beauvior vs GDS

[Anonymous]

My son was accepted by both schools. We had a hard time deciding where to go. We love beauvior because they have more selection of enrichment classes and they seem more rigor ( my son is very independent and not disciplined at all. So i am thinking maybe in a rigorous envioronment he could be more desciplined). We don't want our son to be in a single sex school. So later on we would like him to be in either sidwell or GDS. The advantage of GDS to us is that we don't need to reapply again. I would really appreciate some opinion about whether it is easy to go to sidwell or GDS from Beauvior later and academically which school prepares children better. Thanks a lot.

[Anonymous]

Yes its easy and some do it every year. It actually can be a bonus to not travel with the main group going on to the cathedral schools as the social world is otherwise kind of small for thevkids.

[Anonymous]

We had a similar choice. Keep in mind though that Beauvoir is also a progressive school. It isn't really traditional. Does the environment seem more buttoned up than GDS, I would say yes, however I would not call it rigorous or a school that emphasizes discipline. They do emphasize, respect and accountability and whatever else the life rules are. Just my two cents. Both are great places and know how to get a lot out of kids. I don't think you can go wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son was accepted by both schools. We had a hard time deciding where to go. We love beauvior because they have more selection of enrichment classes and they seem more rigor ( my son is very independent and not disciplined at all. So i am thinking maybe in a rigorous envioronment he could be more desciplined). We don't want our son to be in a single sex school. So later on we would like him to be in either sidwell or GDS. The advantage of GDS to us is that we don't need to reapply again. I would really appreciate some opinion about whether it is easy to go to sidwell or GDS from Beauvior later and academically which school prepares children better. Thanks a lot.

It can be done, but the person who said it is "easy" is, I think, understating how competitive both GDS and Sidwell are. So I would not assume for sure any given student can go from Beauvoir to Sidwell or GDS for 4th grade, although both schools admit Beauvoir kids each year.

[Anonymous]

Our DS was an excellent student and somewhat independent (I wouldn't say even very independent) and Beauvoir was not a good fit. We eventually moved him to another Big 5 school. Huge relief. Much happier now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had a similar choice. Keep in mind though that Beauvoir is also a progressive school. It isn't really traditional. Does the environment seem more buttoned up than GDS, I would say yes, however I would not call it rigorous or a school that emphasizes discipline. They do emphasize, respect and accountability and whatever else the life rules are. Just my two cents. Both are great places and know how to get a lot out of kids. I don't think you can go wrong.

And GDS does not emphasize respect and accountability?

[Anonymous]

Our kids are at GDS and quite a few kids came into GDS from Beauvior for 4rth, (the prior heads of both GDS and Beauvior were married to each other, and that seemed to result in quite a common pathway for kids going from one to the other). As one of the PPs said, the lower school of GDS and Beauvior, in the classroom, are really more similar than different from what all the families that did this switch at 4rth said. Both are "progressive", full of smart kids from high-expectation families, and both are quite committed to not pushing kids to do too much too quickly, and neither seems to give ridiculous amounts of homework or busy work in the early grades. The average family at GDS vs B is going to perhaps be more liberal, more likely to be a Democrat, more likely to be Jewish, but the kid's experience is going to be really very similar. Our experience there with one boy and one girl has been excellent, and we are beyond the LS now, didn't love the prior LS head who had been there forever, but hear the new one is very good.

I also agree with PP however that predicting how easy it will or won't be to get into Sidwell or GDS at 4rth from B is really hard. Even if your son turns out to be an incredible student in every way and tests well, the number of kids that get in at that entry year is pretty small in both schools (less than 10 I believe) and particularly if there happen to be lots of kids from B that year that want coed, it could be very difficult. There could be siblings, sex ratio issues, faculty kids, many reasons that no matter how strong a student your son is that he might not get into either Sidwell or GDS. If he really is a strong student, getting into St As from B more of a certainty just because so many more slots for 4rth. So depends some on how sure you are that you want coed.

[Anonymous]

I would say that if you don't want single sex (StA) after 3rd that you should go with GDS. Both are wonderful schools, but it is very competitive to move schools and there is no guarantee there will be enough spots in 4th grade for your son to switch at that point. Sure, GDS accepts 4th graders but it will depend on their gender mix, what "kind of kid" will balance their class out at that time. We know families that loved Beauvoir and weren't fully committed to NCS or StA for a long term solution. They got into NCS and StA but did not get into their alternative first choice schools - but they did get into other very good schools. It's really not so "easy" to just switch.

Good luck - both are wonderful - as is StA if you end up there later - just be careful about assuming switching out to a specific school (GDS) later will be so easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our DS was an excellent student and somewhat independent (I wouldn't say even very independent) and Beauvoir was not a good fit. We eventually moved him to another Big 5 school. Huge relief. Much happier now.

Could you please say more about why you think Beauvior is not a good fit as I think my son is very similar to yours? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Is it realtively easier to make the transfer at 2nd grade for 3rd grade when the majority of beuavior students are not applying to other schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Is it realtively easier to make the transfer at 2nd grade for 3rd grade when the majority of beuavior students are not applying to other schools?

No, because few schools have set openings for 3rd grade (while many have them for 4th). Openings at 3rd are the result of families moving away, typically, which you cannot depend on.

[Anonymous]

To me, not having to re-apply is a big advantage. Avoiding the hassles and uncertainties of going through another application process a few years down the road would be a very substantial consideration. If you want your child ultimately to end up at GDS and you have an acceptance there, why would you go to a different school now unless there was a very large benefit to doing so during those few years?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To me, not having to re-apply is a big advantage. Avoiding the hassles and uncertainties of going through another application process a few years down the road would be a very substantial consideration. If you want your child ultimately to end up at GDS and you have an acceptance there, why would you go to a different school now unless there was a very large benefit to doing so during those few years?

OP here. I totally agree with you. But on the other hand, I really love the enrichment program in beauvior and like the way the students don't talk loudly in the hallway there. GDS seems too relaxed to me. I think early year of the children is important so I am hoping maybe in beauvior my son might be more disciplined? Any opinion on this will be very appreicated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To me, not having to re-apply is a big advantage. Avoiding the hassles and uncertainties of going through another application process a few years down the road would be a very substantial consideration. If you want your child ultimately to end up at GDS and you have an acceptance there, why would you go to a different school now unless there was a very large benefit to doing so during those few years?

OP here. I totally agree with you. But on the other hand, I really love the enrichment program in beauvior and like the way the students don't talk loudly in the hallway there. GDS seems too relaxed to me. I think early year of the children is important so I am hoping maybe in beauvior my son might be more disciplined? Any opinion on this will be very appreicated.

GDS is more relaxed, I see that as a positive. The children are incredibly happy and comfortable at school. The reason why it is louder at GDS is because the children are given the responsibility and the trust at an early age to navigate the school on their own. The children are taught to walk to the library, music, gym, etc., by themselves, and they do. This gives them a great sense of independence and ownership of the school. For some parents, it may be uncomfortable to have a 7 year old walking to the library on her own from her classroom, but that is part of the GDS way. This attitude is also why you have students who are able to hold their own--very impressively, I might add--in conversations with adults from a very young age. I have not found students disrespectful, but I have found them to be remarkably unflappable before an audience of adults. (BTW, my kids have never had a problem using Mr./Ms./Dr. with adults in other contexts, they understand the norms of GDS differ from the norms of other social settings.) My sense is that the teachers teach the children to discipline themselves. It is albeit a bit messier than having the discipline come from teachers all the time, but it serves the students very well in the long-term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To me, not having to re-apply is a big advantage. Avoiding the hassles and uncertainties of going through another application process a few years down the road would be a very substantial consideration. If you want your child ultimately to end up at GDS and you have an acceptance there, why would you go to a different school now unless there was a very large benefit to doing so during those few years?

OP here. I totally agree with you. But on the other hand, I really love the enrichment program in beauvior and like the way the students don't talk loudly in the hallway there. GDS seems too relaxed to me. I think early year of the children is important so I am hoping maybe in beauvior my son might be more disciplined? Any opinion on this will be very appreicated.

GDS just runs itself differently. If you are not comfortable with this for PreK, your attitude is probably not going to change for 4th.