Anonymous wrote:There's nothing logical about assuming that people posting on DCUM are inherently lying or insincere. Are there some folks here posting with a hidden agenda? Of course. But it's hardly reasonable to assume that all or even most people here are doing so.

Anonymous wrote:There's nothing logical about assuming that people posting on DCUM are inherently lying or insincere. Are there some folks here posting with a hidden agenda? Of course. But it's hardly reasonable to assume that all or even most people here are doing so.

Anonymous wrote:If you're going to be that cynical, why bother posting on DCUM at all?

Anonymous wrote:I did go to TJ and have a kid at one of the so-called Big 3 schools. Sorry if you can't handle that fact.

When you talk about the academic abilities of those attending Big 3 privates, I'm not going to defend those who got in at PK or K. Obviously, they got in for reasons that had nothing to do with academics. But when you start suggesting that TJ students are somehow superior in non-STEM areas to those who were admitted to Big 3s in 9th grade, that's where all credibility goes out the window.

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Anonymous wrote:What's your evidence that HS admissions at private schools isn't by academic merit?

Just call any of the admission offices at these privates and ask them if a straight A kid with high level math and science with superior writing skill and a 99 percentile in SSAT (this is what they use) is guaranteed an admission and compare what they say with the TJ admission process.

Private schools want a student body comprising of kids who also excel in non-STEM subjects. So your narrow definition of "academic merit" is flawed from the start.

Did you missed the part on superior writing skill and 99 percentile in SSAT which requires solid command of language (the very base of everything STEM and non-STEM)? and BTW a typical TJ kid is not only advanced in STEM they are advanced in Non-STEM as well compared to an average private school students. Typical TJ classes are taught at college level.

Being good at writing doesn't make you good at everything non-STEM. That's ridiculous. And I went to TJ -- the idea that students there are advanced in non-STEM is complete hyperbole.

Yes, and I went to Sidwell and I can tell you that my TJ kid is far advanced in Non-STEM than the Sidwell kids. The hyperbole here is that you went to TJ.

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Anonymous wrote:What's your evidence that HS admissions at private schools isn't by academic merit?

Just call any of the admission offices at these privates and ask them if a straight A kid with high level math and science with superior writing skill and a 99 percentile in SSAT (this is what they use) is guaranteed an admission and compare what they say with the TJ admission process.

Private schools want a student body comprising of kids who also excel in non-STEM subjects. So your narrow definition of "academic merit" is flawed from the start.

Did you missed the part on superior writing skill and 99 percentile in SSAT which requires solid command of language (the very base of everything STEM and non-STEM)? and BTW a typical TJ kid is not only advanced in STEM they are advanced in Non-STEM as well compared to an average private school students. Typical TJ classes are taught at college level.

Being good at writing doesn't make you good at everything non-STEM. That's ridiculous. And I went to TJ -- the idea that students there are advanced in non-STEM is complete hyperbole.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's your evidence that HS admissions at private schools isn't by academic merit?

Just call any of the admission offices at these privates and ask them if a straight A kid with high level math and science with superior writing skill and a 99 percentile in SSAT (this is what they use) is guaranteed an admission and compare what they say with the TJ admission process.

Private schools want a student body comprising of kids who also excel in non-STEM subjects. So your narrow definition of "academic merit" is flawed from the start.

Did you missed the part on superior writing skill and 99 percentile in SSAT which requires solid command of language (the very base of everything STEM and non-STEM)? and BTW a typical TJ kid is not only advanced in STEM they are advanced in Non-STEM as well compared to an average private school students. Typical TJ classes are taught at college level.

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Anonymous wrote:What's your evidence that HS admissions at private schools isn't by academic merit?

Just call any of the admission offices at these privates and ask them if a straight A kid with high level math and science with superior writing skill and a 99 percentile in SSAT (this is what they use) is guaranteed an admission and compare what they say with the TJ admission process.

And look at threads on here during the admissions waiting season: "don't give up hope; my 40th percentile kid got into Sidwell, they don't really focus on scores," followed by the parents who say "that's obvious because my "college admissions dream child" got waitlisted." Then also look at the reality in these schools, not everyone is doing well academically, not everyone gets admitted to dream schools, not everyone does well on SATs, and "whole child" is a mantra even in high school. Also, most of us actually know kids with 75th percentile or lower stats who got in.

Ditto! Pay us 40k+ a year and we will give your kids the privilege to hangout with other "whole children" and teach them how to feel and act entitled.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's your evidence that HS admissions at private schools isn't by academic merit?

Just call any of the admission offices at these privates and ask them if a straight A kid with high level math and science with superior writing skill and a 99 percentile in SSAT (this is what they use) is guaranteed an admission and compare what they say with the TJ admission process.

And look at threads on here during the admissions waiting season: "don't give up hope; my 40th percentile kid got into Sidwell, they don't really focus on scores," followed by the parents who say "that's obvious because my "college admissions dream child" got waitlisted." Then also look at the reality in these schools, not everyone is doing well academically, not everyone gets admitted to dream schools, not everyone does well on SATs, and "whole child" is a mantra even in high school. Also, most of us actually know kids with 75th percentile or lower stats who got in.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's your evidence that HS admissions at private schools isn't by academic merit?

Just call any of the admission offices at these privates and ask them if a straight A kid with high level math and science with superior writing skill and a 99 percentile in SSAT (this is what they use) is guaranteed an admission and compare what they say with the TJ admission process.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's your evidence that HS admissions at private schools isn't by academic merit?

Just call any of the admission offices at these privates and ask them if a straight A kid with high level math and science with superior writing skill and a 99 percentile in SSAT (this is what they use) is guaranteed an admission and compare what they say with the TJ admission process.

Private schools want a student body comprising of kids who also excel in non-STEM subjects. So your narrow definition of "academic merit" is flawed from the start.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's your evidence that HS admissions at private schools isn't by academic merit?

Just call any of the admission offices at these privates and ask them if a straight A kid with high level math and science with superior writing skill and a 99 percentile in SSAT (this is what they use) is guaranteed an admission and compare what they say with the TJ admission process.