The Potomac School - 2016 College List?

[Anonymous]

Maybe the 10 to Chiacgo includes UC, Northwestern and UW-Madison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the 10 to Chiacgo includes UC, Northwestern and UW-Madison.

No it does not. Univ Chicago has been more popular for DC area kids. As it should, providing top notch academics in a great city. The NCS 2016 class has 5 girls going to U Chicago this fall.

[Anonymous]

How many stduents graduated?
Universities give schools certain places which change year after year. When colleges know that the students can pay fully, admission to that school becomes much easier.

[Anonymous]

ITA re full pay as an edge in admissions (and I suspect private school and/or zip code/parents' occupations function(s) as a strong indicator of full pay status in supposedly "need-blind" admissions processes). DC, who is going to UofC (from another local private) said the kids at the local EA admitted students event were predominantly from private schools). EA skews affluent, of course -- but then so do admissions from the waitlist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Different poster. The numbers are fairly on target. The Chicago popularity has to do with the number of prior year graduates reporting back on how happy they are. I'm guessing that being prepared for that level of rigor and faculty attention probably helped them have the time to have fun! Admittedly miserable weather but great city. And it is a tough school to get into. This was a really strong academic class and many good writers which I imagined helped with those unusual essays.

Oh come on! Who at Chicago has ever had fun?

Kids who like learning and a challenge. Virtues to be celebrated in this increasingly intellectually flabby country.

That's not fun! That's also not really undergraduate life at Chicago either.

I also agree with PP that, if Sidwell had 20 go to Ivies, 10 at Chicago seems off. An earlier poster had a link to GDS's numbers from last year and GDS had 20 go to Ivies and 2 or 3 go to Chicago, which make more sense---that Chicago would attract about what an average Ivy would.

But bottomline is that everything about Chicago for an undergrad is miserable (and it's in a great city, but sits in truly awful Hyde Park, which is far, far away from any place that any 18 year old actually wants to be.

U of Chicago grad here (from the early 1990's). I liked it a lot. I met my DH there too! The students there kind of pride themselves on the fact that it's a serious and academic place. I would have no qualms about sending my kids there. (And all of my classmates are doing well in life and career.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Different poster. The numbers are fairly on target. The Chicago popularity has to do with the number of prior year graduates reporting back on how happy they are. I'm guessing that being prepared for that level of rigor and faculty attention probably helped them have the time to have fun! Admittedly miserable weather but great city. And it is a tough school to get into. This was a really strong academic class and many good writers which I imagined helped with those unusual essays.

Oh come on! Who at Chicago has ever had fun?

Kids who like learning and a challenge. Virtues to be celebrated in this increasingly intellectually flabby country.

That's not fun! That's also not really undergraduate life at Chicago either.

I also agree with PP that, if Sidwell had 20 go to Ivies, 10 at Chicago seems off. An earlier poster had a link to GDS's numbers from last year and GDS had 20 go to Ivies and 2 or 3 go to Chicago, which make more sense---that Chicago would attract about what an average Ivy would.

But bottomline is that everything about Chicago for an undergrad is miserable (and it's in a great city, but sits in truly awful Hyde Park, which is far, far away from any place that any 18 year old actually wants to be.

Funny how some of the smartest kids in the country, year after year chose to go to a place that is so miserable.

And the number is right.

LOL. Unless you go there to worship the memory of Milton Friedman, it's one God-forsaken place to spend four years. I feel bad for those ten Sidwell grads. Poor dears.

U of C grad here again. For those posters who are criticizing U of C as miserable, what is the basis for your criticism? If you were a student there, then I acknowledge and respect your point of view. At least for me, as I said in my post just above, I really liked it. And if a student is serious about academics, it's a pretty great place. It's been a great credential for me for post-graduate education and career-wise (and I'm in my 40's now).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Different poster. The numbers are fairly on target. The Chicago popularity has to do with the number of prior year graduates reporting back on how happy they are. I'm guessing that being prepared for that level of rigor and faculty attention probably helped them have the time to have fun! Admittedly miserable weather but great city. And it is a tough school to get into. This was a really strong academic class and many good writers which I imagined helped with those unusual essays.

Oh come on! Who at Chicago has ever had fun?

Kids who like learning and a challenge. Virtues to be celebrated in this increasingly intellectually flabby country.

That's not fun! That's also not really undergraduate life at Chicago either.

I also agree with PP that, if Sidwell had 20 go to Ivies, 10 at Chicago seems off. An earlier poster had a link to GDS's numbers from last year and GDS had 20 go to Ivies and 2 or 3 go to Chicago, which make more sense---that Chicago would attract about what an average Ivy would.

But bottomline is that everything about Chicago for an undergrad is miserable (and it's in a great city, but sits in truly awful Hyde Park, which is far, far away from any place that any 18 year old actually wants to be.

Funny how some of the smartest kids in the country, year after year chose to go to a place that is so miserable.

And the number is right.

LOL. Unless you go there to worship the memory of Milton Friedman, it's one God-forsaken place to spend four years. I feel bad for those ten Sidwell grads. Poor dears.

U of C grad here again. For those posters who are criticizing U of C as miserable, what is the basis for your criticism? If you were a student there, then I acknowledge and respect your point of view. At least for me, as I said in my post just above, I really liked it. And if a student is serious about academics, it's a pretty great place. It's been a great credential for me for post-graduate education and career-wise (and I'm in my 40's now).

Sounds like poster has a personal issue with U of C. so weird they would leave out details and make a broad brush criticism of one of the best schools in the country. Weird.

[Anonymous]

Part of it's just a difference in taste (cf now Dartmouth IS fun) and another part is a somewhat dated stereotype (Chicago = "where fun comes to die"). I doubt there's some personal grievance re U of C that prompted those posts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can find the parent reported Sidwell data elsewhere in DCUM. Sidwell does not release this info. They did fine this year. At least 20 to ivies, several to Stanford, and 10 to University of Chicago, I think.

10 to Chicago? That can't be right. Not only is it a tough school to get into, but most kids from this area don't want to go there (miserable place). Your numbers have to be off.

Yep +1

I'm sure the number is right. STA, with a smaller class size, has 7 going to UChicago this year.

[Anonymous]

UChicago never struck me as a place prep school types would want to go. It is rigorous with no grade inflation. Also no party scene.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the 10 to Chiacgo includes UC, Northwestern and UW-Madison.

No it does not. Univ Chicago has been more popular for DC area kids. As it should, providing top notch academics in a great city. The NCS 2016 class has 5 girls going to U Chicago this fall.

The Saint Albans 2015 class, which had about 80 people in it, had eight students going to U. Chicago – – that is 10% of the class. Judging by what people say about Sidwell's matriculations, it appears that Chicago is interested in increasing its reach in DC. From what I hear, Chicago also places more of a premium on "demonstrated interest" then some other peer schools. So visits to campus, etc., by highly motivated and well counseled applicants can result in particularly good results.

[Anonymous]

Some people send their kids to local private schools because thet're looking for a broad/deep/challenging academic experience. At least some kids who experience and appreciate that kind of education are really attracted to Chicago.

[Anonymous]

No -- demonstrated interest isn't a big deal for Chicago (even the interview is optional and they don't track campus visits). But they are looking for well-prepared full pay students who are used to successfully managing a grueling academic workload.

[Anonymous]

The pPP said " at least" 20 to ivies plus Stanford for Sidwell. The actual number is 32. 25
Are matriculating according to a member of the class. Believe it or
Not $ is an issue for the middle class non FA
kids and of course for those
Who
Need a lot of money to attend. Ten to Chicago is correct. The person who said that he/she doubted Chicago would appeal to DC prep school students has no idea what type of kids go to STA, NCS and Sidwell. These are not spoiled rich kids. They are a varied group economically and most are incredibly hard working and serious students. Chicago is a good match for many and they give generous FA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The pPP said " at least" 20 to ivies plus Stanford for Sidwell. The actual number is 32. 25
Are matriculating according to a member of the class. Believe it or
Not $ is an issue for the middle class non FA
kids and of course for those
Who
Need a lot of money to attend. Ten to Chicago is correct. The person who said that he/she doubted Chicago would appeal to DC prep school students has no idea what type of kids go to STA, NCS and Sidwell. These are not spoiled rich kids. They are a varied group economically and most are incredibly hard working and serious students. Chicago is a good match for many and they give generous FA.

Fact