced—are very troubling. About the administration generally, and also the counseling office.

Hopefully the board is listening and observing.

Since the HoS and the Assistant HoS are part of the problem (or maybe entirely the problem), emailing them won't really help. Not sure what will - maybe emailing the Clerk of the Board? Does Sidwell even monitor these conversations?

After seeing that Emily was leaving on the listserv, I made a point of attending the meeting where it was announced that she too is leaving - in the middle of the year! As everyone has said, she is a really sweet, well regarded person - why leave in the middle of the year? They announced (very unprofessionally) where she was going - and it wasn't a promotion, just a lateral transfer. When asked why college counselors are leaving in droves, the Assistant HoS said, in her very best Mary Poppins voice, that all of the Sidwell students are so wonderful and are qualified to get into every school, but all of them can't go to the same school, so naturally the parents blame the college counselors. And that it happens at EVERY school around here. So that's why there has been turnover. What?!! No wonder they all left! It does NOT happen at every school around here - and since difficult parents are a constant at all schools, to me this points to the administration.

Hang on. WHAT?!? One third of the senior class lost their college counselor in late November/early December, and MK blamed THE PARENTS and claimed that this type of turnover happens at every school? Are you serious? This is crazy!

Those parents are crazy. How the admin at SFS puts up with them is beyond me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get your own thread troll.

+1 Stop trying to make GDS happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It also needs to come to terms with the fact that it is a very good local school, not a nationally recognized prep school, and adjust expectations accordingly.

While the school has been living off the Obama glow for over a decade and not addressing problems or adapting to change, other DC privates (particularly GDS) have advanced ahead.

As demonstrated by GDS having six times as many NMSF this year. Oh, wait...

+1. Bless their hearts; they so badly want to be like Sidwell

I thought that GDS is now at the top of the “Big 3.”

Actually, I don't think GDS is even in the Big 3. It's Sidwell, STA and NCS, no?

Of course it is - you either are new here or an anti-GDS troll. And GDS is certainly seen as being on the same level by college admissions offices, which is what is relevant to this discussion.

This. GDS arguably punches above its size in selective college admissions for its students.

GDS and Sidwell are pretty much the same when it comes to admissions - lots of hooks to get into these schools and lots of hooks for their grads to get into colleges.

[Anonymous]

At least 2 admitted at Harvard from GdS.

[Anonymous]

I don't have a child at Sidwell so am curious why so many GDS parents feel the need to boast or try to make a comparison. GDS may be a wonderful school, but your constant need to defend it undermines your reputation. This is a Sidwell thread and while it currently may be having some problems with college counseling, it's still one of the best schools in the country. Start your own thread if you want to brag about GDS. Jumping on this one isn't helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't have a child at Sidwell so am curious why so many GDS parents feel the need to boast or try to make a comparison. GDS may be a wonderful school, but your constant need to defend it undermines your reputation. This is a Sidwell thread and while it currently may be having some problems with college counseling, it's still one of the best schools in the country. Start your own thread if you want to brag about GDS. Jumping on this one isn't helpful.

Likely not a GDS person but someone trying to annoy SFS people while making GDS look bad at the same time. Looks like it’s working.

[Anonymous]

No, definitely a GDS person(s). It is highly representative of that school--always putting others down and talking theirs up. They cry social justice and what not, but they don't walk the talk. Fakes.