I should have kept my kid at Wilson; college admits are much better than the Big3

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here.

the point of my post was

1)My high school kid who left DCPS is now doing about 5 times the work in private. It's been a giant step up and a challenge. It's honestly surprised me how big the jump has been. We left DCPS for the challenge because my kid was excelling without every studying and we got it.
This is a good thing.

2)DCPS grading and expectations during the pandemic were even more of a complete joke than usual. My kids got close to (or above) 100% in each class. This current grade (2022) is applying to college with these joke grades. They were based on nothing.

A lot of the experience with Wilson being discussed here is pre-Covid. Post-Covid, the disparities between public and private have become much more pronounced.

[Anonymous]

Wilson parent here. My student works hard for good grades. Whether my student works as hard as big 3 students, obviously I have no idea. But to say courses are ridiculously easy, that there’s little to no homework...that’s just not accurate. There’s homework for every subject — including PE, where evidently it’s possible to get a grade of C. If you don’t work productively in art, you are getting a very low grade (ask me how I know).

My student reads actual novels and plays for a literature elective, but also spirituals, and social criticism. Last year in medieval history, my student didn’t read history books, but excerpts from texts, some of which were primary sources and ridiculously complex.

I think Wilson curriculum is for better or worse (I say worse) shaped by the College Board. So I would guess, overall, there’s less emphasis on writing long papers. Also, my student happens to be interested in science. There’s quite a bit of reading and writing in science courses, but no long papers. Maybe in advanced English and History classes, long papers are required. No idea.

(When I was working at a government agency, there was a move to *dramatically* shorten the length of analytical papers. I mean, “My Weekly Reader” shorten. I imagine it’s really different in law firms, though.)

To be honest, my student’s experience at Wilson is somewhat akin to my own high school experience at an elite academic test-in high school program in a large city long long ago. I can’t explain it, but my fellow students and I were self motivated. There was no imposed “academic rigor” at my school. There’s actually more at Wilson.

Anyway, I doubt that Wilson actually has an edge, by percentage, in elite university acceptances. There are nearly 500 students in a Wilson class, right? And last June, everyone on the public school forum was bemoaning Wilson college acceptances. From what little I know of the private school world, those students have something of an RD advantage because schools do such a great job of lobbying on their behalf.

One thing that Wilson students may repeat may bring to the table is the ability to flourish in and contribute to a very diverse community. The Ivy I attended many years ago was very splintered sociologically. It was segregated racially. The housing system and different social clubs just aggravated the situation. From what I hear, they’ve taken steps to remediate over the past decades, and I do think some Wilson students *may* be able to contribute to that continuing effort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell senior parent and we all know this is true. Still- and I mean this, even though our family is still sweating it out with two deferrals to date- I would send my kids to private again, knowing this, over Wilson any day.

This. Those kids getting into HPY etc who don’t know how to study and are getting As for showing up are being put in a difficult position by their parents. They will be in for a huge shock next year at college and possibly (likely) feel overwhelmed if they don’t know how to study and write well. I’d rather my kid at a suburban high school in an IB program get into Scripps or another great liberal arts college that isn’t a 9 percent admit chance, do really well there and then go to a grad school they are really prepared for. We used to be at private and I think those kids will be far more prepared for college wherever they go then the kids from Wilson you referred to.
It’s about the total experience, not the sticker on your car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP you sound so whiny. Yes, public education sucked during the pandemic and still does. It is a travesty that is going to hurt a lot of kids permanently. And by hurt, I mean really hurt, like good kids won't get chances at college at all and will have a permanently lowered standard of living because of the disaster that has been the past two years in public education. And yet, you were able to escape all that with money that most people don't have. Your kid is getting a top-notch education. Your whining is terrible in view of what you have.

Also, don't you think that colleges know this? That they know those As are ludicrously inflated? Of course they do, but they don't care. Admissions is a numbers game and they will turn a blind eye to the grade inflation because it helps their published numbers. But who cares? Your kid is still luckier that nearly all applicants. I mean is it truly news to you that the admission system is unfair? I will also note that it's been unfairly and heavily weighted to private school grads in the past; so yes, while colleges are now ignoring the absurd grade inflation in public these days, you seem to only just now be realizing that college admissions is a deeply corrupt system we supposed to pretend is a meritocracy. Wake up.

If your kid went to private school during the pandemic, your kid was luckier than most. Focus on that and stop whining.

+1 I feel sorry for all the kids who lack resources and involved parents.

Exactly.

I am a private school parent who moved from public, and OPs whining is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Wow, this thread is like a parody of smug entitled UMC parents. The nerve of those DCPS kids gate-crashing the country club colleges with their inflated grades, gang-infested schools, and terrible teachers! They will never keep up with our cultured sophisticates who've been doing college-level coursework since preschool! How dare they usurp the rightful place just so that they can get the sticker on their car!

And I'm willing to bet that many of you have lawn signs proclaiming "hate has no home here." And college stickers on your Tesla/Volvo/Suburban.

BTW I've studied and taught at the schools where you think your kids think are owed a place simply by virtue of the K-12 tuition dollars you've paid. And I've got news for you: you're wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, this thread is like a parody of smug entitled UMC parents. The nerve of those DCPS kids gate-crashing the country club colleges with their inflated grades, gang-infested schools, and terrible teachers! They will never keep up with our cultured sophisticates who've been doing college-level coursework since preschool! How dare they usurp the rightful place just so that they can get the sticker on their car!

And I'm willing to bet that many of you have lawn signs proclaiming "hate has no home here." And college stickers on your Tesla/Volvo/Suburban.

BTW I've studied and taught at the schools where you think your kids think are owed a place simply by virtue of the K-12 tuition dollars you've paid. And I've got news for you: you're wrong.

Not smug, entitled, UMC parents - in DC those parents are the ones sending their kids to Wilson.

This thread provides a clear view into the entitled views of rich DC, private school parents, who believe that their wealth alone shows that their kids should be in line in front of Wilson kids for spots at competitive colleges. It is pathetic, gross, and appalling. I would be beyond embarrassed to send my kids to a private school populated by these parents and their children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So a Wilson parent came to the private school forum to crow about a handful of college results and the private school parents are the whiny ones?

Hopefully, they can return the STA backpacks and phones before they leave….

The word is that those backpacks were taken by other STA kids and not anyone from Wilson.

Are you kidding? The Wilson thieves were caught red handed by the teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everybody at these top colleges gets the same degree whether you purportedly struggled through or breezed through with all A’s. Seems to me the kids at Wilson get the best deal and the Big 3 parents resent it.

Is there a metric somewhere that tracks the long term success of Big 3 vs. Wilson or similar public high school? Not really interested in who is better at writing term papers but post college real world stats.

In my small world there is - I know of no Wilson kids getting hired yet am surrounded by kids from the Big 3 who are pulling 250k and up in their late 20s and early 30s.

Your world sounds minuscule and depressing. Companies with people from diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives are more interesting, nimble, creative, compassionate and successful in the long run.

You are right. Major media. It is filled with knuckleheads. That is why I am leaving but I am not leaving Wilson kids behind. But seriously “interesting, nimble, creative, compassionate, etc...” not Wilson kids either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell senior parent and we all know this is true. Still- and I mean this, even though our family is still sweating it out with two deferrals to date- I would send my kids to private again, knowing this, over Wilson any day.

This. Those kids getting into HPY etc who don’t know how to study and are getting As for showing up are being put in a difficult position by their parents. They will be in for a huge shock next year at college and possibly (likely) feel overwhelmed if they don’t know how to study and write well. I’d rather my kid at a suburban high school in an IB program get into Scripps or another great liberal arts college that isn’t a 9 percent admit chance, do really well there and then go to a grad school they are really prepared for. We used to be at private and I think those kids will be far more prepared for college wherever they go then the kids from Wilson you referred to.
It’s about the total experience, not the sticker on your car.

Hmm. So you think only kids from elite private schools are worthy admits to HPY because everyone else will struggle? If your parents don’t have the money to send you to a fancy school with all the resources and tutors available then aim for Scripps an no higher.

If that isn’t some UMC white elitist thinking then I don’t know what is. GET OVER YOURSELF! Ivies aren’t just for rich white kids who had “the best education” according to your definition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, this thread is like a parody of smug entitled UMC parents. The nerve of those DCPS kids gate-crashing the country club colleges with their inflated grades, gang-infested schools, and terrible teachers! They will never keep up with our cultured sophisticates who've been doing college-level coursework since preschool! How dare they usurp the rightful place just so that they can get the sticker on their car!

And I'm willing to bet that many of you have lawn signs proclaiming "hate has no home here." And college stickers on your Tesla/Volvo/Suburban.

BTW I've studied and taught at the schools where you think your kids think are owed a place simply by virtue of the K-12 tuition dollars you've paid. And I've got news for you: you're wrong.

Nailed it!

[Anonymous]

Didn’t read the entire thread.
For some perspective, I went to an urban high school that was pretty mediocre with fights in the halls and kids smoking & showing each other ultrasound pictures in the bathrooms (teen pregnancy was still a thing in the 90s)
I then went to a top tier SLAC and a top 10 med school. It was really really difficult for me, but the private/boarding school/top tier public school kids just skated through.I spent most of freshman and sophomore year on the brink of tears because I was struggling. I still don’t have the social skills of the private school kids - like I will forget to put my napkin in my lap at a work dinner and I’m not smooth with introductions and small talk. I am very smart and good at what I do, but not polished enough to rise to the top. And those private school kids look out for each other the rest of their life. It’s a club that I am not in, despite my fancy CV. So there’s that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, this thread is like a parody of smug entitled UMC parents. The nerve of those DCPS kids gate-crashing the country club colleges with their inflated grades, gang-infested schools, and terrible teachers! They will never keep up with our cultured sophisticates who've been doing college-level coursework since preschool! How dare they usurp the rightful place just so that they can get the sticker on their car!

And I'm willing to bet that many of you have lawn signs proclaiming "hate has no home here." And college stickers on your Tesla/Volvo/Suburban.

BTW I've studied and taught at the schools where you think your kids think are owed a place simply by virtue of the K-12 tuition dollars you've paid. And I've got news for you: you're wrong.

Nailed it!

A prof from one of those places nailed it? That’s akin to the servants calling out the royalty: might be spot on but no one ever wants to be the staff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wilson parent here. My student works hard for good grades. Whether my student works as hard as big 3 students, obviously I have no idea. But to say courses are ridiculously easy, that there’s little to no homework...that’s just not accurate. There’s homework for every subject — including PE, where evidently it’s possible to get a grade of C. If you don’t work productively in art, you are getting a very low grade (ask me how I know).

My student reads actual novels and plays for a literature elective, but also spirituals, and social criticism. Last year in medieval history, my student didn’t read history books, but excerpts from texts, some of which were primary sources and ridiculously complex.

I think Wilson curriculum is for better or worse (I say worse) shaped by the College Board. So I would guess, overall, there’s less emphasis on writing long papers. Also, my student happens to be interested in science. There’s quite a bit of reading and writing in science courses, but no long papers. Maybe in advanced English and History classes, long papers are required. No idea.

(When I was working at a government agency, there was a move to *dramatically* shorten the length of analytical papers. I mean, “My Weekly Reader” shorten. I imagine it’s really different in law firms, though.)

To be honest, my student’s experience at Wilson is somewhat akin to my own high school experience at an elite academic test-in high school program in a large city long long ago. I can’t explain it, but my fellow students and I were self motivated. There was no imposed “academic rigor” at my school. There’s actually more at Wilson.

Anyway, I doubt that Wilson actually has an edge, by percentage, in elite university acceptances. There are nearly 500 students in a Wilson class, right? And last June, everyone on the public school forum was bemoaning Wilson college acceptances. From what little I know of the private school world, those students have something of an RD advantage because schools do such a great job of lobbying on their behalf.

One thing that Wilson students may repeat may bring to the table is the ability to flourish in and contribute to a very diverse community. The Ivy I attended many years ago was very splintered sociologically. It was segregated racially. The housing system and different social clubs just aggravated the situation. From what I hear, they’ve taken steps to remediate over the past decades, and I do think some Wilson students *may* be able to contribute to that continuing effort.

The bolded isn't a thing and hasn't been for decades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to a DMV public a school and graduated magna with honors at an Ivy. I was better prepared than the kids from many of the Big 3-5 who had so much hand-holding their whole lives they had trouble adjusting to any form of independence and also not getting pats on the back for everything they did. What so many of the parents here don’t get is so many kids at Wilson ARE from very similar homes with highly educated parents - some aren’t as affluent doing public policy jobs or journalism or other vs many of the parents with kids at privates who just have more money or decide that’s how they spend their money. The kids will have similar outcomes in many aspects of life. Really being 4th gen DMV the kids really do end up about the same in life with the same variance of higher and lower life “accomplishments” — and happiness. FYI I have one kid at Wilson who would do fine at any college - and one at a private who would not do well in many environments.

So much this. Never ceased to be amazed at how unaware some Big 3/5 parents are of the parent body at Wilson. Some of it may be due to living in Bethesda/Chevy Chase and, therefore, not familiar with AU, Chevy Chase DC, Glover Park, etc neighborhoods which feed into Wilson. Parents who are senior admin, agency, Hill, nonprofit, think tank staffers are no academic slouches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, this thread is like a parody of smug entitled UMC parents. The nerve of those DCPS kids gate-crashing the country club colleges with their inflated grades, gang-infested schools, and terrible teachers! They will never keep up with our cultured sophisticates who've been doing college-level coursework since preschool! How dare they usurp the rightful place just so that they can get the sticker on their car!

And I'm willing to bet that many of you have lawn signs proclaiming "hate has no home here." And college stickers on your Tesla/Volvo/Suburban.

BTW I've studied and taught at the schools where you think your kids think are owed a place simply by virtue of the K-12 tuition dollars you've paid. And I've got news for you: you're wrong.

Not smug, entitled, UMC parents - in DC those parents are the ones sending their kids to Wilson.[i][u]

This thread provides a clear view into the entitled views of rich DC, private school parents, who believe that their wealth alone shows that their kids should be in line in front of Wilson kids for spots at competitive colleges. It is pathetic, gross, and appalling. I would be beyond embarrassed to send my kids to a private school populated by these parents and their children.

Former DCPS parent. Kid now in private HS. Maybe like always ends up with like, but I find the parents at private school waaaay more likeable and well-adjusted socially than the Wilson parents. The Wilson parents I know are the most condescending, judgmental, self-righteous lot I’ve ever come across. Morally and academically superior attitude in every way. It’s like they’re still railing against the popular crowd. You think private school parents are nuts about elite college placement? My lord. The private school parents have been much more welcoming and inclusive.

You do you.