What if the "best fit" is a mediocre school?
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Anonymous
| Really doubt op is much of a judge. |
Anonymous
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OP, you said “Everyone seems pretty confident he will get into most/all schools.” I think you need to just wait and see what happens. Given the huge increase in the number of kids applying to private for 9th, I think you need to dial down expectations. He may very well get into all 4 schools, but he may only get into 1. DS should do revisits and then see where the chips fall in terms of first choice, etc. After revisit days, 2 of my 4 kids had a completely different first choice! Good luck and trust your kid.
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Anonymous
Sorry, not going to read the whole thread if this was already addressed, but why did you even include a “mediocre” option if you knew it would be unacceptable to you? Why are you going through the hassle of applying to schools that you don’t want to send your kid to? Seems odd. |
Anonymous
| Similar position and questioned cost of DC’s desired non-top US (academically) but didn’t push it. DC loves choice and is energized, engaged, getting all As, and most importantly comes home happy every day. Worth every penny. |
Anonymous
| Personally, I think it's going to be really individual. One of our kids is at a private that markets itself as a non-pressure-cooker school. It's quite mediocre. The behavior is not much better than our public. The faculty is also quite mixed, and we are finding gaps after all the hybrid instruction. Depending on what you are after in a private school, I would do all the investigating you can. |
Anonymous
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OP, it depends on what you mean by “mediocre”.
If your DC’s preference is any one of these: SFS GDS STA NCS Holton SAAS Potomac Madeira Episcopal Maret Landon WIS G’town Prep Bullis Stone Ridge SSSAS Flint Hill SAES Gonzaga Visi Good Counsel SJC Then none of them is truly mediocre. Do some have more average students than others, yes, of course. But they are all really good schools. There are others that I’m not thinking of that are also probably in that category, I’m just less familiar with them. |
Anonymous
These and the other schools regularly discussed in this forum will all prepare your kid for college. |
Anonymous
Bishop Ireton? |
Anonymous
Burke? Field? |
Anonymous
| I have a strong student with high ISEE scores at a “mediocre” private by this board’s standards. He’s thriving and his confidence being a big fish in a small pond has done wonders. Cream always rises to the top. He’s challenged but relaxed, has fantastic relationships with his teachers and peers. |
Anonymous
| I went to a mediocre university and, because I was comfortable, I did extremely well. Then went to a top grad school. |
Anonymous
Maybe Field and Burke but not Ireton |
Anonymous
This, you can sometimes shine as the big fish in a small pond. |
Anonymous
PP here. My list was not meant to be exhaustive. I don’t much about either of those. The vast majority of other schools I have at least some first hand knowledge of, either through a DC attending, or the research/application process, or various friends’/colleagues’ kids attending. I’d include them. I’d probably include BI, DJO and PVI too, for that matter. They are on par to probably slightly better than the neighborhood public HS in their community. Again, not meant to be excluded. My point is that all of these are above “mediocre”. I’m sure there are plenty of mediocre private schools in the DMV, I just happen to think the vast majority of kids can get a really good education at any of the mentioned ones. |
Anonymous
Can throw SSSA in there too |