Tell me about Whitman

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Assuming my DS will not get into any privates just because it’s almost impossible right now, we are turning to our inbounds HS, Whitman. I hear only great things. My DS is a very good student with some LD, great athlete who will no doubt make the team of his sport and may even play varsity freshman year. He’s super quiet. How will he do at Whitman? He’s never been in such a huge school. His current school is tiny. But he’s looking forward to HS.

Whitman is better than any private school in the area

Then why do so many families in the Whitman sending area send their kids to private schools at significant expense?

Are these people dumb?

In our Potomac neighborhood we see Landon, Prep, Gonzaga, Bullis, St Albans, Holton, etc. jackets and sweatshirts in abundance. And some Whitman ones, too.

Status, needs, class, vanity and there are fools born every day.

So these scores of well-educated, well-off families are status seeking, vain or stupid or some combination of these things.

They are plunking down over $120,000 per kid so they don’t have to go to Whitman for free.

These seem like pretty smart people to me. They couldn’t believe that these private schools are better environment, could they?

The kids from Potomac and Bethesda neighborhoods that are zoned to Whitman make up a large chunk of the students at these private schools.

We aren’t talking about just a handful. It’s been pointed out that if the athletes from these neighborhoods went to Whitman instead of Prep, Landon, Gonzaga, Bullis, St Johns, etc., Whitman would be a MoCo powerhouse.

I think this is called “voting with your feet”.

What school is charging $120,000 per child?

Anyone going to answer this? I’m curious.

Not PP, but I think they were referring to the total cost over 4 years. There are plenty of schools that charge $30,000 per year for high school.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Assuming my DS will not get into any privates just because it’s almost impossible right now, we are turning to our inbounds HS, Whitman. I hear only great things. My DS is a very good student with some LD, great athlete who will no doubt make the team of his sport and may even play varsity freshman year. He’s super quiet. How will he do at Whitman? He’s never been in such a huge school. His current school is tiny. But he’s looking forward to HS.

Whitman is better than any private school in the area

Then why do so many families in the Whitman sending area send their kids to private schools at significant expense?

Are these people dumb?

In our Potomac neighborhood we see Landon, Prep, Gonzaga, Bullis, St Albans, Holton, etc. jackets and sweatshirts in abundance. And some Whitman ones, too.

Status, needs, class, vanity and there are fools born every day.

So these scores of well-educated, well-off families are status seeking, vain or stupid or some combination of these things.

They are plunking down over $120,000 per kid so they don’t have to go to Whitman for free.

These seem like pretty smart people to me. They couldn’t believe that these private schools are better environment, could they?

The kids from Potomac and Bethesda neighborhoods that are zoned to Whitman make up a large chunk of the students at these private schools.

We aren’t talking about just a handful. It’s been pointed out that if the athletes from these neighborhoods went to Whitman instead of Prep, Landon, Gonzaga, Bullis, St Johns, etc., Whitman would be a MoCo powerhouse.

I think this is called “voting with your feet”.

What school is charging $120,000 per child?

Anyone going to answer this? I’m curious.

NP. I assume the pp meant over 4 years

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Assuming my DS will not get into any privates just because it’s almost impossible right now, we are turning to our inbounds HS, Whitman. I hear only great things. My DS is a very good student with some LD, great athlete who will no doubt make the team of his sport and may even play varsity freshman year. He’s super quiet. How will he do at Whitman? He’s never been in such a huge school. His current school is tiny. But he’s looking forward to HS.

Whitman is better than any private school in the area

Then why do so many families in the Whitman sending area send their kids to private schools at significant expense?

Are these people dumb?

In our Potomac neighborhood we see Landon, Prep, Gonzaga, Bullis, St Albans, Holton, etc. jackets and sweatshirts in abundance. And some Whitman ones, too.

Vanity.

If by "vanity" you mean a realization that Whitman has been trading on its reputation from 25 years ago for a while now, its recent acceptance results for top colleges have been pedestrian and no longer are even the best among MCPS high schools, and that MCPS is such a train wreck now that it's only going to get worse in years to come, then I agree 100%.

Look, Whitman is a good school. But it's not the best-in-class public school that it once was. To seriously wonder why families would choose to send their kids to some of the best private schools in the DMV over Whitman means you're either in denial and want to make yourself feel better about your personal decision, or you have no ability or desire to understand why it's not for everyone.

But it's still better than any private school acceptance results in the DMV.

LOL - such a farce. This thread is just full of people making stuff up to justify their choices. You're telling me that none of the private schools in the DMV had any kids at all accepted to Harvard last year? Because Whitman only had 1 kid in the class of 2021 accepted. Or maybe you'll tell me that Harvard isn't the right data point and to look at other colleges. And we'll go around and around and around. The fact is that Whitman is certainly better than SOME private school acceptance results in the DMV, but not all, and it's not even close.

It's not a farce. Show me a DMV private school that has better college acceptance result. I am waiting.

Sure - here you go: https://www.polarislist.com/best-high-schools-in-maryland

Whitman is not even tops among high schools in MCPS, let alone among all DMV private schools. Sidwell, St. Albans and GDS all have as many or more kids going to the 3 schools that this site uses than Whitman over the past 5 years and they all have senior classes that are one fourth the size (one sixth the size at St. Albans).

Again, it's not even close.

LOL. You don't even know what this website is about. It is NOT college acceptances; it's matriculation to only 3 schools. My God.
Now let go with your link. According to your link from 2018-2020, Whitman has 15 kids graduated from those 3 schools. It beats every private school in the DMV except GDS with 16.
Even with legacies, the privates are not better

That's pretty rough, since Whitman's senior class is 4 times as big as GDS. And now you're going to throw out legacies? As if there are no parents who send their kids to Whitman who attended top colleges? You just need to stop arguing in absolutes (Whitman is better than every DMV private in terms of college acceptance) and tell folks that Whitman is a great school - amazing, even, which would be true. We get it, you hate DMV private schools. But it's just flat out bad advice to tell someone that attending WWHS gives a student the best chances at college acceptance among all private DMV schools. So just stop it. It's dumb.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Assuming my DS will not get into any privates just because it’s almost impossible right now, we are turning to our inbounds HS, Whitman. I hear only great things. My DS is a very good student with some LD, great athlete who will no doubt make the team of his sport and may even play varsity freshman year. He’s super quiet. How will he do at Whitman? He’s never been in such a huge school. His current school is tiny. But he’s looking forward to HS.

Whitman is better than any private school in the area

Then why do so many families in the Whitman sending area send their kids to private schools at significant expense?

Are these people dumb?

In our Potomac neighborhood we see Landon, Prep, Gonzaga, Bullis, St Albans, Holton, etc. jackets and sweatshirts in abundance. And some Whitman ones, too.

Vanity.

If by "vanity" you mean a realization that Whitman has been trading on its reputation from 25 years ago for a while now, its recent acceptance results for top colleges have been pedestrian and no longer are even the best among MCPS high schools, and that MCPS is such a train wreck now that it's only going to get worse in years to come, then I agree 100%.

Look, Whitman is a good school. But it's not the best-in-class public school that it once was. To seriously wonder why families would choose to send their kids to some of the best private schools in the DMV over Whitman means you're either in denial and want to make yourself feel better about your personal decision, or you have no ability or desire to understand why it's not for everyone.

But it's still better than any private school acceptance results in the DMV.

LOL - such a farce. This thread is just full of people making stuff up to justify their choices. You're telling me that none of the private schools in the DMV had any kids at all accepted to Harvard last year? Because Whitman only had 1 kid in the class of 2021 accepted. Or maybe you'll tell me that Harvard isn't the right data point and to look at other colleges. And we'll go around and around and around. The fact is that Whitman is certainly better than SOME private school acceptance results in the DMV, but not all, and it's not even close.

It's not a farce. Show me a DMV private school that has better college acceptance result. I am waiting.

Sure - here you go: https://www.polarislist.com/best-high-schools-in-maryland

Whitman is not even tops among high schools in MCPS, let alone among all DMV private schools. Sidwell, St. Albans and GDS all have as many or more kids going to the 3 schools that this site uses than Whitman over the past 5 years and they all have senior classes that are one fourth the size (one sixth the size at St. Albans).

Again, it's not even close.

LOL. You don't even know what this website is about. It is NOT college acceptances; it's matriculation to only 3 schools. My God.
Now let go with your link. According to your link from 2018-2020, Whitman has 15 kids graduated from those 3 schools. It beats every private school in the DMV except GDS with 16.
Even with legacies, the privates are not better

It’s also based on data from the universities’ graduating classes. This means it only tracks students who went to those universities and graduated.

It doesn’t reflect admissions (offers), which would include kids enrolled but ultimately dropped out or transferred, or those who chose to go to another college that was cheaper, closer to home, or otherwise a better fit in some way.

[Anonymous]

No snark. I’m genuinely curious. Have experience with Anselms and it’s rated 2nd best boys school after Albans in DC and has stellar reputation. Anselms has been profoundly disappointing and am curious how great Albans or any of the other top schools are. They would have to be monumental leaps and bounds better because I certainly did not see that at Anselms as I expected with its ranking, reputation, and when I toured. I can’t wrap my head around how it’s up there and if it’s closely comparable or in line academically with the other top private schools. If so, then I have to say the public schools cannot be that far off from privates. The years at Anselms have made me very, very skeptical of privates and doubtful when people say they are better.
I feel like I was fooled. What am I missing? Any insight?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Assuming my DS will not get into any privates just because it’s almost impossible right now, we are turning to our inbounds HS, Whitman. I hear only great things. My DS is a very good student with some LD, great athlete who will no doubt make the team of his sport and may even play varsity freshman year. He’s super quiet. How will he do at Whitman? He’s never been in such a huge school. His current school is tiny. But he’s looking forward to HS.

Whitman is better than any private school in the area

Then why do so many families in the Whitman sending area send their kids to private schools at significant expense?

Are these people dumb?

In our Potomac neighborhood we see Landon, Prep, Gonzaga, Bullis, St Albans, Holton, etc. jackets and sweatshirts in abundance. And some Whitman ones, too.

Vanity.

If by "vanity" you mean a realization that Whitman has been trading on its reputation from 25 years ago for a while now, its recent acceptance results for top colleges have been pedestrian and no longer are even the best among MCPS high schools, and that MCPS is such a train wreck now that it's only going to get worse in years to come, then I agree 100%.

Look, Whitman is a good school. But it's not the best-in-class public school that it once was. To seriously wonder why families would choose to send their kids to some of the best private schools in the DMV over Whitman means you're either in denial and want to make yourself feel better about your personal decision, or you have no ability or desire to understand why it's not for everyone.

But it's still better than any private school acceptance results in the DMV.

PP - Where can I find data that shows this? We're trying to figure out the private vs. public question and trying to piece together college acceptance results seems impossible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No snark. I’m genuinely curious. Have experience with Anselms and it’s rated 2nd best boys school after Albans in DC and has stellar reputation. Anselms has been profoundly disappointing and am curious how great Albans or any of the other top schools are. They would have to be monumental leaps and bounds better because I certainly did not see that at Anselms as I expected with its ranking, reputation, and when I toured. I can’t wrap my head around how it’s up there and if it’s closely comparable or in line academically with the other top private schools. If so, then I have to say the public schools cannot be that far off from privates. The years at Anselms have made me very, very skeptical of privates and doubtful when people say they are better.
I feel like I was fooled. What am I missing? Any insight?

You'd probably be better off posting in the Private School forum to understand whether your experience there is the norm. I'd guess you would get a mix of people who love it and those who don't, just like anything that relies on subjective personal experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Assuming my DS will not get into any privates just because it’s almost impossible right now, we are turning to our inbounds HS, Whitman. I hear only great things. My DS is a very good student with some LD, great athlete who will no doubt make the team of his sport and may even play varsity freshman year. He’s super quiet. How will he do at Whitman? He’s never been in such a huge school. His current school is tiny. But he’s looking forward to HS.

Whitman is better than any private school in the area

Then why do so many families in the Whitman sending area send their kids to private schools at significant expense?

Are these people dumb?

In our Potomac neighborhood we see Landon, Prep, Gonzaga, Bullis, St Albans, Holton, etc. jackets and sweatshirts in abundance. And some Whitman ones, too.

Vanity.

If by "vanity" you mean a realization that Whitman has been trading on its reputation from 25 years ago for a while now, its recent acceptance results for top colleges have been pedestrian and no longer are even the best among MCPS high schools, and that MCPS is such a train wreck now that it's only going to get worse in years to come, then I agree 100%.

Look, Whitman is a good school. But it's not the best-in-class public school that it once was. To seriously wonder why families would choose to send their kids to some of the best private schools in the DMV over Whitman means you're either in denial and want to make yourself feel better about your personal decision, or you have no ability or desire to understand why it's not for everyone.

But it's still better than any private school acceptance results in the DMV.

PP - Where can I find data that shows this? We're trying to figure out the private vs. public question and trying to piece together college acceptance results seems impossible.

Search for Whitman college destinations in the "Universities and colleges forum".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Assuming my DS will not get into any privates just because it’s almost impossible right now, we are turning to our inbounds HS, Whitman. I hear only great things. My DS is a very good student with some LD, great athlete who will no doubt make the team of his sport and may even play varsity freshman year. He’s super quiet. How will he do at Whitman? He’s never been in such a huge school. His current school is tiny. But he’s looking forward to HS.

Whitman is better than any private school in the area

Then why do so many families in the Whitman sending area send their kids to private schools at significant expense?

Are these people dumb?

In our Potomac neighborhood we see Landon, Prep, Gonzaga, Bullis, St Albans, Holton, etc. jackets and sweatshirts in abundance. And some Whitman ones, too.

Vanity.

If by "vanity" you mean a realization that Whitman has been trading on its reputation from 25 years ago for a while now, its recent acceptance results for top colleges have been pedestrian and no longer are even the best among MCPS high schools, and that MCPS is such a train wreck now that it's only going to get worse in years to come, then I agree 100%.

Look, Whitman is a good school. But it's not the best-in-class public school that it once was. To seriously wonder why families would choose to send their kids to some of the best private schools in the DMV over Whitman means you're either in denial and want to make yourself feel better about your personal decision, or you have no ability or desire to understand why it's not for everyone.

But it's still better than any private school acceptance results in the DMV.

PP - Where can I find data that shows this? We're trying to figure out the private vs. public question and trying to piece together college acceptance results seems impossible.

Search for Whitman college destinations in the "Universities and colleges forum".

How will that show that those destinations are better than every DMV private school? I assumed PP had some comparative data that would allow them to make that statement. Wondering where I can find that.

[Anonymous]

I know Whitman, and most of the privates previously mentioned, very well. Why would someone have a legitimate reason to send their child to a private (assuming they can afford it, of course):
1. Class Sizes. More discussion-based opportunities within the classroom, and more opportunities to learn how to effectively write due to more frequent reading and writing assignments.
2. Teachers/staff tracking students more closely. Parents informed when there are difficulties instead of parents learning when report card comes home.
3. Fewer graduation requirements, allowing for students to pursue academic interests during high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know Whitman, and most of the privates previously mentioned, very well. Why would someone have a legitimate reason to send their child to a private (assuming they can afford it, of course):
1. Class Sizes. More discussion-based opportunities within the classroom, and more opportunities to learn how to effectively write due to more frequent reading and writing assignments.
2. Teachers/staff tracking students more closely. Parents informed when there are difficulties instead of parents learning when report card comes home.
3. Fewer graduation requirements, allowing for students to pursue academic interests during high school.

Tell the private school of SAAS that they are missing the boat. The number 1 reason with regards to teaching writing has been abysmal. Smaller class size is correct. And your number 2 reason regarding learning about difficulties beforehand. Sure, some teachers may report but don’t expect support from them as you should expect with paying tuition. Or support if a student is out sick to catch up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Assuming my DS will not get into any privates just because it’s almost impossible right now, we are turning to our inbounds HS, Whitman. I hear only great things. My DS is a very good student with some LD, great athlete who will no doubt make the team of his sport and may even play varsity freshman year. He’s super quiet. How will he do at Whitman? He’s never been in such a huge school. His current school is tiny. But he’s looking forward to HS.

Whitman is better than any private school in the area

Then why do so many families in the Whitman sending area send their kids to private schools at significant expense?

Are these people dumb?

In our Potomac neighborhood we see Landon, Prep, Gonzaga, Bullis, St Albans, Holton, etc. jackets and sweatshirts in abundance. And some Whitman ones, too.

Vanity.

If by "vanity" you mean a realization that Whitman has been trading on its reputation from 25 years ago for a while now, its recent acceptance results for top colleges have been pedestrian and no longer are even the best among MCPS high schools, and that MCPS is such a train wreck now that it's only going to get worse in years to come, then I agree 100%.

Look, Whitman is a good school. But it's not the best-in-class public school that it once was. To seriously wonder why families would choose to send their kids to some of the best private schools in the DMV over Whitman means you're either in denial and want to make yourself feel better about your personal decision, or you have no ability or desire to understand why it's not for everyone.

But it's still better than any private school acceptance results in the DMV.

Agree. Whitman is way better than any private school around. It’s crazy that people pay so much money for something less than. But yes, status is a big reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Assuming my DS will not get into any privates just because it’s almost impossible right now, we are turning to our inbounds HS, Whitman. I hear only great things. My DS is a very good student with some LD, great athlete who will no doubt make the team of his sport and may even play varsity freshman year. He’s super quiet. How will he do at Whitman? He’s never been in such a huge school. His current school is tiny. But he’s looking forward to HS.

Whitman is better than any private school in the area

Then why do so many families in the Whitman sending area send their kids to private schools at significant expense?

Are these people dumb?

In our Potomac neighborhood we see Landon, Prep, Gonzaga, Bullis, St Albans, Holton, etc. jackets and sweatshirts in abundance. And some Whitman ones, too.

Vanity.

If by "vanity" you mean a realization that Whitman has been trading on its reputation from 25 years ago for a while now, its recent acceptance results for top colleges have been pedestrian and no longer are even the best among MCPS high schools, and that MCPS is such a train wreck now that it's only going to get worse in years to come, then I agree 100%.

Look, Whitman is a good school. But it's not the best-in-class public school that it once was. To seriously wonder why families would choose to send their kids to some of the best private schools in the DMV over Whitman means you're either in denial and want to make yourself feel better about your personal decision, or you have no ability or desire to understand why it's not for everyone.

But it's still better than any private school acceptance results in the DMV.

PP - Where can I find data that shows this? We're trying to figure out the private vs. public question and trying to piece together college acceptance results seems impossible.

Search for Whitman college destinations in the "Universities and colleges forum".

How will that show that those destinations are better than every DMV private school? I assumed PP had some comparative data that would allow them to make that statement. Wondering where I can find that.

It won't because private schools don't publish that info. You may ask why but they don't.

[Anonymous]

Why do people on here feel the need to try to persuade others that the school their kid attends is “the best”? The vast majority of people in this country don’t have the opportunity to attend a HS anywhere near as good as Whitman or other Ws or the Big 3/5/10 or whatever. I sure didn’t when I was growing up. Are you all just terrified that your kids will end up starving in the street if you make the wrong choice? Or are you obsessed with impressing neighbors or coworkers? What legitimate reason could there be for this bizarre hostility toward a bunch of great options?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do people on here feel the need to try to persuade others that the school their kid attends is “the best”? The vast majority of people in this country don’t have the opportunity to attend a HS anywhere near as good as Whitman or other Ws or the Big 3/5/10 or whatever. I sure didn’t when I was growing up. Are you all just terrified that your kids will end up starving in the street if you make the wrong choice? Or are you obsessed with impressing neighbors or coworkers? What legitimate reason could there be for this bizarre hostility toward a bunch of great options?

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