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

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

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[quote=Anonymous]I'm not sure why this is such a sticky issue.  It's human nature for people to ranks schools, neighborhoods, etc.  If someone was planning to moving to the D.C. metropolitan area and asked, "What are the top neighborhoods?", I'm sure that most people would focus on neighborhoods in Montgomery County, Fairfax County and certain parts of D.C. (i.e. Georgetown, Chevy Chase).  Would this take away from other nice neighborhoods?  No, but it does provide a frame of reference that the particular areas identified are widely considered to be very good bets.

It's the same with schools.  If someone was planning to move to the D.C. area and asked, "What are the top three schools?", most people would answer Sidwell, the Cathedral Schools and the Georgetown Day School.  (And before someone asks, no I don't have kids at any of those schools.)  Does it take away from other schools that are well regarded?  No, but it does provide a frame of reference that the particular schools identified are widely considered to be very good bets.

The truth is that not all neighborhoods and schools are of the same caliber.  So if your DC's school is not widely considered to be one of the "Big 3", then get over it--it's not the end of the world and I'm sure you will survive (just like my family and I do).  But this Pollyanna/Kumbaya response of, "Oh it doesn't matter how they rank, because they are all special in their own way" is disingenuous--and frankly comes across as defensive and insecure.  [/quote]

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