Great private schools that aren't hard to get into

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I finally realized why this thread is going nowhere. OP and a few others are looking for good programs that are not so competitive on admissions (a perfectly reasonable and laudable goal). Several people however do not like the idea of their own kids' schools being labeled "easy" on admissions because it might imply the school/kids are less good or minimize what those parent went through on admission (also a perfectly understandable view). The tension between those two ideas means this thread is just spoiling for a fight.

"No duh," you say? Well forgive me for taking so long to get it. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed.

I think in some cases you are correct - that some don't like the idea of their kid's school being labeled easy. But in other cases, I think people who are more familiar with one of the schools that have come up are just trying to correct misinformation. If the point is to find a good school that's easy to get into and if you know that one of the schools on the list isn't easy to get into, then I think it's legitimate to point that out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I finally realized why this thread is going nowhere. OP and a few others are looking for good programs that are not so competitive on admissions (a perfectly reasonable and laudable goal). Several people however do not like the idea of their own kids' schools being labeled "easy" on admissions because it might imply the school/kids are less good or minimize what those parent went through on admission (also a perfectly understandable view). The tension between those two ideas means this thread is just spoiling for a fight.

"No duh," you say? Well forgive me for taking so long to get it. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed.

I think in some cases you are correct - that some don't like the idea of their kid's school being labeled easy. But in other cases, I think people who are more familiar with one of the schools that have come up are just trying to correct misinformation. If the point is to find a good school that's easy to get into and if you know that one of the schools on the list isn't easy to get into, then I think it's legitimate to point that out.

Good point.

[Anonymous]

I did think that the Spanish vs. French info re WIS (if accurate) was useful.

RE "easy" to get into. Maybe I'm too precise or just idiosyncratic, but "easy to get into" and "not hard to get into" are different things to me. "Not hard" means they aren't turning lots of qualified applicants away. "Easy" means they'll take almost anyone who applies. Qualifications, of course, can vary from school to school. And it'll always be the case that one person's easy to get into school will be another person's difficult to get into school, depending on credentials/criteria. So impressions will vary and its not simply a question of misinformation.

[Anonymous]

PP - absolutely!
And it also depends on what grade level you're talking about. K can be impossible for some schools but 6th is less competitive.

However, I do agree with the earlier St Pat's comment - it can be very difficult to get into.

But everyone's (and everyone's friend/neighbor/cousin) situation is different.

I think this thread is bringing up all kinds of interesting discussion points on a deeper level than usually exists. Ignore the one upset person's post (17:37) and the rest are all bring something to the discussion.

[Anonymous]

I assume most folks know this but I did not the first time we applied we only applied to two schools and my child was waitlisted at a school we never thought would accept him and was flat-out rejected from the school that was supposed to be easy to get into. What was the difference? We totally clicked with one admissions office and the other was absolute oil and vinegar. So that is a factor, too. (My child stayed as this school and moved to private several years later. Though neither of these two.)

[Anonymous]

Im guessing that the "SD State vs. Harvard" comments are being posted by Moms who went to private schools then ended up at some college for the rich and mediocre like GW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In response to PP 16:45, I would beg to differ. The year my son was accepted at St. Pats, the AD told us that only ~15% of children who applied were accepted. That is not what I would call easy to get into. `

I don't know whether this number is accurate, but I doubt. I live not far from the school and have 5-6 neighbors who applied this and last years, and practically all of them got in. Again I don't have full statistics, but just to share what I know. 15% sounds like the ratio at Maret or GDS.

[Anonymous]

Though I'm not into the snark (or the second-guessing re the relationships between posters' identities and their viewpoints), on some level, I do wonder where people's breakpoints are for private school, and why, and how much variation there is. A few private schools seem worth it to me, but most don't. Then again, we went private despite -- rather than for -- the cohort, ski trips, etc.

But I don't understand, for example, why some of our relatives would pay to send a kid to Northeastern in preference to one of the SUNYs.

[Anonymous]

Oh my. I was not expecting this thread to take the turn that it did. I was the first poster that responded about St. Andrews. I responded because I went there and loved it. I applied to private schools for high school because I was struggling with learning disabilities and being to "social." I never would have been accepted at a "big three" or highly competitive school. I'll be the first to admit that. Not a big deal...I went on to go to a top 20 University and then law school. I posted because the OP was looking for info and I though I could contribute.

Fast forward. I'm expecting my first and DH and I just moved into a small house in a top school district with the hope that our child/children will flourish in public. If that doesn't work out and our children can get into Sidwell or the like (and we have the $$) I would be thrilled to send them there. And, of course, if public school isn't working out as it didn't for me, and my children can't get accepted to a "big three" I would want them at a school like St. Andrew's.

And, FWIW, if I do find myself in this latter example scenario, I would certainly hope I could turn to a resource like DCUM for advice, without all the bullsh**.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I do wonder where people's breakpoints are for private school, and why, and how much variation there is. A few private schools seem worth it to me, but most don't.

During this period of No Child Left Behind and the Obama/Duncan educational initiatives, one of the most compelling reasons for opting for private school is an enriched curriculum. Unfortunately, at the elementary and middle school levels, DCPS schools, even those located in the most affluent neighborhoods, offer an incredibly weak curriculum. Compared to the curriculum of many private schools, what DCPS offers is anemic, repetitive, skills-heavy, and lacking in content and integration, especially in the areas of science, history, geography, and literature.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Though I'm not into the snark (or the second-guessing re the relationships between posters' identities and their viewpoints), on some level, I do wonder where people's breakpoints are for private school, and why, and how much variation there is. A few private schools seem worth it to me, but most don't. Then again, we went private despite -- rather than for -- the cohort, ski trips, etc.

But I don't understand, for example, why some of our relatives would pay to send a kid to Northeastern in preference to one of the SUNYs.

My breakpoint when we did the tours for Pre-K/K was would I be happy writing the check? If the answer was no, we didn't apply. My DC#1 applied to five schools, only two of which were in the big 3/4. We must have toured at least 12 schools, maybe more. DC was admitted to one non-Big 3, which was our second choice after one of the B3/4 and over the other B3/4. DC got waitlisted everywhere else. I am still happy to write the check.

We are about to go through the process again with DC#2. This time we are considering some schools that were not a good fit for DC#1. We are not automatically sending DC#2 to the same school, but will definitely do a sibling app. They are different kids. If I ever feel like the only school option I have for them is one where the check isn't worth what they are getting out of it, then we will move to MoCo. It is an opaque breakpoint, but I do have one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do wonder where people's breakpoints are for private school, and why, and how much variation there is. A few private schools seem worth it to me, but most don't.

I think of it as similar to how different people buy cars. Some think it's really important to buy new high-end cars, while others prefer 6yo used low-end cars. Who's to say which approach is best? There are many benefits to buying a new Honda Odyssey. But on the other hand, a 1999 Grand Caravan will get you where you want to go just as well. Different strokes for different folks.

[Anonymous]

Thanks! I'm the "what's the breakpoint?" poster and yeah, ours, is similar. It's whether you're comfortable signing the check. And I recognize that that's a function of both income and priorities (as in the car example). NCLB certainly makes the decision easier. We live in DC but, in part because of NCLB, I don't see MoCo or FCPS as attractive alternatives. They're dealing with the same imperatives, albeit much better.

[Anonymous]

Amazing that Capitol Hill Day School hasn't been listed here as a great option. It made the POST's list of schools that are "doing things right" a couple of years ago: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/11/AR2007041100162.html

[Anonymous]

And as of last week, I think, it had spaces in some gradesb available for next year according to its website.