Basis families: talk to me about the building

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Think back to when you were a kid. Did you care about buildiings/classrooms/windows? I sure didn't. I cared about seeing friends, clothes, etc. I have an 8th grader at BASIS and we have been very impressed by the program, with the exception of writing instruction - that has generally been minimal, up to now. Grammar, on the other hand - my kid nails that stuff . And now that kid is in 8th grade she absolutely loves the off campus lunch option.

When I was in middle school, in a mostly working-class community, I cared most about playing in my school's orchestra and on the girls' lacrosse team and participating in our school's Outward Bound gym program. I also cared about learning French from 6th grade. I attended Ivies for college (on a Pell Grant) and grad school.

I taught a humanities subject in the BASIS high school for a year (just a few years ago) and was asked to extend my contract. I moved on instead. The building was too claustrophobic for me, the curriculum too limited, and admins too controlling. From my perspective, the BASIS policy of cramming four years of high school work into three damages the colleges admissions prospects of some of the students, mainly because they lack the time for serious extra-curriculars in 9th, 10th and 11th grades while they cram in AP classes. The tough DC Metro area elite college admissions pool and much softer Arizona pool are v. different, which the franchise doesn't seem to get.

NP here with a student that graduated from BASIS. This teacher obviously never got to know the students they taught. My student was on a school sponsored sport, a school sponsored academic team, Scouts, took non-BASIS arts classes and also played a rec sport SIMULTANEOUSLY during high school at BASIS. ECs were no problem for college admissions and the 12 AP classes didn't hurt either. Their friends were similarly active - DC has so much to offer.

The "cramming" was great because it made senior year fun, less stressful - working on your application essays as a group in a class is much better than doing them by yourself after you finish your homework. College visits were NOT a problem.

We left BASIS after 10th and did all of our college visits on YouTube while our eldest performed with his Strathmore orchestra (you might know who we are). He attends a college admitting in the single digits. If the policy of making ample room for college visits by omitting senior year classes were so great, all the top privates in this area would follow suit. To my knowledge, none do.

Oh, we know who you are, and everyone at BASIS was happy you left.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I happen to know that the leadership of the BASIS franchise in Arizona is rethinking their use of senior year as elite college admissions becomes ever more competitive in this country. I've done some budget-related management consulting work for the franchise over a 12-year period. They're in the process of shifting more teaching resources into 12th grade, starting at several of the Arizona campuses.

We live on CH and went private rather than take a BASIS spot. Half a dozen of the BASIS families whose teens, all of them math stars, were admitted to Ivies in the past few years are friends and/or neighbors. I've never heard any of these parents wax about what an "amazing fit!" BASIS was. I know that they had their real ups and downs in the program over the years, particularly with doing the legwork and paying for competitive ECs.

You didn't send your kid to BASIS but you know people who attended BASIS who never said it was a great fit for their kids. Is the idea that since no one you know thought so that anyone who feels that way must be wrong? I don't get it. How does your consulting work make you more of an expert on the actual experience than enrolled kids? I also don't think you are making the case you think you are. You know a bunch of kids who went to BASIS and now attend Ivies, and the conclusion is that...BASIS was a bad fit?

You don't have a kid there so you don't really know whether it was a good fit for your kid or how they felt about attending. I find it just so odd that you chime in to tell parents who are sharing their own experiences that they are wrong. It's strange behavior.

No one (and surely not me) is arguing BASIS is perfect. What I have said is that is a great fit for my kid and several of his friends. I do not understand why that triggers you.

P.S. Unrelated to my point above, unless the BASIS folks in AZ are rank morons, your engagement with them included an NDA and non-disparagement clause. You are disclosing non-public information and using that confidential information to disparage the current model. Good luck to any clients that hire you in the future!

You're shadow boxing, lumping posters together defensively. Months ago, BASIS announced to stakeholders that its going to rework its approach to college counseling on shifting admissions sands. Not difficult to connect the dots.

What? The reply was to the person who is a "consultant", doesn't send their kid BASIS and knows kids who went from BASIS to Ivy schools. Everything in the reply was i response to the PP. Gaslight much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Post above is a classic example of why BASIS threads invariably become a waste of time three or four dozen posts in.

Multiple posters express well-substantiated sounding concerns about the way BASIS DC operates. At least one booster with too much time on his or her hands then jumps in claiming that a single inveterate hater needs to be both beaten back and comforted. Boring.

And then there is also a poster like you that gets triggered and tells people to stop posting.

Just. Go Away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I happen to know that the leadership of the BASIS franchise in Arizona is rethinking their use of senior year as elite college admissions becomes ever more competitive in this country. I've done some budget-related management consulting work for the franchise over a 12-year period. They're in the process of shifting more teaching resources into 12th grade, starting at several of the Arizona campuses.

We live on CH and went private rather than take a BASIS spot. Half a dozen of the BASIS families whose teens, all of them math stars, were admitted to Ivies in the past few years are friends and/or neighbors. I've never heard any of these parents wax about what an "amazing fit!" BASIS was. I know that they had their real ups and downs in the program over the years, particularly with doing the legwork and paying for competitive ECs.

You didn't send your kid to BASIS but you know people who attended BASIS who never said it was a great fit for their kids. Is the idea that since no one you know thought so that anyone who feels that way must be wrong? I don't get it. How does your consulting work make you more of an expert on the actual experience than enrolled kids? I also don't think you are making the case you think you are. You know a bunch of kids who went to BASIS and now attend Ivies, and the conclusion is that...BASIS was a bad fit?

You don't have a kid there so you don't really know whether it was a good fit for your kid or how they felt about attending. I find it just so odd that you chime in to tell parents who are sharing their own experiences that they are wrong. It's strange behavior.

No one (and surely not me) is arguing BASIS is perfect. What I have said is that is a great fit for my kid and several of his friends. I do not understand why that triggers you.

P.S. Unrelated to my point above, unless the BASIS folks in AZ are rank morons, your engagement with them included an NDA and non-disparagement clause. You are disclosing non-public information and using that confidential information to disparage the current model. Good luck to any clients that hire you in the future!

You're shadow boxing, lumping posters together defensively. Months ago, BASIS announced to stakeholders that its going to rework its approach to college counseling on shifting admissions sands. Not difficult to connect the dots.

BASIS "announced to stakeholders"?

Here is what you said before: "I happen to know that the leadership of the BASIS franchise in Arizona is rethinking their use of senior year ... I've done some budget-related management consulting work for the franchise over a 12-year period."

Were you lying before or lying now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you asked about the building so here's what I'd say. It is exactly what it looks like it is. The hallways are very crowded at 5 class change periods and there isn't a formal gym or theater. The classrooms are fine, but no one is filming teen rom-con movies in them. But you knew all that. We came from Two Rivers and people used to ask me what the playground was like. I'd look at them like, "What do you think it is like? You can see it. It's tiny. If you are choosing based on outdoor space don't choose Two Rivers." Same applies to BASIS. You don't choose BASIS for the building or facilities. You chose it in spite of them. The classrooms themselves are not in any way packed to the gills. Even when my kid was in 5th where they max out at 27-ish kids per class there rooms were sufficient.

The issue here is not one that can addressed in a vacuum. It's not, "Is this building better than others?" It's also not, "Is this better than TJ or NYC application schools or other schools not here?" BASIS is an amazing fit and school for some kids. A good fit for some and a terrible fit for others. Your baseline is how good a school you think it is for your kids, you consider other available options and then figure out how the cost benefit shifts when you compare facilities, sports, etc. against all other factors.

BASIS offers shadow days. By all means if you have not done so sign your kid up (if they match, or if you are looking at out years, they do them in the fall before the lottery as well). The only way to know how your kid will or will not respond is to see and experience it. Seeing period changes up close and personal, and seeing the actual classrooms is the best way to make an informed decision.

Good luck.

OP here. yes, thank you. This all makes sense. I am planning on signing up my son for a shadow day, and to give him the chance to tell us how he feels there. (we are one year out from this decision).

OP i think that is the best advice you’ve gotten. It’s important for your kid to experience how it FEELS to be there. I had an opportunity to meet the founders once, and I had a very distinct impression of something very dark and heavy. It was palpable and my gut couldn’t have been more clear in telling me to stay away. When I toured the building, dark and heavy also came to mind. So we never applied. However, I imagine that the addition of a few hundred kids in those four walls must lighten the mood a lot. They might be having a lot of fun with each other. So let your kid give it a try I think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I happen to know that the leadership of the BASIS franchise in Arizona is rethinking their use of senior year as elite college admissions becomes ever more competitive in this country. I've done some budget-related management consulting work for the franchise over a 12-year period. They're in the process of shifting more teaching resources into 12th grade, starting at several of the Arizona campuses.

We live on CH and went private rather than take a BASIS spot. Half a dozen of the BASIS families whose teens, all of them math stars, were admitted to Ivies in the past few years are friends and/or neighbors. I've never heard any of these parents wax about what an "amazing fit!" BASIS was. I know that they had their real ups and downs in the program over the years, particularly with doing the legwork and paying for competitive ECs.

You didn't send your kid to BASIS but you know people who attended BASIS who never said it was a great fit for their kids. Is the idea that since no one you know thought so that anyone who feels that way must be wrong? I don't get it. How does your consulting work make you more of an expert on the actual experience than enrolled kids? I also don't think you are making the case you think you are. You know a bunch of kids who went to BASIS and now attend Ivies, and the conclusion is that...BASIS was a bad fit?

You don't have a kid there so you don't really know whether it was a good fit for your kid or how they felt about attending. I find it just so odd that you chime in to tell parents who are sharing their own experiences that they are wrong. It's strange behavior.

No one (and surely not me) is arguing BASIS is perfect. What I have said is that is a great fit for my kid and several of his friends. I do not understand why that triggers you.

P.S. Unrelated to my point above, unless the BASIS folks in AZ are rank morons, your engagement with them included an NDA and non-disparagement clause. You are disclosing non-public information and using that confidential information to disparage the current model. Good luck to any clients that hire you in the future!

You're shadow boxing, lumping posters together defensively. Months ago, BASIS announced to stakeholders that its going to rework its approach to college counseling on shifting admissions sands. Not difficult to connect the dots.

BASIS "announced to stakeholders"?

Here is what you said before: "I happen to know that the leadership of the BASIS franchise in Arizona is rethinking their use of senior year ... I've done some budget-related management consulting work for the franchise over a 12-year period."

Were you lying before or lying now?

You noticed that too? They went from "super secret consultant inside information" to "everyone knows" without missing a beat. I'd also point out that whether or not BASIS changes the 12th grade model isn't responsive to questions about the building and doesn't in any way change whether it is a good fit, great fit or bad fit for some kids. Lots of things happen before 12th grade. The pressure cooker, test heavy, no BS environment is not going to be altered by changing 12th grade. That's a shiny object to fixate on. It's also not a bad thing to assess your strengths and weaknesses and determine you need to course correct. The people who seem to really have a hatred for all things BASIS want to bash them both for being inflexible and also for changing.

I said it before, I will say it again. The building is suboptimal. No one in their right mind would argue otherwise. The academic approach and school are a great fit for my kid and his friends. These same things are an ok (better than alternatives) fit for some kids. And a terrible fit for other kids. That last category is both kids who can't keep up with the rigor as well as kids who want to focus on arts and foreign language, neither of which BASIS excels as. [Enter the DCUM posters who will at once argue that I am wrong and it is NOT a great fir for my kid and also that by having the temerity to express my opinion I am hating on people who hate on the school.]

[Anonymous]

When you tour the school, ask about their "silent lunch" policy. They've been heavy handed with it this year. Also, the sixth grade class hardly goes outside - maybe, just maybe, once a week max but I think it's less frequent than that. Keep in mind they are in school from 8:20-3:50. That's a long day to be in an office building, even for adults.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I happen to know that the leadership of the BASIS franchise in Arizona is rethinking their use of senior year as elite college admissions becomes ever more competitive in this country. I've done some budget-related management consulting work for the franchise over a 12-year period. They're in the process of shifting more teaching resources into 12th grade, starting at several of the Arizona campuses.

We live on CH and went private rather than take a BASIS spot. Half a dozen of the BASIS families whose teens, all of them math stars, were admitted to Ivies in the past few years are friends and/or neighbors. I've never heard any of these parents wax about what an "amazing fit!" BASIS was. I know that they had their real ups and downs in the program over the years, particularly with doing the legwork and paying for competitive ECs.

You didn't send your kid to BASIS but you know people who attended BASIS who never said it was a great fit for their kids. Is the idea that since no one you know thought so that anyone who feels that way must be wrong? I don't get it. How does your consulting work make you more of an expert on the actual experience than enrolled kids? I also don't think you are making the case you think you are. You know a bunch of kids who went to BASIS and now attend Ivies, and the conclusion is that...BASIS was a bad fit?

You don't have a kid there so you don't really know whether it was a good fit for your kid or how they felt about attending. I find it just so odd that you chime in to tell parents who are sharing their own experiences that they are wrong. It's strange behavior.

No one (and surely not me) is arguing BASIS is perfect. What I have said is that is a great fit for my kid and several of his friends. I do not understand why that triggers you.

P.S. Unrelated to my point above, unless the BASIS folks in AZ are rank morons, your engagement with them included an NDA and non-disparagement clause. You are disclosing non-public information and using that confidential information to disparage the current model. Good luck to any clients that hire you in the future!

You're shadow boxing, lumping posters together defensively. Months ago, BASIS announced to stakeholders that its going to rework its approach to college counseling on shifting admissions sands. Not difficult to connect the dots.

BASIS "announced to stakeholders"?

Here is what you said before: "I happen to know that the leadership of the BASIS franchise in Arizona is rethinking their use of senior year ... I've done some budget-related management consulting work for the franchise over a 12-year period."

Were you lying before or lying now?

You noticed that too? They went from "super secret consultant inside information" to "everyone knows" without missing a beat. I'd also point out that whether or not BASIS changes the 12th grade model isn't responsive to questions about the building and doesn't in any way change whether it is a good fit, great fit or bad fit for some kids. Lots of things happen before 12th grade. The pressure cooker, test heavy, no BS environment is not going to be altered by changing 12th grade. That's a shiny object to fixate on. It's also not a bad thing to assess your strengths and weaknesses and determine you need to course correct. The people who seem to really have a hatred for all things BASIS want to bash them both for being inflexible and also for changing.

I said it before, I will say it again. The building is suboptimal. No one in their right mind would argue otherwise. The academic approach and school are a great fit for my kid and his friends. These same things are an ok (better than alternatives) fit for some kids. And a terrible fit for other kids. That last category is both kids who can't keep up with the rigor as well as kids who want to focus on arts and foreign language, neither of which BASIS excels as. [Enter the DCUM posters who will at once argue that I am wrong and it is NOT a great fir for my kid and also that by having the temerity to express my opinion I am hating on people who hate on the school.]

Thank you. OP here. this is really clarifying. So it seems like if the academics are a good enough fit (for math/science inclined kids), all the rest of the cons are worth tolerating. I would also just love to hear some stories that kids like this actually feel happy there, love learning and love going to school -- that the environment isn't completely depressing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I happen to know that the leadership of the BASIS franchise in Arizona is rethinking their use of senior year as elite college admissions becomes ever more competitive in this country. I've done some budget-related management consulting work for the franchise over a 12-year period. They're in the process of shifting more teaching resources into 12th grade, starting at several of the Arizona campuses.

We live on CH and went private rather than take a BASIS spot. Half a dozen of the BASIS families whose teens, all of them math stars, were admitted to Ivies in the past few years are friends and/or neighbors. I've never heard any of these parents wax about what an "amazing fit!" BASIS was. I know that they had their real ups and downs in the program over the years, particularly with doing the legwork and paying for competitive ECs.

You didn't send your kid to BASIS but you know people who attended BASIS who never said it was a great fit for their kids. Is the idea that since no one you know thought so that anyone who feels that way must be wrong? I don't get it. How does your consulting work make you more of an expert on the actual experience than enrolled kids? I also don't think you are making the case you think you are. You know a bunch of kids who went to BASIS and now attend Ivies, and the conclusion is that...BASIS was a bad fit?

You don't have a kid there so you don't really know whether it was a good fit for your kid or how they felt about attending. I find it just so odd that you chime in to tell parents who are sharing their own experiences that they are wrong. It's strange behavior.

No one (and surely not me) is arguing BASIS is perfect. What I have said is that is a great fit for my kid and several of his friends. I do not understand why that triggers you.

P.S. Unrelated to my point above, unless the BASIS folks in AZ are rank morons, your engagement with them included an NDA and non-disparagement clause. You are disclosing non-public information and using that confidential information to disparage the current model. Good luck to any clients that hire you in the future!

You're shadow boxing, lumping posters together defensively. Months ago, BASIS announced to stakeholders that its going to rework its approach to college counseling on shifting admissions sands. Not difficult to connect the dots.

BASIS "announced to stakeholders"?

Here is what you said before: "I happen to know that the leadership of the BASIS franchise in Arizona is rethinking their use of senior year ... I've done some budget-related management consulting work for the franchise over a 12-year period."

Were you lying before or lying now?

You noticed that too? They went from "super secret consultant inside information" to "everyone knows" without missing a beat. I'd also point out that whether or not BASIS changes the 12th grade model isn't responsive to questions about the building and doesn't in any way change whether it is a good fit, great fit or bad fit for some kids. Lots of things happen before 12th grade. The pressure cooker, test heavy, no BS environment is not going to be altered by changing 12th grade. That's a shiny object to fixate on. It's also not a bad thing to assess your strengths and weaknesses and determine you need to course correct. The people who seem to really have a hatred for all things BASIS want to bash them both for being inflexible and also for changing.

I said it before, I will say it again. The building is suboptimal. No one in their right mind would argue otherwise. The academic approach and school are a great fit for my kid and his friends. These same things are an ok (better than alternatives) fit for some kids. And a terrible fit for other kids. That last category is both kids who can't keep up with the rigor as well as kids who want to focus on arts and foreign language, neither of which BASIS excels as. [Enter the DCUM posters who will at once argue that I am wrong and it is NOT a great fir for my kid and also that by having the temerity to express my opinion I am hating on people who hate on the school.]

Thank you. OP here. this is really clarifying. So it seems like if the academics are a good enough fit (for math/science inclined kids), all the rest of the cons are worth tolerating. I would also just love to hear some stories that kids like this actually feel happy there, love learning and love going to school -- that the environment isn't completely depressing.

Just do the shadow day. We did and my daughter absolutely loved it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When you tour the school, ask about their "silent lunch" policy. They've been heavy handed with it this year. Also, the sixth grade class hardly goes outside - maybe, just maybe, once a week max but I think it's less frequent than that. Keep in mind they are in school from 8:20-3:50. That's a long day to be in an office building, even for adults.

It is not an office building. The school is in downtown DC steps from the mall. What do you expect? Green Acres? Have you ever seen schools in NYC or Chicago?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I happen to know that the leadership of the BASIS franchise in Arizona is rethinking their use of senior year as elite college admissions becomes ever more competitive in this country. I've done some budget-related management consulting work for the franchise over a 12-year period. They're in the process of shifting more teaching resources into 12th grade, starting at several of the Arizona campuses.

We live on CH and went private rather than take a BASIS spot. Half a dozen of the BASIS families whose teens, all of them math stars, were admitted to Ivies in the past few years are friends and/or neighbors. I've never heard any of these parents wax about what an "amazing fit!" BASIS was. I know that they had their real ups and downs in the program over the years, particularly with doing the legwork and paying for competitive ECs.

You didn't send your kid to BASIS but you know people who attended BASIS who never said it was a great fit for their kids. Is the idea that since no one you know thought so that anyone who feels that way must be wrong? I don't get it. How does your consulting work make you more of an expert on the actual experience than enrolled kids? I also don't think you are making the case you think you are. You know a bunch of kids who went to BASIS and now attend Ivies, and the conclusion is that...BASIS was a bad fit?

You don't have a kid there so you don't really know whether it was a good fit for your kid or how they felt about attending. I find it just so odd that you chime in to tell parents who are sharing their own experiences that they are wrong. It's strange behavior.

No one (and surely not me) is arguing BASIS is perfect. What I have said is that is a great fit for my kid and several of his friends. I do not understand why that triggers you.

P.S. Unrelated to my point above, unless the BASIS folks in AZ are rank morons, your engagement with them included an NDA and non-disparagement clause. You are disclosing non-public information and using that confidential information to disparage the current model. Good luck to any clients that hire you in the future!

You're shadow boxing, lumping posters together defensively. Months ago, BASIS announced to stakeholders that its going to rework its approach to college counseling on shifting admissions sands. Not difficult to connect the dots.

BASIS "announced to stakeholders"?

Here is what you said before: "I happen to know that the leadership of the BASIS franchise in Arizona is rethinking their use of senior year ... I've done some budget-related management consulting work for the franchise over a 12-year period."

Were you lying before or lying now?

You noticed that too? They went from "super secret consultant inside information" to "everyone knows" without missing a beat. I'd also point out that whether or not BASIS changes the 12th grade model isn't responsive to questions about the building and doesn't in any way change whether it is a good fit, great fit or bad fit for some kids. Lots of things happen before 12th grade. The pressure cooker, test heavy, no BS environment is not going to be altered by changing 12th grade. That's a shiny object to fixate on. It's also not a bad thing to assess your strengths and weaknesses and determine you need to course correct. The people who seem to really have a hatred for all things BASIS want to bash them both for being inflexible and also for changing.

I said it before, I will say it again. The building is suboptimal. No one in their right mind would argue otherwise. The academic approach and school are a great fit for my kid and his friends. These same things are an ok (better than alternatives) fit for some kids. And a terrible fit for other kids. That last category is both kids who can't keep up with the rigor as well as kids who want to focus on arts and foreign language, neither of which BASIS excels as. [Enter the DCUM posters who will at once argue that I am wrong and it is NOT a great fir for my kid and also that by having the temerity to express my opinion I am hating on people who hate on the school.]

Thank you. OP here. this is really clarifying. So it seems like if the academics are a good enough fit (for math/science inclined kids), all the rest of the cons are worth tolerating. I would also just love to hear some stories that kids like this actually feel happy there, love learning and love going to school -- that the environment isn't completely depressing.

Just do the shadow day. We did and my daughter absolutely loved it.

Yes, do this and your own research. You won’t get reliable info on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you tour the school, ask about their "silent lunch" policy. They've been heavy handed with it this year. Also, the sixth grade class hardly goes outside - maybe, just maybe, once a week max but I think it's less frequent than that. Keep in mind they are in school from 8:20-3:50. That's a long day to be in an office building, even for adults.

It is not an office building. The school is in downtown DC steps from the mall. What do you expect? Green Acres? Have you ever seen schools in NYC or Chicago?

At least my public HS in Manhattan had a basketball court on the roof (no other outdoor space) a huge asset to the student body.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I happen to know that the leadership of the BASIS franchise in Arizona is rethinking their use of senior year as elite college admissions becomes ever more competitive in this country. I've done some budget-related management consulting work for the franchise over a 12-year period. They're in the process of shifting more teaching resources into 12th grade, starting at several of the Arizona campuses.

We live on CH and went private rather than take a BASIS spot. Half a dozen of the BASIS families whose teens, all of them math stars, were admitted to Ivies in the past few years are friends and/or neighbors. I've never heard any of these parents wax about what an "amazing fit!" BASIS was. I know that they had their real ups and downs in the program over the years, particularly with doing the legwork and paying for competitive ECs.

You didn't send your kid to BASIS but you know people who attended BASIS who never said it was a great fit for their kids. Is the idea that since no one you know thought so that anyone who feels that way must be wrong? I don't get it. How does your consulting work make you more of an expert on the actual experience than enrolled kids? I also don't think you are making the case you think you are. You know a bunch of kids who went to BASIS and now attend Ivies, and the conclusion is that...BASIS was a bad fit?

You don't have a kid there so you don't really know whether it was a good fit for your kid or how they felt about attending. I find it just so odd that you chime in to tell parents who are sharing their own experiences that they are wrong. It's strange behavior.

No one (and surely not me) is arguing BASIS is perfect. What I have said is that is a great fit for my kid and several of his friends. I do not understand why that triggers you.

P.S. Unrelated to my point above, unless the BASIS folks in AZ are rank morons, your engagement with them included an NDA and non-disparagement clause. You are disclosing non-public information and using that confidential information to disparage the current model. Good luck to any clients that hire you in the future!

You're shadow boxing, lumping posters together defensively. Months ago, BASIS announced to stakeholders that its going to rework its approach to college counseling on shifting admissions sands. Not difficult to connect the dots.

BASIS "announced to stakeholders"?

Here is what you said before: "I happen to know that the leadership of the BASIS franchise in Arizona is rethinking their use of senior year ... I've done some budget-related management consulting work for the franchise over a 12-year period."

Were you lying before or lying now?

You noticed that too? They went from "super secret consultant inside information" to "everyone knows" without missing a beat. I'd also point out that whether or not BASIS changes the 12th grade model isn't responsive to questions about the building and doesn't in any way change whether it is a good fit, great fit or bad fit for some kids. Lots of things happen before 12th grade. The pressure cooker, test heavy, no BS environment is not going to be altered by changing 12th grade. That's a shiny object to fixate on. It's also not a bad thing to assess your strengths and weaknesses and determine you need to course correct. The people who seem to really have a hatred for all things BASIS want to bash them both for being inflexible and also for changing.

I said it before, I will say it again. The building is suboptimal. No one in their right mind would argue otherwise. The academic approach and school are a great fit for my kid and his friends. These same things are an ok (better than alternatives) fit for some kids. And a terrible fit for other kids. That last category is both kids who can't keep up with the rigor as well as kids who want to focus on arts and foreign language, neither of which BASIS excels as. [Enter the DCUM posters who will at once argue that I am wrong and it is NOT a great fir for my kid and also that by having the temerity to express my opinion I am hating on people who hate on the school.]

Thank you. OP here. this is really clarifying. So it seems like if the academics are a good enough fit (for math/science inclined kids), all the rest of the cons are worth tolerating. I would also just love to hear some stories that kids like this actually feel happy there, love learning and love going to school -- that the environment isn't completely depressing.

My 8th grader happened across this thread when it was 2 or 3 pages long and read those first posts. Her response was “I think the academics and location are worth putting up with the building.” She leaves campus at lunch and often stops in local spots after school, so “location” has a broader meaning to her than just the building itself. That happens more as kids get older, but they did have PE at the Mall quite often in 5th and 6th and she enjoyed that. She’s been looking at the other high school choices for next year and has seen how much farther they are from the Hill, so easy commute is part of that too.

Do kids feel happy and love school? Some do for sure, but my impression is that more tend to be pragmatic about their choices. They’ve grown up in DC, they know that all DC schools seem to have trade-offs. On a purely subjective level, I would guess that the Basis general environment is more depressing than at most schools, for a handful of reasons of which one is definitely the building. But as a Hill family with a nerdy kid who values learning, it’s still the best choice we’ve got. DD decided against applying to those other high schools, FWIW, and we left that decision entirely up to her.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Think back to when you were a kid. Did you care about buildiings/classrooms/windows? I sure didn't. I cared about seeing friends, clothes, etc. I have an 8th grader at BASIS and we have been very impressed by the program, with the exception of writing instruction - that has generally been minimal, up to now. Grammar, on the other hand - my kid nails that stuff . And now that kid is in 8th grade she absolutely loves the off campus lunch option.

When I was in middle school, in a mostly working-class community, I cared most about playing in my school's orchestra and on the girls' lacrosse team and participating in our school's Outward Bound gym program. I also cared about learning French from 6th grade. I attended Ivies for college (on a Pell Grant) and grad school.

I taught a humanities subject in the BASIS high school for a year (just a few years ago) and was asked to extend my contract. I moved on instead. The building was too claustrophobic for me, the curriculum too limited, and admins too controlling. From my perspective, the BASIS policy of cramming four years of high school work into three damages the colleges admissions prospects of some of the students, mainly because they lack the time for serious extra-curriculars in 9th, 10th and 11th grades while they cram in AP classes. The tough DC Metro area elite college admissions pool and much softer Arizona pool are v. different, which the franchise doesn't seem to get.

NP here with a student that graduated from BASIS. This teacher obviously never got to know the students they taught. My student was on a school sponsored sport, a school sponsored academic team, Scouts, took non-BASIS arts classes and also played a rec sport SIMULTANEOUSLY during high school at BASIS. ECs were no problem for college admissions and the 12 AP classes didn't hurt either. Their friends were similarly active - DC has so much to offer.

The "cramming" was great because it made senior year fun, less stressful - working on your application essays as a group in a class is much better than doing them by yourself after you finish your homework. College visits were NOT a problem.

We left BASIS after 10th and did all of our college visits on YouTube while our eldest performed with his Strathmore orchestra (you might know who we are). He attends a college admitting in the single digits. If the policy of making ample room for college visits by omitting senior year classes were so great, all the top privates in this area would follow suit. To my knowledge, none do.

Oh, we know who you are, and everyone at BASIS was happy you left.

I think I know who they are, too. I'm sorry that they left. From my perspective, BASIS DC could really use more students who are accomplished musicians, no matter what their parents' opinions may be. I know that at least one of the Arizona campuses fields a competitive string orchestra, has done for more than 20 years.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:When you tour the school, ask about their "silent lunch" policy. They've been heavy handed with it this year. Also, the sixth grade class hardly goes outside - maybe, just maybe, once a week max but I think it's less frequent than that. Keep in mind they are in school from 8:20-3:50. That's a long day to be in an office building, even for adults.

It is not an office building. The school is in downtown DC steps from the mall. What do you expect? Green Acres? Have you ever seen schools in NYC or Chicago?

At least my public HS in Manhattan had a basketball court on the roof (no other outdoor space) a huge asset to the student body.

My school, too.