Georgetown Visitation
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Anonymous
She had multiple brothers that went to Gonzaga, so one would think Visi would know the family was committed to Catholic private schools. But, if the school does suspect a lack of commitment to accepting an offered admission spot, that will definitely affect their admission decision. That's why they are so curious about where else a candidate is applying. They are assessing just how likely the candidate will be to gain admission to the other schools on her list and how likely she will be to accept their offer. If they suspect Visi is a "safety" school, that's going to affect their thinking. That's another great thing about legacies and those from traditional feeder school. The candidate described seems so good and such a good fit, one wonders what happened. She may have just fallen through the cracks in the process. The Admissions process at these schools is no where as near as scientific, logical or "fair" as outsiders think it is (or should be). And at schools where it's a committee making the decisions, it's even unpredictable. |
Anonymous
| Fair is fair. Schools should publish their admissions criteria. Levelnthenplaying field and we all rise together. |
Anonymous
There are a lot of subjective qualities for ALL of the schools, not just Visitation. I don't think our daughters would find a school of only HSPT > 90% or 95% very appealing. It is the diversity of skill sets - music, dance, art, soccer, basketball, lax, STEM, leaders, supporters - that gives a school a "vibe" or feel. Since each school has a different set of girls applying each year, it would be impossible to make the same choices every year. That's why the application process has so many components - the actual application, the HSPT score, the essay, the interview, the teacher recommendations. It is tough, I know. We've lived through it. Our daughters were not legacy and they didn't have this hook thing that is so talked about on some of the threads here in the Private School forum and also the College forum. They did have strong HSPT scores but I can tell you that without a doubt that is not what got them into Visi. If I had to identify two elements that I believe made the difference for our girls it their essays and their interviews. In both, I believe that our girls showed their personalities and their core, for lack of a better word. And, for whatever reason, that resonated with the admissions committee. Frankly, their essays weren't perfect (no spelling or grammatical errors, of course) because the girls' father and I had to practically tie our hands together not to wordsmith the things and change verbiage here or there, but our girls essence showed through. And I think that the same thing happened in the interviews. My advice is, that if everything else is fairly equal (HSPT score, teacher recs) when applying to Visitation or any other school, then focus on the things that really allow your girl to show who she is. And hopefully showing those intrinsic qualities are what will help your girl achieve her goals. |
Anonymous
You aren't getting it. They'll never publish that because that might restrain them from doing what they want to do. And much of their decision is based on subjective things and their needs are very fluid from year to year. The playing field is not level. Legacies, athletes, special talents, special attributes, who you are "connected" to, how much money you have (Financial Aid required? Potential Gifts, etc.), the family's reputation and status in the community they care about, where you went to middle school and the school's need to keep that relationship, etc., etc, etc. all have potential weight. Is it "fair"? Depends on who decides what is fair. Legacy families think they should get preference because of decades of involvement and support sometimes from multiple generations and family members. |
Anonymous
They’ll never publish because it would actually make things like test scores and grades much more important in the process. I have no experience with Visi but my daughter was accepted to very competitive schools with mediocre test scores. We had no hook-just great kid who interviews very well and is very well liked in community (glowing recs). This is not quanitifiable. Private schools in the area are not just looking for high test scores and grades. They are looking for interesting kids with differing strengths. The grades and test scores are necessary to make sure they can do the work. |
Anonymous
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"They’ll never publish because it would actually make things like test scores and grades much more important in the process. I have no experience with Visi but my daughter was accepted to very competitive schools with mediocre test scores. We had no hook-just great kid who interviews very well and is very well liked in community (glowing recs). This is not quanitifiable. Private schools in the area are not just looking for high test scores and grades. They are looking for interesting kids with differing strengths. The grades and test scores are necessary to make sure they can do the work."
Being charming works sometimes. The school is trying to build a balanced class. Not too many not-so-bright athletes. Not too many one-dimensional academic stars. They'd love to have everything, but even that doesn't work sometimes as a previous poster pointed out based on her experience. They are extremely adverse to admitting anyone who might be an academic, social or disciplinary problem for them or who are dragging along parents who might be. That's why they prefer students from schools they have a relationship with and a co-dependence. And they have to satisfy all the disparate groups from alums, to faculty to coaches to the feeder schools to the financial office. Building these balanced classes is part science and part art. It's the art part of this that many parents don't understand and that the school isn't going to necessarily share with them. |
Anonymous
| They also don’t want any girls who might need extra support. Nothing too diverse, you know. |
Anonymous
They aren't set up for it. Extra support means extra resources and that costs money nd that raises everyone's tuition. |
Anonymous
They could if they wanted to but they choose not to. Just like every private school that boasts diversity and inclusiveness. They only include those who are different if they are forced to do so. |
Anonymous
Mom of the DD above. Reluctant to say too much - probably already said too much - since technically she is still on the WL but we were told the entering class is oversubscribed, not going to the WL and we're getting down to the wire now. It is true that she only applied to one private but I think it's pretty clear since brothers went to GZ that we are committed to Catholic school. We wanted only all girls Catholic and the other schools that fit the bill are very inconvenient to our house and jobs. If one of us quit working so that we could drive her back and forth to school we'd not have the money to pay the tuition. And yes, I know there are car pools but you can't send a kid to a school 100% relying on that while not being able to do your share of the driving and no, we weren't going to buy her a car when she turns 16 so that she could drive herself. She was asked in her interview where else she was applying and the application asks that as well. Both times she said only to Visi because it was her first choice and where she really hoped to attend. And for what it's worth, when I picked her up after her shadow day, she and the admissions person came out of her interview talking and laughing. DD is outgoing and confident. We were very disappointed and DD was devastated for a couple months but of course she'll be fine. Our public HS, only a 10 minute walk, is a top ten in the region (hence the reason we are only willing to pay for single sex, Catholic), she has great friends who she'll continue to go to school with, she will remain active with our church youth group and her service project and probably be a 7 letter varsity athlete. Who knows what happened with her application but she’s a great kid and it will all work out, even if it's not what we had hoped for. |
Anonymous
| You have a great attitude. Your daughter learning to overcome setbacks with a positive attitude like this is probably as good a lesson as anything she would have learned at GV. I wish you both the best. |
Anonymous
I know - we were literally shoved out of the way when we tried to volunteer at our DD’s Catholic k-8. If I knew that that wasn’t just out of meanness but also born out of the other parents’ strong desire to get their daughters into Visi we would have gotten off the train sooner. Excuse me while I go shower. |
Anonymous
Holy Child includes LD girls. |
Anonymous
So does the Academy of the Holy Cross (Saint Mary's Resource Center (generic learning disabilities) and Moreau Options Program (Special Education environment). |
Anonymous
In the closet to their parents and the school. Way out of the closet among their peers. |