Stone Ridge vs Visitation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is the Visi experience for students coming from public? DD is very interested in applying next year however we aren’t sure how tough it will be for her to establish friendships with girls who have known each other for some time. Would love to hear toward experiences coming from a similar situation.

My DD did not come from public but came from a small private where she was the only one in her graduating class to attend Visi. It did take her awhile to find her footing socially, although she did hit the ground running academically almost immediately. The general population at Visi is, how do I say this, well coiffed, fashionable, country club(ish) and socially savvy. My DD is more of a cute nerd so these girls weren’t really her scene. Most girls here are very smart but there are some who are not and do struggle, eventually leave, etc.

My DD did eventually settle into a lovely group of girls around mid-Spring and is now, really happy at the school. But the first couple of months I was a little worried about whether she would adjust. Many of the girls come from the same feeder schools, so to outsiders it may seem like those girls are in the “in” crowd because they seem more confident and “cliqued up” off right from the start. 9th grade year, there is also HEAVY pressure to secure a date for Gonzaga’s homecoming and to be invited to a pre and/or post party and all of these photos are plastered all over social media. Some of this culture is perpetuated by the parents but the school does little to manage this type of thing. The school hosts a Gonzaga/Visi picnic early in the Fall and the goal is to get a homecoming invitation at that time or as a result of the event. Yes - LOTS of unnecessary pressure and feeling left out if you don’t manage to secure a date. There is really so much drama surrounding all of this which is so unfortunate for a girls school which should be empowering its students to feel confident and that their value is not attached to whether they get a homecoming date or not.

Also know going in that Visi is not lenient when it comes to test taking/scoring, etc. Your grade is your grade and don’t whine about it. You also are NOT allowed to keep your already scored tests. So for example if you plan to use your old tests to study for the mid terms or finals - you can’t. They go over them in class and the teacher takes them back. Visi has lots of strict, inflexible rules. Not a problem for my kid (who loves rules and the rigid structure) but just know this going in.

I hope my comment doesn’t get buried because these are things I would have liked to know in advance. I will say I would NOT have picked this school if I knew all of this in advance because it was a rough learning curve for her and us. However she is 100% happy and always talks about wanting her own daughter to go here. And I am happy for her.

Great description. My daughter sounds like your daughter. As an alum, I was concerned about the social aspect as you described. It sounds like your daughter is doing beautifully. As an aside, it is one of the prettiest campus in the area.

[Anonymous]

PP here. Interestingly enough, prep doesn’t allow fresh to go to homecoming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD shadowed at both schools and loved them. She is leaning towards Visi but wants to apply to both schools. We were told by a friends’s mom that applying to both schools would lessen her choice of getting into either school as they are too similar and both schools may see this as lack of commitment. Thoughts?

How would they know?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD shadowed at both schools and loved them. She is leaning towards Visi but wants to apply to both schools. We were told by a friends’s mom that applying to both schools would lessen her choice of getting into either school as they are too similar and both schools may see this as lack of commitment. Thoughts?

How would they know?

They ask during your interview.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD shadowed at both schools and loved them. She is leaning towards Visi but wants to apply to both schools. We were told by a friends’s mom that applying to both schools would lessen her choice of getting into either school as they are too similar and both schools may see this as lack of commitment. Thoughts?

How would they know?

They ask during your interview.

And if you or your DD dodge the question or won’t answer, they’ll make an assumption and see you as less than forthright.

Honestly is the best policy.

The Admissions people do this for a living and have decades of experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I did look at SR but Visi had a much more organized and impressive Open House and follow up. During Open House, the girls at Visi were very impressive - confident, friendly and genuinely enthusiastic about the school. Did not get the same vibe when we went to SR’s Open House.

Interesting since this was my experience with SR at their Open House this year. The tour groups were very disorganized and large groups were sent on their way with students that weren’t sure about the route. I also wasn’t thrilled with the student panel, there wasn’t anything mind blowing about the student experience or course offerings.

Same experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I did look at SR but Visi had a much more organized and impressive Open House and follow up. During Open House, the girls at Visi were very impressive - confident, friendly and genuinely enthusiastic about the school. Did not get the same vibe when we went to SR’s Open House.

Interesting since this was my experience with SR at their Open House this year. The tour groups were very disorganized and large groups were sent on their way with students that weren’t sure about the route. I also wasn’t thrilled with the student panel, there wasn’t anything mind blowing about the student experience or course offerings.

+1 nice campus and facilities but nothing stellar in other areas. The teachers they had in the meet and greet area weren’t able to give a good impression about what makes the academics stand out compared to other schools, or even MCPS for that matter. DD isnt an athlete so SR wasn’t on the top of the list for her after the visit.

[Anonymous]

SR welcomed a new admissions team this year, while Visitation continues to have the same four alumnae who truly run a tight ship. If you want to experience the heart of SR, I always recommend attending any event where Mr. McCluskey is speaking, his passion for the school and its community really shows what a Sacred Heart education is all about.

Ultimately, we chose SR because of the intentional way they “build” the girls. Their commitment to social action is extraordinary and teaches compassion, grace, and how to live meaningfully within their city. The girls are not viewed as academic numbers, but as whole people who are known and cared for.

Athletically, the program is incredible — with so many teams winning ISL championships this year. Good luck to the Gators today!

Another aspect we really appreciated is the approach to freshman social life. Instead of formal freshman dances, they host a fun, informal mixer with Prep, bounce houses, activities, and no dates required. During our visit they explained that freshmen often aren’t socially ready for the pressure of formal dances, and I loved that they prioritize the girls’ well-being. The class is still invited to the Gonzaga freshman dance later, so they get the experience in a more relaxed way.

In the end, we chose SR over Visitation not only for the strong academics and athletics, but for the formation of the whole person the environment we believe will help our daughter grow into a confident, compassionate, and caring young woman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SR welcomed a new admissions team this year, while Visitation continues to have the same four alumnae who truly run a tight ship. If you want to experience the heart of SR, I always recommend attending any event where Mr. McCluskey is speaking, his passion for the school and its community really shows what a Sacred Heart education is all about.

Ultimately, we chose SR because of the intentional way they “build” the girls. Their commitment to social action is extraordinary and teaches compassion, grace, and how to live meaningfully within their city. The girls are not viewed as academic numbers, but as whole people who are known and cared for.

Athletically, the program is incredible — with so many teams winning ISL championships this year. Good luck to the Gators today!

Another aspect we really appreciated is the approach to freshman social life. Instead of formal freshman dances, they host a fun, informal mixer with Prep, bounce houses, activities, and no dates required. During our visit they explained that freshmen often aren’t socially ready for the pressure of formal dances, and I loved that they prioritize the girls’ well-being. The class is still invited to the Gonzaga freshman dance later, so they get the experience in a more relaxed way.

In the end, we chose SR over Visitation not only for the strong academics and athletics, but for the formation of the whole person the environment we believe will help our daughter grow into a confident, compassionate, and caring young woman.

You sound like YOU are part of the admissions team. Only the director is new. Everyone else has been in the admissions department. Maybe you should learn more about the school before trying to advertise.

If you really are a current family, tell us one thing the US Head has done for you since being admitted besides talk.

[Anonymous]

The head of the Upper School runs the upper school.

Runs it exceedingly well, in our experience.

He never did anything for our family individually, which means my girls didn’t need anything outside of the norm.

What do you think he needs to do for individual families that isn’t being done?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SR welcomed a new admissions team this year, while Visitation continues to have the same four alumnae who truly run a tight ship. If you want to experience the heart of SR, I always recommend attending any event where Mr. McCluskey is speaking, his passion for the school and its community really shows what a Sacred Heart education is all about.

Ultimately, we chose SR because of the intentional way they “build” the girls. Their commitment to social action is extraordinary and teaches compassion, grace, and how to live meaningfully within their city. The girls are not viewed as academic numbers, but as whole people who are known and cared for.

Athletically, the program is incredible — with so many teams winning ISL championships this year. Good luck to the Gators today!

Another aspect we really appreciated is the approach to freshman social life. Instead of formal freshman dances, they host a fun, informal mixer with Prep, bounce houses, activities, and no dates required. During our visit they explained that freshmen often aren’t socially ready for the pressure of formal dances, and I loved that they prioritize the girls’ well-being. The class is still invited to the Gonzaga freshman dance later, so they get the experience in a more relaxed way.

In the end, we chose SR over Visitation not only for the strong academics and athletics, but for the formation of the whole person the environment we believe will help our daughter grow into a confident, compassionate, and caring young woman.

Well, this is lovely, as the poster of the long Visi review!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SR is very liberal, especially regarding LGBTQ. Catholicism is more of an afterthought, so if religion is important to you, then you will get less of it at SR. Visi is more traditional and prestigious, with lots of legacies, but academically is not as modern as SR.

I wouldn't say Catholicism is an afterthought, just a different take.

Absolutely, there are Sacred Heart nuns getting arrested in immigration protests. They believe in living the Gospel of loving the stranger in a strange land and you will hear that reflected in the teaching and community at SR. You will find fewer MAGA Catholics at SR and more who focus on loving their neighbor, like the alum who started the DC Diaper Bank. If your focus is "traditional", which may be more of a code for making your high school great again, then go to Visi

There are plenty of wonderful MAGA families at SR but they know who the judgmental liberals are and steer clear.

These words do not go together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SR is very liberal, especially regarding LGBTQ. Catholicism is more of an afterthought, so if religion is important to you, then you will get less of it at SR. Visi is more traditional and prestigious, with lots of legacies, but academically is not as modern as SR.

I wouldn't say Catholicism is an afterthought, just a different take.

Absolutely, there are Sacred Heart nuns getting arrested in immigration protests. They believe in living the Gospel of loving the stranger in a strange land and you will hear that reflected in the teaching and community at SR. You will find fewer MAGA Catholics at SR and more who focus on loving their neighbor, like the alum who started the DC Diaper Bank. If your focus is "traditional", which may be more of a code for making your high school great again, then go to Visi

There are plenty of wonderful MAGA families at SR but they know who the judgmental liberals are and steer clear.

These words do not go together.

PP is correct. Way more MAGA than you would think based on the mission but I guess everything can be twisted to your own objectives

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SR is very liberal, especially regarding LGBTQ. Catholicism is more of an afterthought, so if religion is important to you, then you will get less of it at SR. Visi is more traditional and prestigious, with lots of legacies, but academically is not as modern as SR.

I wouldn't say Catholicism is an afterthought, just a different take.

Absolutely, there are Sacred Heart nuns getting arrested in immigration protests. They believe in living the Gospel of loving the stranger in a strange land and you will hear that reflected in the teaching and community at SR. You will find fewer MAGA Catholics at SR and more who focus on loving their neighbor, like the alum who started the DC Diaper Bank. If your focus is "traditional", which may be more of a code for making your high school great again, then go to Visi

There are plenty of wonderful MAGA families at SR but they know who the judgmental liberals are and steer clear.

These words do not go together.

PP is correct. Way more MAGA than you would think based on the mission but I guess everything can be twisted to your own objectives

Not all heroes wear capes. Thanks for standing up, even if it makes you seem intolerant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SR welcomed a new admissions team this year, while Visitation continues to have the same four alumnae who truly run a tight ship. If you want to experience the heart of SR, I always recommend attending any event where Mr. McCluskey is speaking, his passion for the school and its community really shows what a Sacred Heart education is all about.

Ultimately, we chose SR because of the intentional way they “build” the girls. Their commitment to social action is extraordinary and teaches compassion, grace, and how to live meaningfully within their city. The girls are not viewed as academic numbers, but as whole people who are known and cared for.

Athletically, the program is incredible — with so many teams winning ISL championships this year. Good luck to the Gators today!

Another aspect we really appreciated is the approach to freshman social life. Instead of formal freshman dances, they host a fun, informal mixer with Prep, bounce houses, activities, and no dates required. During our visit they explained that freshmen often aren’t socially ready for the pressure of formal dances, and I loved that they prioritize the girls’ well-being. The class is still invited to the Gonzaga freshman dance later, so they get the experience in a more relaxed way.

In the end, we chose SR over Visitation not only for the strong academics and athletics, but for the formation of the whole person the environment we believe will help our daughter grow into a confident, compassionate, and caring young woman.

You sound like YOU are part of the admissions team. Only the director is new. Everyone else has been in the admissions department. Maybe you should learn more about the school before trying to advertise.

Could not agree more! That response came from SR internally.

If you really are a current family, tell us one thing the US Head has done for you since being admitted besides talk.