Reply to did anyone use Clare Anderson for consulting this year?

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[quote=Anonymous]I got a job offer in DC in 2020 months after the admissions deadline and had to move my family from California to the DMV (in our home state that the Department of Motor Vehicles) without knowing anyone. A very well-regarded consultant in the SF Bay Area, Christine Southgate, highly recommended Clare. Clare laid out all the private options and she made it pretty clear that getting 3 kids into the same school would be hard, especially since they were not in natural transition grades. Clare knew all the admissions people personally and just helped us keep on top of things since we applied to lots of schools and I was terrified all 3 kids would get into 3 different schools and we would never have a vacation with all of us together, and the thought of having to get to 3 different communities at the same time made my head hurt. Clare was always available, and was good at reading the admissions people (“Ah, probably not going to happen” or “I think these are really good options for you” or “Not a good fit. Let’s think about these other schools.” Fortunately, the kids all had lots of previous activities that resonated with the values of our top choice school and they killed it in their interviews. We were in the next room when the interviews happened on Zoom and we looked at each other and asked “who are these kids, and when did they learn how to interview like grownups?” Long story short, all three kids got into our top choice. I give Clare a huge amount of credit, and she is worth whatever she charges. The kids are super happy and have made lots of friends, and the school has largely met expectations. The tuition bill is breathtaking (almost $50,000/child), even though I did very well in business before coming to DC and committed to spending the money for private school a long time ago, no matter how painful economically. Would they have done well in public school? I was the product of both private and public school and my wife solely public school, with a sister who is a public school teacher. We just saw (especially during Covid) that private school went the extra mile, gave the kids extra opportunities, and so we were happy with our decision. Others will choose differently. It depends on which risks and benefits you are trying to optimize, and which school and community you are lucky enough to resonate with. I feel like we made the right choice. I hope you are happy with yours.

Two stories: Our kids’ previous school was very progressive and very focused on the latest academic work on childhood education. When we spoke to the teachers at Landon, their super jockey teachers/coaches were completely and unexpectedly up to date on the latest literature and educational philosophies. We were very impressed, and liked them a lot. Likewise for St. Patricks, who accepted our daughter. We chose a coed school that took all of our kids but it was a close call. Another top school asked us where else we had gotten in. When I said I didn’t know yet, they said “If you get in somewhere else, give us a call”. In my business that is called following where others dare lead. Why would I ever call? [/quote]

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