Reply to Sidwell Vs Maret vs NCS

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous] First and foremost consider how your kid will hold up in varying degrees of intensity and stress. Ncs seems to usually poll the highest and that’s certainly the experience of our friends who have kids at all of these schools. I’d personally take a hard pass. Maret is known for a bit less homework and seems to have college outcomes pretty much the same. For some kids that’s way way more impt than whether they have a bit too much DEI. Gds is definitely a lot of work but at least they try to put joy into the process and take the stress down a notch. Sidwell maybe somewhere in between gds and ncs. The most impt thing is where your kid will thrive - not things like cool buildings and who overcooks the dei. [/quote]

That's super helpful, we are also looking for joy! How would Holton Arms comapre to NCS in terms of intensity and stress?[/quote]

GDS is definitely the win for joy.[/quote]

New to GDS and the emphasis on joy is evident. We are pleasantly surprised by it as we didn't expect it to be emphasized as much as it is. It is intentional and cultivated. [/quote]

This is off-topic, I apologize! But do you have any advice on how to get into GDS? We love the school but have found it incredibly difficult to get in. The application process (into middle school) has felt pretty impersonal at times--lots of emphasis on "this is who we are," but not as much focus perhaps on getting to know us or our child. It's been hard to convey why we believe we’d be a great fit for the school. We don’t have any "hooks" that might give us an edge, and we’ve sort of resigned ourselves to the fact that it might just come down to that? Any thoughts or insights would be greatly appreciated![/quote]

Try not to worry about the impersonal side. We felt that way for both of our kids during admissions and they both were accepted (one after being WL) . It’s odd because the school is far more personal once attending.

In general - some schools admissions are warmer than others. And you’d think it matters or would be a reflection of the school culture given it is so forward facing. But it is rarely the case. They have a lot of work to do so try not to let it get to you.  And - as others have noted - many schools are courting athletes and huge donor families and it 100% is a bad feeling to see the overtones of this - Potomac dies it during tours right in front of everyone else! And I’ve seen GDS and Sidwell do it at secondary school fair. And Maret at accepted student events (while families are deciding) or at their open house.

Good luck!

[/quote]

So true. We had a perfectly fine family interview for US , but we did not leave with any feeling of certainty. But kid got in. It is much warmer once you are in and there’s a strong sense of community - stronger than anticipated. And they really try to make school fun to the extent possible. This has all been a pleasant surprise. [/quote]

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