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2009 Private School Admission Results - Share them as you get them!
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Anonymous
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We got a form letter like everyone else.
No phone call or special contact. I am getting a lot of very nice support on this board and I appreciate it. No hard feelings toward Sidwell. I am sure they have more younger sibs apply than they can handle. |
Anonymous
I guess if the family hasn't kept up its involvement and annual fund/endowment giving over the years, then the school probably doesn't feel as much of a need to admit those legacies; rather, the legacy DC may get a much smaller "leg up" or plus-factor than he or she otherwise might have if the family had been noticeably involved in the school (for example, attending occasional homecomings, alumni events, and reunions; serving on reunion committees) and/or had given a noticeable amount of money ($1000+) each year, year after year. |
Anonymous
You said your DH is an alum? Have him call the admissions office and find out what happened. It almost seems like it has to be a mistake - that they got a letter mixed up. Like a PP said, I find it really hard to believe that with sibs in the school and an alum for a dad, that they (a) didn't take your kid or at least (b) didn't call with a heads up that they weren't going to. |
Anonymous
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You have a great attitude, I don't think anyone even those with strong family ties can take it personally or too hard.
The number of applicants vs. slots is what it comes down to. I met a woman at another BIG 3 who did not apply to Sidwell for K for her DC because she has an older one that graduated from there and her DC was rejected for Pre-K, she took it very hard. We all put so much into it over a long time period, it is so fresh now, but very soon, I think that we will just be over the private school w/l and rejection status' for those of us in the situation. It will all work out in the end, great parents = great DC. Hope you end up at a school you love for your DC, maybe Sidwell is in your future for DC. GL |
Anonymous
A dad AND a granddad as you reported. Something is amiss here. |
Anonymous
| Agreed. I know for a fact that Sidwell would call this person in advance if there was a problem with the application. OP either received the wrong letter or this is a hoax. |
Anonymous
| I'm a new poster on this thread. I don't think its a hoax. I have a good friend whose entire family went to Sidwell (she was also a graduate herself). Her child got waitlisted. They ended up in the public school, but they may reapply at the next big entry period. I think she was considering applying to more schools next time though, instead of putting all her hopes on Sidwell. |
Anonymous
| There obviously more alumni, siblings etc than there is space. The issue I have with the story was that there was no advanced warning, or discussion with the family before the rejection letter came. I find that highly unlikely. |
Anonymous
| I don't think my friend heard ahead of time, unless it was a call a few days early. She told me at the same time everyone else was hearing from schools. I think Sidwell is too big to have such personal relations with all its applicants, even ones with connections - perhaps its to help level the playing field, since everyone else (DCUM) would freak out if one family started getting phone calls. |
Anonymous
| My DD got accepted to Beauvoir and Capitol Hill Day School. W/L-Georgetown and Sidwell said no. |
Anonymous
| I hope that as people are getting rejection letters they realize that there are many great schools in the DC area where your child can get a fabulous education, make great friends, and be academically, socially, and emotionally prepared for life. Not being admitted to a "big 3" school doesn't mean they won't get into a great high school, college, grad school etc. I think sometimes people panic that if their child isn't in the right school by age 4 or 5, then their options later in life will be limited. We go to a tiny, little known, school, whose graduates have gone onto many prestigious area high schools, who are doing things like getting PhD's in biochemistry from Ivy League schools etc. So don't be too discouraged by rejection letters--perhaps they will open a door to discovering a hidden gem. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
| Re. Sidwell: I am an alum with deep connections with the school. When DC was a toddler I had a conversation wtih the then Head of School about whether we should look at Sidwell for pre-K. His advice: if you have a good public school in the neighborhood, wait until middle school. They get enough applications from sibs and alumni kids for p-K to fill the class several times, and they save about half the spaces for non-legacy kids, leaving many legacy kids out. At Middle School, the legacy status will carry more (although not absolute) weight, because there are fewer applicants in that category. |
Anonymous
| To PP, I am a little confused by your post. Don't the "legacy" kids who enter Sidwell at P-K continue through to Middle School? Or do more "legacy" children drop out by Middle School? Why would there be any greater likelihood of a legacy being admitted to Sidwell at Middle School stage? Just curious. |
Anonymous
| Not the PP, but the point is that there is higher demand at the younger grades due to less space, getting a child settled in a school etc. |