How selective is SJC?

[Anonymous]

I am the PP whose kid is in the SJC scholars program. I am not sure what the OP wants to know when asking whether the school is selective. Is it hard to get in? Do they take only high performing kids? Can they challenge high performing kids? Will those kids have a peer group? Will they be forced to "mix" with C students?

I really don't know what the actual admissions profile of the school is and I doubt that other posters do either. Many of these comparisons across schools are just based on hearsay. When it comes to things like AP and Honors courses, most of these schools offer the same ones. Of course each school has their strengths and weaknesses, but the academic options are not that different from place to place.

I can say that SJC offers plenty for very bright kids, but it is not trying to be a school only for the best and the brightest. My Scholar kid has lots of friends outside the Scholars program, including some in the Benilde program. Some kids are terrific athletes, some are not athletic at all. So far as I can tell, none of it makes much difference socially. I have also definitely seen what the poster above says about school spirit and teams supporting each other. Also, juniors and seniors are generally very nice and helpful to freshmen and sophomores. It is just not a place where kids are constantly trying to build themselves up by knocking other kids down.

If you are someone who wants bragging rights over how selective your kid's school is, then SJC probably isn't the right place for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the PP whose kid is in the SJC scholars program. I am not sure what the OP wants to know when asking whether the school is selective. Is it hard to get in? Do they take only high performing kids? Can they challenge high performing kids? Will those kids have a peer group? Will they be forced to "mix" with C students?

I really don't know what the actual admissions profile of the school is and I doubt that other posters do either. Many of these comparisons across schools are just based on hearsay. When it comes to things like AP and Honors courses, most of these schools offer the same ones. Of course each school has their strengths and weaknesses, but the academic options are not that different from place to place.

I can say that SJC offers plenty for very bright kids, but it is not trying to be a school only for the best and the brightest. My Scholar kid has lots of friends outside the Scholars program, including some in the Benilde program. Some kids are terrific athletes, some are not athletic at all. So far as I can tell, none of it makes much difference socially. I have also definitely seen what the poster above says about school spirit and teams supporting each other. Also, juniors and seniors are generally very nice and helpful to freshmen and sophomores. It is just not a place where kids are constantly trying to build themselves up by knocking other kids down.

If you are someone who wants bragging rights over how selective your kid's school is, then SJC probably isn't the right place for you.

+10,000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son shadowed at SJC, Gonzaga, and a couple other schools. Gonzaga was the first school he crossed off his list. 1) He didn't like the vibe there (what he experienced is what I'd describe as a frat boy environment). 2) He simply preferred a co-ed environment. 3) He liked the student-teacher interaction in SJC classrooms much better than at Gonzaga, where he thought lectures were the norm and teachers spent too much time on disciplining students (see #1). Just one kid's/parent's observations.

Hmm...that is interesting. My son shadowed at both as well. He is not a frat boy type by any means, and did not observe this at Gonzaga. He actually liked the fact that there were no girls in the mix because everyone could just be themselves. He is not a sophomore at Gonzaga. The other day he was leaving for school and I commented that he had bed head. He replied, "Mom, it's just school." I know for a fact if there were girls at school, he would be fixing his hair. Nice to see that the focus is just on learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son shadowed at SJC, Gonzaga, and a couple other schools. Gonzaga was the first school he crossed off his list. 1) He didn't like the vibe there (what he experienced is what I'd describe as a frat boy environment). 2) He simply preferred a co-ed environment. 3) He liked the student-teacher interaction in SJC classrooms much better than at Gonzaga, where he thought lectures were the norm and teachers spent too much time on disciplining students (see #1). Just one kid's/parent's observations.

Hmm...that is interesting. My son shadowed at both as well. He is not a frat boy type by any means, and did not observe this at Gonzaga. He actually liked the fact that there were no girls in the mix because everyone could just be themselves. He is not a sophomore at Gonzaga. The other day he was leaving for school and I commented that he had bed head. He replied, "Mom, it's just school." I know for a fact if there were girls at school, he would be fixing his hair. Nice to see that the focus is just on learning.

*now* a sophomore at Gonzaga

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son shadowed at SJC, Gonzaga, and a couple other schools. Gonzaga was the first school he crossed off his list. 1) He didn't like the vibe there (what he experienced is what I'd describe as a frat boy environment). 2) He simply preferred a co-ed environment. 3) He liked the student-teacher interaction in SJC classrooms much better than at Gonzaga, where he thought lectures were the norm and teachers spent too much time on disciplining students (see #1). Just one kid's/parent's observations.

Hmm...that is interesting. My son shadowed at both as well. He is not a frat boy type by any means, and did not observe this at Gonzaga. He actually liked the fact that there were no girls in the mix because everyone could just be themselves. He is not a sophomore at Gonzaga. The other day he was leaving for school and I commented that he had bed head. He replied, "Mom, it's just school." I know for a fact if there were girls at school, he would be fixing his hair. Nice to see that the focus is just on learning.

*now* a sophomore at Gonzaga

I'm PP. Glad your son is enjoying Gonzaga and that it seems like the right fit for him. That is the important thing, as others here have noted. The co-ed vs. single sex choice is a significant one. What you mention -- boys able to focus on learning/just being themselves without worrying about having to "impress" or, alternatively, offending, young ladies in the classroom is one I've heard often. I went to an all boys high school and totally understand -- kids at my school regularly acted like jackasses because they weren't worried about looking foolish in front of girls. I guess this qualifies as "being themselves," but I'm not sure it's a good thing. I also knew guys in college who had gone to all boys high schools and found themselves struggling to focus in class because for the first time they had pretty girls sitting next to them in class. In my opinion, unless you're spending your days in prison, our society generally requires men to function adequately in the presence of women, so they may as well get used to it in high school rather than spend their developmental years in a Y chromosome bubble that doesn't necessarily teach a young man to have proper manners and treat women with respect. I like that my daughter goes to school with and socializes regularly with nice boys, many of whom she calls friends, and that my son has the same experience vis-a-vis girls. Again, every parent has to find the environment that is right for their child, and if your son walking out the door not caring about his appearance is important to you, and having him learn to "be himself" in the presence of females is not important, then it sounds like your son is in a good place.

Sorry, I didn't want to be snarky, but my delete key seems to be broken.

[Anonymous]

SJC has around 700 boys (to Gonzaga's 900+). Do the math. Plus, SJC also has real diversity. In other words, they are very selective to get the type of student body they want. There really is very little comparison of Gonzaga to SJC, two very good schools with almost completely different student bodies. I think the average boy could tell immediately which was the better fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son shadowed at SJC, Gonzaga, and a couple other schools. Gonzaga was the first school he crossed off his list. 1) He didn't like the vibe there (what he experienced is what I'd describe as a frat boy environment). 2) He simply preferred a co-ed environment. 3) He liked the student-teacher interaction in SJC classrooms much better than at Gonzaga, where he thought lectures were the norm and teachers spent too much time on disciplining students (see #1). Just one kid's/parent's observations.

Hmm...that is interesting. My son shadowed at both as well. He is not a frat boy type by any means, and did not observe this at Gonzaga. He actually liked the fact that there were no girls in the mix because everyone could just be themselves. He is not a sophomore at Gonzaga. The other day he was leaving for school and I commented that he had bed head. He replied, "Mom, it's just school." I know for a fact if there were girls at school, he would be fixing his hair. Nice to see that the focus is just on learning.

*now* a sophomore at Gonzaga

I'm PP. Glad your son is enjoying Gonzaga and that it seems like the right fit for him. That is the important thing, as others here have noted. The co-ed vs. single sex choice is a significant one. What you mention -- boys able to focus on learning/just being themselves without worrying about having to "impress" or, alternatively, offending, young ladies in the classroom is one I've heard often. I went to an all boys high school and totally understand -- kids at my school regularly acted like jackasses because they weren't worried about looking foolish in front of girls. I guess this qualifies as "being themselves," but I'm not sure it's a good thing. I also knew guys in college who had gone to all boys high schools and found themselves struggling to focus in class because for the first time they had pretty girls sitting next to them in class. In my opinion, unless you're spending your days in prison, our society generally requires men to function adequately in the presence of women, so they may as well get used to it in high school rather than spend their developmental years in a Y chromosome bubble that doesn't necessarily teach a young man to have proper manners and treat women with respect. I like that my daughter goes to school with and socializes regularly with nice boys, many of whom she calls friends, and that my son has the same experience vis-a-vis girls. Again, every parent has to find the environment that is right for their child, and if your son walking out the door not caring about his appearance is important to you, and having him learn to "be himself" in the presence of females is not important, then it sounds like your son is in a good place.

Sorry, I didn't want to be snarky, but my delete key seems to be broken.

Oh please, my boy has plenty of exposure to females in his life. He regularly socializes with a group of kids including many young ladies...and even started dating someone recently. I can see that I must have hit a nerve for you PP. Read my post again. Did I say your kid should be in a single sex school? No. I said it was a good environment for MY kid. And I was defending what YOU said about my son's school. PP, you sound very defensive and a bit mean too. I said I liked that my kid didn't mind going to school looking a bit disheveled. That, to me, is not something that is going to damage is future. If that is what you think, then you have a very shallow view of life. Not to worry, my boy knows quite well how to act around women. In fact the girls he knows from SJC tend to prefer the boys from Gonzaga, so I am told

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son shadowed at SJC, Gonzaga, and a couple other schools. Gonzaga was the first school he crossed off his list. 1) He didn't like the vibe there (what he experienced is what I'd describe as a frat boy environment). 2) He simply preferred a co-ed environment. 3) He liked the student-teacher interaction in SJC classrooms much better than at Gonzaga, where he thought lectures were the norm and teachers spent too much time on disciplining students (see #1). Just one kid's/parent's observations.

Hmm...that is interesting. My son shadowed at both as well. He is not a frat boy type by any means, and did not observe this at Gonzaga. He actually liked the fact that there were no girls in the mix because everyone could just be themselves. He is not a sophomore at Gonzaga. The other day he was leaving for school and I commented that he had bed head. He replied, "Mom, it's just school." I know for a fact if there were girls at school, he would be fixing his hair. Nice to see that the focus is just on learning.

*now* a sophomore at Gonzaga

I'm PP. Glad your son is enjoying Gonzaga and that it seems like the right fit for him. That is the important thing, as others here have noted. The co-ed vs. single sex choice is a significant one. What you mention -- boys able to focus on learning/just being themselves without worrying about having to "impress" or, alternatively, offending, young ladies in the classroom is one I've heard often. I went to an all boys high school and totally understand -- kids at my school regularly acted like jackasses because they weren't worried about looking foolish in front of girls. I guess this qualifies as "being themselves," but I'm not sure it's a good thing. I also knew guys in college who had gone to all boys high schools and found themselves struggling to focus in class because for the first time they had pretty girls sitting next to them in class. In my opinion, unless you're spending your days in prison, our society generally requires men to function adequately in the presence of women, so they may as well get used to it in high school rather than spend their developmental years in a Y chromosome bubble that doesn't necessarily teach a young man to have proper manners and treat women with respect. I like that my daughter goes to school with and socializes regularly with nice boys, many of whom she calls friends, and that my son has the same experience vis-a-vis girls. Again, every parent has to find the environment that is right for their child, and if your son walking out the door not caring about his appearance is important to you, and having him learn to "be himself" in the presence of females is not important, then it sounds like your son is in a good place.

Sorry, I didn't want to be snarky, but my delete key seems to be broken.

Oh please, my boy has plenty of exposure to females in his life. He regularly socializes with a group of kids including many young ladies...and even started dating someone recently. I can see that I must have hit a nerve for you PP. Read my post again. Did I say your kid should be in a single sex school? No. I said it was a good environment for MY kid. And I was defending what YOU said about my son's school. PP, you sound very defensive and a bit mean too. I said I liked that my kid didn't mind going to school looking a bit disheveled. That, to me, is not something that is going to damage is future. If that is what you think, then you have a very shallow view of life. Not to worry, my boy knows quite well how to act around women. In fact the girls he knows from SJC tend to prefer the boys from Gonzaga, so I am told

My DD seems to think all gonzaga boys are trump supporting trash so she stays away from them. Seems a little harsh, since her experience is only based off a few boys

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son shadowed at SJC, Gonzaga, and a couple other schools. Gonzaga was the first school he crossed off his list. 1) He didn't like the vibe there (what he experienced is what I'd describe as a frat boy environment). 2) He simply preferred a co-ed environment. 3) He liked the student-teacher interaction in SJC classrooms much better than at Gonzaga, where he thought lectures were the norm and teachers spent too much time on disciplining students (see #1). Just one kid's/parent's observations.

Hmm...that is interesting. My son shadowed at both as well. He is not a frat boy type by any means, and did not observe this at Gonzaga. He actually liked the fact that there were no girls in the mix because everyone could just be themselves. He is not a sophomore at Gonzaga. The other day he was leaving for school and I commented that he had bed head. He replied, "Mom, it's just school." I know for a fact if there were girls at school, he would be fixing his hair. Nice to see that the focus is just on learning.

*now* a sophomore at Gonzaga

I'm PP. Glad your son is enjoying Gonzaga and that it seems like the right fit for him. That is the important thing, as others here have noted. The co-ed vs. single sex choice is a significant one. What you mention -- boys able to focus on learning/just being themselves without worrying about having to "impress" or, alternatively, offending, young ladies in the classroom is one I've heard often. I went to an all boys high school and totally understand -- kids at my school regularly acted like jackasses because they weren't worried about looking foolish in front of girls. I guess this qualifies as "being themselves," but I'm not sure it's a good thing. I also knew guys in college who had gone to all boys high schools and found themselves struggling to focus in class because for the first time they had pretty girls sitting next to them in class. In my opinion, unless you're spending your days in prison, our society generally requires men to function adequately in the presence of women, so they may as well get used to it in high school rather than spend their developmental years in a Y chromosome bubble that doesn't necessarily teach a young man to have proper manners and treat women with respect. I like that my daughter goes to school with and socializes regularly with nice boys, many of whom she calls friends, and that my son has the same experience vis-a-vis girls. Again, every parent has to find the environment that is right for their child, and if your son walking out the door not caring about his appearance is important to you, and having him learn to "be himself" in the presence of females is not important, then it sounds like your son is in a good place.

Sorry, I didn't want to be snarky, but my delete key seems to be broken.

Oh please, my boy has plenty of exposure to females in his life. He regularly socializes with a group of kids including many young ladies...and even started dating someone recently. I can see that I must have hit a nerve for you PP. Read my post again. Did I say your kid should be in a single sex school? No. I said it was a good environment for MY kid. And I was defending what YOU said about my son's school. PP, you sound very defensive and a bit mean too. I said I liked that my kid didn't mind going to school looking a bit disheveled. That, to me, is not something that is going to damage is future. If that is what you think, then you have a very shallow view of life. Not to worry, my boy knows quite well how to act around women. In fact the girls he knows from SJC tend to prefer the boys from Gonzaga, so I am told

My DD seems to think all gonzaga boys are trump supporting trash so she stays away from them. Seems a little harsh, since her experience is only based off a few boys

Ladies, ladies! This will be settled tomorrow at Paint Branch HS. Go Cadets!

[Anonymous]

Yes, PP, it looks like Gonzaga suffered a beat down against SJC. ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, PP, it looks like Gonzaga suffered a beat down against SJC. ?

Sorry, there was no question about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son shadowed at SJC, Gonzaga, and a couple other schools. Gonzaga was the first school he crossed off his list. 1) He didn't like the vibe there (what he experienced is what I'd describe as a frat boy environment). 2) He simply preferred a co-ed environment. 3) He liked the student-teacher interaction in SJC classrooms much better than at Gonzaga, where he thought lectures were the norm and teachers spent too much time on disciplining students (see #1). Just one kid's/parent's observations.

Hmm...that is interesting. My son shadowed at both as well. He is not a frat boy type by any means, and did not observe this at Gonzaga. He actually liked the fact that there were no girls in the mix because everyone could just be themselves. He is not a sophomore at Gonzaga. The other day he was leaving for school and I commented that he had bed head. He replied, "Mom, it's just school." I know for a fact if there were girls at school, he would be fixing his hair. Nice to see that the focus is just on learning.

*now* a sophomore at Gonzaga

I'm PP. Glad your son is enjoying Gonzaga and that it seems like the right fit for him. That is the important thing, as others here have noted. The co-ed vs. single sex choice is a significant one. What you mention -- boys able to focus on learning/just being themselves without worrying about having to "impress" or, alternatively, offending, young ladies in the classroom is one I've heard often. I went to an all boys high school and totally understand -- kids at my school regularly acted like jackasses because they weren't worried about looking foolish in front of girls. I guess this qualifies as "being themselves," but I'm not sure it's a good thing. I also knew guys in college who had gone to all boys high schools and found themselves struggling to focus in class because for the first time they had pretty girls sitting next to them in class. In my opinion, unless you're spending your days in prison, our society generally requires men to function adequately in the presence of women, so they may as well get used to it in high school rather than spend their developmental years in a Y chromosome bubble that doesn't necessarily teach a young man to have proper manners and treat women with respect. I like that my daughter goes to school with and socializes regularly with nice boys, many of whom she calls friends, and that my son has the same experience vis-a-vis girls. Again, every parent has to find the environment that is right for their child, and if your son walking out the door not caring about his appearance is important to you, and having him learn to "be himself" in the presence of females is not important, then it sounds like your son is in a good place.

Sorry, I didn't want to be snarky, but my delete key seems to be broken.

Oh please, my boy has plenty of exposure to females in his life. He regularly socializes with a group of kids including many young ladies...and even started dating someone recently. I can see that I must have hit a nerve for you PP. Read my post again. Did I say your kid should be in a single sex school? No. I said it was a good environment for MY kid. And I was defending what YOU said about my son's school. PP, you sound very defensive and a bit mean too. I said I liked that my kid didn't mind going to school looking a bit disheveled. That, to me, is not something that is going to damage is future. If that is what you think, then you have a very shallow view of life. Not to worry, my boy knows quite well how to act around women. In fact the girls he knows from SJC tend to prefer the boys from Gonzaga, so I am told

My DD seems to think all gonzaga boys are trump supporting trash so she stays away from them. Seems a little harsh, since her experience is only based off a few boys

But did you warn her that if she falls for a Bernie Sanders type her kids will not be attending private school??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son shadowed at SJC, Gonzaga, and a couple other schools. Gonzaga was the first school he crossed off his list. 1) He didn't like the vibe there (what he experienced is what I'd describe as a frat boy environment). 2) He simply preferred a co-ed environment. 3) He liked the student-teacher interaction in SJC classrooms much better than at Gonzaga, where he thought lectures were the norm and teachers spent too much time on disciplining students (see #1). Just one kid's/parent's observations.

Hmm...that is interesting. My son shadowed at both as well. He is not a frat boy type by any means, and did not observe this at Gonzaga. He actually liked the fact that there were no girls in the mix because everyone could just be themselves. He is not a sophomore at Gonzaga. The other day he was leaving for school and I commented that he had bed head. He replied, "Mom, it's just school." I know for a fact if there were girls at school, he would be fixing his hair. Nice to see that the focus is just on learning.

*now* a sophomore at Gonzaga

I'm PP. Glad your son is enjoying Gonzaga and that it seems like the right fit for him. That is the important thing, as others here have noted. The co-ed vs. single sex choice is a significant one. What you mention -- boys able to focus on learning/just being themselves without worrying about having to "impress" or, alternatively, offending, young ladies in the classroom is one I've heard often. I went to an all boys high school and totally understand -- kids at my school regularly acted like jackasses because they weren't worried about looking foolish in front of girls. I guess this qualifies as "being themselves," but I'm not sure it's a good thing. I also knew guys in college who had gone to all boys high schools and found themselves struggling to focus in class because for the first time they had pretty girls sitting next to them in class. In my opinion, unless you're spending your days in prison, our society generally requires men to function adequately in the presence of women, so they may as well get used to it in high school rather than spend their developmental years in a Y chromosome bubble that doesn't necessarily teach a young man to have proper manners and treat women with respect. I like that my daughter goes to school with and socializes regularly with nice boys, many of whom she calls friends, and that my son has the same experience vis-a-vis girls. Again, every parent has to find the environment that is right for their child, and if your son walking out the door not caring about his appearance is important to you, and having him learn to "be himself" in the presence of females is not important, then it sounds like your son is in a good place.

Sorry, I didn't want to be snarky, but my delete key seems to be broken.

Oh please, my boy has plenty of exposure to females in his life. He regularly socializes with a group of kids including many young ladies...and even started dating someone recently. I can see that I must have hit a nerve for you PP. Read my post again. Did I say your kid should be in a single sex school? No. I said it was a good environment for MY kid. And I was defending what YOU said about my son's school. PP, you sound very defensive and a bit mean too. I said I liked that my kid didn't mind going to school looking a bit disheveled. That, to me, is not something that is going to damage is future. If that is what you think, then you have a very shallow view of life. Not to worry, my boy knows quite well how to act around women. In fact the girls he knows from SJC tend to prefer the boys from Gonzaga, so I am told

My DD seems to think all gonzaga boys are trump supporting trash so she stays away from them. Seems a little harsh, since her experience is only based off a few boys

But did you warn her that if she falls for a Bernie Sanders type her kids will not be attending private school??

She's a neolib who was just whining about Donna Brazile and Elizabeth Warren she also dislikes Bernie. Strange kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SJC has around 700 boys (to Gonzaga's 900+). Do the math. Plus, SJC also has real diversity. In other words, they are very selective to get the type of student body they want. There really is very little comparison of Gonzaga to SJC, two very good schools with almost completely different student bodies. I think the average boy could tell immediately which was the better fit.

Define 'real' diversity? Versus what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I agree Gonzaga/Prep/Visitation are "more selective"... more kids get rejected from these schools. But not because of HSPT and grades, they get in based on alumni connections and sports.

This is my impression as well, but I don't think this is unique -- many schools (high schools as well as colleges) give preferential treatment to legacies, athletes, etc. It's just a fact.

Another thing worth mentioning -- I have met several parents at SJC who graduated from Gonzaga and Visitation. I certainly can't speak for all of them, but I know for many SJC was their first choice for their children (i.e., it's not because they didn't get into Gonzaga/Visi). I don't claim this is because SJC must be a "better" school -- just a better fit for these kids.

How do you know it wasn't because the kids didn't get into Gonzaga or Visi? Did they tell you that? Did you believe them, if they did? Did they even apply?

It's great SJC is doing better. But the amount of improvement being claimed here just isn't credible.

Yes friends say this all the time. I got into Gonzaga and SJC. I am going to SJC.

I got into Visi, holy cross and SJC, I am going to SJC.