As for the whole Sidwell admissions process....

[Anonymous]

I'm really surprised that some people had a less-than-welcoming experience at lower school admissions, because that's exactly the opposite of what we experienced. I do agree it has something of a cattle call feel because there were far more applicants there than any other place we applied. I heard that the kind woman who managed lower school admissions for several years had to take a leave of absence for illness, so perhaps they were facing some transition there. Maybe some insider can confirm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can think you know, but that tactile experience is extremely important. I hope they become more welcoming in the future. Too many people are echoing the same thing.

You really can't generalize by a bunch of comments on this page. In our experience the process with Sidwell was more or less identical to the process with its major competitor schools -- generally unpleasant and a little bit stressful but more or less identical in terms of how welcoming it was. The fact that a bunch of people complain about Sidwell in a discussion on DC Urban Moms says nothing about the reality. And to the extent there is any minor difference it is absolutely trivial relative to the important considerations to weigh in selecting a school for your child.

Well said!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am suspect of the veracity of this post. It is over a ear later, you were accepted to your top choice, and you are still taking the time to dredge up a post that is four years old? Sounds made up or oddly bitter.

That said, let's see what changes occur with the new a director of admissions and a new HOS.

That is if you really care for the next group of people of course. You're already done!

I am the poster to whom you are referring...
It is not made up, and I am not bitter. I simply saw this pop up in "recent posts" and clicked on it due to the intriguing phrasing of the title.
Obviously there have been many people who had this same experience, and so I merely wrote in with our experience. All true.
Maybe Sidwell is great once you get past admissions, but again, I don't see why any school would be less than welcoming and risk alienating good kids and families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the problem is that because of the Obamas, Sidwell has more applications than it can comfortably handle. As discussed in another thread, they could conceivably limit the number of applications, but that doesn't seem fair. So the option seems to be to deal with the raw numbers as best they can.

Sidwell always has tons of applications. In addition to the Obamas, you can throw in the Clintons, the Gores, the Woodwards, and a host of other notables. It's not unusual for some people to want to attempt to rub elbows with well known people including those who aren't in the political arena. Guaranteed the thrill wears off with just too much to do to stay in the schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am suspect of the veracity of this post. It is over a ear later, you were accepted to your top choice, and you are still taking the time to dredge up a post that is four years old? Sounds made up or oddly bitter.

That said, let's see what changes occur with the new a director of admissions and a new HOS.

That is if you really care for the next group of people of course. You're already done!

I am the poster to whom you are referring...
It is not made up, and I am not bitter. I simply saw this pop up in "recent posts" and clicked on it due to the intriguing phrasing of the title.
Obviously there have been many people who had this same experience, and so I merely wrote in with our experience. All true.
Maybe Sidwell is great once you get past admissions, but again, I don't see why any school would be less than welcoming and risk alienating good kids and families.

Hopefully you are happy at the school you're in.

Time to move on!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am suspect of the veracity of this post. It is over a ear later, you were accepted to your top choice, and you are still taking the time to dredge up a post that is four years old? Sounds made up or oddly bitter.

That said, let's see what changes occur with the new a director of admissions and a new HOS.

That is if you really care for the next group of people of course. You're already done!

I am the poster to whom you are referring...
It is not made up, and I am not bitter. I simply saw this pop up in "recent posts" and clicked on it due to the intriguing phrasing of the title.
Obviously there have been many people who had this same experience, and so I merely wrote in with our experience. All true.
Maybe Sidwell is great once you get past admissions, but again, I don't see why any school would be less than welcoming and risk alienating good kids and families.

Hopefully you are happy at the school you're in.

Time to move on!

Dear new Sidwell admissions director,
Yes, we are extremely happy. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dear new Sidwell admissions director,
Yes, we are extremely happy. Thank you!

DP. C'mon now, no need to be snarky kids. Perhaps this is what happens when adults spend to much time looking at "Recent Topics" on a snow day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's really interesting to see how schools present themselves through the admissions process. I remarked to a Sidwell parent friend of mine, that it felt difficult to get to the stage when you actually get to see the school (ie after you apply, when you and your child take a tour), and she said she thought it was because people just already knew they wanted their kids to go to Sidwell, I guess based on reputation, experiences of friends, etc.

It's exactly this assumption -- that the school must be great b/c its reputation is so prestigious -- that is the problem with Sidwell. Once your child is admitted and enrolls, you see the school's flaws, but for many parents it's hard to acknowledge them -- after all, the school is so selective, the Obamas go there, etc. The result: too many weaknesses are never addressed. Perhaps with a new HOS this will change -- I hope so, anyway!

[Anonymous]

Ok, so what are the weaknesses?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's really interesting to see how schools present themselves through the admissions process. I remarked to a Sidwell parent friend of mine, that it felt difficult to get to the stage when you actually get to see the school (ie after you apply, when you and your child take a tour), and she said she thought it was because people just already knew they wanted their kids to go to Sidwell, I guess based on reputation, experiences of friends, etc.

It's exactly this assumption -- that the school must be great b/c its reputation is so prestigious -- that is the problem with Sidwell. Once your child is admitted and enrolls, you see the school's flaws, but for many parents it's hard to acknowledge them -- after all, the school is so selective, the Obamas go there, etc. The result: too many weaknesses are never addressed. Perhaps with a new HOS this will change -- I hope so, anyway!

With respect, I completely disagree with this. No school is perfect, but Sidwell is awesome, and I say that with experience of several children in the lower, middle, and upper divisions. I'm not saying that my experience is universal but it certainly is representative at least in my experience, and your implication that your contrary characterization is commonplace seems very foreign to me.

[Anonymous]

There is a quiet and separate admissions process for about 60 families every year

[Anonymous]

PP what do you mean?