Holton, NCS, Sidwell, Maret, Visitation or Stoneridge?

[Anonymous]

Don't forget a forum for the smug moms who need to pat themselves on the back!

[Anonymous]

nice and smug above...get over yourself

[Anonymous]

People are hideous on some of these posts

[Anonymous]

So many of these people must think they are smarter than everyone else.

[Anonymous]

Apply to as many of the schools on the list as fit your child. None of easy to get into and each is looking for something a little different in its respective applicant pool.

[Anonymous]

The schools all just have a certain number of spots. So you're best served to apply to as many as possible. And, if you know anyone who has gone to those schools -- don't be shy about asking them to write a letter of recommendation for your child. I've been on both ends of that. Someone my husband worked with was kind enough to write a letter for my child. I "paid it forward" a few years later by writing a letter for a set of twins.

If someone is kind enough to write a letter for you -- make sure to thank them. Also, if they agree to write a letter -- share your child's "resume" with them and then they may want to "interview" your child too.

Love makes the world go around!

[Anonymous]

The letters of recommendation are very important. They can "make or break" a "close call" applicant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Someone my husband worked with was kind enough to write a letter for my child. I "paid it forward" a few years later by writing a letter for a set of twins.

I've seen this work too, at Sidwell (and not for us). It helps if the writer has strong connections to the school.

[Anonymous]

Yes pp -- the recommenders should have good ties with the school they are writing rec letters for. Some people overdo it though getting letters from Members of Congress who don't even know their kids.

[Anonymous]

If you want Catholic -- Visi or Stoneridge. If you want private -- NCS & Holton are single-sex; Sidwell & Maret are co-ed.

[Anonymous]

And, Visi and Stoneridge are a little cheaper than the other schools and a little easier to get into.

[Anonymous]

I don't think any of these schools are that easy to get into above

[Anonymous]

In response to the poster above- they aren't. You should apply and see which school your kid gets into because you may not have the choices you think you do.

I actually came on here to write about NCS. I am a former student there whose switched to B-CC. NCS girls have a reputation for being nasty but, in all honesty, it is mostly hype. In general the girls there were very sweet, although many were at least somewhat stuck-up and an astounding majority of them were sorely unaware of real world issues. Although I would say that is true for many high school students in the US in general. Many of the girls are sort of promiscuous, which I think somewhat comes from being pent up with girls 24/7 as well as the ready availability of boys at STA, their brother school. The current sophomore and junior class, in particular, are battling some nasty cases of STDs. Diversity is a huge problem there as well- the place is a sea of white middle upper class faces. However my main problem with the school was the way it was run and the attitude of the administration. Kathleen Jamison, the headmistress, is a clueless pansy who clearly has no idea what she is doing and spends too much time pandering to the wealthy parents and too little actually trying to foster a conducive environment to learning and growing. The school feels like a machine, trying to churn out students to Ivy League schools to make NCS look good, and lately they have been failing on that count. Last year's seniors were devastated when colleges they applied early too- and which their college advisers had told them they were sure to get in to- rejected them. Also if your kid is interested in art- NCS is not the place for them- the school makes no effort to make time for art and clearly thinks of them as classes that fall below those that are academic. One of the only exceptions is music, which has several school and student run groups that preform often. I have many negative opinions on the Religion program (Religion is a huge part of the school- if you aren't interested in that then don't apply here) but since I am a staunch atheist, my view is biased, so I will stay away from that particular subject. Personally I am much happier at B-CC, which has a wide variety of classes and allows you to tailor you schedule to your needs (I am one of two sophomores in an AP English course) as well as the rigorous IB program which is at least comparable to private school classes.

This ended up being a lot longer than intended but I would urge parents and students to take a look at public as well as private schools (Both B-CC and Whitman are among the best public schools in the country and B-CC fields consistently competitive athletic teams although I don't know about Whitman). Some private schools have a supposedly great reputation but have spent most of the last few years resting on their laurels instead of actually working towards making their schools better.

Also it is true about the homework- NCS assigns a ton of busywork. They seem to pride themselves on the ability to break their students spirits and make them into little drones. No wonder NCS's endowment is rapidly shrinking- 90% of the people who graduate never want to think about that place again let alone leave money to the school which made them hate life.

[Anonymous]

PP one thing you did learn at NCS was how to write! Thanks and good luck.

[Anonymous]

To the former NCS student -- what was the primary reason you left the school -- money or you didn't like it? And, do the public schools give you enough attention? Or do you like blending in and not being the subject of attention?