Reply to 10 Bits of Unsolicited Advice on School-Shopping from Someone who has Been There

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I completely and passionately disagree that a parent should basically ignore the huge and rippling effects of a long commute to the "wonderful fit school."    There have been probably 10 threads on this in the past few years and while opinion diverged somewhat, the clear majority of parents who chose far away schools regretted it.

And before someone responds (and they ALWAYS Do, so) that "schools have busses that run from ______ to bullis/st anselms / gds" .... remember that the commute is still sucking up hours a day of your CHILD's time.  Yes, you dodged the arduous there/back drive yourSELF, Mrs Mom, but your kid didn't. [/quote]

Also, I get the distinct feeling that peppy perky OP doesn't live in the dc-inside beltway area. [/quote]

Hi, OP here.  Just for clarity:

1) I didn't post that a parent should "ignore the huge and rippling effects of a long commute."  I noted that "commute time is important" but suggested that a five minute difference in commute shouldn't necessarily tilt the balance.  I don't view five minutes as long though you're free to disagree.
2) I'd choose to be complimented rather than insulted by the "peppy perky" comment, but I fear I stopped being either years ago.  Thanks, though.[/quote]

Yes, you did suggest that a "five minute difference in commute shouldn't necessarily tilt the balance" - but that is a meaningless comment in real life since a five minute difference would never be a factor in this area.  Possible the difference between STA, Cathedral, Sidwell and GDS (upper school) might be about 5 minutes for some, but generally commute time is an issue for those outside the beltway commuting in  or inside the beltway commuting out.  Commuting convenience is, for example, a HUGE factor for many families who choose Holton or Potomac over NCS or Sidwell. Likewise those living in NW DC are unlikely to commute to Potomac or Holton if Sidwell or GDS is an option.  Among Catholic schools, commute is HUGE factor in deciding between Prep and Gonzaga or Viz and Stone Ridge.

To be clear, I totally agree with OP IF the difference is 15 minutes or less, but that's not so common in DC.  If you are dealing with a difference of 30-60 minutes, commute time is paramount.  Even a 30 minute difference will add up to something approaching an extra academic YEAR in the car over the course of a k-12 academic career.[/quote]

OP here.  Thanks, great comments again.  Totally understand and agree that commute time is an important factor.

Re the five minute difference being a meaningless comment-- actually, this was exactly the situation in our case.  We were situated between good schools in opposite directions, and initially made the mistake of circumscribing our geographic range too narrowly.  Only after we expanded it did we investigate the right school, and indeed the difference was less than five minutes. So it can happen, which is why I offered it as a pointer.  Obviously the comment was not intended to apply to situations in which the commute time is qualitatively different.[/quote]

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