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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm a Sidwell parent of a recent graduate. To say the least, the college counseling program has a mixed reputation within the school community. Certainly, lots of kids get in to great schools but not at the rate that meet parents' expectations.  I don't know if that's because of unrealistic expectations or because the counselors are lame. I suspect it's a little bit of both. Parents at other schools do seem more enthusiastic about their college counselors.  While I have heard satisfaction from parents about the Sidwell college counseling, I have never heard anyone be strongly supportive.[/quote]

+1 -- Yes, as other PPs have noted, parents' expectations are often unrealistic and too many kids apply to the same schools (a couple of years back I heard that something like 25-30% of the class applied to Tufts).  But, that said, the counseling programs at all the top DC area independents, as well as similar schools around the country, have to contend with these factors.  Based on exmissions lists and even the most casual survey of what other counseling programs are doing,  it's clear that SFS isn't responding as adeptly as other schools.

Some examples: 
Instead of leaving it up to students to submit a list of 30 (yes, 30) schools to look at over the summer before senior year), they can do a much better job of working with kids and parents earlier on to develop a more targeted list based on each student's individual profile.  Instead of telling kids they don't need to work on their essays until September of senior year -- way too late, especially for students who are fall athletes and/or carrying a demanding courseload -- they could run summer workshops on essay-writing as many other schools do.  Instead of relying on the legacies, URMs and recruited athletes (my own kids fall into 2 of 3 of these categories) to gain admission to the most selective schools, they could do more to help the many unhooked kids who are still very strong candidates.  Eric is a nice guy and he genuinely means well, but, honestly, his  departure is a chance to stop blaming parents and end the excuses.         [/quote]

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