Norwood - 2021 Outplacement

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Speaking as the parent of a child at Norwood, the assumption of some PPs is that every Norwood student should want to attend STA, Sidwell or GDS. That assumption simply doesn't hold true for every Norwood student. Each is a fine school, but none of the three are ones my child wants to go to. His Top 3 currently (and subject to change) are Landon, Bullis and Georgetown Prep.

As a parent of multiple Norwood grads who moved on to Sidwell, let me just say that I agree with this statement 100%. I believe that it holds true for most Norwood families (even those who send their kids to STA/NCS, GDS or Sidwell) and that it is part of what makes Norwood such a great environment and one that we loved. One of the things that is great about Norwood is that it provides a great education for all the kids. It helps prepare students to excel at Sidwell, STA/NCS, GDS if one of them is the right fit, but at the same time there is not a pervasive view or feeling that those schools are the be-all and end-all, or that everyone aspires to go to them. If going to Sidwell or STA for example was seen as a brass ring that everyone was trying to grab, we certainly wouldn't have wanted to be part of that environment as a K-8 school for very long. Even though our kids ended up at Sidwell, we certainly weren't pushing it, it was their choice. One recent year I believe that 5 grads turned down Sidwell and only 1 ended up going, and several chose Maret over Sidwell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Speaking as the parent of a child at Norwood, the assumption of some PPs is that every Norwood student should want to attend STA, Sidwell or GDS. That assumption simply doesn't hold true for every Norwood student. Each is a fine school, but none of the three are ones my child wants to go to. His Top 3 currently (and subject to change) are Landon, Bullis and Georgetown Prep.

As a parent of multiple Norwood grads who moved on to Sidwell, let me just say that I agree with this statement 100%. I believe that it holds true for most Norwood families (even those who send their kids to STA/NCS, GDS or Sidwell) and that it is part of what makes Norwood such a great environment and one that we loved. One of the things that is great about Norwood is that it provides a great education for all the kids. It helps prepare students to excel at Sidwell, STA/NCS, GDS if one of them is the right fit, but at the same time there is not a pervasive view or feeling that those schools are the be-all and end-all, or that everyone aspires to go to them. If going to Sidwell or STA for example was seen as a brass ring that everyone was trying to grab, we certainly wouldn't have wanted to be part of that environment as a K-8 school for very long. Even though our kids ended up at Sidwell, we certainly weren't pushing it, it was their choice. One recent year I believe that 5 grads turned down Sidwell and only 1 ended up going, and several chose Maret over Sidwell.

+1 to both of the above

[Anonymous]

As a Norwood alum, I would say that the middle school academics are on par with schools such as Holton, GDS, etc. Not quite as impressive as STA or Sidwell, but far better than Bullis or Pyle. That being said, the social scene at Norwood leaves graduates unprepared for high school. Norwood is a sort of bubble filled with eccentric/quirky/odd students and teachers. If that's your kid, the social scene is perfect for them, but children who are a little more social would do better at a school surrounded by like minded individuals...unless you send your child to GDS, there will be much social adjustment needed in high school for your child to make friends. At prestigious schools in the area, most students are very studious, but also very social and like to go out with friends. If you send your child to Norwood, maybe send them to a summer camp as well to prepare them for this. In addition, while Norwood is very open-minded about some topics, teachers are overly strict with students and even encourage them to "tell on" one another. This further stunts their social growth as students never learn the values of friendship and loyalty, and further emphasizes the importance of brownie points over genuine connection. Grades and test scores are very important, but learning to make corporate connections are just as important if you want your child to succeed.

[Anonymous]

^ I graduated from Norwood several years ago and ended up attending a boarding school out of state and am now in college. Don't get me wrong, the middle school academics prepared me for high school, but I was totally taken aback by the far more "normal" social scene at my high school. I made friends pretty quickly, but two other Norwood grads ended up attending the same school.....one was expelled her senior year and lost her lacrosse scholarship for a "social incident," and the other didn't have many friends. It was a big adjustment and I really wish Norwood had prepared all of us better.

[Anonymous]

Norwood really emphasizes brownie points and work ethic over intellectual thinking. To some parents, this may sound nice, but remember that this feeds into the narrative that grades and test scores define a person -- what will get them into college, who they are, and what they will be. While grades and test scores are very important for college, extracurriculars are still very relevant in addition to internships/work experience. Especially for jobs after college, internships are very important. I'm at a top college now, but still see the majority of my Norwood peers only focused on grades and "brownie points" as opposed to their careers and passions. Make sure your child understands the importance of following one's career path early, because the most competitive job applicants already have experience in their field, not just a degree from a "brand name" college. Norwood will teach academic conformity, but unless your child aspires to be a professor, remind them that following their career path early far trumps brownie points in the long run. If you send your child to Norwood, make sure they start interning when they are teenagers and help their career passion bloom early, because Norwood only teaches how to please authority figures. "How You Lead Your Life" does matter, but not in the Norwood context. Sucking up to teachers and doing the bare minimum doesn't effect their later lives, growing a passion and following it early does...make sure your child makes an impact in a field that matters to them. Make sure they live a HAPPY and MEANINGFUL life, not just one where they are focused on pleasing the higher ups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm just relieved to see that Whitman is not on that list. Thank you.

There is a BCC. Honestly worried about the parents who sent their kid to Whittle though. Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ I graduated from Norwood several years ago and ended up attending a boarding school out of state and am now in college. Don't get me wrong, the middle school academics prepared me for high school, but I was totally taken aback by the far more "normal" social scene at my high school. I made friends pretty quickly, but two other Norwood grads ended up attending the same school.....one was expelled her senior year and lost her lacrosse scholarship for a "social incident," and the other didn't have many friends. It was a big adjustment and I really wish Norwood had prepared all of us better.

Current college student out of the area just hanging out on a Sunday night on DCUM and somehow, miraculously was online at the same time a Norwood thread was active. Your alma mater. Fascinating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a Norwood alum, I would say that the middle school academics are on par with schools such as Holton, GDS, etc. Not quite as impressive as STA or Sidwell, but far better than Bullis or Pyle. That being said, the social scene at Norwood leaves graduates unprepared for high school. Norwood is a sort of bubble filled with eccentric/quirky/odd students and teachers. If that's your kid, the social scene is perfect for them, but children who are a little more social would do better at a school surrounded by like minded individuals...unless you send your child to GDS, there will be much social adjustment needed in high school for your child to make friends. At prestigious schools in the area, most students are very studious, but also very social and like to go out with friends. If you send your child to Norwood, maybe send them to a summer camp as well to prepare them for this. In addition, while Norwood is very open-minded about some topics, teachers are overly strict with students and even encourage them to "tell on" one another. This further stunts their social growth as students never learn the values of friendship and loyalty, and further emphasizes the importance of brownie points over genuine connection. Grades and test scores are very important, but learning to make corporate connections are just as important if you want your child to succeed.

How would you know about the quality of the middle school academics at so many schools when the only middle school you attended was Norwood?

[Anonymous]

Did I see Whittle in the list? Oh boy! I hope that family has a back up option!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a Norwood alum, I would say that the middle school academics are on par with schools such as Holton, GDS, etc. Not quite as impressive as STA or Sidwell, but far better than Bullis or Pyle. That being said, the social scene at Norwood leaves graduates unprepared for high school. Norwood is a sort of bubble filled with eccentric/quirky/odd students and teachers. If that's your kid, the social scene is perfect for them, but children who are a little more social would do better at a school surrounded by like minded individuals...unless you send your child to GDS, there will be much social adjustment needed in high school for your child to make friends. At prestigious schools in the area, most students are very studious, but also very social and like to go out with friends. If you send your child to Norwood, maybe send them to a summer camp as well to prepare them for this. In addition, while Norwood is very open-minded about some topics, teachers are overly strict with students and even encourage them to "tell on" one another. This further stunts their social growth as students never learn the values of friendship and loyalty, and further emphasizes the importance of brownie points over genuine connection. Grades and test scores are very important, but learning to make corporate connections are just as important if you want your child to succeed.

How would you know about the quality of the middle school academics at so many schools when the only middle school you attended was Norwood?

Many of my friends/relatives from outside of Norwood attended other middle schools in the area. In addition, the rankings are pretty telling and support the general conception of rankings in the DMV, which I mentioned above. But just anecdotally, my friends at STA/NCS had hours of rigorous homework and projects starting in seventh grade, while friends at Bullis and etc had little work and what they did have was elementary level busy work. Norwood was pretty middle of the pack in this regard. We had one big research paper and a rigorous chemistry class, which really helped prepare us for high school and was far above the norm, but most classes are like that at schools such as STA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a Norwood alum, I would say that the middle school academics are on par with schools such as Holton, GDS, etc. Not quite as impressive as STA or Sidwell, but far better than Bullis or Pyle. That being said, the social scene at Norwood leaves graduates unprepared for high school. Norwood is a sort of bubble filled with eccentric/quirky/odd students and teachers. If that's your kid, the social scene is perfect for them, but children who are a little more social would do better at a school surrounded by like minded individuals...unless you send your child to GDS, there will be much social adjustment needed in high school for your child to make friends. At prestigious schools in the area, most students are very studious, but also very social and like to go out with friends. If you send your child to Norwood, maybe send them to a summer camp as well to prepare them for this. In addition, while Norwood is very open-minded about some topics, teachers are overly strict with students and even encourage them to "tell on" one another. This further stunts their social growth as students never learn the values of friendship and loyalty, and further emphasizes the importance of brownie points over genuine connection. Grades and test scores are very important, but learning to make corporate connections are just as important if you want your child to succeed.

How would you know about the quality of the middle school academics at so many schools when the only middle school you attended was Norwood?

Many of my friends/relatives from outside of Norwood attended other middle schools in the area. In addition, the rankings are pretty telling and support the general conception of rankings in the DMV, which I mentioned above. But just anecdotally, my friends at STA/NCS had hours of rigorous homework and projects starting in seventh grade, while friends at Bullis and etc had little work and what they did have was elementary level busy work. Norwood was pretty middle of the pack in this regard. We had one big research paper and a rigorous chemistry class, which really helped prepare us for high school and was far above the norm, but most classes are like that at schools such as STA.

What rankings exactly?

[Anonymous]

It seems early for these results to be known. Admissions decisions don't typically come out until February/March, correct?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems early for these results to be known. Admissions decisions don't typically come out until February/March, correct?

This is an old thread from last year that someone decided to resurrect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Potomac
Stone Ridge
Chatham Hall
GDS
BCC
Bullis
Georgetown Prep
WIS
Sidwell
Burke
Lab
Landon
Churchill
Holton
NCS
Whittle
Woodbury
Maret
SAES
Field

Churchill? Lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Potomac
Stone Ridge
Chatham Hall
GDS
BCC
Bullis
Georgetown Prep
WIS
Sidwell
Burke
Lab
Landon
Churchill
Holton
NCS
Whittle
Woodbury
Maret
SAES
Field

Churchill? Lol.

There is no outplacement for BCC and Churchill. Anyone can go.