Thoughts on DCI, Latin or BASIS

[Anonymous]

sour grapes + not getting the context = priggish snobs. Not impressed? Shove off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:sour grapes + not getting the context = priggish snobs. Not impressed? Shove off.

Sour grapes about what? My children are still in elementary school in my WotP IB school. I'm not interested in having them attend Latin...ever (and not just because of that unimpressive list of colleges).

[Anonymous]

So why are you here opining? To impress DCUM with your high standards? Great. I'm impressed. Now shove off.

[Anonymous]

I teach in a very highly regarded high school in the area. Sure we have out share of "impressive acceptances" (as some PP termed them) but overall the number of these is down noticeably this year. No one knows why. I don't know if that is the case here are Latin, but if a nationally well-ranked high school with a long track record of success is seeing changes then who knows what's up.

[Anonymous]

DS got in to BOTH Basis and Latin 3 years ago. We chose Basis for its location and academic rigor. Still love it. I now have two kids there. My opinion about college acceptances is that it is an important factor in our choosing Basis. I have an Ivy degree and have been home with my kids these last 10 years. When they all hit 5th grade, I will go back to work. I believe my degree (yes, it is symbolic, but it also represents the fact that I had a work ethic that got me into a good college) will give me an edge when applying for a job. So, practically speaking, where they might end up in college weighs in. Both my children are happy and thriving in school. They both have rich extra curricular activities. They go to bed at 9:30pm on school nights with ample chill time. I do want to say that if you want to send your kid to Basis, be prepared to back off (let your kids have room to learn how to self care). Many parents cannot handle Basis, because they get stressed out and project all their stress onto their kids. My opinion is that it cannot be a child's job to take care of how their parents feel. My children appereciate the space we give them and do better at school when we believe in them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Latin does not have a very impressive list of college acceptances either. No idea of basis and DCI is too new.

Here is the link: http://latinpcs.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/WLPCS-College-Acceptances-2015.pdf

As an upper middle class parent, I also think this list of colleges is unimpressive. There are only 8 colleges on that list that I would be ok (not thrilled) with for my children. However, this list of colleges is probably more than acceptable for children raised in poverty, or are first generation college students.

So Brown you'd be merely be ok with but "not thrilled" about? Northwestern? Cornell? UCLA? Maybe so, but just asking whether you saw these schools on the list--there are some very good schools here.

Latin only got one kid into Brown, and that was three years ago. Almost any halfway decent public high school can launch one or two Ivy League careers at some point in history. Latin steers most kids to small, 2nd tier liberal arts colleges. No judgement, but that's what they do. If Ivy League and "Little Ivy" (Middlebury, Bowdoin, Amherst, Williams etc.) admissions matter to you, and you want your kids in public school, I'd shoot for the MoCo test-in middle and high school magnets, or Arlington or Fairfax GT.

[Anonymous]

Wow this thread has been very illuminating. Thanks for the responses. Not the OP, but I appreciate real facts not just boosting.

[Anonymous]

I went to one of the top 15 STEM high schools in the US. My child at Basis knows more science in 7th grade than I did by the time I graduated high school. Their curriculum is incredible and engaging.

[Anonymous]

Admissions is much more about a holistic body of work than which high school you attended. In actuality, going to a lesser quality (or even gasp - traditional DCPS) and performing well may look better on your application. We want kids that are motivated, involved in their community, and have other interests outside of education. Your child must demonstrate a certain grasp of knowledge in their coursework; however, attending Basis or Latin makes no difference.

- signed former Admissions Officer at one of the referenced "snobby/elitist" schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree that list isn't going to impress anyone. This is college acceptance season and my niece who goes to a very large public high school, 3000+, outside San Diego got into UC Berkeley and Davis. She has a 3.96 out of a 5 point scale (APs) in the top 1/5 of her class. A friend of hers who maybe #1 got into Harvard, Yale and Stanford.

While Latin is a much smaller school, it Is disappointing to see this list of acceptances for a high school that some consider one of the public best in DC. So where does the #1 or a top 20% student from Latin go to college?

Obviously a public school in California is going to send more students to UC Berkeley and UC Davis (and all the other UCs) than a public school in DC. It's easier to get in, cheaper, and closer to home.

And a suburban school outside San Diego has totally different demographics than a school in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what about math at DCI?

This link gets you to course descriptions for DCI MS classes including math. https://docs.google.com/document/d/15fwY9V-4a-tHsKDt46eRHJrLCcSXVwFBqW6PQfYS_4M/edit?pref=2&pli=1

You left out Integrated Math (part of the IB high school math curriculum), in which the top 8th and 7th graders are currently enrolled.

[Anonymous]

I'm the actual PP.

sour grapes + not getting the context = priggish snobs. Not impressed? Shove off.

What context is there to get? You're really, really proud of your ivy degree and not at all defensive that you're not working? Because motherhood is the most valuable job in the world, and going to an ivy will enable your own children to... accomplish actual things, like you did not?

I tire of the kind of dialogue on DCUM that goes something like this:

"Hey, anyone have opinions about x school? What about y? Anyone?"

"Why yes, I send my child to x school and I like it. Except for this one thing."

"Why yes, I send my child to y school, and it's good, but I have heard x school also has this thing. Is this true?"

(And this is where you come in, bitter ivy mom) "Hi! I don't send my children to either school, because they are brilliant and those schools suck. Maybe you don't know that, but that's because you're stupid. Also, you don't understand. And are jealous of me. We are soooo happyyyyy!!!!$#%)(#@$ "

"Hey, well I send my child to x school and I really don't think you're right about--"

(Here you are again, full of help) "Didn't I already explain that you're too dull to grasp the nuance of our specialness? Do I really need to say it again? Your school is awful. Maybe your children are too young for you to realize it, or you are just dumb."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Admissions is much more about a holistic body of work than which high school you attended. In actuality, going to a lesser quality (or even gasp - traditional DCPS) and performing well may look better on your application. We want kids that are motivated, involved in their community, and have other interests outside of education. Your child must demonstrate a certain grasp of knowledge in their coursework; however, attending Basis or Latin makes no difference.

- signed former Admissions Officer at one of the referenced "snobby/elitist" schools

So, let's say I am about to send my child to an IB, unimpressive high school. I want my child to get into a top tier college. What MUST he/she achieve for you not to throw his/her application into the trash can? What do you personally need to see to consider an application holistic? My tendency is to send me child somewhere where at least the environment facilitates academic excellence. To say sending a child to such a school "makes no difference..." are you saying parents are out of their minds to try so hard? I have a sister who went to an IB HS instead of a magnet school. She went to Stanford after that.Yes. But she was the ONLY kid in her school who went to an elite college, and only because she scored perfect on her SATs. I, on the other hand, went to a school with a really good reputation. Most of my friends went on to elite colleges after that. So my sister and I are from the same gene pool. But I went to a school that launched more kids into better schools later on.

To sum it up... you REALLY mean it when you say it doesn't matter where they go to school???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So why are you here opining? To impress DCUM with your high standards? Great. I'm impressed. Now shove off.

I don't need your permission to express my opinion on this, or any, topic. It's my opinion that, so far, Latin students have gained admission to a crappy group of colleges (with a few exceptions). If you don't like it, perhaps you should take your issues up with Latin (e.g., the principal, college counselors, students, God, whomever). Yapping at me like an angry Chihuahua isn't gong to improve that list of colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So why are you here opining? To impress DCUM with your high standards? Great. I'm impressed. Now shove off.

I don't need your permission to express my opinion on this, or any, topic. It's my opinion that, so far, Latin students have gained admission to a crappy group of colleges (with a few exceptions). If you don't like it, perhaps you should take your issues up with Latin (e.g., the principal, college counselors, students, God, whomever). Yapping at me like an angry Chihuahua isn't gong to improve that list of colleges.

The total number of students who graduated 2012-2015 was 175 students. I'm pretty sure the list (which I find many more than 5 that I would be glad to have my children attend) will become more in line with what your ideal list is as the school continues grow and mature.