How Tough Is It To Get A's In Sidwell Math I-IV Track And Chem 1A?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, if it's all about getting the highest gpa, do not go to private school, certainly not Sidwell. Send your kid there for a good education, not to play the numbers. You will drive him and all his teachers crazy.

Nope. Compare the college admissions results of the W public schools with those from the Big 3/5/7. The private schools routinely send a larger percentage of their students to Ivies and top 25 universities. I’m willing to bet the W school students have a higher average GPA than NCS/STA/Sidwell/GDS.

For the one millionth time: Public and private results can't be directly compared. The privates have different grading scales. They don't weight for honors or APs. They don't give many As period. Etc Etc. There are a zillion Ivy legacies and VIPs in the private school mix. They assemble classes of mostly high achievers whereas public have all-comers.

If you are a high achieving, unhooked kid with Ivy or similar goals I would bet a LOT that your admissions chances would be higher in public. You can either listen to this advice up front by the dozens of us who have given it or figure it out during senior year when your kid is applying to college.

Yet here you are trying to compare public GPAs to private GPAs. Which is it? You can’t have it both ways. Btw, there are many Sidwell students who are not Ivy legacies. Stop trying to perpetuate that myth.

I don't know exactly. The Sidwell kids I know all happen to be Ivy legacies (between both parents). I have kids at two different Big3 schools and at the one I know best I'd estimate that 75% of the kids in my child's class have one parent who is an Ivy legacy. It's an extraordinarily high percentage.

Listen, I'm not making this stuff up. My kids are not Ivy legacies. We actually went to a decent school that no longer gives any legacy preference. So my kids are in the general pool of applicants. And as I talk to other parents and look at the Instagram posts and look at Scoir data it all paints a pretty grim picture (if top 20 results are the goal) for unhooked kids. It depends on the year and the class. I've been following the Ivy admits to one of my children's schools for a few years. Two years ago there was ONE unhooked Ivy admit. Last year there were maybe 3-4. So it varies depending on who is in the mix, what their grades are, what the fancies of the admissions officers are that year. But I'm just here to say that overall it's pretty grim is you're a top student at a Big3 school and not a legacy. Your top 20 school odds can be very, very low if there are VIPs or multi-generational Ivy kids in the mix who have decent grades.

And BTW by posting this I'm not being an A$$. Quite the opposite--I'm hoping to provoke others to really think this through.
My kids are both in high school and their high schooling decision is done. (We're not going to pull them.) However, I wish I had given this some more thought prior to spending all this money. Or at least had gone in with my eyes open. I'm not sure I would have chosen something else but it always feels better to know as much as you can about a purchase before making the purchase. We didn't choose Big3 schools for the college outcomes but when you really pause and look at who is getting in, it's sobering to see that you can almost be locked out of top colleges at a Big3, regardless of how well your kid does. I'm not particularly comfortable with this.

Your posts are unnecessarily alarmist. If your child has high stats, great ECs, and top notch essays, they won’t be locked out of a top college—hooked or not. Your child may not get into an Ivy, but if they apply broadly (state flagships, SLACs, geographic diversity) and strategically (not just colleges with single digit admissions rates), they will get into a top school.
Calm down.

You are correct that this student will do fine and get into a school. But they are not alarmist - they are sharing the truth - parents thinking their unhooked kid is getting into an Ivy T10 (or even T20) need to understand the reality. And, having gone through it - it's often not apparent unless you are in the specific class which of the kids have hooks. Some are not apparent at all. The message is that you should not enter these schools with Ivy as goal - it should be that you want your child to go to that HS (and then take the warts that go with them....no school is perfect - and certainly none of the Big 3 are).

She’s being alarmist because an Ivy/T10 admit isn’t guaranteed anywhere. People on this thread have posted that unhooked students have a “better” chance of getting into an Ivy+ from public school, without a shred of evidence. Where’s the proof? Your anecdotes and 3rd hand information aren’t facts. You would have to know details about each candidate that you simply don’t have access to as a casual observer.

What we know for sure (FACTS) is that schools like Sidwell consistently send a higher percentage of students to Ivy+ schools than any W school. And all of the Sidwell admits aren’t hooked. You also fail to acknowledge that many W admits to Ivy+ colleges are hooked.

Once again, calm down.

Well - good luck to those of you hanging onto the fantasy. She's right.

Don't attend for better college placement (if you are not hooked). Attend because you like the school and the curriculum.

Ok, Chicken Little.
Just because your unhooked child, and “their unhooked friends” were unlucky in their pursuit of Ivy+/Tier whatever schools, doesn’t mean that other unhooked private school students will meet the same fate. Your concern trolling is tiresome.

You are not hearing the primary message .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, if it's all about getting the highest gpa, do not go to private school, certainly not Sidwell. Send your kid there for a good education, not to play the numbers. You will drive him and all his teachers crazy.

Nope. Compare the college admissions results of the W public schools with those from the Big 3/5/7. The private schools routinely send a larger percentage of their students to Ivies and top 25 universities. I’m willing to bet the W school students have a higher average GPA than NCS/STA/Sidwell/GDS.

For the one millionth time: Public and private results can't be directly compared. The privates have different grading scales. They don't weight for honors or APs. They don't give many As period. Etc Etc. There are a zillion Ivy legacies and VIPs in the private school mix. They assemble classes of mostly high achievers whereas public have all-comers.

If you are a high achieving, unhooked kid with Ivy or similar goals I would bet a LOT that your admissions chances would be higher in public. You can either listen to this advice up front by the dozens of us who have given it or figure it out during senior year when your kid is applying to college.

Yet here you are trying to compare public GPAs to private GPAs. Which is it? You can’t have it both ways. Btw, there are many Sidwell students who are not Ivy legacies. Stop trying to perpetuate that myth.

I don't know exactly. The Sidwell kids I know all happen to be Ivy legacies (between both parents). I have kids at two different Big3 schools and at the one I know best I'd estimate that 75% of the kids in my child's class have one parent who is an Ivy legacy. It's an extraordinarily high percentage.

Listen, I'm not making this stuff up. My kids are not Ivy legacies. We actually went to a decent school that no longer gives any legacy preference. So my kids are in the general pool of applicants. And as I talk to other parents and look at the Instagram posts and look at Scoir data it all paints a pretty grim picture (if top 20 results are the goal) for unhooked kids. It depends on the year and the class. I've been following the Ivy admits to one of my children's schools for a few years. Two years ago there was ONE unhooked Ivy admit. Last year there were maybe 3-4. So it varies depending on who is in the mix, what their grades are, what the fancies of the admissions officers are that year. But I'm just here to say that overall it's pretty grim is you're a top student at a Big3 school and not a legacy. Your top 20 school odds can be very, very low if there are VIPs or multi-generational Ivy kids in the mix who have decent grades.

And BTW by posting this I'm not being an A$$. Quite the opposite--I'm hoping to provoke others to really think this through.
My kids are both in high school and their high schooling decision is done. (We're not going to pull them.) However, I wish I had given this some more thought prior to spending all this money. Or at least had gone in with my eyes open. I'm not sure I would have chosen something else but it always feels better to know as much as you can about a purchase before making the purchase. We didn't choose Big3 schools for the college outcomes but when you really pause and look at who is getting in, it's sobering to see that you can almost be locked out of top colleges at a Big3, regardless of how well your kid does. I'm not particularly comfortable with this.

Your posts are unnecessarily alarmist. If your child has high stats, great ECs, and top notch essays, they won’t be locked out of a top college—hooked or not. Your child may not get into an Ivy, but if they apply broadly (state flagships, SLACs, geographic diversity) and strategically (not just colleges with single digit admissions rates), they will get into a top school.
Calm down.

You are correct that this student will do fine and get into a school. But they are not alarmist - they are sharing the truth - parents thinking their unhooked kid is getting into an Ivy T10 (or even T20) need to understand the reality. And, having gone through it - it's often not apparent unless you are in the specific class which of the kids have hooks. Some are not apparent at all. The message is that you should not enter these schools with Ivy as goal - it should be that you want your child to go to that HS (and then take the warts that go with them....no school is perfect - and certainly none of the Big 3 are).

She’s being alarmist because an Ivy/T10 admit isn’t guaranteed anywhere. People on this thread have posted that unhooked students have a “better” chance of getting into an Ivy+ from public school, without a shred of evidence. Where’s the proof? Your anecdotes and 3rd hand information aren’t facts. You would have to know details about each candidate that you simply don’t have access to as a casual observer.

What we know for sure (FACTS) is that schools like Sidwell consistently send a higher percentage of students to Ivy+ schools than any W school. And all of the Sidwell admits aren’t hooked. You also fail to acknowledge that many W admits to Ivy+ colleges are hooked.

Once again, calm down.

Well - good luck to those of you hanging onto the fantasy. She's right.

Don't attend for better college placement (if you are not hooked). Attend because you like the school and the curriculum.

Ok, Chicken Little.
Just because your unhooked child, and “their unhooked friends” were unlucky in their pursuit of Ivy+/Tier whatever schools, doesn’t mean that other unhooked private school students will meet the same fate. Your concern trolling is tiresome.

You are not hearing the primary message .

Actually, I am. I have a different experience and perspective than you (and others posting similar anxiety-ridden things). Perspective is based on where you sit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, if it's all about getting the highest gpa, do not go to private school, certainly not Sidwell. Send your kid there for a good education, not to play the numbers. You will drive him and all his teachers crazy.

Nope. Compare the college admissions results of the W public schools with those from the Big 3/5/7. The private schools routinely send a larger percentage of their students to Ivies and top 25 universities. I’m willing to bet the W school students have a higher average GPA than NCS/STA/Sidwell/GDS.

For the one millionth time: Public and private results can't be directly compared. The privates have different grading scales. They don't weight for honors or APs. They don't give many As period. Etc Etc. There are a zillion Ivy legacies and VIPs in the private school mix. They assemble classes of mostly high achievers whereas public have all-comers.

If you are a high achieving, unhooked kid with Ivy or similar goals I would bet a LOT that your admissions chances would be higher in public. You can either listen to this advice up front by the dozens of us who have given it or figure it out during senior year when your kid is applying to college.

Yet here you are trying to compare public GPAs to private GPAs. Which is it? You can’t have it both ways. Btw, there are many Sidwell students who are not Ivy legacies. Stop trying to perpetuate that myth.

I don't know exactly. The Sidwell kids I know all happen to be Ivy legacies (between both parents). I have kids at two different Big3 schools and at the one I know best I'd estimate that 75% of the kids in my child's class have one parent who is an Ivy legacy. It's an extraordinarily high percentage.

Listen, I'm not making this stuff up. My kids are not Ivy legacies. We actually went to a decent school that no longer gives any legacy preference. So my kids are in the general pool of applicants. And as I talk to other parents and look at the Instagram posts and look at Scoir data it all paints a pretty grim picture (if top 20 results are the goal) for unhooked kids. It depends on the year and the class. I've been following the Ivy admits to one of my children's schools for a few years. Two years ago there was ONE unhooked Ivy admit. Last year there were maybe 3-4. So it varies depending on who is in the mix, what their grades are, what the fancies of the admissions officers are that year. But I'm just here to say that overall it's pretty grim is you're a top student at a Big3 school and not a legacy. Your top 20 school odds can be very, very low if there are VIPs or multi-generational Ivy kids in the mix who have decent grades.

And BTW by posting this I'm not being an A$$. Quite the opposite--I'm hoping to provoke others to really think this through.
My kids are both in high school and their high schooling decision is done. (We're not going to pull them.) However, I wish I had given this some more thought prior to spending all this money. Or at least had gone in with my eyes open. I'm not sure I would have chosen something else but it always feels better to know as much as you can about a purchase before making the purchase. We didn't choose Big3 schools for the college outcomes but when you really pause and look at who is getting in, it's sobering to see that you can almost be locked out of top colleges at a Big3, regardless of how well your kid does. I'm not particularly comfortable with this.

Your posts are unnecessarily alarmist. If your child has high stats, great ECs, and top notch essays, they won’t be locked out of a top college—hooked or not. Your child may not get into an Ivy, but if they apply broadly (state flagships, SLACs, geographic diversity) and strategically (not just colleges with single digit admissions rates), they will get into a top school.
Calm down.

You are correct that this student will do fine and get into a school. But they are not alarmist - they are sharing the truth - parents thinking their unhooked kid is getting into an Ivy T10 (or even T20) need to understand the reality. And, having gone through it - it's often not apparent unless you are in the specific class which of the kids have hooks. Some are not apparent at all. The message is that you should not enter these schools with Ivy as goal - it should be that you want your child to go to that HS (and then take the warts that go with them....no school is perfect - and certainly none of the Big 3 are).

She’s being alarmist because an Ivy/T10 admit isn’t guaranteed anywhere. People on this thread have posted that unhooked students have a “better” chance of getting into an Ivy+ from public school, without a shred of evidence. Where’s the proof? Your anecdotes and 3rd hand information aren’t facts. You would have to know details about each candidate that you simply don’t have access to as a casual observer.

What we know for sure (FACTS) is that schools like Sidwell consistently send a higher percentage of students to Ivy+ schools than any W school. And all of the Sidwell admits aren’t hooked. You also fail to acknowledge that many W admits to Ivy+ colleges are hooked.

Once again, calm down.

Well - good luck to those of you hanging onto the fantasy. She's right.

Don't attend for better college placement (if you are not hooked). Attend because you like the school and the curriculum.

Ok, Chicken Little.
Just because your unhooked child, and “their unhooked friends” were unlucky in their pursuit of Ivy+/Tier whatever schools, doesn’t mean that other unhooked private school students will meet the same fate. Your concern trolling is tiresome.

You are not hearing the primary message .

Actually, I am. I have a different experience and perspective than you (and others posting similar anxiety-ridden things). Perspective is based on where you sit.

It is not anxiety to tell someone not to choose HS based on the college boost or to tell someone it is unhealthy to come into 9th grade with a certain set of colleges in mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have kids at STA and NCS and the honors math tracks are similarly difficult. Maybe not as theoretical as Sidwell's I-IV track but well above typical pre-calc and calc classes as the exam problems require application of concepts in novel ways. Only about 10-15% of each graduating class makes it through (and they grades at-large are not dumb cohorts of kids). My kids came from public and it was sobering--after years of easy As in accelerated public math classes they really struggled to get low As in honors pre-calc and BC calc. There are many Bs given out in both. The kids who do well go on to excel as college math majors, etc.

Calc 1 at Sidwell is more advanced than AB Calc. It has BC Calc material in it, but the kids get no credit for this on their transcripts, which is vintage Sidwell.

+1. Yes, classic Sidwell. Based on personal experience (one Sidwell grad. and one current US student), Sidwell will work students to death in a given class—but without any formal/transcript acknowledgement. Some teachers will put things on tests that have never been covered in class…because they’re testing “conceptual knowledge and application.” Ugh!

And yet some kids get it. I have one kid who dropped Math III and another who did not find it difficult. Don’t force the advanced classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have kids at STA and NCS and the honors math tracks are similarly difficult. Maybe not as theoretical as Sidwell's I-IV track but well above typical pre-calc and calc classes as the exam problems require application of concepts in novel ways. Only about 10-15% of each graduating class makes it through (and they grades at-large are not dumb cohorts of kids). My kids came from public and it was sobering--after years of easy As in accelerated public math classes they really struggled to get low As in honors pre-calc and BC calc. There are many Bs given out in both. The kids who do well go on to excel as college math majors, etc.

Calc 1 at Sidwell is more advanced than AB Calc. It has BC Calc material in it, but the kids get no credit for this on their transcripts, which is vintage Sidwell.

+1. Yes, classic Sidwell. Based on personal experience (one Sidwell grad. and one current US student), Sidwell will work students to death in a given class—but without any formal/transcript acknowledgement. Some teachers will put things on tests that have never been covered in class…because they’re testing “conceptual knowledge and application.” Ugh!

Why can't our kids play Fortnite all day in class? They're never going to use that stuff anyway! So unfair! And for these prices!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Going to Sidwell is far more valuable than a T10 college.

How so?

Connections. How the world works.

So, connections made at Sidwell are stronger/more meaningful than the connections made at a T10 college? That’s surprising. Please explain.

'President Theodore Roosevelt's son Archibald, President Richard Nixon's daughters Tricia and Julie, President Bill Clinton's daughter Chelsea Clinton, President Barack Obama's daughters Sasha and Malia, the grandchildren of President Joe Biden when he was Vice President, and Vice President Al Gore's son, Albert Gore ..."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Going to Sidwell is far more valuable than a T10 college.

How so?

Connections. How the world works.

So, connections made at Sidwell are stronger/more meaningful than the connections made at a T10 college? That’s surprising. Please explain.

'President Theodore Roosevelt's son Archibald, President Richard Nixon's daughters Tricia and Julie, President Bill Clinton's daughter Chelsea Clinton, President Barack Obama's daughters Sasha and Malia, the grandchildren of President Joe Biden when he was Vice President, and Vice President Al Gore's son, Albert Gore ..."

I don't think graduates from 100 years ago are super helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Going to Sidwell is far more valuable than a T10 college.

How so?

Connections. How the world works.

So, connections made at Sidwell are stronger/more meaningful than the connections made at a T10 college? That’s surprising. Please explain.

'President Theodore Roosevelt's son Archibald, President Richard Nixon's daughters Tricia and Julie, President Bill Clinton's daughter Chelsea Clinton, President Barack Obama's daughters Sasha and Malia, the grandchildren of President Joe Biden when he was Vice President, and Vice President Al Gore's son, Albert Gore ..."

And T10 colleges don’t have a similar list of graduates who are the offspring of former Presidents and VPs (and VIPs)?

Btw, in your hasty cut and paste job you neglected to mention that Al Gore’s grandson currently attends Sidwell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Going to Sidwell is far more valuable than a T10 college.

How so?

DP

Getting a strong educational foundation will lead to success no matter where one goes to college. I am willing to guess that most of the kids going to college from schools like Sidwell will end up with college GPA's north of 3.75. That opens does for top employers as well as grad schools, med schools/law schools etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have kids at STA and NCS and the honors math tracks are similarly difficult. Maybe not as theoretical as Sidwell's I-IV track but well above typical pre-calc and calc classes as the exam problems require application of concepts in novel ways. Only about 10-15% of each graduating class makes it through (and they grades at-large are not dumb cohorts of kids). My kids came from public and it was sobering--after years of easy As in accelerated public math classes they really struggled to get low As in honors pre-calc and BC calc. There are many Bs given out in both. The kids who do well go on to excel as college math majors, etc.

Calc 1 at Sidwell is more advanced than AB Calc. It has BC Calc material in it, but the kids get no credit for this on their transcripts, which is vintage Sidwell.

+1. Yes, classic Sidwell. Based on personal experience (one Sidwell grad. and one current US student), Sidwell will work students to death in a given class—but without any formal/transcript acknowledgement. Some teachers will put things on tests that have never been covered in class…because they’re testing “conceptual knowledge and application.” Ugh!

In the school profile that joins the transcripts, the rigor of the specific courses are listed, so the Admissions Officers can see what classes the applicant has taken and where it falls on the rigor scale.

Also some of the classes have an additional .25 weighting, which is noted when you get your junior year transcripts prior to applying to colleges senior year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have kids at STA and NCS and the honors math tracks are similarly difficult. Maybe not as theoretical as Sidwell's I-IV track but well above typical pre-calc and calc classes as the exam problems require application of concepts in novel ways. Only about 10-15% of each graduating class makes it through (and they grades at-large are not dumb cohorts of kids). My kids came from public and it was sobering--after years of easy As in accelerated public math classes they really struggled to get low As in honors pre-calc and BC calc. There are many Bs given out in both. The kids who do well go on to excel as college math majors, etc.

Calc 1 at Sidwell is more advanced than AB Calc. It has BC Calc material in it, but the kids get no credit for this on their transcripts, which is vintage Sidwell.

+1. Yes, classic Sidwell. Based on personal experience (one Sidwell grad. and one current US student), Sidwell will work students to death in a given class—but without any formal/transcript acknowledgement. Some teachers will put things on tests that have never been covered in class…because they’re testing “conceptual knowledge and application.” Ugh!

In the school profile that joins the transcripts, the rigor of the specific courses are listed, so the Admissions Officers can see what classes the applicant has taken and where it falls on the rigor scale.

Also some of the classes have an additional .25 weighting, which is noted when you get your junior year transcripts prior to applying to colleges senior year.

This was not true as recently as last year.

Most private schools will understand rigor for Sidwell (to a point) but not large state schools. And not having AP is a big hit on applications to U California schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have kids at STA and NCS and the honors math tracks are similarly difficult. Maybe not as theoretical as Sidwell's I-IV track but well above typical pre-calc and calc classes as the exam problems require application of concepts in novel ways. Only about 10-15% of each graduating class makes it through (and they grades at-large are not dumb cohorts of kids). My kids came from public and it was sobering--after years of easy As in accelerated public math classes they really struggled to get low As in honors pre-calc and BC calc. There are many Bs given out in both. The kids who do well go on to excel as college math majors, etc.

Calc 1 at Sidwell is more advanced than AB Calc. It has BC Calc material in it, but the kids get no credit for this on their transcripts, which is vintage Sidwell.

+1. Yes, classic Sidwell. Based on personal experience (one Sidwell grad. and one current US student), Sidwell will work students to death in a given class—but without any formal/transcript acknowledgement. Some teachers will put things on tests that have never been covered in class…because they’re testing “conceptual knowledge and application.” Ugh!

In the school profile that joins the transcripts, the rigor of the specific courses are listed, so the Admissions Officers can see what classes the applicant has taken and where it falls on the rigor scale.

Also some of the classes have an additional .25 weighting, which is noted when you get your junior year transcripts prior to applying to colleges senior year.

Sidwell does not give a GPA or a ranking to colleges

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Going to Sidwell is far more valuable than a T10 college.

How so?

Connections. How the world works.

So, connections made at Sidwell are stronger/more meaningful than the connections made at a T10 college? That’s surprising. Please explain.

Ratios

Everyone knows everyone at the school, and have fairly direct alumni access. It is a small but powerful connection network established early on.

T10 school you are going to be on of many and have to standout in someone. Where as at Sidwell you standout by being one of a few.

The only college, and not T10, that inherently fosters a very tight network is probably Notre Dame. Everyone knows everyone, recent grads and people that graduated 20 years ago plus families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, if it's all about getting the highest gpa, do not go to private school, certainly not Sidwell. Send your kid there for a good education, not to play the numbers. You will drive him and all his teachers crazy.

Nope. Compare the college admissions results of the W public schools with those from the Big 3/5/7. The private schools routinely send a larger percentage of their students to Ivies and top 25 universities. I’m willing to bet the W school students have a higher average GPA than NCS/STA/Sidwell/GDS.

For the one millionth time: Public and private results can't be directly compared. The privates have different grading scales. They don't weight for honors or APs. They don't give many As period. Etc Etc. There are a zillion Ivy legacies and VIPs in the private school mix. They assemble classes of mostly high achievers whereas public have all-comers.

If you are a high achieving, unhooked kid with Ivy or similar goals I would bet a LOT that your admissions chances would be higher in public. You can either listen to this advice up front by the dozens of us who have given it or figure it out during senior year when your kid is applying to college.

Yet here you are trying to compare public GPAs to private GPAs. Which is it? You can’t have it both ways. Btw, there are many Sidwell students who are not Ivy legacies. Stop trying to perpetuate that myth.

I don't know exactly. The Sidwell kids I know all happen to be Ivy legacies (between both parents). I have kids at two different Big3 schools and at the one I know best I'd estimate that 75% of the kids in my child's class have one parent who is an Ivy legacy. It's an extraordinarily high percentage.

Listen, I'm not making this stuff up. My kids are not Ivy legacies. We actually went to a decent school that no longer gives any legacy preference. So my kids are in the general pool of applicants. And as I talk to other parents and look at the Instagram posts and look at Scoir data it all paints a pretty grim picture (if top 20 results are the goal) for unhooked kids. It depends on the year and the class. I've been following the Ivy admits to one of my children's schools for a few years. Two years ago there was ONE unhooked Ivy admit. Last year there were maybe 3-4. So it varies depending on who is in the mix, what their grades are, what the fancies of the admissions officers are that year. But I'm just here to say that overall it's pretty grim is you're a top student at a Big3 school and not a legacy. Your top 20 school odds can be very, very low if there are VIPs or multi-generational Ivy kids in the mix who have decent grades.

And BTW by posting this I'm not being an A$$. Quite the opposite--I'm hoping to provoke others to really think this through.
My kids are both in high school and their high schooling decision is done. (We're not going to pull them.) However, I wish I had given this some more thought prior to spending all this money. Or at least had gone in with my eyes open. I'm not sure I would have chosen something else but it always feels better to know as much as you can about a purchase before making the purchase. We didn't choose Big3 schools for the college outcomes but when you really pause and look at who is getting in, it's sobering to see that you can almost be locked out of top colleges at a Big3, regardless of how well your kid does. I'm not particularly comfortable with this.

Your posts are unnecessarily alarmist. If your child has high stats, great ECs, and top notch essays, they won’t be locked out of a top college—hooked or not. Your child may not get into an Ivy, but if they apply broadly (state flagships, SLACs, geographic diversity) and strategically (not just colleges with single digit admissions rates), they will get into a top school.
Calm down.

You are correct that this student will do fine and get into a school. But they are not alarmist - they are sharing the truth - parents thinking their unhooked kid is getting into an Ivy T10 (or even T20) need to understand the reality. And, having gone through it - it's often not apparent unless you are in the specific class which of the kids have hooks. Some are not apparent at all. The message is that you should not enter these schools with Ivy as goal - it should be that you want your child to go to that HS (and then take the warts that go with them....no school is perfect - and certainly none of the Big 3 are).

She’s being alarmist because an Ivy/T10 admit isn’t guaranteed anywhere. People on this thread have posted that unhooked students have a “better” chance of getting into an Ivy+ from public school, without a shred of evidence. Where’s the proof? Your anecdotes and 3rd hand information aren’t facts. You would have to know details about each candidate that you simply don’t have access to as a casual observer.

What we know for sure (FACTS) is that schools like Sidwell consistently send a higher percentage of students to Ivy+ schools than any W school. And all of the Sidwell admits aren’t hooked. You also fail to acknowledge that many W admits to Ivy+ colleges are hooked.

Once again, calm down.

Well - good luck to those of you hanging onto the fantasy. She's right.

Don't attend for better college placement (if you are not hooked). Attend because you like the school and the curriculum.

💯 Agree. Honestly if the Ivy is the goal, why not consider Basis? Basis gets a bad reputation on this board, but at least no financial aid, no charity cases on diversity, and same stress level for the serious students. They focus on solid academics so you have a better chance of IVY with no legacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, if it's all about getting the highest gpa, do not go to private school, certainly not Sidwell. Send your kid there for a good education, not to play the numbers. You will drive him and all his teachers crazy.

Nope. Compare the college admissions results of the W public schools with those from the Big 3/5/7. The private schools routinely send a larger percentage of their students to Ivies and top 25 universities. I’m willing to bet the W school students have a higher average GPA than NCS/STA/Sidwell/GDS.

For the one millionth time: Public and private results can't be directly compared. The privates have different grading scales. They don't weight for honors or APs. They don't give many As period. Etc Etc. There are a zillion Ivy legacies and VIPs in the private school mix. They assemble classes of mostly high achievers whereas public have all-comers.

If you are a high achieving, unhooked kid with Ivy or similar goals I would bet a LOT that your admissions chances would be higher in public. You can either listen to this advice up front by the dozens of us who have given it or figure it out during senior year when your kid is applying to college.

Yet here you are trying to compare public GPAs to private GPAs. Which is it? You can’t have it both ways. Btw, there are many Sidwell students who are not Ivy legacies. Stop trying to perpetuate that myth.

I don't know exactly. The Sidwell kids I know all happen to be Ivy legacies (between both parents). I have kids at two different Big3 schools and at the one I know best I'd estimate that 75% of the kids in my child's class have one parent who is an Ivy legacy. It's an extraordinarily high percentage.

Listen, I'm not making this stuff up. My kids are not Ivy legacies. We actually went to a decent school that no longer gives any legacy preference. So my kids are in the general pool of applicants. And as I talk to other parents and look at the Instagram posts and look at Scoir data it all paints a pretty grim picture (if top 20 results are the goal) for unhooked kids. It depends on the year and the class. I've been following the Ivy admits to one of my children's schools for a few years. Two years ago there was ONE unhooked Ivy admit. Last year there were maybe 3-4. So it varies depending on who is in the mix, what their grades are, what the fancies of the admissions officers are that year. But I'm just here to say that overall it's pretty grim is you're a top student at a Big3 school and not a legacy. Your top 20 school odds can be very, very low if there are VIPs or multi-generational Ivy kids in the mix who have decent grades.

And BTW by posting this I'm not being an A$$. Quite the opposite--I'm hoping to provoke others to really think this through.
My kids are both in high school and their high schooling decision is done. (We're not going to pull them.) However, I wish I had given this some more thought prior to spending all this money. Or at least had gone in with my eyes open. I'm not sure I would have chosen something else but it always feels better to know as much as you can about a purchase before making the purchase. We didn't choose Big3 schools for the college outcomes but when you really pause and look at who is getting in, it's sobering to see that you can almost be locked out of top colleges at a Big3, regardless of how well your kid does. I'm not particularly comfortable with this.

Your posts are unnecessarily alarmist. If your child has high stats, great ECs, and top notch essays, they won’t be locked out of a top college—hooked or not. Your child may not get into an Ivy, but if they apply broadly (state flagships, SLACs, geographic diversity) and strategically (not just colleges with single digit admissions rates), they will get into a top school.
Calm down.

You are correct that this student will do fine and get into a school. But they are not alarmist - they are sharing the truth - parents thinking their unhooked kid is getting into an Ivy T10 (or even T20) need to understand the reality. And, having gone through it - it's often not apparent unless you are in the specific class which of the kids have hooks. Some are not apparent at all. The message is that you should not enter these schools with Ivy as goal - it should be that you want your child to go to that HS (and then take the warts that go with them....no school is perfect - and certainly none of the Big 3 are).

She’s being alarmist because an Ivy/T10 admit isn’t guaranteed anywhere. People on this thread have posted that unhooked students have a “better” chance of getting into an Ivy+ from public school, without a shred of evidence. Where’s the proof? Your anecdotes and 3rd hand information aren’t facts. You would have to know details about each candidate that you simply don’t have access to as a casual observer.

What we know for sure (FACTS) is that schools like Sidwell consistently send a higher percentage of students to Ivy+ schools than any W school. And all of the Sidwell admits aren’t hooked. You also fail to acknowledge that many W admits to Ivy+ colleges are hooked.

Once again, calm down.

Well - good luck to those of you hanging onto the fantasy. She's right.

Don't attend for better college placement (if you are not hooked). Attend because you like the school and the curriculum.

💯 Agree. Honestly if the Ivy is the goal, why not consider Basis? Basis gets a bad reputation on this board, but at least no financial aid, no charity cases on diversity, and same stress level for the serious students. They focus on solid academics so you have a better chance of IVY with no legacy.

Because Basis sucks. And based on Instagram, Basis’ college admits are far less impressive than Sidwell’s results.