Which DC private is the most academically rigorous?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sat scores going down is a fact. Info on the ncs website. Their school profile gives this information and it has definitely declined.

Its a reflection of declining applications, and therefore lower standards.

Exactly. And that could have to do with their reputation and not just economy.

Why has their reputation suffered?

I am also curious about the supposed decline in their rep. We don't have kids @ a SS school, but know a lot of wonderful girls and young women @ NCS.

[Anonymous]

NCS head is really focused on fundraising. Rumor is that they're taking a lot of super wealthy kids who can't cut it academically, but keeping them anyway. For all the usual reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are least academically rigorous schools in the area?

NCS, Maret, Holton.

[Anonymous]

Gds is rigorous if the kid wants it but let's lots of kids slide.

[Anonymous]

NCS, Maret and Holton are the LEAST academically rigorous? I beg to differ. I think one of the problems with NCS is the pressure cooker atmosphere. And my DC, at Maret, is working plenty hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sat scores going down is a fact. Info on the ncs website. Their school profile gives this information and it has definitely declined.

Its a reflection of declining applications, and therefore lower standards.

Exactly. And that could have to do with their reputation and not just economy.

Why has their reputation suffered?

I am also curious about the supposed decline in their rep. We don't have kids @ a SS school, but know a lot of wonderful girls and young women @ NCS.

NCS's reputation has "suffered" only among a handful of DCUM bashers, and that's about it. Sorry, but I'm sick of this BS, whoever you are, and some of you have identified yourselves as disgruntled grads from the 80s, been exposed as trolls (the poster on another thread who was bashing away but couldn't identify the cafeteria) or even, and this is pure speculation, Holton boosters.

My own DD turned NCS down. I posted early on that 40-page NCS thread that NCS took the meanest girls from DD's K-6 and maybe NCS thought, mistakenly, that they were selecting for "strong" girls. That's my honest opinion, but obviously it's anecdotal, and I certainly didn't show up on every subsequent page to say exactly the same thing. The moderator ultimately shut that thread down because, he said, it had deteriorated into a couple of bashers who were bashing over and over.

So stop already with this nonsense. Bashing away and then posting in a declarative way that the school's "reputation has suffered" because of, um, your own online anonymous bashing, is petty and ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are least academically rigorous schools in the area?

NCS, Maret, Holton.

Since you don't have a clue, you shouldn't be posting here. People come here for info and might make important decisions based on things they read here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sat scores going down is a fact. Info on the ncs website. Their school profile gives this information and it has definitely declined.

Its a reflection of declining applications, and therefore lower standards.

Exactly. And that could have to do with their reputation and not just economy.

Why has their reputation suffered?

I am also curious about the supposed decline in their rep. We don't have kids @ a SS school, but know a lot of wonderful girls and young women @ NCS.

NCS's reputation has "suffered" only among a handful of DCUM bashers, and that's about it. Sorry, but I'm sick of this BS, whoever you are, and some of you have identified yourselves as disgruntled grads from the 80s, been exposed as trolls (the poster on another thread who was bashing away but couldn't identify the cafeteria) or even, and this is pure speculation, Holton boosters.

My own DD turned NCS down. I posted early on that 40-page NCS thread that NCS took the meanest girls from DD's K-6 and maybe NCS thought, mistakenly, that they were selecting for "strong" girls. That's my honest opinion, but obviously it's anecdotal, and I certainly didn't show up on every subsequent page to say exactly the same thing. The moderator ultimately shut that thread down because, he said, it had deteriorated into a couple of bashers who were bashing over and over.

So stop already with this nonsense. Bashing away and then posting in a declarative way that the school's "reputation has suffered" because of, um, your own online anonymous bashing, is petty and ridiculous.

I recall that only one of the NCS "bashers" was an alum from the 80s. Most were parents like myself whose daughters had bad experiences.

NCS is plenty rigorous. I don't think there's any question. The problem isn't so much the academics, which are top notch, but the toxicity. You can have strong academics without it becoming so competitive. The girls really do seem to be pitted against each other, especially in 11th and 12th grade, and very few are happy. Many of the girls count the days until they can be liberated. There are some wonderful, caring teachers dealing with a lot of depressed and anxious girls in an atmosphere where the administration is far from caring. The lowering of admissions standards has made the dynamic worse because there are more girls struggling or feeling like they are struggling. There are, and will probably always be, the stars who do fine (though in my DD's class several of the "stars" had eating disorders by the time they graduated) and terrific girls who somehow rise above the crazy. I suspect there aren't more than a handful of girls who graduate with fond feelings toward the school. You cannot get a more rigorous education than at NCS, that is true, but teh price tag is high.

PP since you have no direct connection to the school, perhaps you shouldn't get so emotional. I find many common comments from those of us who do.

[Anonymous]

I distinctly recall two 80s grads high-fiving each other on that long thread. I don't think they overlapped years though. Yes, I read most of it, and that's sad.

[Anonymous]

I've seen a few posts from NCS parents who say their DDs like the school, but they don't bother posting on DCUM any more because they get shouted down by posters like PP.

[Anonymous]

NCS is harder than most colleges. It could hold its own against Exeter, Andover and Groton. It is not a namby-pamby school. It prepares girls for life which doesn't give breaks. It teaches grit unlike most private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are least academically rigorous schools in the area?

NCS, Maret, Holton.

Since you don't have a clue, you shouldn't be posting here. People come here for info and might make important decisions based on things they read here.

The God help them!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NCS is harder than most colleges. It could hold its own against Exeter, Andover and Groton. It is not a namby-pamby school. It prepares girls for life which doesn't give breaks. It teaches grit unlike most private schools.

High school isn't supposed to be a hazing. You can have the rigor without the pounding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NCS is harder than most colleges. It could hold its own against Exeter, Andover and Groton. It is not a namby-pamby school. It prepares girls for life which doesn't give breaks. It teaches grit unlike most private schools.

And it's more affordable than Valley Forge Military Academy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NCS is harder than most colleges. It could hold its own against Exeter, Andover and Groton. It is not a namby-pamby school. It prepares girls for life which doesn't give breaks. It teaches grit unlike most private schools.

High school isn't supposed to be a hazing. You can have the rigor without the pounding.

Agree. You don't have to be tortured in high school to be successful in life.