Wasn't Impressed with Maret - What's So Great About It?

[Anonymous]

Can this thread die already?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When we visited a decade ago, it had no vibe. It was theme-less compared to the other privates, for better or worse. It seemed like a standard public school with a bit nicer facility.

we visited last year looking at 9th grade and i felt the same - could not pinpoint its personality. the three other schools' we toured had their own vibes/personalities that were easy to identify/quantify.

We looked at it for lower school in 2019 and felt the same. I couldn't figure out what Maret thought differentiated itself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When we visited a decade ago, it had no vibe. It was theme-less compared to the other privates, for better or worse. It seemed like a standard public school with a bit nicer facility.

we visited last year looking at 9th grade and i felt the same - could not pinpoint its personality. the three other schools' we toured had their own vibes/personalities that were easy to identify/quantify.

We looked at it for lower school in 2019 and felt the same. I couldn't figure out what Maret thought differentiated itself.

You hit the nail on the head. There’s nothing special about Maret. There’s at least one private school just like it in every major US city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When we visited a decade ago, it had no vibe. It was theme-less compared to the other privates, for better or worse. It seemed like a standard public school with a bit nicer facility.

we visited last year looking at 9th grade and i felt the same - could not pinpoint its personality. the three other schools' we toured had their own vibes/personalities that were easy to identify/quantify.

We looked at it for lower school in 2019 and felt the same. I couldn't figure out what Maret thought differentiated itself.

You hit the nail on the head. There’s nothing special about Maret. There’s at least one private school just like it in every major US city.

Yes! But that's what's appealing about it. The other DC options are such extremes.
-Sidwell-super academic, high stress.
-NCS--single gender, academics are ridiculously hard
-STA--single gender
-GDS-super liberal/woke
-Potomac--the other traditional coed school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When we visited a decade ago, it had no vibe. It was theme-less compared to the other privates, for better or worse. It seemed like a standard public school with a bit nicer facility.

we visited last year looking at 9th grade and i felt the same - could not pinpoint its personality. the three other schools' we toured had their own vibes/personalities that were easy to identify/quantify.

We looked at it for lower school in 2019 and felt the same. I couldn't figure out what Maret thought differentiated itself.

You hit the nail on the head. There’s nothing special about Maret. There’s at least one private school just like it in every major US city.

Yes! But that's what's appealing about it. The other DC options are such extremes.
-Sidwell-super academic, high stress.
-NCS--single gender, academics are ridiculously hard
-STA--single gender
-GDS-super liberal/woke
-Potomac--the other traditional coed school

Exactly!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When we visited a decade ago, it had no vibe. It was theme-less compared to the other privates, for better or worse. It seemed like a standard public school with a bit nicer facility.

we visited last year looking at 9th grade and i felt the same - could not pinpoint its personality. the three other schools' we toured had their own vibes/personalities that were easy to identify/quantify.

We looked at it for lower school in 2019 and felt the same. I couldn't figure out what Maret thought differentiated itself.

You hit the nail on the head. There’s nothing special about Maret. There’s at least one private school just like it in every major US city.

That's a bad thing? It's a very good coed independent school. Sounds like a good thing to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When we visited a decade ago, it had no vibe. It was theme-less compared to the other privates, for better or worse. It seemed like a standard public school with a bit nicer facility.

we visited last year looking at 9th grade and i felt the same - could not pinpoint its personality. the three other schools' we toured had their own vibes/personalities that were easy to identify/quantify.

We looked at it for lower school in 2019 and felt the same. I couldn't figure out what Maret thought differentiated itself.

You hit the nail on the head. There’s nothing special about Maret. There’s at least one private school just like it in every major US city.

That's a bad thing? It's a very good coed independent school. Sounds like a good thing to me.

You think it’s a good thing to send you children to a private school that’s indistinguishable from many other private schools? Well, I guess that’s why your children attend Maret.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When we visited a decade ago, it had no vibe. It was theme-less compared to the other privates, for better or worse. It seemed like a standard public school with a bit nicer facility.

we visited last year looking at 9th grade and i felt the same - could not pinpoint its personality. the three other schools' we toured had their own vibes/personalities that were easy to identify/quantify.

We looked at it for lower school in 2019 and felt the same. I couldn't figure out what Maret thought differentiated itself.

You hit the nail on the head. There’s nothing special about Maret. There’s at least one private school just like it in every major US city.

Yes! But that's what's appealing about it. The other DC options are such extremes.
-Sidwell-super academic, high stress.
-NCS--single gender, academics are ridiculously hard
-STA--single gender
-GDS-super liberal/woke
-Potomac--the other traditional coed school

I fixed this for you.

Distinguishing Characteristics:
-Sidwell: Quaker; academically rigorous; established track record of educating Presidents’ children/grandchildren and the political and business elite
-NCS/STA: Episcopal; academically rigorous; single gender schools located on the grounds of the National Cathedral
-GDS: DC’s first racially integrated school; progressive school dedicated to social justice; students call teachers by their first names
-Potomac: Just like Maret, except it’s located in VA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When we visited a decade ago, it had no vibe. It was theme-less compared to the other privates, for better or worse. It seemed like a standard public school with a bit nicer facility.

we visited last year looking at 9th grade and i felt the same - could not pinpoint its personality. the three other schools' we toured had their own vibes/personalities that were easy to identify/quantify.

We looked at it for lower school in 2019 and felt the same. I couldn't figure out what Maret thought differentiated itself.

You hit the nail on the head. There’s nothing special about Maret. There’s at least one private school just like it in every major US city.

That's a bad thing? It's a very good coed independent school. Sounds like a good thing to me.

You think it’s a good thing to send you children to a private school that’s indistinguishable from many other private schools? Well, I guess that’s why your children attend Maret.

I can't tell if you're trolling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When we visited a decade ago, it had no vibe. It was theme-less compared to the other privates, for better or worse. It seemed like a standard public school with a bit nicer facility.

we visited last year looking at 9th grade and i felt the same - could not pinpoint its personality. the three other schools' we toured had their own vibes/personalities that were easy to identify/quantify.

We looked at it for lower school in 2019 and felt the same. I couldn't figure out what Maret thought differentiated itself.

You hit the nail on the head. There’s nothing special about Maret. There’s at least one private school just like it in every major US city.

Yes! But that's what's appealing about it. The other DC options are such extremes.
-Sidwell-super academic, high stress.
-NCS--single gender, academics are ridiculously hard
-STA--single gender
-GDS-super liberal/woke
-Potomac--the other traditional coed school

I fixed this for you.

Distinguishing Characteristics:
-Sidwell: Quaker; academically rigorous; established track record of educating Presidents’ children/grandchildren and the political and business elite
-NCS/STA: Episcopal; academically rigorous; single gender schools located on the grounds of the National Cathedral
-GDS: DC’s first racially integrated school; progressive school dedicated to social justice; students call teachers by their first names
-Potomac: Just like Maret, except it’s located in VA.

Wow, you said the exact same thing as the prior poster just with more words.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When we visited a decade ago, it had no vibe. It was theme-less compared to the other privates, for better or worse. It seemed like a standard public school with a bit nicer facility.

we visited last year looking at 9th grade and i felt the same - could not pinpoint its personality. the three other schools' we toured had their own vibes/personalities that were easy to identify/quantify.

We looked at it for lower school in 2019 and felt the same. I couldn't figure out what Maret thought differentiated itself.

You hit the nail on the head. There’s nothing special about Maret. There’s at least one private school just like it in every major US city.

Yes! But that's what's appealing about it. The other DC options are such extremes.
-Sidwell-super academic, high stress.
-NCS--single gender, academics are ridiculously hard
-STA--single gender
-GDS-super liberal/woke
-Potomac--the other traditional coed school

I fixed this for you.

Distinguishing Characteristics:
-Sidwell: Quaker; academically rigorous; established track record of educating Presidents’ children/grandchildren and the political and business elite
-NCS/STA: Episcopal; academically rigorous; single gender schools located on the grounds of the National Cathedral
-GDS: DC’s first racially integrated school; progressive school dedicated to social justice; students call teachers by their first names
-Potomac: Just like Maret, except it’s located in VA.

Wow, you said the exact same thing as the prior poster just with more words.

No, more accurate words. You may not understand because you struggle with reading comprehension.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When we visited a decade ago, it had no vibe. It was theme-less compared to the other privates, for better or worse. It seemed like a standard public school with a bit nicer facility.

we visited last year looking at 9th grade and i felt the same - could not pinpoint its personality. the three other schools' we toured had their own vibes/personalities that were easy to identify/quantify.

We looked at it for lower school in 2019 and felt the same. I couldn't figure out what Maret thought differentiated itself.

You hit the nail on the head. There’s nothing special about Maret. There’s at least one private school just like it in every major US city.

Yes! But that's what's appealing about it. The other DC options are such extremes.
-Sidwell-super academic, high stress.
-NCS--single gender, academics are ridiculously hard
-STA--single gender
-GDS-super liberal/woke
-Potomac--the other traditional coed school

I fixed this for you.

Distinguishing Characteristics:
-Sidwell: Quaker; academically rigorous; established track record of educating Presidents’ children/grandchildren and the political and business elite
-NCS/STA: Episcopal; academically rigorous; single gender schools located on the grounds of the National Cathedral
-GDS: DC’s first racially integrated school; progressive school dedicated to social justice; students call teachers by their first names
-Potomac: Just like Maret, except it’s located in VA.

Wow, you said the exact same thing as the prior poster just with more words.

No, more accurate words. You may not understand because you struggle with reading comprehension.

Have you considered that you might just be a jerk?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When we visited a decade ago, it had no vibe. It was theme-less compared to the other privates, for better or worse. It seemed like a standard public school with a bit nicer facility.

we visited last year looking at 9th grade and i felt the same - could not pinpoint its personality. the three other schools' we toured had their own vibes/personalities that were easy to identify/quantify.

We looked at it for lower school in 2019 and felt the same. I couldn't figure out what Maret thought differentiated itself.

You hit the nail on the head. There’s nothing special about Maret. There’s at least one private school just like it in every major US city.

Yes! But that's what's appealing about it. The other DC options are such extremes.
-Sidwell-super academic, high stress.
-NCS--single gender, academics are ridiculously hard
-STA--single gender
-GDS-super liberal/woke
-Potomac--the other traditional coed school

I fixed this for you.

Distinguishing Characteristics:
-Sidwell: Quaker; academically rigorous; established track record of educating Presidents’ children/grandchildren and the political and business elite
-NCS/STA: Episcopal; academically rigorous; single gender schools located on the grounds of the National Cathedral
-GDS: DC’s first racially integrated school; progressive school dedicated to social justice; students call teachers by their first names
-Potomac: Just like Maret, except it’s located in VA.

Wow, you said the exact same thing as the prior poster just with more words.

No, more accurate words. You may not understand because you struggle with reading comprehension.

Have you considered that you might just be a jerk?

Sticks and stones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought OP was going to mention that advanced math classes are only offered online - that really struck me as unfortunate given the $50K+ price tag. This means that there aren't enough kids doing advanced math for even a small class and/or Maret isn't willing to invest in an in-person tutor for the few kids who might be capable of multi-variable calc or linear algebra.

FYI from a Sidwell parent - even though Sidwell has Linear Algebra in their curriculum guide, they only teach it if they have enough demand. Same is true for some of their other high level courses. So if this is your criteria - be careful. It seems like at least Maret's solution guarantees there will be a class for you to take. I personally like the extra offerings Maret has online. It allows for some interesting extra courses and it shows they are committed to providing options for a variety of students. I know very smart students who go/went to Maret who find the academic challenge they need and go on to great schools. The obvious move here is don't apply if you didn't like it. There are plenty of schools. And to be honest, if you don't like it, your chances are even slimmer to be accepted - it's not an easy admit.

How much demand is “enough” at these schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought OP was going to mention that advanced math classes are only offered online - that really struck me as unfortunate given the $50K+ price tag. This means that there aren't enough kids doing advanced math for even a small class and/or Maret isn't willing to invest in an in-person tutor for the few kids who might be capable of multi-variable calc or linear algebra.

FYI from a Sidwell parent - even though Sidwell has Linear Algebra in their curriculum guide, they only teach it if they have enough demand. Same is true for some of their other high level courses. So if this is your criteria - be careful. It seems like at least Maret's solution guarantees there will be a class for you to take. I personally like the extra offerings Maret has online. It allows for some interesting extra courses and it shows they are committed to providing options for a variety of students. I know very smart students who go/went to Maret who find the academic challenge they need and go on to great schools. The obvious move here is don't apply if you didn't like it. There are plenty of schools. And to be honest, if you don't like it, your chances are even slimmer to be accepted - it's not an easy admit.

How much demand is “enough” at these schools?

I'm PP - I don't know but this is a question to ask once you've been admitted. How many kids need to sign up for a class for it to be run. My guess is it probably needs to be around 8....but this is a wild guess. My child chose not to take these classes, but there were a set that didn't have enough students junior year, but did senior year. Not sure what happened the year after.