Would a Timid but Smart Boy Fit in at St. Albans?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our family wants to apply to STA for DS this year for 4th grade. Our son has A's and a few B's. Plays soccer, golf and basketball. Coming from MCPS in a highly rated school. Any chance?

A’s and B’s, not a huge chance unless he scores really high on the admissions test. The 5-10 slots that are open to non-Beauvoir kids are going to be for stellar students. STA doesn’t recruit for sports in C Form, so while the fact that your son plays sports is nice, it doesn’t matter much unless he’s showing promise of being a superstar in a sport.

[Anonymous]

If your kid is getting As and Bs in public he is going to get his A$$ kicked at STA. Admissions knows this and will screen him out---which is a good thing. FIT is huge. We have a boy who was a top student prior to STA and is struggling---we often wish we had sent him to a more gentle school. There is nothing worse than being in a school that is not a good fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your kid is getting As and Bs in public he is going to get his A$$ kicked at STA. Admissions knows this and will screen him out---which is a good thing. FIT is huge. We have a boy who was a top student prior to STA and is struggling---we often wish we had sent him to a more gentle school. There is nothing worse than being in a school that is not a good fit.

Some publics are easier than others.

[Anonymous]

OP dumb idea.

[Anonymous]

There's zero way you're getting in with Bs from public. we came from public and have watched multiple admissions cycles. the public school kids who are chosen are academic rockstars (top grades but other distinguishing academic qualifications) or URM (or both). Public school kids are tricky for STA because they're an unknown. When they get recs from St Pats and know exactly who they're getting cause they know the person writing the rec. Public is an unknown, what they really really don't want is a kid who ends up not being able to do the work. And at 4th grade the kid is an unknown athletically as well. But if they admit them, they're stuck with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's zero way you're getting in with Bs from public. we came from public and have watched multiple admissions cycles. the public school kids who are chosen are academic rockstars (top grades but other distinguishing academic qualifications) or URM (or both). Public school kids are tricky for STA because they're an unknown. When they get recs from St Pats and know exactly who they're getting cause they know the person writing the rec. Public is an unknown, what they really really don't want is a kid who ends up not being able to do the work. And at 4th grade the kid is an unknown athletically as well. But if they admit them, they're stuck with them.

What are the other distinguishing academic qualifications? We qualify as URM as my child is biracial. This term he is working extremely hard to get all A's. His last term he got majority A's and a small sprinkling of B's. However, all high A's currently. Should we wait till a later grade to apply (like around 6th grade) or are there alternative schools that could prepare him for STA or stay at his current public? Are there any children who came from public in Form C that fit this profile? Preferably, one coming from MCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would my timid but smart ES child fit in at St. Albans? He is not aggressive enough enjoy team sports and is not naturally outgoing. I once visited a St. Albans football game and the spectating boys were pretty rambunctious (but nice). Would my DS fit in? He does well academically in his private elementary school that sends many of its graduates to St. Albans, and he has a reasonable chance of being admitted there at the middle school level. Maybe they screen out shy kids in admissions? So -- smart, hardworking, good looking, but timid and not at all sporty -- would he fit?

No