GDS, Maret, Sidwell waitlist

[Anonymous]

Has anyone gotten off the WL for 9th at GDS, Maret or Sidwell?

[Anonymous]

I can't answer this question, but would offer a drop of unsolicited advice to all the parents with kids waitlisted at these schools who were expecting their child would be accepted at least at one of them.

DS was in that waitlist situation a few year ago. He ended up at St. Andrew's and it worked out wonderfully. I know it's really, really hard as a parent to not feel anxious for your child when they are waitlisted (or rejected) by what you see as the first choice schools. And it's really, really hard not to somehow think that the trajectory of your child's life will be so much better if he/she attends a "top" named private high school school. Fortunatley, there are many great high schools in this area -- public and private -- in addition to the three mentioned in OPs post. Good luck to OP's child in getting off the wait lists if that is what he/she really wants, but keep an open mind and an open heart. The top colleges have plenty of kids from high schools you never heard of from around the country and the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I can't answer this question, but would offer a drop of unsolicited advice to all the parents with kids waitlisted at these schools who were expecting their child would be accepted at least at one of them.

DS was in that waitlist situation a few year ago. He ended up at St. Andrew's and it worked out wonderfully. I know it's really, really hard as a parent to not feel anxious for your child when they are waitlisted (or rejected) by what you see as the first choice schools. And it's really, really hard not to somehow think that the trajectory of your child's life will be so much better if he/she attends a "top" named private high school school. Fortunatley, there are many great high schools in this area -- public and private -- in addition to the three mentioned in OPs post. Good luck to OP's child in getting off the wait lists if that is what he/she really wants, but keep an open mind and an open heart. The top colleges have plenty of kids from high schools you never heard of from around the country and the world.

GDS/Maret/Sidwell = NW DC
St Andrew = Mid Suburbia

Not everyone can make that commute, but thanks anyhow.

[Anonymous]

The point is- it is ok to go to your plan b school.

At this point, an offer to the waitlist is a remote possibility for everyone. Yes it does happen. But not for most.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I can't answer this question, but would offer a drop of unsolicited advice to all the parents with kids waitlisted at these schools who were expecting their child would be accepted at least at one of them.

DS was in that waitlist situation a few year ago. He ended up at St. Andrew's and it worked out wonderfully. I know it's really, really hard as a parent to not feel anxious for your child when they are waitlisted (or rejected) by what you see as the first choice schools. And it's really, really hard not to somehow think that the trajectory of your child's life will be so much better if he/she attends a "top" named private high school school. Fortunatley, there are many great high schools in this area -- public and private -- in addition to the three mentioned in OPs post. Good luck to OP's child in getting off the wait lists if that is what he/she really wants, but keep an open mind and an open heart. The top colleges have plenty of kids from high schools you never heard of from around the country and the world.

GDS/Maret/Sidwell = NW DC
St Andrew = Mid Suburbia

Not everyone can make that commute, but thanks anyhow.

To PP 1:07, that was an incredibly compassionate, supportive post. As a family with similar trajectory, I could not agree with you more. Our first child did not get into top choices when transitioning from a terminal 8 school. It was a challenging time and we couldn’t help cling to the hope of coming off waitlists, which never happened. They chose a previously unknown, less prestigious, less convenient school that we included as a backup. They thieved beyond our wildest expectations, and possibly beyond where they would have at a big 3 (we’ll never know), and our younger children, having seen the oldest’s experience, chose the “backup” as their first choice. In fact our youngest chose it over a big three, where they were accepted. I will admit it took some adjustment time for us as parents to accept the different trajectory. Our oldest is now at a top university and our children are confident and thriving, we couldn’t be happier for our children and family.

To the follow up poster (and OP, if they are not in fact the same), you’ll need to be willing to look beyond your comfort zone. Suburban schools are very much a reality and transportation isn’t an obstacle. Many district kids go to school at significant distances from home just as suburban kids come into town. There are excellent bus options, both school sponsored and public. Be prepared, waitlists are not really waitlists in the elites - they are polite rejections, given either b/c you have a child who really is capable or you are a family of influence who’s child still didn’t cut it. If you didn’t get off a WL the week after deposits it is virtually guaranteed you never will - buck up and move on...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I can't answer this question, but would offer a drop of unsolicited advice to all the parents with kids waitlisted at these schools who were expecting their child would be accepted at least at one of them.

DS was in that waitlist situation a few year ago. He ended up at St. Andrew's and it worked out wonderfully. I know it's really, really hard as a parent to not feel anxious for your child when they are waitlisted (or rejected) by what you see as the first choice schools. And it's really, really hard not to somehow think that the trajectory of your child's life will be so much better if he/she attends a "top" named private high school school. Fortunatley, there are many great high schools in this area -- public and private -- in addition to the three mentioned in OPs post. Good luck to OP's child in getting off the wait lists if that is what he/she really wants, but keep an open mind and an open heart. The top colleges have plenty of kids from high schools you never heard of from around the country and the world.

GDS/Maret/Sidwell = NW DC
St Andrew = Mid Suburbia

Not everyone can make that commute, but thanks anyhow.

To PP 1:07, that was an incredibly compassionate, supportive post. As a family with similar trajectory, I could not agree with you more. Our first child did not get into top choices when transitioning from a terminal 8 school. It was a challenging time and we couldn’t help cling to the hope of coming off waitlists, which never happened. They chose a previously unknown, less prestigious, less convenient school that we included as a backup. They thieved beyond our wildest expectations, and possibly beyond where they would have at a big 3 (we’ll never know), and our younger children, having seen the oldest’s experience, chose the “backup” as their first choice. In fact our youngest chose it over a big three, where they were accepted. I will admit it took some adjustment time for us as parents to accept the different trajectory. Our oldest is now at a top university and our children are confident and thriving, we couldn’t be happier for our children and family.

To the follow up poster (and OP, if they are not in fact the same), you’ll need to be willing to look beyond your comfort zone. Suburban schools are very much a reality and transportation isn’t an obstacle. Many district kids go to school at significant distances from home just as suburban kids come into town. There are excellent bus options, both school sponsored and public. Be prepared, waitlists are not really waitlists in the elites - they are polite rejections, given either b/c you have a child who really is capable or you are a family of influence who’s child still didn’t cut it. If you didn’t get off a WL the week after deposits it is virtually guaranteed you never will - buck up and move on...

Not everyone has cars or caretakers to transport their kids. Have you tried taking the metro and the various buses necessary to get from, say Petworth to St Andrew's? If you had, you would not have typed this.

[Anonymous]

I would call the school you are most interested in and express your commitment. I know someone who did this last year for one of the schools mentioned. They said although they had committed to another school, school X was still their top choice and they were willing to forego the deposit at the other school. I think they got a call over the summer with a spot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would call the school you are most interested in and express your commitment. I know someone who did this last year for one of the schools mentioned. They said although they had committed to another school, school X was still their top choice and they were willing to forego the deposit at the other school. I think they got a call over the summer with a spot.

Getting a spot over the summer means that you lose an entire year of tuition, not just the deposit. If you are committing to another private, you need to let the ship sail on June 1. If you're coming from public and haven't committed somewhere else, then that option works for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would call the school you are most interested in and express your commitment. I know someone who did this last year for one of the schools mentioned. They said although they had committed to another school, school X was still their top choice and they were willing to forego the deposit at the other school. I think they got a call over the summer with a spot.

Getting a spot over the summer means that you lose an entire year of tuition, not just the deposit. If you are committing to another private, you need to let the ship sail on June 1. If you're coming from public and haven't committed somewhere else, then that option works for you.

Commit emotionally now to your actual options- better for you and your DC. Yes some people get spots over the summer but its unlikely.

[Anonymous]

Not everyone has cars or caretakers to transport their kids. Have you tried taking the metro and the various buses necessary to get from, say Petworth to St Andrew's? If you had, you would not have typed this.

Not everyone visceral barriers to living in Ward 3, imagining it to be the rough equivalent of circa-1952 Alabama. Did you try putting offers on identically priced 3-bedroom condominium along Connecticut Ave. or a rowhouse in 20015, instead of choosing hipster Petworth for the list price? If you had, you would not be in the situation where you have to drive or take various buses to high school where >15% of the teens are literate (private or Wilson).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

GDS/Maret/Sidwell = NW DC
St Andrew = Mid Suburbia

Not everyone can make that commute, but thanks anyhow.

Not everyone has cars or caretakers to transport their kids. Have you tried taking the metro and the various buses necessary to get from, say Petworth to St Andrew's? If you had, you would not have typed this.

First, this poster was just using St Andrews as an example because it was their family's experience. You can substitute another "alternative option" that fits your commuting needs. You completely missed the message.

Second, there are plenty of families living outside of DC that face difficult commutes to get their children into DC for school. You cannot assume they live in fancy neighborhoods with caretakers, that they have easy access to public transit, or that they live in a school district with a public option they feel comfortable with as an option for their child.

Finally....good luck to wait listed families that do not feel great about their current option. I know it's a difficult place to be for you and your child. I have very good friends in the same spot. There is some truth to the idea of coming to terms with it, though. It's no fun to be in limbo for months on end and even worse to feel negatively about your option only to find out you still have to deal with the same outcome in the end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I can't answer this question, but would offer a drop of unsolicited advice to all the parents with kids waitlisted at these schools who were expecting their child would be accepted at least at one of them.

DS was in that waitlist situation a few year ago. He ended up at St. Andrew's and it worked out wonderfully. I know it's really, really hard as a parent to not feel anxious for your child when they are waitlisted (or rejected) by what you see as the first choice schools. And it's really, really hard not to somehow think that the trajectory of your child's life will be so much better if he/she attends a "top" named private high school school. Fortunatley, there are many great high schools in this area -- public and private -- in addition to the three mentioned in OPs post. Good luck to OP's child in getting off the wait lists if that is what he/she really wants, but keep an open mind and an open heart. The top colleges have plenty of kids from high schools you never heard of from around the country and the world.

GDS/Maret/Sidwell = NW DC
St Andrew = Mid Suburbia

Not everyone can make that commute, but thanks anyhow.

To PP 1:07, that was an incredibly compassionate, supportive post. As a family with similar trajectory, I could not agree with you more. Our first child did not get into top choices when transitioning from a terminal 8 school. It was a challenging time and we couldn’t help cling to the hope of coming off waitlists, which never happened. They chose a previously unknown, less prestigious, less convenient school that we included as a backup. They thieved beyond our wildest expectations, and possibly beyond where they would have at a big 3 (we’ll never know), and our younger children, having seen the oldest’s experience, chose the “backup” as their first choice. In fact our youngest chose it over a big three, where they were accepted. I will admit it took some adjustment time for us as parents to accept the different trajectory. Our oldest is now at a top university and our children are confident and thriving, we couldn’t be happier for our children and family.

To the follow up poster (and OP, if they are not in fact the same), you’ll need to be willing to look beyond your comfort zone. Suburban schools are very much a reality and transportation isn’t an obstacle. Many district kids go to school at significant distances from home just as suburban kids come into town. There are excellent bus options, both school sponsored and public. Be prepared, waitlists are not really waitlists in the elites - they are polite rejections, given either b/c you have a child who really is capable or you are a family of influence who’s child still didn’t cut it. If you didn’t get off a WL the week after deposits it is virtually guaranteed you never will - buck up and move on...

Not everyone has cars or caretakers to transport their kids. Have you tried taking the metro and the various buses necessary to get from, say Petworth to St Andrew's? If you had, you would not have typed this.

Given that St. Andrews has a bus that picks up from various subway stops, I would say it would be possible.

[Anonymous]

Bus pick ups for the kids on a daily basis is great. It doesn't account for off hours and parent trips, which happen with a modicum of frequency.

[Anonymous]

Count me in as another who advocates for accepting/embracing your back up. Sure there are stories of folks who come off the WL at the elites, even over the summer, but they are incredibly few and far between. Chances may be better than, say, winning the lottery, but not by much. If that happens to OP, congrats, but since it probably won’t accept and celebrate your other options to help your child feel good about their path. It’s a valuable life lesson and the reality is the well grounded family and child will likely end up on the same future path, regardless of the which school they attend...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bus pick ups for the kids on a daily basis is great. It doesn't account for off hours and parent trips, which happen with a modicum of frequency.

Nobody is saying it’s the most convenient option. But a bird in hand is worth 2 in the bush.