Admissions advice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know how important the WPPSI scores are? (I assume that's what people mean by scoring in the 98th percentile. Or is there some other test some schools use?)

Repeat after me:

A 99th percentile does not guarantee admission. Please don't rest on your child's laurels if s/he scored well. The process isn't "unfair" if your child is waitlisted or rejected at your top choice schools, so please move away from the sense of entitlement. There are plenty of other factors that contribute to admission decisions (playdate, school recommendations, diversity, parents -- yes parents...YOU can screw this up for your child).

An 85th percentile does not doom admission (even at the "elite" schools). Again...plenty of other factors that determine admission.

Please stop obsessing over the WPPSI. It is but one data point.

All I know is my child has everything going for him/her grades,athletics,social skills...and the score is the deal breaker every time.

[Anonymous]

Scores matter more in the upper grades -- and, alas, they're more likely to disqualify a DC than get a DC admitted.

[Anonymous]

Let's face it, there are many bright and engaging 3 and 4 year old children in the D.C. area--whose parents don't embarrass themselves during the parent interview. When you are older, you can use your past grades or extra curricular activities to distinguish yourself during the admissions process; however, preschoolers don't have that option. So often times, the scores DO matter--anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

All I know is my child has everything going for him/her grades,athletics,social skills...and the score is the deal breaker every time.

The good news is, once s/he is applying for sixth grade they don't even ask for IQ scores - just achievement, and those are easily offset by good grades at a good school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We got into every school we applied to for K, and we did our HW, were excited but not overly eager in the interview, asked good questions about how the school would be with our DC, asked about the community at large, and were generally down to earth and honest.

We DID NOT work to impress anyone. Pulled no strings, dropped no names (even though we could) and frankly, acted a little aloof without being rude. We knew these admissions people had so many couples up their asses, we just laid low. We told all of them "wherever our DC goes will be the right fit"

Ditto. We were admitted to 3 our of 4 schools and only did what was required of us. No extra letters, phone calls, or anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

All I know is my child has everything going for him/her grades,athletics,social skills...and the score is the deal breaker every time.

The good news is, once s/he is applying for sixth grade they don't even ask for IQ scores - just achievement, and those are easily offset by good grades at a good school.

I'm sorry to say that most schools do require the SSAT starting in middle school. SSAT is an achievement test, if that's what you meant by "just achievement", I'm not sure. In any case, if your kid has good grades, s/he will probably do well on achievement-type tests.

[Anonymous]

bump