Culture of St. Anselm’s Abbey school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know that the SAAS boys work really hard but why is it not reflected in college admissions? Someone in one of these posts compares it to STA and SAAS boys take far more classes than STA boys.
And yet SAAS rarely sends anyone to the Ivy League or equivalent. Their college admissions are published each year in the local Catholic periodical (I'm forgetting the name). They are fine but nothing
to write home about. Meanwhile STA will send 20% of the class to the Ivy League and the rest to top 50 schools. Does anyone know why this is? Do colleges just not know about SAAS?

Simple answer. SAAS families are less wealthy than STA families and quite often will choose a less expensive in-state option or a lower ranked school that offers good merit aid.

-SAAS parent

[Anonymous]

I would not send a POC kid there. They have work to do in that area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know that the SAAS boys work really hard but why is it not reflected in college admissions? Someone in one of these posts compares it to STA and SAAS boys take far more classes than STA boys.
And yet SAAS rarely sends anyone to the Ivy League or equivalent. Their college admissions are published each year in the local Catholic periodical (I'm forgetting the name). They are fine but nothing
to write home about. Meanwhile STA will send 20% of the class to the Ivy League and the rest to top 50 schools. Does anyone know why this is? Do colleges just not know about SAAS?

Simple answer. SAAS families are less wealthy than STA families and quite often will choose a less expensive in-state option or a lower ranked school that offers good merit aid.

-SAAS parent

+1. Two more reasons..... SAAS does not have the handful of Ivy athletic recruits that STA has every year. Nor does SAAS have the high percentage of Ivy legacy applicants that STA does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know that the SAAS boys work really hard but why is it not reflected in college admissions? Someone in one of these posts compares it to STA and SAAS boys take far more classes than STA boys.
And yet SAAS rarely sends anyone to the Ivy League or equivalent. Their college admissions are published each year in the local Catholic periodical (I'm forgetting the name). They are fine but nothing
to write home about. Meanwhile STA will send 20% of the class to the Ivy League and the rest to top 50 schools. Does anyone know why this is? Do colleges just not know about SAAS?

Do you understand not every family can pay $70k a year for college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know that the SAAS boys work really hard but why is it not reflected in college admissions? Someone in one of these posts compares it to STA and SAAS boys take far more classes than STA boys.
And yet SAAS rarely sends anyone to the Ivy League or equivalent. Their college admissions are published each year in the local Catholic periodical (I'm forgetting the name). They are fine but nothing
to write home about. Meanwhile STA will send 20% of the class to the Ivy League and the rest to top 50 schools. Does anyone know why this is? Do colleges just not know about SAAS?

This puzzles me as well. Is it money and connections? Is it the focus on Catholic education, which continues? Weak college counseling office? I can't imagine colleges don't know about the school....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not send a POC kid there. They have work to do in that area.

Please explain what work they have to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not send a POC kid there. They have work to do in that area.

You don’t have the slightest idea what you’re talking about. The percentage of minority students at SAAS significantly exceeds the ratio within the general population. POC kids are fully included. The school gives significant financial aid as discussed earlier to make cost less of a factor for those from less privileged backgrounds.

What “work” do you think needs to be done, and what is your factual basis for those views?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read on another thread that this school is for gifted boys. Is this correct?

"Gifted" is a loaded term. SAAS administers admissions tests (the OLSAT and SCAT) that are quite different from the SSAT/HSPT that most private schools use in that they are more abstract and harder to prepare for. I don't konw what score they look for, but I think it is more about whether they think your DS is a good fit and can handle the rigor, with or without the gifted label. I think there is general consensus that the academics at SAAS are more rigorous than the other all-boys Catholic schools (e.g., Prep, Gonzaga and Heights) in that all classes are at least honors level and many are AP. It's also much smaller (about 40 per graduating class) so you probably get more homogeneity in terms of academic abilities ranges. That said, by all accounts it not a pressure-cooker, cutthroat atmosphere, and the boys there seem to be very bright and welcoming, if somewhat more inclined to march to the beat of their own drum.

The campus is also a remarkably beautiful oasis.

This school is a hidden gem- let's hop it stays that way. Hopefully, it will as it's in NE,DC and so the typical Sidwell/ status school seeking DC wonk won't be stampeding there

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know that the SAAS boys work really hard but why is it not reflected in college admissions? Someone in one of these posts compares it to STA and SAAS boys take far more classes than STA boys.
And yet SAAS rarely sends anyone to the Ivy League or equivalent. Their college admissions are published each year in the local Catholic periodical (I'm forgetting the name). They are fine but nothing
to write home about. Meanwhile STA will send 20% of the class to the Ivy League and the rest to top 50 schools. Does anyone know why this is? Do colleges just not know about SAAS?

This puzzles me as well. Is it money and connections? Is it the focus on Catholic education, which continues? Weak college counseling office? I can't imagine colleges don't know about the school....

Answer is in the posts above.... SAAS has fewer legacy, fewer full-pay families, and fewer athletic recruits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know that the SAAS boys work really hard but why is it not reflected in college admissions? Someone in one of these posts compares it to STA and SAAS boys take far more classes than STA boys.
And yet SAAS rarely sends anyone to the Ivy League or equivalent. Their college admissions are published each year in the local Catholic periodical (I'm forgetting the name). They are fine but nothing
to write home about. Meanwhile STA will send 20% of the class to the Ivy League and the rest to top 50 schools. Does anyone know why this is? Do colleges just not know about SAAS?

Well, it depends on what you mean by “or equivalent”. Last year’s class of 40 had the following matriculations:

Carnegie Mellon
Johns Hopkins
Chicago (2)
Cornell
Columbia
Emory
Notre Dame
GATech (3)
UNC-CH
UVA
UCLA
UC-Davis
USC
Northeastern (2)
BU

Per USNWR (to the extent that means anything at all), Chicago and Hopkins are top 10. Notre Dame, UCLA, Carnegie Mellon, Emory, USC and UVA are immediately below the lower Ivies and Duke and Rice and Vanderbilt etc. GATech, UC-Davis and BU are in the 30s or low 40s. That seems like high percentage going to top 50 national universities.

But all this aside, is the hallmark of a good education really reduced down to where kids go to college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly do you think a school will be able to tell you they will not be able to support your kid when they know they can easily get 30k a year from you in this era of diversity and inclusion? All private schools, whether parochial or not are run like businesses these days... sorry to say.

This is such a weird (and really negative) reply.

I have an older child who doesn't have these issues and I am CERTAIN that there are plenty of highly competitive DMV schools that would not be a good match for this sort of student. Having gone through placement with the older child and knowing their classmates that have some hurdles and/or might need support - it was my experience that the competitive schools are up front in saying they don't provide support or accommodations (kid needs to work it out) and/or would just not accept the student. There are plenty of families to pay full tuition whose kids don't need support.

This isn't a " weird" comment at all- its slightly cynical, but its pretty much the unvarnished truth about the vast majority of DMV Privates below the top 3 schools.

If you want to put the wallet biopsy to the test, apply for your DC to TJ and Banneker AND ( insert name of lower rung DC Private ) and see if they are welcomed with open arms at TJ as well as Lowell, Burke, Field, WIS, Potomac, Landon,Bullis, St Andrews, SSAES, Sandy Springs

And the answer will tell you what your full pay tuition status is buying you in the so called " elite Private school world"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Regarding the point above about scholarships, there is a profile in the catholic standard about the student in the 2020 class who is going to Vanderbilt, which mentions that he is on a full tuition merit scholarship...

40% of the boys at SAAS receive need-based financial aid (from a much lower tuition than charged by the Sidwells of the world). So naturally cost will be a factor in where a significant portion of the school's graduates attend college.

THIS

which basically indicates that these are just smart kids, well educated getting into great colleges with no hooks, no power couple parent connections- just their brains.

Good for them and speaks well of the Abbey !

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know that the SAAS boys work really hard but why is it not reflected in college admissions? Someone in one of these posts compares it to STA and SAAS boys take far more classes than STA boys.
And yet SAAS rarely sends anyone to the Ivy League or equivalent. Their college admissions are published each year in the local Catholic periodical (I'm forgetting the name). They are fine but nothing
to write home about. Meanwhile STA will send 20% of the class to the Ivy League and the rest to top 50 schools. Does anyone know why this is? Do colleges just not know about SAAS?

Simple answer. SAAS families are less wealthy than STA families and quite often will choose a less expensive in-state option or a lower ranked school that offers good merit aid.

-SAAS parent

+1. Two more reasons..... SAAS does not have the handful of Ivy athletic recruits that STA has every year. Nor does SAAS have the high percentage of Ivy legacy applicants that STA does.

+2 And though they are Ivy legacies, our sons chose non-Ivy schools for early decision and never applied to any of the Ivy equivalents. Those were not their first choice.

But it isn't true that they "rarely" send anyone to those schools -- boys get into those schools every year. Not everyone who gets in chooses to go though; sometimes they get better offers. You may not think there is a better offer than Ivy, but many of these guys disagree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know that the SAAS boys work really hard but why is it not reflected in college admissions? Someone in one of these posts compares it to STA and SAAS boys take far more classes than STA boys.
And yet SAAS rarely sends anyone to the Ivy League or equivalent. Their college admissions are published each year in the local Catholic periodical (I'm forgetting the name). They are fine but nothing
to write home about. Meanwhile STA will send 20% of the class to the Ivy League and the rest to top 50 schools. Does anyone know why this is? Do colleges just not know about SAAS?

Simple answer. SAAS families are less wealthy than STA families and quite often will choose a less expensive in-state option or a lower ranked school that offers good merit aid.

-SAAS parent

+1. Two more reasons..... SAAS does not have the handful of Ivy athletic recruits that STA has every year. Nor does SAAS have the high percentage of Ivy legacy applicants that STA does.

Well, the Abbey could fix that in a few years- just hire a great rowing coach fresh out of a SLAC/ Ivy and start a Crew program ; ))

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know that the SAAS boys work really hard but why is it not reflected in college admissions? Someone in one of these posts compares it to STA and SAAS boys take far more classes than STA boys.
And yet SAAS rarely sends anyone to the Ivy League or equivalent. Their college admissions are published each year in the local Catholic periodical (I'm forgetting the name). They are fine but nothing
to write home about. Meanwhile STA will send 20% of the class to the Ivy League and the rest to top 50 schools. Does anyone know why this is? Do colleges just not know about SAAS?

Simple answer. SAAS families are less wealthy than STA families and quite often will choose a less expensive in-state option or a lower ranked school that offers good merit aid.

-SAAS parent

+1. Two more reasons..... SAAS does not have the handful of Ivy athletic recruits that STA has every year. Nor does SAAS have the high percentage of Ivy legacy applicants that STA does.

+2 And though they are Ivy legacies, our sons chose non-Ivy schools for early decision and never applied to any of the Ivy equivalents. Those were not their first choice.

But it isn't true that they "rarely" send anyone to those schools -- boys get into those schools every year. Not everyone who gets in chooses to go though; sometimes they get better offers. You may not think there is a better offer than Ivy, but many of these guys disagree.

2021: 2 (Cornell and Columbia)
2020: 1 (Columbia)
2019: 2 (Dartmouth, Princeton)
2018: 2 (Penn, Cornell)
2017: 1 (Cornell)