Holton vs RMIB
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Anonymous
B.S.! You are not a Holton parent. Public schools are inferior. |
Anonymous
Sharing Holton experience: girls will be emotionally and socially supported well through Holton’s program and culture. when we interviewed my favorite was the alumni panel discussing how well Holton prepared them with academics and confidence. The community includes the family. The academics aren’t separate from mental health and well-being. I’m concerned about the toll on girls mental health and the small size plus emotional support is too notch. Holton has great school spirit. My DD loves it there. Very down to earth families. Holton has a great magazine and newspaper, a stellar arts program. Many opportunities to lead and prepare to lead in college and beyond. |
Anonymous
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My kiddo was accepted into the incoming 9th grade class at RMIB. They do are coming from a small, nurturing K-8 private, which was a great environment for confidence building and individualized attention. But they really wanted a larger environment, and having attended public for elementary, wanted to return to experiencing a wider variety of kids. They are also highly interested in the IB diploma.
If it's helpful, I've spoken with three families/students who are currently graduating from the program or did recently--all girls. All three girls are smart and kind kids. Two really thrived and said it was a great experience. One really struggled and her mom said she felt somehow less confident after being around so many high achieving kids. So I do think for some kids it is not a great fit, even if they are smart. I will say that I have some concerns about the workload. Everyone I've spoken with has commented on how much homework there is. So we shall see! |
Anonymous
My child turned down RMIB while we were still waiting for private school results. In my child's case, it was the result of negative experiences at the RMIB shadow day that reinforced some of the worst stereotypes about the school - hypercompetitive, a little bit nasty, and weirdly snobbish and racially tone deaf for an integrated public high school. It was actually surprising (to me) and ironic that the private school seemed less snobbish, kinder, and more racially aware than a large public high school, but that was the experience. |
Anonymous
RM has had a lot of issues. Fights, drug overdoses, assaults, and 2 guns on campus the last month. The IB kids stay pretty far apart from the other kids but it’s still stressful. |
Anonymous
Woah, I struck a nerve. Never said RMIB only has kids go to UMD. I said it is easier for RMIB to get into major universities that focus on GPA’s because Holton doesn’t focus on numbers. You can’t get a 5.0 GPA there. Smaller colleges with less applicants that look at the rigor of the high school and know the differences in inflated grading systems. UMD does not. Too many applicants. They follow a numbers game. Many Marylanders want UMD scholar and honors college and scholarships because it is a great deal. RMIB is better for that because of the high GPA and test scores. So are other big universities that focus on numbers. It’s was very noticeable and it could help the OP decide. Some have Maryland 529 plans or are alumni at Michigan, UCLA, etc… RM would be better. So calm down with your ignorant self |
Anonymous
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For APs vs. IB at RM, frankly, the APs were a breeze and most of my IB classmates barely had to study for them, which is why most of us took so many.
Also agreed it was not cutthroat, we collaborated all the time to get HW done — it would have been impossible otherwise. Also a general misery loves company feeling, which resulted in strong camaraderie. As for the non-IB drugs/alcohol/violence, generally the IB group stayed out, there was a bit of mixing with drugs (just weed)/alcohol by junior and senior year, especially with those on JV/Varsity sports, but it wasn’t a ton, and the kids who were smoking weed still had really stellar grades and seemed a bit bored because they were so far ahead of the rest of us. Didn’t really impact our every day, and frankly I look back and am grateful not to have been so sheltered. Class is made up of a ton of immigrant children, most of the immigrants have MD/PhDs themselves, so it’s definitely a self selecting high-achieving bunch. I would say 30% of the original 100 ended up going to a top 20-30 school. A number of kids with perfect standardized test scores, or very close to perfect. Coming out of RMIB gave me a huge amount of confidence in college, and would highly recommend only if your child is ready to work really hard during HS. |
Anonymous
They added 4? More IB magnets. Kids have more options that might be closer to home. |
Anonymous
| Holton for sure. The best part for me is so much less stress when they are in private. They offer breakfast and lunch. Uniforms simplify wardrobe. There aren't fights, assaults, and the smelling of weed. My daughter has really been able to focus on learning. She takes AP's but the school is really good about not allowing the kids to overload and work on EC's, sports, band, etc... The class sizes are so small and the teachers are absolutely amazing. Her anxiety is so much better compared to public middle school. I can't say for sure that she would have been better or worse at RM, but she is happy and honestly so are we. They teach these girls to just be better thoughtful smart and confident human beings. |
Anonymous
Which AP exams has she taken? |
Anonymous
| What did you decide PP |
Anonymous
Far worse at RM. |
Anonymous
| Some PPs are trying to make RMIB sound like a terrible school. It's a very large public schools so there may be some fights and drug use in the bathrooms but it is something your child may never encounter in 4 years there. |
Anonymous
I'm an RMIB parent, and think its a great school. But I think it's crazy to say that your kid won't experience something like drug use in the bathroom in four years there. If it's important to you that your kid go four years without seeking someone vape weed in the bathroom, definitely pick another school. I also think it's very unlikely to go 4 years without at least witnessing a fight, but that somewhat more random -- it's not like there are fights every day. My kid is pretty attuned and if anything appears to be going awry, heads in the other direction quickly. And also avoids a certain hallway that is much more congested and therefore more likely to have issues. I don't think the fights, when they do happen, are a big factor in my kid's existence, nor is the fact that some kids are regular drug users. (The bathroom issues and the overcrowding do impact the experience negatively.) Overall, it's just a really different experience than a place like Holton, and if you go into RMIB thinking it's going to be like Holton but with more APs and the IB curriculum, that expectation will not be met. |
Anonymous
dp - i don't necessarily think you two are saying different things. your point, i believe, is kids learn to navigate the hot spots and learn to avoid it. i think pp before you were saying, slightly differently maybe, the same thing. at least that's how i read it. |