Georgetown Visitation vs. Stone Ridge

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The girls Visitation accepted this year from my DS's parochial school were really questionable. Two-thirds of them were from the very bottom of the class, yet just as many top students were wait listed or outright rejected. Every one of the accepted girls was a legacy, from a wealthy family, or both. The actually stronger students ended up mostly at Stone Ridge or St. Johns, both of which rejected several of the Visitation-bound girls.

How do you know who is at the bottom of the class? Just curious. Are the kids ranked?

[Anonymous]

It's just a downright miracle that Visitation has been able to keep its doors open for 200+ years now. What could those little ole nuns be doing wrong? I just don't get why anyone would apply there!

Get real, tedious helicopter parents: some people like to send their kids to school with their sisters, or where grandma went, and sure maybe Mom stands up on back to school night when all the legacies are recognized. So what, if some of those legaciy girls go to summer school first. Some of them also graduate at the top of their class. One could argue there's value to joining a real, enduring community in a transient, hyper competitive place like DC. I'm sure the Sacred Heart true believers at Stone Ridge feel the exact same way. Oh and by the way, all you "I know a girl..." VIsi haters are in for a rude awakening when you encounter the "holistic" college admissions process. That's not all about grades and test scores, either. And I hear legacies and major donors may have an edge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's just a downright miracle that Visitation has been able to keep its doors open for 200+ years now. What could those little ole nuns be doing wrong? I just don't get why anyone would apply there!

Get real, tedious helicopter parents: some people like to send their kids to school with their sisters, or where grandma went, and sure maybe Mom stands up on back to school night when all the legacies are recognized. So what, if some of those legaciy girls go to summer school first. Some of them also graduate at the top of their class. One could argue there's value to joining a real, enduring community in a transient, hyper competitive place like DC. I'm sure the Sacred Heart true believers at Stone Ridge feel the exact same way. Oh and by the way, all you "I know a girl..." VIsi haters are in for a rude awakening when you encounter the "holistic" college admissions process. That's not all about grades and test scores, either. And I hear legacies and major donors may have an edge.

I think it sounds nice to go to school where a parent went.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know why some Catholic schools use the HSPT while others do not. (I am a parent, not an employee of the ADW or a Catholic high school.) It is definitely true that students can send HSPT scores to just two schools. But to the best of my knowledge, that is not an archdiocesan rule. Schools presumably choose whichever admissions test they want. (The ADW website puts it that way.) I seriously doubt that the ADW is telling Visi they have to use the HSPT while Stone Ridge can use something else. Why would they do that? The schools that choose the HSPT system must think it's better for their admissions processes. I don't know the history behind the "only two schools" rule, but I can see reasons for it. I just think the PP is using it to criticize Visi for no particularly good reason. I don't have a child at either Stone Ridge or Visi, by the way. So far as I can tell, both are excellent schools with much to offer the girls who attend them.

The HSPT is a much easier test compared to the SSAT.
The HSPT tests what you've learned in school on a basic level, whereas the SSAT is a test of tricky problems requiring multiple steps in a very short amount of allotted time.

[Anonymous]

I honestly think that Visitation accepts the vast majority of the girls just because they act enthusiastic about going there.
If your DD hesitates at all and doesn't already know all about the school and isn't spectacularly enamored with it and expressively enthusiastic about Viditation she does not have a chance. It's not just a legacy thing because we saw girls at the bottom of my DD's class with no legacy get in while girls in the top of the class did not get in.
I have to say that often highly academic girls aren't going to be unabashedly enthusiastic about something and if they don't have a mom who goes on and on about Visitation like its the be all end (so many moms, alumnae and even teachers we've met acting this way) she won't be prepared for her 'visit day with interviews' there.

Any way - if you want your daughter to get in make sure she unabashedly falls over herself with enthusiasm for the school. It will help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I honestly think that Visitation accepts the vast majority of the girls just because they act enthusiastic about going there.
If your DD hesitates at all and doesn't already know all about the school and isn't spectacularly enamored with it and expressively enthusiastic about Viditation she does not have a chance. It's not just a legacy thing because we saw girls at the bottom of my DD's class with no legacy get in while girls in the top of the class did not get in.
I have to say that often highly academic girls aren't going to be unabashedly enthusiastic about something and if they don't have a mom who goes on and on about Visitation like its the be all end (so many moms, alumnae and even teachers we've met acting this way) she won't be prepared for her 'visit day with interviews' there.

Any way - if you want your daughter to get in make sure she unabashedly falls over herself with enthusiasm for the school. It will help.

Very true. Several of the girls in my DD's class who are great students didn't get in and yet several at the bottom did. Enthusiasm on shadow day seemed to be a big factor. Several of the girls who didn't get in said they thought shadow day was underwhelming. No doubt it showed at the one-on-one interview stage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I honestly think that Visitation accepts the vast majority of the girls just because they act enthusiastic about going there.
If your DD hesitates at all and doesn't already know all about the school and isn't spectacularly enamored with it and expressively enthusiastic about Viditation she does not have a chance. It's not just a legacy thing because we saw girls at the bottom of my DD's class with no legacy get in while girls in the top of the class did not get in.
I have to say that often highly academic girls aren't going to be unabashedly enthusiastic about something and if they don't have a mom who goes on and on about Visitation like its the be all end (so many moms, alumnae and even teachers we've met acting this way) she won't be prepared for her 'visit day with interviews' there.

Any way - if you want your daughter to get in make sure she unabashedly falls over herself with enthusiasm for the school. It will help.

Sounds like my memories from sorority rush! Yikes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I honestly think that Visitation accepts the vast majority of the girls just because they act enthusiastic about going there.
If your DD hesitates at all and doesn't already know all about the school and isn't spectacularly enamored with it and expressively enthusiastic about Viditation she does not have a chance. It's not just a legacy thing because we saw girls at the bottom of my DD's class with no legacy get in while girls in the top of the class did not get in.
I have to say that often highly academic girls aren't going to be unabashedly enthusiastic about something and if they don't have a mom who goes on and on about Visitation like its the be all end (so many moms, alumnae and even teachers we've met acting this way) she won't be prepared for her 'visit day with interviews' there.

Any way - if you want your daughter to get in make sure she unabashedly falls over herself with enthusiasm for the school. It will help.

Sounds like my memories from sorority rush! Yikes!

Oh, that's it! It's no wonder that we don't fit in there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I honestly think that Visitation accepts the vast majority of the girls just because they act enthusiastic about going there.
If your DD hesitates at all and doesn't already know all about the school and isn't spectacularly enamored with it and expressively enthusiastic about Viditation she does not have a chance. It's not just a legacy thing because we saw girls at the bottom of my DD's class with no legacy get in while girls in the top of the class did not get in.
I have to say that often highly academic girls aren't going to be unabashedly enthusiastic about something and if they don't have a mom who goes on and on about Visitation like its the be all end (so many moms, alumnae and even teachers we've met acting this way) she won't be prepared for her 'visit day with interviews' there.

Any way - if you want your daughter to get in make sure she unabashedly falls over herself with enthusiasm for the school. It will help.

Sounds like my memories from sorority rush! Yikes!

Oh, that's it! It's no wonder that we don't fit in there.

Bingo! My DD, who is an A student, was incredibly disappointing when she shadowed last year and said she wanted to leave after the first period. She was surprised at how many of the girls came across as not overly bright and most didn't seem terribly happy. By the time she got to the end-of-the-day interview, she herself said that she wasn't very engaged. Needless to say she was offered a place on the wait list and even then took a pass. She said there were girls shadowing with her that were just gushing the entire day and, sure enough, many got in. Visitation wants a certain type, regardless of academic potential, and if you don't show that you want it you're not getting in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Visitation averages approximately 400 applicants per year and accepts only 120 girls to the new 9th grade class.

Stone Ridge had roughly 600 applicants last year for a class of 100+, of which about 40% came from the Stone Ridge middle school. Those are some tough odds of getting in if you are coming from the outside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Visitation averages approximately 400 applicants per year and accepts only 120 girls to the new 9th grade class.

Stone Ridge had roughly 600 applicants last year for a class of 100+, of which about 40% came from the Stone Ridge middle school. Those are some tough odds of getting in if you are coming from the outside.

Yes, those are some very rough odds. But the nice thing is that Stone Ridge relies much less on the legacy and family money factors, relatively speaking. For most girls who do go, it's nice knowing that you got in on your merits, not some subjective factor beyond your control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Visitation averages approximately 400 applicants per year and accepts only 120 girls to the new 9th grade class.

Stone Ridge had roughly 600 applicants last year for a class of 100+, of which about 40% came from the Stone Ridge middle school. Those are some tough odds of getting in if you are coming from the outside.

I realize this is an old post, but I am not following the math. 40% of 600 applicants came from the middle school? There aren't 240 girls in 8th grade at SR.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Visitation averages approximately 400 applicants per year and accepts only 120 girls to the new 9th grade class.

Stone Ridge had roughly 600 applicants last year for a class of 100+, of which about 40% came from the Stone Ridge middle school. Those are some tough odds of getting in if you are coming from the outside.

I realize this is an old post, but I am not following the math. 40% of 600 applicants came from the middle school? There aren't 240 girls in 8th grade at SR.

Put down the drink, Ma. 40% of the class of 100 came from SR Middle School.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Visitation averages approximately 400 applicants per year and accepts only 120 girls to the new 9th grade class.

Stone Ridge had roughly 600 applicants last year for a class of 100+, of which about 40% came from the Stone Ridge middle school. Those are some tough odds of getting in if you are coming from the outside.

I realize this is an old post, but I am not following the math. 40% of 600 applicants came from the middle school? There aren't 240 girls in 8th grade at SR.

Put down the drink, Ma. 40% of the class of 100 came from SR Middle School.

I assumed that's what the poster meant. That's not what she said. Maybe need to teach proofreading.

[Anonymous]

One thing to remember is that Stone Ridge has a lower and middle school, so the high school is basically a continuation of that unlike Visitation and most other schools in the category. Stone Ridge has to integrate 9th graders from outside where the other schools have everyone starting new.