Anonymous wrote:Declined, not what I thought it would be. Disappointed. Good luck with your choice, OP.

Not what you thought it would be?

I believe it.

There are so many wrong impressions of Prep and all these schools.

They are based on people's biases, their experiences in other places, something they were told or read and to a degree what they wish were true about these schools.

There's always someone on DCUM to give their unique experience that belies the general rule.

Are there kids at these schools that aren't typical of the student population but that still have good experiences? Sure!

I suspect many of those that are confused or unaware at the beginning of the Admissions process are not from this area or are new to the world of the local private schools. Most of the locals know lots about these schools including who sends their kids to them, what the kids are like, what the alumni are like and what the history of the place has been.

If you are applying to schools with only a foggy understanding of what they are really like, then you're setting yourself up for disappointment. It's probably good you figured it out before you enrolled your DS.

Ignorance. We are not white, not wealthy, not Catholic, and our son went to a public elementary and
Middle school. He is athletic, but not in the UMC sports or football. He thrived at Prep and we felt very welcomed by the community.

Depends on your kid, your religion, your economics, and your ethnicity OP. If you are Catholic, white, UMC, and he went to a Catholic grade school and is athletic-- go there. If not those things- go for another choice (but I would want to know what those choices are). I know a guy who boarded there because his dad was a diplomat, and he was fine going to Prep, but not thrilled about it. Different strokes for different folks.

Anonymous wrote:Declined, not what I thought it would be. Disappointed. Good luck with your choice, OP.

Same

Catholics in DC are not all obsessed with sending their kids to the catholic school, but the catholic schools might be more appealing to them than they are to non-Catholics. Can't speak to parishes outside of the District as I don't live there or go to those churches - there are many people who have a family tradition to go to a certain school but that is not unique to catholics - this whole weird "insular" commentary sounds like sour grapes from one person with a personal agenda against their neighbors

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

That’s 12. Not a very big number when compared to 125 seniors at Prep, 250 at Gonzaga, another couple of hundred at St. John’s.

For STA, I guess 12 is a lot of Catholics. But it’s a very small fraction of the total number of Catholics at private schools in DC/MD. (.2%?)

I’m guessing the Catholic families that send their sons to STA aren’t really part of the larger, somewhat insular Catholic community. The great majority of whom consider only the Catholic schools as a place to send their kids.

What a weird response. At STA, which is not a Catholic school!!!, 12 is 15% of a class (so a solid percentage). Do you actually believe that describing the local Catholic community as “insular” is positive? The boys I know at STA attend mass and were confirmed - does that qualify them as part of your Catholic community?

You consider the response above because you are not getting it.

If you understood more about Catholics in this area, you would know many, if not most, are deeply committed to the Catholic schools. They have strong allegiances to the high schools. They rarely consider non-Catholic private schools.

These few Catholic boys at STA are a tiny fraction of Catholic high schoolers. My guess is their families aren't from the area. They are more concerned with impressing their law partners or neighbors than they are going along with their fellow parishioners.

Huh? What the heck is with that snark?
STA is worlds better academically than Prep or Gonzaga.

STA may be. But 99% of local Catholics prefer Prep, Gonzaga and St. Johns.

Declined, not what I thought it would be. Disappointed. Good luck with your choice, OP.

Anonymous wrote:

You consider the response above because you are not getting it.

If you understood more about Catholics in this area, you would know many, if not most, are deeply committed to the Catholic schools. They have strong allegiances to the high schools. They rarely consider non-Catholic private schools.

These few Catholic boys at STA are a tiny fraction of Catholic high schoolers. My guess is their families aren't from the area. They are more concerned with impressing their law partners or neighbors than they are going along with their fellow parishioners.


Huh? What the heck is with that snark?
STA is worlds better academically than Prep or Gonzaga.

+1000
Plenty of Catholic adults value their faith and want the best academic environment for their kids.

What does it even mean to go along with fellow parishioners? The PP is a nut.

The small number of Catholic boys at STA doesn't seem to reflect what you are saying. There are probably none at the rest of the Big 3 or Big 5 or whatever.

Prep is awful. Decline.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not Catholic and son went to Prep. I was not initially for it (son also got into public school IB program) but it ended up being the perfect place for him. It is small, nurturing, challenging academically, surprisingly diverse, and it helped him grow both as a student and as a person. The emphasis on service is sincere and he learned to see the world outside himself. The sports were great, but not cutthroat, and there was an emphasis not to squander the opportunities offered in the arts, through clubs, and through service to others. There are a lot of stereotypes about this school (and these made me initially hesitant) but I am glad I blocked out the noise and sent him there. There are a lot of great schools — and Prep is definitely one. Good luck on your decision— this is an exciting time!

Wow, someone with actual experience with Prep as opposed to the critics and naysayers on this thread who are not shy about showing their ignorance and limited actual knowledge.

Not unlike your ignorant comment.

Anonymous wrote:

You consider the response above because you are not getting it.

If you understood more about Catholics in this area, you would know many, if not most, are deeply committed to the Catholic schools. They have strong allegiances to the high schools. They rarely consider non-Catholic private schools.

These few Catholic boys at STA are a tiny fraction of Catholic high schoolers. My guess is their families aren't from the area. They are more concerned with impressing their law partners or neighbors than they are going along with their fellow parishioners.


Huh? What the heck is with that snark?
STA is worlds better academically than Prep or Gonzaga.

+1000
Plenty of Catholic adults value their faith and want the best academic environment for their kids.

What does it even mean to go along with fellow parishioners? The PP is a nut.

Twelve is not "plenty of Catholics". It's a tiny number in comparison to the very large number that go to Catholic schools.

Anonymous wrote:I am not Catholic and son went to Prep. I was not initially for it (son also got into public school IB program) but it ended up being the perfect place for him. It is small, nurturing, challenging academically, surprisingly diverse, and it helped him grow both as a student and as a person. The emphasis on service is sincere and he learned to see the world outside himself. The sports were great, but not cutthroat, and there was an emphasis not to squander the opportunities offered in the arts, through clubs, and through service to others. There are a lot of stereotypes about this school (and these made me initially hesitant) but I am glad I blocked out the noise and sent him there. There are a lot of great schools — and Prep is definitely one. Good luck on your decision— this is an exciting time!

Wow, someone with actual experience with Prep as opposed to the critics and naysayers on this thread who are not shy about showing their ignorance and limited actual knowledge.

Be careful, they’ll report you for “bigotry”

You consider the response above because you are not getting it.

If you understood more about Catholics in this area, you would know many, if not most, are deeply committed to the Catholic schools. They have strong allegiances to the high schools. They rarely consider non-Catholic private schools.

These few Catholic boys at STA are a tiny fraction of Catholic high schoolers. My guess is their families aren't from the area. They are more concerned with impressing their law partners or neighbors than they are going along with their fellow parishioners.


Huh? What the heck is with that snark?
STA is worlds better academically than Prep or Gonzaga.

+1000
Plenty of Catholic adults value their faith and want the best academic environment for their kids.

What does it even mean to go along with fellow parishioners? The PP is a nut.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

That’s 12. Not a very big number when compared to 125 seniors at Prep, 250 at Gonzaga, another couple of hundred at St. John’s.

For STA, I guess 12 is a lot of Catholics. But it’s a very small fraction of the total number of Catholics at private schools in DC/MD. (.2%?)

I’m guessing the Catholic families that send their sons to STA aren’t really part of the larger, somewhat insular Catholic community. The great majority of whom consider only the Catholic schools as a place to send their kids.

What a weird response. At STA, which is not a Catholic school!!!, 12 is 15% of a class (so a solid percentage). Do you actually believe that describing the local Catholic community as “insular” is positive? The boys I know at STA attend mass and were confirmed - does that qualify them as part of your Catholic community?

You consider the response above because you are not getting it.

If you understood more about Catholics in this area, you would know many, if not most, are deeply committed to the Catholic schools. They have strong allegiances to the high schools. They rarely consider non-Catholic private schools.

These few Catholic boys at STA are a tiny fraction of Catholic high schoolers. My guess is their families aren't from the area. They are more concerned with impressing their law partners or neighbors than they are going along with their fellow parishioners.

Huh? What the heck is with that snark?
STA is worlds better academically than Prep or Gonzaga.