Gilman

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are the chances for admission to Gilman higher if coming from a "feeder" school?

I think that Gilman admissions is fairly straightforward, although I’m sure they toss in major points for legacy. Outside of legacy or development, I believe it is all down to the testing/visit. One of the things I liked about it is that unlike some of the other schools (ahem Friends) I didn’t feel like they were interrogating me about my parental educational philosophy, etc. They spent all their time getting to know my son.

Can you speak more about your experiences re Friends? Friends would certainly be the most liberal private school we're looking at but it sounds like they may be subtly discouraging more moderate parents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are the chances for admission to Gilman higher if coming from a "feeder" school?

I think that Gilman admissions is fairly straightforward, although I’m sure they toss in major points for legacy. Outside of legacy or development, I believe it is all down to the testing/visit. One of the things I liked about it is that unlike some of the other schools (ahem Friends) I didn’t feel like they were interrogating me about my parental educational philosophy, etc. They spent all their time getting to know my son.

Can you speak more about your experiences re Friends? Friends would certainly be the most liberal private school we're looking at but it sounds like they may be subtly discouraging more moderate parents?

What do they look for in the visit?

[Anonymous]

FWIW, as a child I was in a very similar situation. I skipped 5th grade, but was young even for my original cohort, so my parents didn't like the idea of sending me to the 7th-9th junior high at just-turned-11.

I transferred to private and repeated a year there. I have other complaints about that experience, but repeating the grade was fine . They kept me accelerated in math with a small group of other bright students, which was actually nice for me socially, because it automatically grouped me with the handful of other gifted/nerd students, who became a strong cohort for me all the way through 12th. The social studies, science, and English lit curricula were different enough that I wasn't actually repeating the material I'd learned the previous year.

It was definitely true that most of the students at my high school (which was relatively similar to Gilman, although co-ed) wouldn't meet the standard criteria for gifted; they were just from wealthy families who had sent their kids there starting in preK or K. But there was a small group of families like mine, who had kind of given up on getting the public system to work for their gifted kids, and the school accommodated us pretty well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, as a child I was in a very similar situation. I skipped 5th grade, but was young even for my original cohort, so my parents didn't like the idea of sending me to the 7th-9th junior high at just-turned-11.

I transferred to private and repeated a year there. I have other complaints about that experience, but repeating the grade was fine . They kept me accelerated in math with a small group of other bright students, which was actually nice for me socially, because it automatically grouped me with the handful of other gifted/nerd students, who became a strong cohort for me all the way through 12th. The social studies, science, and English lit curricula were different enough that I wasn't actually repeating the material I'd learned the previous year.

It was definitely true that most of the students at my high school (which was relatively similar to Gilman, although co-ed) wouldn't meet the standard criteria for gifted; they were just from wealthy families who had sent their kids there starting in preK or K. But there was a small group of families like mine, who had kind of given up on getting the public system to work for their gifted kids, and the school accommodated us pretty well.

Most kids who skip grades are either in a terrible school, have poor parenting, or have both.

Actually finding gifted kids is very rare.

[Anonymous]

Any feedback for parents interested in Gilman for Kindergarten. We have applied and we are very nervous as we hear it is extremely competitive. Our DS is smart but can be shy initially.

Considering others but we really like Gilman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any feedback for parents interested in Gilman for Kindergarten. We have applied and we are very nervous as we hear it is extremely competitive. Our DS is smart but can be shy initially.

Considering others but we really like Gilman.

I highly recommend you start your own thread. People start at the beginning of a thread and reply. Your situation is totally different than the original post.

[Anonymous]

Besides attending mixers and some co-ed classes in the last couple years of high school, do your sons get any interaction with girls at the local schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Besides attending mixers and some co-ed classes in the last couple years of high school, do your sons get any interaction with girls at the local schools?

There are cross school friendship/dating among the tri schools. My older child was at bryn Mawr and had pretty strong friendships with both Gilman and RPCS students that started with middle school mixers and lasted through middle and upper school. My younger had no mixers for 6th and 7th grade due to Covid, but has had a group of girls at rpcs he has been friends with since middle school. Most of the Baltimore private school kids know one another via social media, club sports, etc.. .

[Anonymous]

I was skeptical about how much kids could really get to know one another through the co-Ed English and history classes in junior year, but so far I think it’s working, at least in part bc these classes are small, discussion based, and 80 min - enough time to really get a sense of classmates. DD is striking up friendships with a number of the Gilman kids. That said, many kids know each other through other activities, swim/tennis/country clubs etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was skeptical about how much kids could really get to know one another through the co-Ed English and history classes in junior year, but so far I think it’s working, at least in part bc these classes are small, discussion based, and 80 min - enough time to really get a sense of classmates. DD is striking up friendships with a number of the Gilman kids. That said, many kids know each other through other activities, swim/tennis/country clubs etc.

It is very tight knit, but not unwelcoming to new families. My freshman took a language class with girls from both schools. There are handfuls of events and programs that incorporate all three schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are the chances for admission to Gilman higher if coming from a "feeder" school?

I think that Gilman admissions is fairly straightforward, although I’m sure they toss in major points for legacy. Outside of legacy or development, I believe it is all down to the testing/visit. One of the things I liked about it is that unlike some of the other schools (ahem Friends) I didn’t feel like they were interrogating me about my parental educational philosophy, etc. They spent all their time getting to know my son.

Can you speak more about your experiences re Friends? Friends would certainly be the most liberal private school we're looking at but it sounds like they may be subtly discouraging more moderate parents?

What do they look for in the visit?

I taught at a Friends school for 25 years. The hallmark of Quakers is tolerance. They are incredibly accepting of all beliefs, or the absence thereof. At the Friends school where I worked, we had Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Rastafarian children, as well as pantheists, agnostics, and atheists - but very few Quakers. The Quakers have only one doctrinal belief: That all people are equal because there is "that of God" in everyone. You can define "God" however you like. We had Meeting for Worship once a week, which consisted of the whole school sitting together in reflective silence for 30 minutes. If someone felt moved to speak, they did so. Only 1 or 2 of our 40 faculty were Quakers. Friends schools tend to be bohemian and woke, but they do not peddle religion. I know a bit about Sidwell, and what you'll find there is rigor, diversity of all kinds, and an emphasis on social justice, as well as awesome facilities. Don't count it out just because it's Quaker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our family, very recently started considering private school, Gilman in particular. We did not consider other private schools due to distance & religious affiliation. Having visited Gilman, I'm reconsidering our approach to not look at other schools.

While our student is very gifted, we have concerns about admissions after our visit. See, our student skipped a grade two years ago. Public school was not providing him a challenging enough environment, he was testing out of every subject and performing well above grade level for many years. At the time, private school was only a passing thought due to cost. When we mentioned our students grade elevation during our visit, we received mixed responses from the admissions team. A concern that had not crossed my mind until that conversation. Maturity & social development seemed to be a point of general concern, but I don't believe they were speaking about my child directly.

However, over the past two years our financial situation has changed and we would now be able to pay for tuition in full. While we could swing 35k, it would be a considerable amount of savings that would be sacrificed. We would still like to apply for FA.

For context, our student is very poised and mature, maintains a 3.9, is active in a handful of clubs/sports. Our student also has ADHD and requires medication to maintain focus which is well controlled. Executive functioning skills are very good and do not require any additional accommodations. Grade skipped was 6th grade.

1. What is the general consensus on students who skip a grade/gifted students.
2. Even though the FA application is separate, will it have an impact on admissions?
3. How selective is Gilman? (No stats available online and did not feel comfortable asking directly.)

Why is this post in the DMV forum? Gilman is in Baltimore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one has mentioned Boys Latin (not far from Gilman). Great school!

It wasn’t an omission — Boys Latin is unlikely to provide the rigor op is looking for. i

Updating in 2025 to say my son is twice exceptional like yours (ADHD, no meds & gifted by IQ on WISC). We have advanced his math through the same private tutoring company being used at Bryn Mawr and Gilman twice, which has allowed him to test out of Pre-Algebra & Geometry. He took Algebra I this year and got straight As. He will be part of a small handful of BL middle schoolers taking Algebra 2 in the Upper School as a MS student.

People don't realize some private schools offer unique options for gifted students. Don't discount a school without knowing about it, intimately.

Unsure if Gilman offers these opportunities to gifted students in the MS but I can speak to the academic rigor of Bryn Mawr which is light years ahead of many of the surrounding schools. Gilman/BMS/RPCS share HS classes amongst the three campuses and this is a unique model not available at other private schools. It opens up computer science and language classes to students who would otherwise have to take these classes privately (which is more expensive).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one has mentioned Boys Latin (not far from Gilman). Great school!

It wasn’t an omission — Boys Latin is unlikely to provide the rigor op is looking for. i

Updating in 2025 to say my son is twice exceptional like yours (ADHD, no meds & gifted by IQ on WISC). We have advanced his math through the same private tutoring company being used at Bryn Mawr and Gilman twice, which has allowed him to test out of Pre-Algebra & Geometry. He took Algebra I this year and got straight As. He will be part of a small handful of BL middle schoolers taking Algebra 2 in the Upper School as a MS student.

People don't realize some private schools offer unique options for gifted students. Don't discount a school without knowing about it, intimately.

Unsure if Gilman offers these opportunities to gifted students in the MS but I can speak to the academic rigor of Bryn Mawr which is light years ahead of many of the surrounding schools. Gilman/BMS/RPCS share HS classes amongst the three campuses and this is a unique model not available at other private schools. It opens up computer science and language classes to students who would otherwise have to take these classes privately (which is more expensive).

The course offerings at each school is limited and having to take courses at other schools is a large detriment based on your point of view.