Reply to Where to move for lower pressure schools?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Honestly, I think there's a bit of selection bias at work here, and I don't blame you. You are seeing a small cross-section of kids -- those stressed out enough to seek psychological support.

As a counterpoint, I come into contact with TPMS and Blair kids all the time and they are uniformly happy, well-adjusted, and confident young people. But that's also selection bias.

The point is that you will find stressed out and anxious kids everywhere, particularly in the DMV. Just make sure your own kid doesn't stress themselves out and has healthy outlets, which I'm sure you will do! [/quote]

Yes, you're right and I'm definitely aware of the bias; however, there are situations that aren't based on bias. For example, one high school teacher at a public high school told their AP class that if the students did not get a specific grade on that specific AP exam that they would not write them a letter of recommendation for college. These are the kinds of stories I hear, not just individuals who are stressed about getting into college. Also, lots of students visiting campuses from freshman year on is not normal. Families taking trips just to visit colleges starting at 14. These are the kinds of things you just don't hear other places, and I've treated kids in numerous states at this point in my career. There will be happy and unhappy kids everywhere, absolutely. But there is a culture here that is very different than other places in terms of the focus on elite colleges. There's also a difference between offering AP classes and saying well it's the kids' choice to take or not take, but then teachers are continuing to push the kids to take them because of how good it will look. So then you as a parent have to decide whether you are going to tell your kid, who really wants to be like all their friends and please their teacher and believes they must take 4 AP's or they won't get into an elite school, which is super important apparently. That's different than just having the option to take or not take. I've also spoken with my massage therapist about his daughter's experience and many others, not just clients. It's just a different world out here so I'm trying to shield my son as much as possible while living in this general area. I have to make a choice about where to move next year when we sell the house and want to be informed about my options. [/quote]

I have lived in Silver Spring for years and have never heard of families visiting college freshman year. Most families are not super-focused on elite colleges and many can't afford them anyways. You are definitely getting a skewed sample. [/quote]

That's odd. I also live near Silver Spring and many of my children's friends did exactly this sort of thing and are already planning for elite colleges. [/quote]

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