Sidwell College Admissions This Year

[Anonymous]

Our counselor told us "we don't know what to expect given Covid, deferrals etc.", but to have plenty of safeties. I don't think they were being disingenuous. I think they really didn't know this year but suspect they will be more blunt next year.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:College admissions have been unpredictable and sometimes shocking. But Sidwell students have been well prepared to succeed wherever they go. College isn't the end goal. It's just another step. They will all be fine.

This may all be true, but it’s also a distraction in the context of this discussion. This is the kind of nonsense that Mamadou and the school trots out, consistent with its arrogant and dismissive tone towards parents. It is a very convenient way to deflect any scrutiny of the school.

“Shocking” results are not OK just because the kids are well prepared. Saying that they will all be fine in this context suggests that college placement doesn’t matter.

Why is it Sidwell's fault that COVID prompted colleges to go test optional causing a steep decline in acceptance rates everywhere? All they can do is advise families of the landscape, which they did. The kids who were realistic about their options and chose a variety of schools that would make them happy, did fine. I have yet to hear about a senior who had no options.

IMO they did not advise families of the landscape or actually counsel families. “They will all be fine” is their crutch for not doing any meaningful, real advising or advocacy.

They absolutely did. Lauren was very clear from the beginning of junior year how COVID was changing things, how the then current class (2021) had to adjust and how it was very important not to focus on the reach+ schools but rather the targets and safeties. Sorry you didn't get the message. It was pretty clear at the time.

Sure, but this puts the burden onto the students entirely, rather than to say how the school will maximize opportunities in this situation.

The burden is on the students. That is who is getting to these places. A high school can't change that. A high school can make a kid into an athletic recruit? A development case? A published author or researcher? A musical virtuoso? Look at who these elite college admit? Great stats from a great high school is not enough.

The great high school education is to prepare the student to excel at the ultimate college destination. It cannot engineer that destination.

DP. I believe what pp was saying is that the school should provide real and meaningful individual counseling advice to students, and the school shouldn’t act as if it has no obligation to help engineer the best outcomes—which a school can still do. Partly by providing good advice, and partly through its advocacy for each student. Sidwell’s CCO appears not to believe it has a responsibility to play such a role. And if it does try, it clearly does not do a very good job at it.

This is what the pps were getting at with the “turbocharged” comments (also not mine). A good CCO can still do much more than just provide information and push paper to make sure deadlines are met. Sidwell’s CCO is not good.

The CCO's CANNOT call colleges and advocate for kids. The colleges can and do call the CCOs to ask about applicants.

The CCO CAN advise kids about realistic lists. They cannot fill out the forms, produce videos or write the essays.

they CAN put your applicant in the best light possible with their official school letter of recommendation.

I am not sure what else you think the CCO is supposed to do.

Whats the CCO supposed to do?

See Dalton School (NY) outcomes (scroll to bottom of page): https://www.dalton.org/programs/high-school/college-counseling

Approximately 40 percent into HYPS + MIT. 40 percent!

It gets to 60 percent when you add top LACs and other major schools like Duke, NorthWestern and JHU..

That's what a CCO is supposed to do.

Note: SAT/ACT scores are identical for both schools.

Lol you’re comparing children of $$$$$$ hedge fund/PE executives to children of professors, think tank workers, lawyers etc (Sidwell).

And celebrities. I think Jerry Seinfeld has all three kids at Duke. $$$ and fame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College admissions have been unpredictable and sometimes shocking. But Sidwell students have been well prepared to succeed wherever they go. College isn't the end goal. It's just another step. They will all be fine.

This may all be true, but it’s also a distraction in the context of this discussion. This is the kind of nonsense that Mamadou and the school trots out, consistent with its arrogant and dismissive tone towards parents. It is a very convenient way to deflect any scrutiny of the school.

“Shocking” results are not OK just because the kids are well prepared. Saying that they will all be fine in this context suggests that college placement doesn’t matter.

Why is it Sidwell's fault that COVID prompted colleges to go test optional causing a steep decline in acceptance rates everywhere? All they can do is advise families of the landscape, which they did. The kids who were realistic about their options and chose a variety of schools that would make them happy, did fine. I have yet to hear about a senior who had no options.

NYC schools are in a separate category. So much more wealth. For every big donor in a DC private, there are at least 10 at an NYC private with much deeper pockets. . College

IMO they did not advise families of the landscape or actually counsel families. “They will all be fine” is their crutch for not doing any meaningful, real advising or advocacy.

They absolutely did. Lauren was very clear from the beginning of junior year how COVID was changing things, how the then current class (2021) had to adjust and how it was very important not to focus on the reach+ schools but rather the targets and safeties. Sorry you didn't get the message. It was pretty clear at the time.

Sure, but this puts the burden onto the students entirely, rather than to say how the school will maximize opportunities in this situation.

The burden is on the students. That is who is getting to these places. A high school can't change that. A high school can make a kid into an athletic recruit? A development case? A published author or researcher? A musical virtuoso? Look at who these elite college admit? Great stats from a great high school is not enough.

The great high school education is to prepare the student to excel at the ultimate college destination. It cannot engineer that destination.

DP. I believe what pp was saying is that the school should provide real and meaningful individual counseling advice to students, and the school shouldn’t act as if it has no obligation to help engineer the best outcomes—which a school can still do. Partly by providing good advice, and partly through its advocacy for each student. Sidwell’s CCO appears not to believe it has a responsibility to play such a role. And if it does try, it clearly does not do a very good job at it.

This is what the pps were getting at with the “turbocharged” comments (also not mine). A good CCO can still do much more than just provide information and push paper to make sure deadlines are met. Sidwell’s CCO is not good.

The CCO's CANNOT call colleges and advocate for kids. The colleges can and do call the CCOs to ask about applicants.

The CCO CAN advise kids about realistic lists. They cannot fill out the forms, produce videos or write the essays.

they CAN put your applicant in the best light possible with their official school letter of recommendation.

I am not sure what else you think the CCO is supposed to do.

Whats the CCO supposed to do?

See Dalton School (NY) outcomes (scroll to bottom of page): https://www.dalton.org/programs/high-school/college-counseling

Approximately 40 percent into HYPS + MIT. 40 percent!

It gets to 60 percent when you add top LACs and other major schools like Duke, NorthWestern and JHU..

That's what a CCO is supposed to do.

Note: SAT/ACT scores are identical for both schools.

Sidwell cannot compete with the NYC private schools. Those families are in a different world when it comes to wealth and connections. For every DC private family that is a big donor, there are at least 10 in NYC, with much deeper pockets. Colleges know this. Regardless, my friend with a kid at an NYC private said their results were disappointing. Don't be fooled by looking at the matriculation lists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your logic is that is the identical students had attended Dalton instead of sidwell, the college list would be identical. That is not sound logic.

Who said anything about "identical" outcomes? Sidwell is way off compared to this School. The Dalton outcomes also suggest that not all elite schools have taken a hit in recent years (as some were claiming upthread).

You need to actually look at that link the poster gave. It is aggregate data from 2017. Nothing from this year and nothing about any differences observable between 2017 and 2022.

[Anonymous]

Just checked that list. it's a 2017-2021 compilation and can be very deceiving.

[Anonymous]

I think the Sidwell CCO actually does a very good job. The brutal reality is they have the absolutely daunting task of telling the PARENTS of the bottom 85 percent of the class that there is no way in hell their kid is getting into the Ivy League. I believe they deliver that message but parents don’t “hear” it. Sadly, I think parents don’t accept the reality that their kid just isn’t a top student in a Sidwell context no matter how otherwise fabulous the kid might be. I am with you when it comes to undistinguished legacies who defy this reality. My observation is that top students with the most rigorous coursework (top 10 percent of class — top 13 students) got into top schools. This year. The next 40 percent got into top 50 schools. Sound and fury signifying nothing. Every single kid in the grade has a bright future. Sidwell parent of senior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the Sidwell CCO actually does a very good job. The brutal reality is they have the absolutely daunting task of telling the PARENTS of the bottom 85 percent of the class that there is no way in hell their kid is getting into the Ivy League. I believe they deliver that message but parents don’t “hear” it. Sadly, I think parents don’t accept the reality that their kid just isn’t a top student in a Sidwell context no matter how otherwise fabulous the kid might be. I am with you when it comes to undistinguished legacies who defy this reality. My observation is that top students with the most rigorous coursework (top 10 percent of class — top 13 students) got into top schools. This year. The next 40 percent got into top 50 schools. Sound and fury signifying nothing. Every single kid in the grade has a bright future. Sidwell parent of senior.

Fairfax school board should get to work on Sidwell next and hire a consultant and cook up some plan to diversify the school or suggest a lottery system for which colleges/universities kids may apply to and then bar all Asian students from applying to more than 1 college. That ought to put some sense into these bored and whining housewives from hell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College admissions have been unpredictable and sometimes shocking. But Sidwell students have been well prepared to succeed wherever they go. College isn't the end goal. It's just another step. They will all be fine.

This may all be true, but it’s also a distraction in the context of this discussion. This is the kind of nonsense that Mamadou and the school trots out, consistent with its arrogant and dismissive tone towards parents. It is a very convenient way to deflect any scrutiny of the school.

“Shocking” results are not OK just because the kids are well prepared. Saying that they will all be fine in this context suggests that college placement doesn’t matter.

Why is it Sidwell's fault that COVID prompted colleges to go test optional causing a steep decline in acceptance rates everywhere? All they can do is advise families of the landscape, which they did. The kids who were realistic about their options and chose a variety of schools that would make them happy, did fine. I have yet to hear about a senior who had no options.

IMO they did not advise families of the landscape or actually counsel families. “They will all be fine” is their crutch for not doing any meaningful, real advising or advocacy.

They absolutely did. Lauren was very clear from the beginning of junior year how COVID was changing things, how the then current class (2021) had to adjust and how it was very important not to focus on the reach+ schools but rather the targets and safeties. Sorry you didn't get the message. It was pretty clear at the time.

Sure, but this puts the burden onto the students entirely, rather than to say how the school will maximize opportunities in this situation.

The burden is on the students. That is who is getting to these places. A high school can't change that. A high school can make a kid into an athletic recruit? A development case? A published author or researcher? A musical virtuoso? Look at who these elite college admit? Great stats from a great high school is not enough.

The great high school education is to prepare the student to excel at the ultimate college destination. It cannot engineer that destination.

DP. I believe what pp was saying is that the school should provide real and meaningful individual counseling advice to students, and the school shouldn’t act as if it has no obligation to help engineer the best outcomes—which a school can still do. Partly by providing good advice, and partly through its advocacy for each student. Sidwell’s CCO appears not to believe it has a responsibility to play such a role. And if it does try, it clearly does not do a very good job at it.

This is what the pps were getting at with the “turbocharged” comments (also not mine). A good CCO can still do much more than just provide information and push paper to make sure deadlines are met. Sidwell’s CCO is not good.

The CCO's CANNOT call colleges and advocate for kids. The colleges can and do call the CCOs to ask about applicants.

The CCO CAN advise kids about realistic lists. They cannot fill out the forms, produce videos or write the essays.

they CAN put your applicant in the best light possible with their official school letter of recommendation.

I am not sure what else you think the CCO is supposed to do.

Whats the CCO supposed to do?

See Dalton School (NY) outcomes (scroll to bottom of page): https://www.dalton.org/programs/high-school/college-counseling

Approximately 40 percent into HYPS + MIT. 40 percent!

It gets to 60 percent when you add top LACs and other major schools like Duke, NorthWestern and JHU..

That's what a CCO is supposed to do.

Note: SAT/ACT scores are identical for both schools.

This is data from2017-2021 5 year period. C’mon, you are a more careful reader than that, right???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the Sidwell CCO actually does a very good job. The brutal reality is they have the absolutely daunting task of telling the PARENTS of the bottom 85 percent of the class that there is no way in hell their kid is getting into the Ivy League. I believe they deliver that message but parents don’t “hear” it. Sadly, I think parents don’t accept the reality that their kid just isn’t a top student in a Sidwell context no matter how otherwise fabulous the kid might be. I am with you when it comes to undistinguished legacies who defy this reality. My observation is that top students with the most rigorous coursework (top 10 percent of class — top 13 students) got into top schools. This year. The next 40 percent got into top 50 schools. Sound and fury signifying nothing. Every single kid in the grade has a bright future. Sidwell parent of senior.

What's the GPA of top 10% at Sidwell?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the Sidwell CCO actually does a very good job. The brutal reality is they have the absolutely daunting task of telling the PARENTS of the bottom 85 percent of the class that there is no way in hell their kid is getting into the Ivy League. I believe they deliver that message but parents don’t “hear” it. Sadly, I think parents don’t accept the reality that their kid just isn’t a top student in a Sidwell context no matter how otherwise fabulous the kid might be. I am with you when it comes to undistinguished legacies who defy this reality. My observation is that top students with the most rigorous coursework (top 10 percent of class — top 13 students) got into top schools. This year. The next 40 percent got into top 50 schools. Sound and fury signifying nothing. Every single kid in the grade has a bright future. Sidwell parent of senior.

Sidwell's top 10% aren't getting into super selective colleges without a hook, just like any school in this area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the Sidwell CCO actually does a very good job. The brutal reality is they have the absolutely daunting task of telling the PARENTS of the bottom 85 percent of the class that there is no way in hell their kid is getting into the Ivy League. I believe they deliver that message but parents don’t “hear” it. Sadly, I think parents don’t accept the reality that their kid just isn’t a top student in a Sidwell context no matter how otherwise fabulous the kid might be. I am with you when it comes to undistinguished legacies who defy this reality. My observation is that top students with the most rigorous coursework (top 10 percent of class — top 13 students) got into top schools. This year. The next 40 percent got into top 50 schools. Sound and fury signifying nothing. Every single kid in the grade has a bright future. Sidwell parent of senior.

You are just moving the goalposts and defining expectations down. Many more students than the top 13 should reasonably expect to be competitive at Ivies/Stanford/MIT and top SLACs and have a real chance of enrolling at them.

The Dalton list that people have been pointing to shows that this is a reasonable expectation. Even as a 5 year list, look at the averages per year:

Amherst 1/year
Bowdoin 1-2/year
Brown 6/year
Columbia 4/year
Cornell 7-8/year
Dartmouth 2-3/year
Duke 2/year
Harvard 7/year
MIT 1/year
Princeton 3/year
Stanford 1/2 year
Penn 4/year
Williams 1-2/year
Yale 4-5/year

Just looking at the Ivies, that averages out to more than 35 students per year. Their senior class is about the same size as Sidwell if not a bit smaller.

[Anonymous]

Dude you need a life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the Sidwell CCO actually does a very good job. The brutal reality is they have the absolutely daunting task of telling the PARENTS of the bottom 85 percent of the class that there is no way in hell their kid is getting into the Ivy League. I believe they deliver that message but parents don’t “hear” it. Sadly, I think parents don’t accept the reality that their kid just isn’t a top student in a Sidwell context no matter how otherwise fabulous the kid might be. I am with you when it comes to undistinguished legacies who defy this reality. My observation is that top students with the most rigorous coursework (top 10 percent of class — top 13 students) got into top schools. This year. The next 40 percent got into top 50 schools. Sound and fury signifying nothing. Every single kid in the grade has a bright future. Sidwell parent of senior.

You are just moving the goalposts and defining expectations down. Many more students than the top 13 should reasonably expect to be competitive at Ivies/Stanford/MIT and top SLACs and have a real chance of enrolling at them.

The Dalton list that people have been pointing to shows that this is a reasonable expectation. Even as a 5 year list, look at the averages per year:

Amherst 1/year
Bowdoin 1-2/year
Brown 6/year
Columbia 4/year
Cornell 7-8/year
Dartmouth 2-3/year
Duke 2/year
Harvard 7/year
MIT 1/year
Princeton 3/year
Stanford 1/2 year
Penn 4/year
Williams 1-2/year
Yale 4-5/year

Just looking at the Ivies, that averages out to more than 35 students per year. Their senior class is about the same size as Sidwell if not a bit smaller.

Call size average: 110 per year. So smaller than Sidwell, yes.

Indeed, many more than 13 should expect to get in to top schools from Sidwell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dude you need a life.

??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the Sidwell CCO actually does a very good job. The brutal reality is they have the absolutely daunting task of telling the PARENTS of the bottom 85 percent of the class that there is no way in hell their kid is getting into the Ivy League. I believe they deliver that message but parents don’t “hear” it. Sadly, I think parents don’t accept the reality that their kid just isn’t a top student in a Sidwell context no matter how otherwise fabulous the kid might be. I am with you when it comes to undistinguished legacies who defy this reality. My observation is that top students with the most rigorous coursework (top 10 percent of class — top 13 students) got into top schools. This year. The next 40 percent got into top 50 schools. Sound and fury signifying nothing. Every single kid in the grade has a bright future. Sidwell parent of senior.

You are just moving the goalposts and defining expectations down. Many more students than the top 13 should reasonably expect to be competitive at Ivies/Stanford/MIT and top SLACs and have a real chance of enrolling at them.

The Dalton list that people have been pointing to shows that this is a reasonable expectation. Even as a 5 year list, look at the averages per year:

Amherst 1/year
Bowdoin 1-2/year
Brown 6/year
Columbia 4/year
Cornell 7-8/year
Dartmouth 2-3/year
Duke 2/year
Harvard 7/year
MIT 1/year
Princeton 3/year
Stanford 1/2 year
Penn 4/year
Williams 1-2/year
Yale 4-5/year

Just looking at the Ivies, that averages out to more than 35 students per year. Their senior class is about the same size as Sidwell if not a bit smaller.

I don't think that is how it works. Some if those ivy kids are probably headed to those school regardless if they go to Dalton or sidwell or get homeschooled in a basement.