Anonymous wrote:Is bullis considered a great school or is it still considered the place to go if you can't hack the top privates?

Hi, Landon Parent.

Anonymous wrote:I will admit when I hear someone is at Bullis, I think of a certain type of family and child and not one that is very academically focused. It's wrong of me, but I admit that is what goes through my head. By the same token, if I hear someone is at GDS, I have a stereotype in my head; if at Prep, I have a stereotype. I sound awful!

We all have stereotypes in our heads, but the question is whether you allow that stereotype to dominate your thinking. Do you allow it to cause you to overlook the strengths of some schools and the weaknesses of others? Do you allow it to obscure changes in school communities or demographics? Or do you stop and think about whether the strereotype might just be an old, outmoded generalization. It's really a good idea to do this, especially if you have kids who'll be applying to college in the near future. That's often when many parents steer their kids to certain schools based on stereotypes that are no longer valid.

10" B? Are you sure? Pretty sure that's a G, not a B.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Really, the window decal? Why do people assume the worst in everybody. I send my kids to the school that i think is the best place for them and that will challenge them academically everyday. No decal on my car, but that 10" tall Bullis B decal I see everywhere sure stands out.

I am not trying to be mean, but why does the Bullis decal bother you? You're very happy with the school your kids attend. I agree, it would be annoying if everyone thought you picked your current school just for prestige, but I'm sure that's not the vibe you get from people. So why, in trying to post about people not assuming the worst about everybody, did you have to take a shot at another school?

I was simply trying to make a point to the poster who mentioned the decal as if Bullis folks weren't proud of their school. I have no bad feeling for Bullis or any other place, just thought the poster was suggesting that those of us who didn't choose Bullis only chose our school because of prestige of name. I thought it was short-sighted on her part.

I will admit when I hear someone is at Bullis, I think of a certain type of family and child and not one that is very academically focused. It's wrong of me, but I admit that is what goes through my head. By the same token, if I hear someone is at GDS, I have a stereotype in my head; if at Prep, I have a stereotype. I sound awful!

Anonymous wrote:Really, the window decal? Why do people assume the worst in everybody. I send my kids to the school that i think is the best place for them and that will challenge them academically everyday. No decal on my car, but that 10" tall Bullis B decal I see everywhere sure stands out.

I am not trying to be mean, but why does the Bullis decal bother you? You're very happy with the school your kids attend. I agree, it would be annoying if everyone thought you picked your current school just for prestige, but I'm sure that's not the vibe you get from people. So why, in trying to post about people not assuming the worst about everybody, did you have to take a shot at another school?

Really, the window decal? Why do people assume the worst in everybody. I send my kids to the school that i think is the best place for them and that will challenge them academically everyday. No decal on my car, but that 10" tall Bullis B decal I see everywhere sure stands out.

Anonymous wrote:I echo the other posters that if you are worried about prestige, it doesn't have the reputation of some of the other schools. However, a lot of the current families really love it so it's worth keeping an open mind and checking it out if it might be a good fit.

I think this is true of many of the "second-tier" schools. These schools have a lot to offer, but many folks miss this because they're all about the window decal. What they don't realize is that the window decal may look good on your car, but it doesn't make the school perfect, and in some ways, a "second-tier" school may be better.

-- from a parent whose kids went to the window decal school (and whose happy enough, but knows it's not nirvana)

I echo the other posters that if you are worried about prestige, it doesn't have the reputation of some of the other schools. However, a lot of the current families really love it so it's worth keeping an open mind and checking it out if it might be a good fit.

When we looked, it reminded me of a low $20K school who is trying to step up to the big 3 big league in price only. I didn't think it was worth the cost. Stone Ridge seemed like a better school for $10K less.

So not bad at all, just not worth the cost.

Draws students from well north of DC and east as far as Annapolis. In Upper School students can choose a line of focus in which they may develop a portfolio of work for college applications. Traditional AP classes as well. Investigate it.

Of the friends whose kids go there, rankings and tiers are unimportant. They love the school and how their boys have grown and learned while there. If you care about tiers, it's not the school for you. If you care about your kid, take a look.

It's a great school to some of the people who go there.

Still bottom tier.

Is bullis considered a great school or is it still considered the place to go if you can't hack the top privates?