Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve known families that are happy at Columbia Grammar. I would choose Avenues over Columbia! Avenues academics are more rigorous and the parent community at Avenues is lovely.

Best friend’s family had two kids in avenues (anecdotal, sorry). They loathed it. Pulled their kids after their two favorite teachers left, who mentioned the education seemed to be profit first, experience second. One starts at st. B’’s next year, the other is going to lycee francais. I talked to her last week, and she said how thankful they are to manage to find spots elsewhere.

So take that for what it’s worth.

It completely depends on the individual class experience and the child. Some Avenues families that have switched to schools that are not top tier found the academics to be lacking at some schools that are considered 2nd tier like Fieldston, St. Luke’s, Poly Prep, Nightingale, VCS. I think Avenues is solidly a very good 2nd tier school.

Would choose Avenues over Fieldston if you can't get in any TT schools and looking for more rigor.

Fieldston >>>>>>>> Avenues. Just entirely different leagues in terms of matriculation.

https://www.ecfs.org/college-destinations/

https://www.avenues.org/about/college-counseling/matriculation

Also, Fieldston’s always had a great rep and ridiculous alumni network. Wonderful education, too. Friends who went are now sending their kids there happily.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wondering why Columbia Prep and Grammar is not thought of as highly - they had exmissions to HYP this year, have a chess team that wins nationally, has an awesome advanced science research program, and seems like less of a pressure cooker compared to other schools. I read that they also have one of Princeton's college admissions deans joining as head of college counseling, so curious if their Princeton admissions rate will go up.

I think we can't look at HYP individuals only, but really have to look at the percentage of students that succeed.

At TT schools like Dalton, 50% of graduates go to Ivies, 60% go to Ivies + Top 10 + T5 Lacs.
At Columbia Grammar, you may find a few individuals that go to HYP, but the matriculation results at large is not super impressive as TT schools.

Columbia admissions is not competitive. They accept most anyone that applies and can pay tuition. Avenues is the same.

That’s why they are second tier schools. Anyone who is willing to pay gets in, no standard required. No test scores.

Those at second tier schools who go to HYP, from what I heard, daddy donates a building to Princeton. That’s why occasionally you will see some tier two go to T20 colleges.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wondering why Columbia Prep and Grammar is not thought of as highly - they had exmissions to HYP this year, have a chess team that wins nationally, has an awesome advanced science research program, and seems like less of a pressure cooker compared to other schools. I read that they also have one of Princeton's college admissions deans joining as head of college counseling, so curious if their Princeton admissions rate will go up.

I think we can't look at HYP individuals only, but really have to look at the percentage of students that succeed.

At TT schools like Dalton, 50% of graduates go to Ivies, 60% go to Ivies + Top 10 + T5 Lacs.
At Columbia Grammar, you may find a few individuals that go to HYP, but the matriculation results at large is not super impressive as TT schools.

Columbia admissions is not competitive. They accept most anyone that applies and can pay tuition. Avenues is the same.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've heard that you should aim to get into the "right" preschool in order to boost your chance of admission at a private kindergarten. Which preschools are the best ones to target? Is 92nd St Y still the elusive prize that it used to be?

I think this has changed and the schools want broad representation from a variety of preschools. In fact, I think going to a top tier preschool without connections (donor, legacy, etc) may hurt you. I heard that 30+ girls at 92Y applied to Brearley this past year-they obviously can only take the few kids supported by the PSD. I also heard from multiple families that both Spence and Brearley had so many siblings, legacies, that they only had true openings for approx 10 or so kids for K.

Spence and Chapin only took 6 girls at 6th grade when they can sometimes go up to 10-12. Feels very competitive these days….

Anonymous wrote:Wondering why Columbia Prep and Grammar is not thought of as highly - they had exmissions to HYP this year, have a chess team that wins nationally, has an awesome advanced science research program, and seems like less of a pressure cooker compared to other schools. I read that they also have one of Princeton's college admissions deans joining as head of college counseling, so curious if their Princeton admissions rate will go up.

I think we can't look at HYP individuals only, but really have to look at the percentage of students that succeed.

At TT schools like Dalton, 50% of graduates go to Ivies, 60% go to Ivies + Top 10 + T5 Lacs.
At Columbia Grammar, you may find a few individuals that go to HYP, but the matriculation results at large is not super impressive as TT schools.

Anonymous wrote:Wondering why Columbia Prep and Grammar is not thought of as highly - they had exmissions to HYP this year, have a chess team that wins nationally, has an awesome advanced science research program, and seems like less of a pressure cooker compared to other schools. I read that they also have one of Princeton's college admissions deans joining as head of college counseling, so curious if their Princeton admissions rate will go up.

I was so turned off by that school when we toured it, but that was 15 years ago. The admissions director at the time was awful, going on about how "hot" the school had become and clearly favoring one family during the group interview and tour. I think they've renovated it extensively since thanks to an influx of money from wealthy families, but back then it was a depressing rabbit warren of a place that smelled strongly of pool chemicals. My DCs ended up at a K-8, and when it was time for high school applications no one was suggesting it as an option.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve known families that are happy at Columbia Grammar. I would choose Avenues over Columbia! Avenues academics are more rigorous and the parent community at Avenues is lovely.

Best friend’s family had two kids in avenues (anecdotal, sorry). They loathed it. Pulled their kids after their two favorite teachers left, who mentioned the education seemed to be profit first, experience second. One starts at st. B’’s next year, the other is going to lycee francais. I talked to her last week, and she said how thankful they are to manage to find spots elsewhere.

So take that for what it’s worth.

Very interesting.

Do you know more about St. B's? We are considering applying for K. It seems like a great school, and Collegiate seems impossible to get into (in terms of boys' education). Not sure Browning or Allen Stevenson seem that impressive. Would rather apply to co-ed schools otherwise.

I assume the child going to Lycee Francais is fluent in French? Did they learn it at Avenues or are they from a French speaking family?

Thanks for the intel!

Wondering why Columbia Prep and Grammar is not thought of as highly - they had exmissions to HYP this year, have a chess team that wins nationally, has an awesome advanced science research program, and seems like less of a pressure cooker compared to other schools. I read that they also have one of Princeton's college admissions deans joining as head of college counseling, so curious if their Princeton admissions rate will go up.

Anonymous wrote:I've heard that you should aim to get into the "right" preschool in order to boost your chance of admission at a private kindergarten. Which preschools are the best ones to target? Is 92nd St Y still the elusive prize that it used to be?

I think this has changed and the schools want broad representation from a variety of preschools. In fact, I think going to a top tier preschool without connections (donor, legacy, etc) may hurt you. I heard that 30+ girls at 92Y applied to Brearley this past year-they obviously can only take the few kids supported by the PSD. I also heard from multiple families that both Spence and Brearley had so many siblings, legacies, that they only had true openings for approx 10 or so kids for K.

Anonymous wrote:I've heard that you should aim to get into the "right" preschool in order to boost your chance of admission at a private kindergarten. Which preschools are the best ones to target? Is 92nd St Y still the elusive prize that it used to be?

There is a lot of game theory related to admission strategy. The admission process tends to mirror the college admission where the school selects from a broad range of preschools, but have selective TT preschools that are overrepresented. The TT preschools have a high concentration of connected families that can make it very competitive to be admitted from that preschool.

Barrow street nursery for downtown families! I think Washington Market in tribeca.

I've heard that you should aim to get into the "right" preschool in order to boost your chance of admission at a private kindergarten. Which preschools are the best ones to target? Is 92nd St Y still the elusive prize that it used to be?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
To be frank, if you look beyond the Top Tier schools (Horace Mann, Chapin, Riverdale, Collegiate, Dalton, Brearley, Trinity, Spence) the Second Tier schools like Browning and Friends are only one notch below those top schools and gaining admission is not that difficult as long as your child has a B average. I will say Friends will be more difficult than Browning.

In my opinion, the ranking doesn't mean anything unless you have a child with the aptitude and desire.

💯 families must find the right educational partner! I really do feel all NYC private schools are quite good. I just think the perception that they are very difficult to get into really only applies to those top tier schools.

Our family has experienced both and there is a difference in the teacher retention and the seriousness of the student body. There are plenty of kids at top tier schools that have been there since kindergarten and don’t take their classes seriously but for the most part kids at top tier schools are more disciplined and the students they add at 6th, 7th and 9th are academic superstars that elevate the learning environment. The second tier schools need to meet their numbers so the class makeup isn’t always as desirable. Still very good, however, and many kids won’t excel in a more academic setting!

Anonymous wrote:
To be frank, if you look beyond the Top Tier schools (Horace Mann, Chapin, Riverdale, Collegiate, Dalton, Brearley, Trinity, Spence) the Second Tier schools like Browning and Friends are only one notch below those top schools and gaining admission is not that difficult as long as your child has a B average. I will say Friends will be more difficult than Browning.

In my opinion, the ranking doesn't mean anything unless you have a child with the aptitude and desire.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have any thoughts or opinions on Browning? It has been described to me as a "warm and welcoming school" that is not very academically rigorous (which the college emissions stats would seem to bear out).

Looking at the matriculation, yeah, it's not super impressive, but not horrible either. I saw 2 went on to MIT.

Connecticut College (4)

George Washington University (4)

University of St. Andrews (4)

American University (3)

Emory University (3)

Fordham University (3)

University of Hartford (3)

SUNY - Binghamton University (3)

University of Pennsylvania (3)

Syracuse University (3)

Trinity College (3)

Bard College (2)

Boston College (2)

Boston University (2)

Brown University (2)

Cornell University (2)

Elon University (2)

Fairfield University (2)

Lehigh University (2)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2)

CUNY - City College (2)

CUNY - Hunter College (2)

SUNY - University at Albany (2)

SUNY - University at Buffalo (2)

SUNY - Purchase (2)

Pennsylvania State University (2)

University of Richmond (2)

Southern Methodist University (2)

Union College (2)

Adelphi University

Arcadia University

Babson College

Bates College

Berklee College of Music

University of Bridgeport

Bryant University

Butler University

University of California - Santa Barbara

University of California - Santa Cruz

Carnegie Mellon University

Case Western Reserve University

College of Charleston

University of Chicago

Claremont McKenna College

Colby College

Colgate University

Dartmouth College

University of Delaware

Dickinson College

Duke University

Ecole Hoteliere Lausanne

Franklin & Marshall College

Georgetown University

Glion Institute of Higher Education

Hamilton College

Harvard University

Illinois State University

Istituto Europeo di Design

James Madison University

Kenyon College

Lafayette College

Lewis & Clark College

University of Miami

Middlebury College

New England Conservatory of Music

CUNY - Brooklyn College

CUNY - Hostos Community College

CUNY - John Jay College

SUNY - Geneseo

SUNY - Stony Brook University

New York University

Northeastern University

Oxford College

Peabody Institute

University of Pittsburgh

Pratt Institute of Technology

Quinnipiac University

Reed College

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Robert Morris University

Rochester Institute of Technology

University of Rochester

St. John's University

To be frank, if you look beyond the Top Tier schools (Horace Mann, Chapin, Riverdale, Collegiate, Dalton, Brearley, Trinity, Spence) the Second Tier schools like Browning and Friends are only one notch below those top schools and gaining admission is not that difficult as long as your child has a B average. I will say Friends will be more difficult than Browning.

Not sure how many notches below, but here is the five year matriculation for Dalton.

American University 1 Durham University 1 Parsons School of Design 1 University of Arizona 1
Amherst College 6 Elon University 1 Pitzer College 2 University of California-Berkeley 1
Bard College Berlin 1 Emerson College 1 Pomona College 4 University of California-Davis 1
Barnard College 1 Emory University 14 Pratt Institute 2 University of California-Los Angeles 1
Bennington College 2 Franklin & Marshall College 1 Princeton University 14 University of California, Berkeley 1
Binghamton University 2 Georgetown University 9 Purdue University 1 University of Chicago 19
Boston College 6 Grinnell College 3 Quinnipiac University 1 University of Colorado Boulder 1
Boston University 3 Hamilton College 12 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 2 University of Miami 2
Bowdoin College 7 Harvard University 36 Rhode Island School of Design 2 University of Michigan 9
Brandeis University 1 Haverford College 5 Rochester Institute of Technology 2 University of Notre Dame 3
Brown University 35 Hunter College 1 Scripps College 1 University of Pennsylvania 17
Bucknell University 2 Indiana University at Bloomington 1 Skidmore College 4 University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus 1
Carleton College 3 Johns Hopkins University 6 Southern Methodist University 1 University of Puget Sound 1
Carnegie Mellon University 6 Kenyon College 5 St. John's College 1 University of Richmond 1
Case Western Reserve University 1 Lehigh University 2 Stanford University 7 University of Southern California 3
Chapman University 1 Loyola Marymount University 1 Swarthmore College 4 University of St Andrews 5
Clark University 1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 4 Syracuse University 4 University of Vermont 1
Colby College 3 McGill University 2 Temple University 1 University of Virginia 1
Colgate University 1 Miami University-Oxford 2 The American University of Paris 1 University of Wisconsin-Madison 4
Colorado College 4 Middlebury College 3 The George Washington University 1 Vanderbilt University 2
Columbia University 18 Muhlenberg College 1 The New School 2 Vassar College 3
Cornell University 38 New York University 14 The University of Edinburgh 1 Wake Forest University 2
Dartmouth College 10 Northeastern University 4 The University of Texas At Austin 1 Washington University In St Louis 14
Davidson College 1 Northwestern University 17 Trinity College 1 Wesleyan University 17
Dickinson College 2 Oberlin College 3 Tufts University 16 Williams College 8
Duke University 11 Occidental College 3 Tulane University 4 Yale University 27