Reply to FAQ: What is the "Big 3"? (or "Big 5", or "Big 10", etc)

Forum Index » Private & Independent Schools

Reply to "FAQ: What is the "Big 3"? (or "Big 5", or "Big 10", etc)"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Agree with PP. I'm not sure why the number is 3 when everyone only seems to agree on 2. Why not call it "the big two" instead since Sidwell and Beauvoir/NCS/StA are always on the "big three" lists with [insert name of other school here]?[/quote]

We chose Potomac over Sidwell and Beauvoir so our top 2 is obviously different than your claim of "everyone" above. [/quote]

I don't know that that's true.  To me "big" isn't a complement, or an insult.  It's a recognition that certain schools are more talked about and more "glitzy" than others.  Similarly I'd describe the Jonas Brothers as "bigger" than Ladysmith Black Mambazo (naming a group I've seen in concert recently) doesn't mean that I'd want them on my IPOD.

If money and logistics weren't issues, I think my ideal school for my kid would be Sandy Spring Friends, but I wouldn't argue that it's "bigger" than Sidwell.  Maybe that it SHOULD be, but not that it is.[/quote]

I hear you, but the point is that it's impossible to tell on an anonymous board what the consensus "Big 1,2,3,5,10" might be.   You could have a couple of boosters (or admissions folks) posting all the time using these terms to sway the perception of their school.   The fact that you NEVER hear the term "Big X" outside of this forum is telling.

Just underscores that it's very hard to pinpoint the consensus top tier schools.   Outside of doing a large survey of the population of metro DC, in my opinion the third party magazine/newspaper articles probably offer better sense of the general perception than an anonymous internet forum. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics