Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:End of meritocracy in America is how I see it.

Right, because getting into and being able to attend St. Albans in the first place was entirely based on merit...

Surviving it and coming out on top definitely was.

But I'm not sure it shows more grit and intelligence than other kids in different but still very challenging situations.

Kid at Big 3. Another at a well-known and competitive MD public. I can say, without qualification, that the very top students in both settings are really quite exceptional in absolute terms and would be extremely competitive in relation to top students elsewhere in the country. To hear that the very top STA students have not been admitted to top colleges suggests that meritocracy is indeed no more the norm in admissions.

Kid at big 3. Not saying these kids have any more grit or are any more deserving than anyone else.
That said, there is nothing wrong with parents and students trying to ascertain the situation in a changing landscape. It’s hard to figure out and those who are using same assumptions as even those a few years ago are finding different results. It can be very disappointing.
What’s most impt is for people to understand it so they can plan according.
If it were me and I had those stats - which seem very impressive - I would find a non-ivy but still top school to ED too - whether it be Williams or Uchicago or wherever and I’d have an EDIi ready. It seems the most disappointed kids are ones who shot too high in early rounds and ended up in a really hard RD landscape. To be clear, these kids will be fine in the world. But if one is optimizing for the best college outcome - from a pure rankings perspective (again not saying that’s what one should do but was premise of question) then I’d learn love something without Ivy on the name.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:End of meritocracy in America is how I see it.

Right, because getting into and being able to attend St. Albans in the first place was entirely based on merit...

Surviving it and coming out on top definitely was.

But I'm not sure it shows more grit and intelligence than other kids in different but still very challenging situations.

Anonymous wrote:The boys have done really well and more than 30 kids got to their ED choices
Around 15 kids going to ivy’s
Williams, u Chicago, Georgetown, uva and Boston college…
And other top 20 schools
The class size is a lot smaller than other private schools in the area.

More than 15 to Ivy, Williams etc combined? Or 15 to Ivy? All in ED? that would be pretty impressive.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:St Alban's College Counselling office should be able to answer. They have data on past acceptances.

This. Aren’t you paying a fortune for private school to grease the college application wheels? Ask. Them.

STA hater alert

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any parents of STA seniors care to share the real inside scoop? I heard the CCO always tell parents "in the end everything works out". Sometimes it does not, if you have your Top 5/6 kids not getting into at least the bottom Ivy's.

Everything did not work out this year so stop spinning. Lots of disappointment all around.

You're spinning your own story just like the CCO is.
College counseling says "everything fine". You and others keep saying: "many disappointed". No one is giving more info.
It's very difficult to figure out what is going on.
-parent of form V boy

If your kid is in form V and doesn’t know where the kids one grade up are going then no one here can help you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any parents of STA seniors care to share the real inside scoop? I heard the CCO always tell parents "in the end everything works out". Sometimes it does not, if you have your Top 5/6 kids not getting into at least the bottom Ivy's.

Everything did not work out this year so stop spinning. Lots of disappointment all around.

You're spinning your own story just like the CCO is.
College counseling says "everything fine". You and others keep saying: "many disappointed". No one is giving more info.
It's very difficult to figure out what is going on.
-parent of form V boy

To be more concrete:
Is it "disappointed because my 93% boy did not get into an Ivy" or "disappointed because my 93% boy is going to Penn State or Indiana"

No one can tell with these vague comments from either side.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any parents of STA seniors care to share the real inside scoop? I heard the CCO always tell parents "in the end everything works out". Sometimes it does not, if you have your Top 5/6 kids not getting into at least the bottom Ivy's.

Everything did not work out this year so stop spinning. Lots of disappointment all around.

You're spinning your own story just like the CCO is.
College counseling says "everything fine". You and others keep saying: "many disappointed". No one is giving more info.
It's very difficult to figure out what is going on.
-parent of form V boy

Anonymous wrote:Any parents of STA seniors care to share the real inside scoop? I heard the CCO always tell parents "in the end everything works out". Sometimes it does not, if you have your Top 5/6 kids not getting into at least the bottom Ivy's.

Everything did not work out this year so stop spinning. Lots of disappointment all around.

Anonymous wrote:St Alban's College Counselling office should be able to answer. They have data on past acceptances.

This. Aren’t you paying a fortune for private school to grease the college application wheels? Ask. Them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of smart unhooked STA seniors going to Boston College this year. I believe at least six.

Yes, smart but these are not the top kids.

So where are the top kids going?

Anonymous wrote:Top 5-6 did not get to any Ivy’s, they do have excellent choices just not ivy's.
U Chicago admitted less students this year compare to previous years.
Overall kids have done amazing with lots of great options .
The kids with highest GPA might be the most disappointed.

Chicago used to take a number of kids from our non-DC Big 3 every year, easily 4-6. This year only one and is a recruited athlete. The year before two as well as rejecting kid who was probably top 3, if not 1, in class with top stats, test scores, published research, strong ECs, full pay, etc. Think school college counselors still shaking their head at that one.

Anonymous wrote:The boys have done really well and more than 30 kids got to their ED choices
Around 15 kids going to ivy’s
Williams, u Chicago, Georgetown, uva and Boston college…
And other top 20 schools
The class size is a lot smaller than other private schools in the area.

Your post is overly rosy. The ivies are all athletes and a few legacies. Your ED number is 50% athletes (at least)
None of this is unique to STA but is par for the course in 2023. However, you make it sound like STA had unsual good luck.
Kids who are just academic superstars did not get Ivy admits.

The boys have done really well and more than 30 kids got to their ED choices
Around 15 kids going to ivy’s
Williams, u Chicago, Georgetown, uva and Boston college…
And other top 20 schools
The class size is a lot smaller than other private schools in the area.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:End of meritocracy in America is how I see it.

Right, because getting into and being able to attend St. Albans in the first place was entirely based on merit...

Surviving it and coming out on top definitely was.