Now that it's over, tell me about the good and bad experiences you had with admissions offices

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We ended up pick a different school, but SSSAS admissions team was personable and engaged, with just the right amount of communication.

Concur. Also went with another school, but absolutely loved the SSSAS admissions team. So down to earth.

+2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We ended up pick a different school, but SSSAS admissions team was personable and engaged, with just the right amount of communication.

Concur. Also went with another school, but absolutely loved the SSSAS admissions team. So down to earth.

+1. Admissions is so welcoming at SSSAS.

+3 Loved SSSAS admissions. They are amazing and engaged with my DC every time we saw them - knew his name, remembered what he was into, etc. DC went to another school, but SSSAS admissions team was far warmer and more engaged than the other schools we applied to for 9th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We ended up pick a different school, but SSSAS admissions team was personable and engaged, with just the right amount of communication.

Concur. Also went with another school, but absolutely loved the SSSAS admissions team. So down to earth.

+1. Admissions is so welcoming at SSSAS.

+3 Loved SSSAS admissions. They are amazing and engaged with my DC every time we saw them - knew his name, remembered what he was into, etc. DC went to another school, but SSSAS admissions team was far warmer and more engaged than the other schools we applied to for 9th.

Yes it was great. The student guide was great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of my DC's classmate's family had an unprofessional experience with admissions at Flint Hill. The admissions department acted as if they were just a number. They were so disorganized that the admissions person forgot about their scheduled interview. Their child attends a highly regarded private school and is an athlete and an excellent student. The child was accepted to every school they applied to: FH, Potomac, and GDS. They had originally thought their DC would attend FH, but after such an unimpressive showing by the admissions department at FH, their child is going to attend GDS.

You'll be much happier at GDS. Their admission may not have been smother than Flint Hill's but the school is better, so it was worth the trouble.

[Anonymous]

Great experiences with Sidwell, NCS, and GDS!

[Anonymous]

Didn’t apply this year, but when we applied to Lowell AD kept insisting that our DC should go to Lab School when she found out our kid has a learning difference. Our child had been in another mainstream private and the learning difference was not an issue there at all. It was really off-putting and frustrating that she wouldn’t look at our child with an open mind.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:We applied Potomac (only) and got WL x2. Found them to be helpful and communicative throughout the process. Only thing that surprised us quite a bit was the 1:1 session with our K was extremely basic, with exercises on the order of drawing a shape using the right color crayon. I know it wasn't supposed to be an entirely academic evaluation, but still it was just surprised they weren't asking at least SOME questions to get a better handle on where DC was at in terms of math, reading, writing, etc.

That's not really what a school like Potomac is looking for in a K applicant. If you are interested in that kind of assessment, you should seek out schools with more traditional approaches to pedagogy.

Not sure what you mean by “that’s not what they’re looking for” but my assumption wasn’t that they’d be hyperfocused on academics, but at least show some passing interest in whether the kid can read or do basic addition, etc.

For K?

Yes, as indicated above.

You don’t understand progressive education.

My pre-K kid is reading at 3rd grade level and is mathematically more advanced than the entire lower school at Potomac. It's a shame they dont care. I'll send my kid to a school that doesn't only care about money

Ahh. Now I see what happened. One of two things- either you truly have a genius on your hands in which case they need a gifted school because they’ll be bored in a mainstream classroom or you’ve drilled your intelligent kid a ton to get then to this point and are super intense, in which case Potomac isn’t going to want to deal with you. Either way, it’s not a fit.

Also, frankly, a lot of kids who are applying for K at Potomac can read and do mental math--including those who are full pay / come "from money." Just because they didn't admit your child based on their academic prowess doesn't mean they only care about money. Many families have both, and perhaps also a more modest attitude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We applied Potomac (only) and got WL x2. Found them to be helpful and communicative throughout the process. Only thing that surprised us quite a bit was the 1:1 session with our K was extremely basic, with exercises on the order of drawing a shape using the right color crayon. I know it wasn't supposed to be an entirely academic evaluation, but still it was just surprised they weren't asking at least SOME questions to get a better handle on where DC was at in terms of math, reading, writing, etc.

That's not really what a school like Potomac is looking for in a K applicant. If you are interested in that kind of assessment, you should seek out schools with more traditional approaches to pedagogy.

Not sure what you mean by “that’s not what they’re looking for” but my assumption wasn’t that they’d be hyperfocused on academics, but at least show some passing interest in whether the kid can read or do basic addition, etc.

For K?

Yes, as indicated above.

You don’t understand progressive education.

My pre-K kid is reading at 3rd grade level and is mathematically more advanced than the entire lower school at Potomac. It's a shame they dont care. I'll send my kid to a school that doesn't only care about money

Than thank your lucky stars that child will NOT be at Potomac. They would have been bored senseless!!! Most independent schools in this area are not designed for highly advanced learners. Been there done that, and it was very frustrating to my gifted child and made then lose a love of learning, sadly.

[Anonymous]

Maybe you should haven given Nysmith a try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe you should haven given Nysmith a try.

My two children are at Nysmith and we are extremely pleased with their education and social experience there.

[Anonymous]

Awful, awful experience with good counsel. So disappointing as we love many of the families there.

[Anonymous]

great experience with Potomac and Sidwell

[Anonymous]

GDS was bad. They just did not care. So much so that kid ruled it out pretty early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GDS was bad. They just did not care. So much so that kid ruled it out pretty early.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:great experience with Potomac and Sidwell

DS loved Potomac and the admissions interviewer, but they didn’t love him - WL