Reply to GDS and Sidwell comparison?

Forum Index » Private & Independent Schools

Reply to "GDS and Sidwell comparison?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote][quote]… I encourage parents applying to these schools to be highly skeptical of what gets posted here over the next few months. Ask the schools you're applying to if they can put you in touch with real parents who you can talk to. Use your friend networks to find real parents to talk to. Real people will have more honest, and reasonable, views that what gets posted here on DCUM during silly season.[/quote]
Thanks for this, and I'm sure there's truth to this. I think if parents and kids could visit schools in person it would help a lot, but some schools (these two in particular) aren't allowing that. And a zoom call just isn't enough, so we grasp for whatever information we can find. Someone said last year these schools allowed admitted students to tour in person. Not sure if that will include their parents, but even if it's just the kids that would help a great deal. [/quote]
PP responding. No doubt Covid makes it harder because you can sometimes get a vibe (good or bad) from visiting a school and seeing the teachers and admin in action. And for middle and high school, your child will surely want to get a feel for the place. But recognize that those tours are fairly heavily curated for all schools. I strongly suggest talking with current parents at any school you’re seriously considering. Having those one-on-one discussions where you can ask direct questions and judge tone is invaluable. Best would be if you can meet another parent to go for an outside walk and talk, so you can hear answers in person. My kids’ school solicits parents who are active and friendly to talk to prospective parents. When we get contacted, we provide honest feedback on both positive and negative.  Take advantage of this!

I’d suggest though that you not do this right now. Wait until March (?) when admissions results come out, and make your calls then. If you want to do something productive now, check your extended social network to find people who have kids at these schools and ask them if they’d be willing to talk with you in a couple months after you get admission results.

No school is perfect, so you’re surely going to find things you don’t like. Just try to learn as much as possible in advance. These places are stupid expensive, and it can be challenging to switch later, so you want to avoid buyers remorse.

Good luck![/quote]

Thanks for this, and you're right, I'd feel more comfortable doing this after we know we got in. They give you 2 weeks to decide, yes?[/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