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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The list in the title was exactly our list for a while.  We were not interested in STA/Cathedral or other religious schools, and SFS did not seem religious in the same way.  Silent meeting is not the same as a chapel service. Well, no one in our family enjoyed Sidwell and we eventually left.  Now I'd recommend a longer list that includes friendlier schools.  They tend not to be as selective but they're often better in other ways.

I wouldn't say we were social climbers.  When we made our original list, we thought we were identifying the three schools that fit the best.  We were wrong.[/quote]

Curious to hear more, if you’re willing to say more. Was the religiousness at all a factor? Maybe we’re outliers, but we found SFS far more religious than we were expecting. And even when it wasn’t religious, we felt like “quaker values” got pulled out anytime anyone disagreed with someone or disliked someone—not dissimilar to “regular” religion  :lol: Relatedly, our oldest kid hasn’t really enjoyed themselves, but we’re giving it a bit longer. We though some of this came from the quakerism, which kind of put a somberness on everything.

Anyway, we would love to hear more, as we’re struggling with the long-term decision here. [/quote]

I'm not Quaker but have experience with both Sidwell Friends and Sandy Spring Friends.  Quaker values are a far more significant part of student life at Sandy Spring, but I wasn't annoyed by it at all.  It seemed very genuine.  At Sidwell it didn't always seem sincere because of the social and academic competition that affects so many things there.

On the other hand, there's no denying that Sidwell students get a great college preparatory education surrounded by many bright students.  There are some excellent students at Sandy Spring, but I'd estimate that a quarter to a third of Sandy Spring students couldn't handle the intense Sidwell workload.  There are a lot of very smart kids at Sidwell and very few weak students there.[/quote]

If they are all so smart and well prepared - why do so many Sidwell kids end up at mediocre colleges?   Yes, understand Harvard isn't going to take all of them but there are a lot each year going to schools ranked outside top 100 or top 200.  Don't tell me it's "fit"[/quote]

This isn’t at all true.  About five or six kids a year out of ~130 go to a school that’s listed >100 in USNWR.  Two of those will invariably be male athletes

This is for the last five years - I can’t speak to time before that. [/quote]

Want to be cautious in replying as we are talking about specific young adults colleges here - but colleges like [b]Northeastern, Penn State and Tulane[/b] (all common destinations after Sidwell) don't necessarily jump to mind first with image of "very smart kids" who have been "very well prepared".   Lots of private LACs too that while in theory are top100 certainly aren't need-blind and a track record of parents paying 50k/yr isn't going to be a disadvantage.  Not dunking on Sidwell - clearly best of bunch in this area - just agreeing that either characterization is too rosy or significant negative x-factor coming from one of these privates when it comes to college admissions.  [/quote]

I am not speaking with any specific knowledge of the SFS kids who may attend these schools, but keep in mind that not all kids at Sidwell are filthy rich. Some very smart kids end up at places based on financial aid and merit scholarships. The school they choose doesn't tell you anything about the schools they were accepted to, and not every kid has the luxury (or, more correctly, I'd say the ridiculous short sightedness) of picking a school purely based on USNWR ranking!  Consider a kid who may not quite make Ivy, but otherwise could go to a high ranked school but needs support.  Furthermore, not every kid wants an Ivy and places like Northeastern, Penn State, and Tulane are great schools for a bright student who will take advantage that all these schools have to offer.

[/quote]

Tulane #41
Northeastern #49
Penn State #63

Seems fine to me. You people are crazy.[/quote]

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