College Counseling at Sidwell - One Year Later

[Anonymous]

But I thought only kids who get in are legacies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My GDS kid hangs out in a gang of GDS, Sidwell and Maret kids, all cheering each other on with college admissions and happily unaware of this DCUM idiocy.

That is one giant bubble!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS loves being in the same conversation as Sidwell Friends.

Yes, though the GDS students are typically the ones leading the conversations.

Because they’re the thought leaders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS loves being in the same conversation as Sidwell Friends.

Yes, though the GDS students are typically the ones leading the conversations.

Because they’re the thought leaders.

Obviously!

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s the deal with Brian Garman and MK? Why has it gotten so bad? (Ignorant lower school family here who can’t get straight answers)

Nothing, they are fine. There are one or two people posting here with an axe to grind.

This is not really accurate. To understand what is really going on here, one needs to understand what the board wants from the HoS at this point. Bryan isn't strategic or trying to improve anything, and Min is going to make sure that the teachers are protected. Everyone in leadership is happy, Bryan and Min are "fine," and the school rests on its laurels.

FYI - MK lies to the teachers too. They are NOT protected by her and most do not respect her.

[Anonymous]

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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!

MK started as a part-time English teacher (and not well liked by students or faculty). She then became Assistant Academic Dean - which meant she did scheduling of classes. When the school "recommended" Lee Palmer step down as principal, they wanted MG to become interim principal, so they promoted MK to Assistant Principal/Academic Dean. Then recently promoted her to Assistant HoS. Where is her training to be a leader? Feels like they promoted an unqualified person out of convenience. Until they rectify this, I think the school will continue to have problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone from GDS or Sidwell get in early to Duke? I thought they cared a lot about legacy, similar to Harvard.
Full disclosure: I have a 10th grader at one of these schools and I went to Duke. Would love to see my kid get in there.

have heard none from sidwell got in to duke early. i don't know if any were legacies.

To my knowledge, none were legacies. I've noticed more rejects than deferrals than I recall from past years overall, though that doesn't seem to be Sidwell specific. I wonder if schools that know they won't admit a kid are more mindful of giving them the chance to apply second early (binding) elsewhere. I do know a few Sidwell kids availing themselves of ED 2 options. Not all schools have them, but some do (ie Middlebury, Pomona, Wash U I believe and others). The Sidwell kids who I know who got deferred are hugely qualified. I'm sure a good number (assuming they don't ED 2 elsewhere) will get admitted in the spring to some of the schools that deferred them. The outright rejections have been tough on the kids but they have been really lovely to one another. They've created a wall of rejection letters at the school so everyone can see they're in good company. It's a nice group of graduating students and they really cheer for each other and support each other when they experience disappointment.

[Anonymous]

That's a nice idea actually to create a wall of rejection letters. Good for the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone from GDS or Sidwell get in early to Duke? I thought they cared a lot about legacy, similar to Harvard.
Full disclosure: I have a 10th grader at one of these schools and I went to Duke. Would love to see my kid get in there.

have heard none from sidwell got in to duke early. i don't know if any were legacies.

To my knowledge, none were legacies. I've noticed more rejects than deferrals than I recall from past years overall, though that doesn't seem to be Sidwell specific. I wonder if schools that know they won't admit a kid are more mindful of giving them the chance to apply second early (binding) elsewhere. I do know a few Sidwell kids availing themselves of ED 2 options. Not all schools have them, but some do (ie Middlebury, Pomona, Wash U I believe and others). The Sidwell kids who I know who got deferred are hugely qualified. I'm sure a good number (assuming they don't ED 2 elsewhere) will get admitted in the spring to some of the schools that deferred them. The outright rejections have been tough on the kids but they have been really lovely to one another. They've created a wall of rejection letters at the school so everyone can see they're in good company. It's a nice group of graduating students and they really cheer for each other and support each other when they experience disappointment.

There are only a few schools where a high percentage of deferrals get in at RD. It is sort of like being on the Maret waitlist in K. Frankly, getting rejected at this juncture is more honest from the colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone from GDS or Sidwell get in early to Duke? I thought they cared a lot about legacy, similar to Harvard.
Full disclosure: I have a 10th grader at one of these schools and I went to Duke. Would love to see my kid get in there.

have heard none from sidwell got in to duke early. i don't know if any were legacies.

I went to Duke too and none of the legacy kids we know (coming from both private and public) got in early.

Have you not been to any of the alumni events where they have a "college admissions advice" panel for the parents? It's basically telling us alumni that our kids won't get into Duke but could we please keep giving them $$. Food was good though and the free Duke swag was a nice touch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone from GDS or Sidwell get in early to Duke? I thought they cared a lot about legacy, similar to Harvard.
Full disclosure: I have a 10th grader at one of these schools and I went to Duke. Would love to see my kid get in there.

have heard none from sidwell got in to duke early. i don't know if any were legacies.

I went to Duke too and none of the legacy kids we know (coming from both private and public) got in early.

Have you not been to any of the alumni events where they have a "college admissions advice" panel for the parents? It's basically telling us alumni that our kids won't get into Duke but could we please keep giving them $$. Food was good though and the free Duke swag was a nice touch.

Would be better if they all were up front and honest like MIT and say that legacy is not a factor at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's a nice idea actually to create a wall of rejection letters. Good for the kids.

This has been a thing for years. I went to Sidwell in the 90s and we did it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone from GDS or Sidwell get in early to Duke? I thought they cared a lot about legacy, similar to Harvard.
Full disclosure: I have a 10th grader at one of these schools and I went to Duke. Would love to see my kid get in there.

have heard none from sidwell got in to duke early. i don't know if any were legacies.

To my knowledge, none were legacies. I've noticed more rejects than deferrals than I recall from past years overall, though that doesn't seem to be Sidwell specific. I wonder if schools that know they won't admit a kid are more mindful of giving them the chance to apply second early (binding) elsewhere. I do know a few Sidwell kids availing themselves of ED 2 options. Not all schools have them, but some do (ie Middlebury, Pomona, Wash U I believe and others). The Sidwell kids who I know who got deferred are hugely qualified. I'm sure a good number (assuming they don't ED 2 elsewhere) will get admitted in the spring to some of the schools that deferred them. The outright rejections have been tough on the kids but they have been really lovely to one another. They've created a wall of rejection letters at the school so everyone can see they're in good company. It's a nice group of graduating students and they really cheer for each other and support each other when they experience disappointment.

What makes parents at these DC schools think that they can decide who is qualified and who isn’t? Ivies and other top schools are independent and can admit whomever they want. They are independent schools. If they admit a kid with all bs that they find to be charismatic and be a good leader that is up to them. Takes a lot more in life than getting a perfect sat score to be successful and I think most top schools know that. Personality goes a long way.

[Anonymous]

Colleges have no idea what an applicants personality is like.

[Anonymous]

Of course they do. That's what recommendations, interviews, and essays convey.