Georgetown Day School, Sidwell Friends, or St. Alban's?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. The reactions here just underscore that people seem to think admission to these schools is IMPOSSIBLE when the reality is, it’s only impossible if you’re not prestigious/smart/wealthy. If you are any of those things, I’d say it’s just luck of the draw.

Also, all these schools will admit a couple of students late in the game if it’s because they are new to the area. The OP said she went to Exeter and they’re moving to DC this summer. This kid sounds like exactly the type of person they make space for.

If you could read, you would notice that no one questioned that she got her ds into the school. What no one believes is why they gave her an extension so that she doesn't have to sign a contract until August.

She got a junior into St. Albans. Sure, I believe it. She got a junior in to St. Albans and they said, "Take your time deciding. Get back to us by August. We'll hold a space open for him." No, I don't believe that.

I absolutely believe it because it was the case with someone we knew.

It could be as simple as her kid having rockstar Scores. Junior year schools care about ONE thing and one thing only: college placement. If you bring a kid who’s going to help the test score stats and place well, that’s an obvious add. No need for connections or vip status. I bet her son has fantastic scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Farmer wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, congrats on your upcoming move. The PPs are correct in telling you to cast a much, much wider net. It is a freak occurrence for one of these schools to have an opening in 11th grade. Not saying miracles don’t happen, but cover yourself. Also, the admission teams will be very honest with you if you get in touch with them. Best of luck.

Thank you for the reply.
We have been in touch with the admissions teams, and they all said that his grades and scores are on the higher end of the range for admitted students. They said that they have a few openings, but competition is much higher than for regular admission.
He has also applied to several schools in the area, and has been admitted to each one we've heard back from.

I’m confused. When is he starting? He applied already or not? Very confusing.

I apologize profusely for the confusion. He has applied to a few schools in the area for admission for this fall. We have been accepted into a few schools including SAS, but they do not require a firm answer for about a month. Georgetown Day and Sidwell confirmed they have a few spots open for junior year and we have applied. We have not received a formal letter of admission from GDS or SFS.
I should have been more clear.

They don’t require a firm answer for a month? June 1st is when they require a firm answer or you are on the hook for tuition. Is this post fake?

Of course it's fake.

If not, they've outed themselves to every admissions person reading this chain. Which is all of them, i assume.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. The reactions here just underscore that people seem to think admission to these schools is IMPOSSIBLE when the reality is, it’s only impossible if you’re not prestigious/smart/wealthy. If you are any of those things, I’d say it’s just luck of the draw.

Also, all these schools will admit a couple of students late in the game if it’s because they are new to the area. The OP said she went to Exeter and they’re moving to DC this summer. This kid sounds like exactly the type of person they make space for.

If you could read, you would notice that no one questioned that she got her ds into the school. What no one believes is why they gave her an extension so that she doesn't have to sign a contract until August.

She got a junior into St. Albans. Sure, I believe it. She got a junior in to St. Albans and they said, "Take your time deciding. Get back to us by August. We'll hold a space open for him." No, I don't believe that.

I absolutely believe it because it was the case with someone we knew.

It could be as simple as her kid having rockstar Scores. Junior year schools care about ONE thing and one thing only: college placement. If you bring a kid who’s going to help the test score stats and place well, that’s an obvious add. No need for connections or vip status. I bet her son has fantastic scores.

what "scores" would we be talking about for a rising 11th grader?
SAT?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. The reactions here just underscore that people seem to think admission to these schools is IMPOSSIBLE when the reality is, it’s only impossible if you’re not prestigious/smart/wealthy. If you are any of those things, I’d say it’s just luck of the draw.

Also, all these schools will admit a couple of students late in the game if it’s because they are new to the area. The OP said she went to Exeter and they’re moving to DC this summer. This kid sounds like exactly the type of person they make space for.

If you could read, you would notice that no one questioned that she got her ds into the school. What no one believes is why they gave her an extension so that she doesn't have to sign a contract until August.

She got a junior into St. Albans. Sure, I believe it. She got a junior in to St. Albans and they said, "Take your time deciding. Get back to us by August. We'll hold a space open for him." No, I don't believe that.

I absolutely believe it because it was the case with someone we knew.

It could be as simple as her kid having rockstar Scores. Junior year schools care about ONE thing and one thing only: college placement. If you bring a kid who’s going to help the test score stats and place well, that’s an obvious add. No need for connections or vip status. I bet her son has fantastic scores.

what "scores" would we be talking about for a rising 11th grader?
SAT?

Grades, psat (could be national merit), possibly sat, possibly ap tests depending on prior school, etc

[Farmer]

Anonymous wrote:OP, welcome to DC and sorry about the tone here. The problem is the schools you mention are very competitive and some people are probably surprised and/or jealous. They are getting hung up on that and can’t seem to understand that you are relocating and didn’t apply during the normal cycle. Just ignore it and I promise that life will be better in person.

Now, on to your question. As others have noted, each of the schools has an entirely different culture. Is it more traditional? Is it more progressive? What is your son’s current school like? What does he enjoy doing? Interests? Can your son visit them? I know it’s hard to get a sense during the summer, but it might also be useful to get a sense of the physical spaces.

Best of luck to you.

So I think I have gotten a good sense of how STA differs from the other two. How do SF and GDS differ from one another?

[Farmer]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, welcome to DC and sorry about the tone here. The problem is the schools you mention are very competitive and some people are probably surprised and/or jealous. They are getting hung up on that and can’t seem to understand that you are relocating and didn’t apply during the normal cycle. Just ignore it and I promise that life will be better in person.

Now, on to your question. As others have noted, each of the schools has an entirely different culture. Is it more traditional? Is it more progressive? What is your son’s current school like? What does he enjoy doing? Interests? Can your son visit them? I know it’s hard to get a sense during the summer, but it might also be useful to get a sense of the physical spaces.

Best of luck to you.

This might be the only useful answer for you, OP. Does your son thrive in a traditional or progressive pedagogy? As others note, STA is very sporty, so if that is a concern, then between Sidwell and GDS, the learning style is an important distinguishing point. My child is at GDS HS, and I think it is a welcoming environment. I'm sure the same is true at Sidwell.

I think he would prefer a progressive pedagogy. How do SFS and GDS differ from one another?

[Anonymous]

Farmer wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, welcome to DC and sorry about the tone here. The problem is the schools you mention are very competitive and some people are probably surprised and/or jealous. They are getting hung up on that and can’t seem to understand that you are relocating and didn’t apply during the normal cycle. Just ignore it and I promise that life will be better in person.

Now, on to your question. As others have noted, each of the schools has an entirely different culture. Is it more traditional? Is it more progressive? What is your son’s current school like? What does he enjoy doing? Interests? Can your son visit them? I know it’s hard to get a sense during the summer, but it might also be useful to get a sense of the physical spaces.

Best of luck to you.

This might be the only useful answer for you, OP. Does your son thrive in a traditional or progressive pedagogy? As others note, STA is very sporty, so if that is a concern, then between Sidwell and GDS, the learning style is an important distinguishing point. My child is at GDS HS, and I think it is a welcoming environment. I'm sure the same is true at Sidwell.

I think he would prefer a progressive pedagogy. How do SFS and GDS differ from one another?

Sidwell has a reputation for being a pressure cooker. It is indeed Quaker, but some people put that in quotation marks. It is famous because several children of presidents attended. The most recent frenzy was when the Obama girls attended but it's lost some of the bloom since then. It's very competitive and the problem with that is that the most of the class wants or expects to go to a handful of top universities, but only the top 20 percent or so do. In some ways it can be a disadvantage as it's not great to be in the middle of the pack at Sidwell because a lot of people enter thinking it's their kids' meal ticket to Harvard or Yale, whereas Michigan or Bates is probably a lot more likely.

I would also suggest that you look beyond the Big 3 because there is truly no perfect school, so you should try to look for the perfect fit. You will need to think of the social aspect as well for your son's final too years. DC-based progressive schools: GDS, Maret, Burke, Field

[Anonymous]

Immediate pp here, i just re-read and think GDS could indeed be a good fit based on your description. St. Alban's might be if he finds his niche among the academic crowd rather than the sports/toxic masculinity crowd. I think there's an outplacement advantage for a top student from St. Alban's over the other two to be honest. St. Alban's has fewer students, for one. Sidwell is probably the worst because almost the entire graduating class wants to attend the same three or four schools.

All schools will have international students. Another possible school is Washington International School if your son is proficient in Spanish or French.

[Anonymous]

In terms of pedagogy, as opposed to politics, Burke and Field are generally regarded as more progressive, with Burke being the more traditional of the two. There are a bunch of threads about both.

Burke and Field also have progressive politics, but so does GDS, and so does Sidwell (arguably). Maybe Maret too.

[Anonymous]

Another outlier that you might want to consider is St. Anselm's Abbey. It's a Catholic school and is know as a place for smart quirky boys. I've known a few people who have raved about the impact it had on their sons. St. Anselm's ranked second in the U.S. (though some challenge the methodology because not all privates). It's an academically challenging environment without the pressure cooker feel. It's definitely not progressive like GDS but it's a fascinating school.

Ranking
https://www.educationnext.org/challenge-index-2020/#private

[Anonymous]

Another option if he's strong in Spanish or French is Washington International School. More traditional, but would meet your international criterion. Lots if IMF/World Bank kids there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In terms of pedagogy, as opposed to politics, Burke and Field are generally regarded as more progressive, with Burke being the more traditional of the two. There are a bunch of threads about both.

Burke and Field also have progressive politics, but so does GDS, and so does Sidwell (arguably). Maybe Maret too.

Sidwell has a pretty traditional pedagogy. It is progressive politically, and not arguably so. It's very politically liberal and left, though not quite as far as gds. GDS has a more self-directed, progressive pedagogy.

If your kid doesn't want traditional pedagogy, gds, Burke, field are where you should look. Not so much sidwell and sta.

Given where you applied, though, it seems prestige led the way. Your still would likely do fine anywhere for two years, if you're sticking with the prestige list of sta, sfs, and gds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In terms of pedagogy, as opposed to politics, Burke and Field are generally regarded as more progressive, with Burke being the more traditional of the two. There are a bunch of threads about both.

Burke and Field also have progressive politics, but so does GDS, and so does Sidwell (arguably). Maybe Maret too.

Sidwell has a pretty traditional pedagogy. It is progressive politically, and not arguably so. It's very politically liberal and left, though not quite as far as gds. GDS has a more self-directed, progressive pedagogy.

If your kid doesn't want traditional pedagogy, gds, Burke, field are where you should look. Not so much sidwell and sta.

Given where you applied, though, it seems prestige led the way. Your still would likely do fine anywhere for two years, if you're sticking with the prestige list of sta, sfs, and gds.

+1, the very traditional schools on the list (STA, SFS) make no sense if OP is looking for "Openness to new ways of teaching."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Farmer wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, welcome to DC and sorry about the tone here. The problem is the schools you mention are very competitive and some people are probably surprised and/or jealous. They are getting hung up on that and can’t seem to understand that you are relocating and didn’t apply during the normal cycle. Just ignore it and I promise that life will be better in person.

Now, on to your question. As others have noted, each of the schools has an entirely different culture. Is it more traditional? Is it more progressive? What is your son’s current school like? What does he enjoy doing? Interests? Can your son visit them? I know it’s hard to get a sense during the summer, but it might also be useful to get a sense of the physical spaces.

Best of luck to you.

This might be the only useful answer for you, OP. Does your son thrive in a traditional or progressive pedagogy? As others note, STA is very sporty, so if that is a concern, then between Sidwell and GDS, the learning style is an important distinguishing point. My child is at GDS HS, and I think it is a welcoming environment. I'm sure the same is true at Sidwell.

I think he would prefer a progressive pedagogy. How do SFS and GDS differ from one another?

Sidwell has a reputation for being a pressure cooker. It is indeed Quaker, but some people put that in quotation marks. It is famous because several children of presidents attended. The most recent frenzy was when the Obama girls attended but it's lost some of the bloom since then. It's very competitive and the problem with that is that the most of the class wants or expects to go to a handful of top universities, but only the top 20 percent or so do. In some ways it can be a disadvantage as it's not great to be in the middle of the pack at Sidwell because a lot of people enter thinking it's their kids' meal ticket to Harvard or Yale, whereas Michigan or Bates is probably a lot more likely.

I would also suggest that you look beyond the Big 3 because there is truly no perfect school, so you should try to look for the perfect fit. You will need to think of the social aspect as well for your son's final too years. DC-based progressive schools: GDS, Maret, Burke, Field

What on earth is progressive about Maret? Certainly not the curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Farmer wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, welcome to DC and sorry about the tone here. The problem is the schools you mention are very competitive and some people are probably surprised and/or jealous. They are getting hung up on that and can’t seem to understand that you are relocating and didn’t apply during the normal cycle. Just ignore it and I promise that life will be better in person.

Now, on to your question. As others have noted, each of the schools has an entirely different culture. Is it more traditional? Is it more progressive? What is your son’s current school like? What does he enjoy doing? Interests? Can your son visit them? I know it’s hard to get a sense during the summer, but it might also be useful to get a sense of the physical spaces.

Best of luck to you.

This might be the only useful answer for you, OP. Does your son thrive in a traditional or progressive pedagogy? As others note, STA is very sporty, so if that is a concern, then between Sidwell and GDS, the learning style is an important distinguishing point. My child is at GDS HS, and I think it is a welcoming environment. I'm sure the same is true at Sidwell.

I think he would prefer a progressive pedagogy. How do SFS and GDS differ from one another?

Sidwell has a reputation for being a pressure cooker. It is indeed Quaker, but some people put that in quotation marks. It is famous because several children of presidents attended. The most recent frenzy was when the Obama girls attended but it's lost some of the bloom since then. It's very competitive and the problem with that is that the most of the class wants or expects to go to a handful of top universities, but only the top 20 percent or so do. In some ways it can be a disadvantage as it's not great to be in the middle of the pack at Sidwell because a lot of people enter thinking it's their kids' meal ticket to Harvard or Yale, whereas Michigan or Bates is probably a lot more likely.

I would also suggest that you look beyond the Big 3 because there is truly no perfect school, so you should try to look for the perfect fit. You will need to think of the social aspect as well for your son's final too years. DC-based progressive schools: GDS, Maret, Burke, Field

What on earth is progressive about Maret? Certainly not the curriculum.

And definitely not the decor. That place needs an extreme makeover!