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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Nastinest at NCS is not hype. Nor are STD's. But don't limit that stuff to NCS.

[Anonymous]

Keep in mind one disgruntled student probably is not reflective of the true nature of the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Keep in mind one disgruntled student probably is not reflective of the true nature of the school.

I also question whether a high school sophomore, who left NCS for BCC after 9th grade apparently, has much credibility on many of these issues. For example, how much do 9th graders typically understand about the role of the Head of School? How credible is a 15-year-old at judging whether other private schools have "spent most of the last few years resting on their laurels"? How does a 15-year-old assess whether the NCS endowment is "rapidly shrinking"? How many of last year's NCS seniors confided to this 9th grader that they were "devastated" about their college admissions results? I do agree though that she's a better writer than most 15-year-old kids.

By the way, I have absolutely no connection to NCS/B/StA, so no need to accuse me of bias.

[Anonymous]

Those are great questions pp -- perhaps the post wasn't written by a 15-year old afterall.

[Anonymous]

Why do you assume that she is a sophomore? Couldn't she be a junior or senior or perhaps even someone who graduated last year from BCC? Perhaps I missed something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do you assume that she is a sophomore? Couldn't she be a junior or senior or perhaps even someone who graduated last year from BCC? Perhaps I missed something.

End of paragraph 2: "I am one of two sophomores in an AP English course."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Keep in mind one disgruntled student probably is not reflective of the true nature of the school.

I also question whether a high school sophomore, who left NCS for BCC after 9th grade apparently, has much credibility on many of these issues. For example, how much do 9th graders typically understand about the role of the Head of School? How credible is a 15-year-old at judging whether other private schools have "spent most of the last few years resting on their laurels"? How does a 15-year-old assess whether the NCS endowment is "rapidly shrinking"? How many of last year's NCS seniors confided to this 9th grader that they were "devastated" about their college admissions results? I do agree though that she's a better writer than most 15-year-old kids.

Hello. This is NCS/B-CC girl. I am 16. I am a sophomore. Firstly, to those of you who are complimenting my writing- thanks! I love to write and I was lucky enough to have two great teachers at NCS, Mrs. Simchak in 6th grade and Mr. Muller in 9th. If any of your children or acquaintances go to NCS you should fight to get both of them.

I understand that adults are often suspicious of the ability of a teenager to be able to accurately intuit the inner workings of a private high school but I am very astute, I assure you. I was a part of the NCS community since pre-kindergarten, I went to Beauvior and then on to NCS and I got to know the school, and the whole environment, quite well. I am not just a disgruntled former student. I am not trying to smear the school. My time spent at that institution and the many intelligent and amazing friends that I had the fortune to meet are things that I treasure. I am trying to give an accurate depiction of what school at NCS was like for a student who felt like just another cog in the machine. I just figured that parents would be interested in hearing that from a source that is unaffiliated with the school and therefore able to provide an honest opinion. I think what I wrote is very reflective of the school and the problems within it. I am sure that other schools, public and private, have problems as well but I can only speak from experience. If you don't think I'm credible, fine. I'm not trying to force these views down your throat.

I would like to take back some of what I said about Kathleen Jamison. Pansy was a little harsh. She is a sycophant and the unfortunate truth is that kids with cash will get away with things that kids on scholarship, like myself, would never get away with. Also, it is true that sometimes people just get in because they give a lot of money to the school. How much do I understand about the head of school? Probably as much as any parent who is sending their kid to NCS. I understand that she has let go of a plethora of talented teachers and staff and hired lower-paid and under qualified replacements which has led to complaints from parents and students alike. Which is what I was referring to when I said that NCS was resting on their laurels- assuming that the reputation of the school insures that money keeps rolling in without making changes to benefit the students. The fact that the endowment is shrinking is pretty much common knowledge on the Cathedral close. In fact, it is the reason that NCS is well behind schedule on renovating the school building. A fact which was disclosed to parents and students by the administration of the school.

Moving on to the last point I would like to address... The reason I know that seniors were devastated is twofold: firstly, I was a player on varsity soccer and I was a part of the crew team both of which gave me plenty of opportunities to talk with seniors. Secondly, my older sister was a senior last year which pretty much gives me firsthand knowledge on the feelings of the seniors. Also in a community that is as small as NCS's, news travels fast which means that everybody knows how everybody feels about everything.

Lastly, it is a little bit annoying to be condescended to just because I'm 16. Yes. I get it. I'm young. However, I would really appreciate if you didn't throw my views out the window solely on the basis of my age. Just because I'm a kid doesn't mean that my points aren't valid or that I don't have something important to say.

[Anonymous]

I think your views are interesting and I appreciate your candor. However, I do wish your posts would contain less self-identifying information. You are young and you have your entire life ahead of you. As you noted, NCS is a small community, so I'm sure a few moms could get their daughters to determine who you are by reading these posts. I'm not sure if you calculated this in your decision-making process when drafting your posts, but if not, you should.

[Anonymous]

While I appreciate that not everyone has the same experience, as a recent NCS alum (who attended thanks to financial aid), I have to disagree with a lot of the content posted above. I could go through and refute every point based on my own experience, but I think a wiser tactic might be to urge anyone interested in NCS to GO VISIT AND SEE FOR YOURSELF. You don't have to have applied to take a tour with a student tour guide, and there are no admissions people on the tours. I had friends who gave tours almost every day of the week and I am guessing that still happens. Even if you are cynical and think the guides are somehow brainwashed, you will probably get a far different impression of the school that the negativity that is found above.

For what it's worth, I've had a great experience at a small liberal arts college in the midwest that was chosen by me in consultation with my family and my college counselor; it wasn't my first choice (and no, an Ivy wasn't my first choice either) but it was the right choice. I was an A/B student who rowed crew and played in the orchestra. I feel like things I learned at NCS (particularly how to write) have given me an advantage each and every day in college. In the required religion course we studied the five major world religions as well as had substantive discussions about the nature of belief and atheism (if the girl above is a sophomore at BCC she wouldn't have even taken any of the religion courses required for upper school yet). My other religion course was a class on good and evil, more of a moral ethics course.

[Anonymous]

I'm curious -- how did you younger people even find out about this website? And why would you be interested in reading it?

[Anonymous]

How did you find out about this site? Web search? Friend told you? And wouldn't you have been interested in what adults were saying about your school when you were in HS?

[Anonymous]

In a world where knowledge is becoming increasingly accessible and transparent why wouldn't someone of any age read the board? is there any information that is special or proprietary that is off limit to a curious young or old mind? I hope this response satisfies your curiosity? By the way, what makes you think the poster is less than an adult (if that is indeed goal worthy)?

[Anonymous]

I assure you, younger folk and minds are much more savvy than older and adult minds in the information age!

[Anonymous]

Interesting that both NCS girls did crew. NCS HAD the best crew coach for the private schools -- Amy Weatherby, who recently left to coach college crew at BC. She did a great job at NCS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Keep in mind one disgruntled student probably is not reflective of the true nature of the school.

I also question whether a high school sophomore, who left NCS for BCC after 9th grade apparently, has much credibility on many of these issues. For example, how much do 9th graders typically understand about the role of the Head of School? How credible is a 15-year-old at judging whether other private schools have "spent most of the last few years resting on their laurels"? How does a 15-year-old assess whether the NCS endowment is "rapidly shrinking"? How many of last year's NCS seniors confided to this 9th grader that they were "devastated" about their college admissions results? I do agree though that she's a better writer than most 15-year-old kids.

By the way, I have absolutely no connection to NCS/B/StA, so no need to accuse me of bias.

I am not an NCS parent, but IME kids are pretty receptive. I can recall overhearing on 11 year old kids in my car on my carpool days, discussing our school administration's political dynamics and these kids were SPOT ON! Of course, I kept my mouth shut and only spoke up if the venting became personal. I love this school, but no place is perfect and my point is that kids, especially bright 15 year old kids, can figure some of this stuff out. And of course, this is based on her experience. Like another poster stated, I would never let an opinion on this forum keep me from visiting a school I was interested in.