Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Could you please post a link to that data from the GP website? I could not find it there. Thanks.

Nevermind. I just found it.

there is a second list of all the schools attended by the class of 2009 but without the counts.

Anonymous wrote:Could you please post a link to that data from the GP website? I could not find it there. Thanks.

Nevermind. I just found it.

Could you please post a link to that data from the GP website? I could not find it there. Thanks.

Here is the list from the website.

Top Choices for Prep graduates from 2007-2009:
Georgetown University 22
University of Notre Dame 14
Boston College 13
University of Pennsylvania 9
University of Virginia 8
Cornell University 5
UNC at Chapel Hill 5
Stanford University 5
Tufts University 5
College of the Holy Cross 4
College of William & Mary 4
Duke University 3
Johns Hopkins University 3
Princeton University 3
Carnegie Mellon University 2
Harvard University 2

Anonymous wrote:The Little Three are Amherst, Wesleyan and Williams, all of which are among the most selective colleges in the country. Amherst and Williams (and Swarthmore) are the 3 most selective national liberal arts colleges.

Disagree. Very few GP graduates attend the very top colleges and universities. ND and BU are good but not in the very top.

I think it's BC, not BU, that is one of the top 3 at GP

Amherst College, Williams College and Wesleyan University tis the little 3.

The Little Three are Amherst, Wesleyan and Williams, all of which are among the most selective colleges in the country. Amherst and Williams (and Swarthmore) are the 3 most selective national liberal arts colleges.

Disagree. Very few GP graduates attend the very top colleges and universities. ND and BU are good but not in the very top.

What are the Little Three?

And if you define it this way I am sure GP and others would also see a third of their class going to one of these schools.

First, the comment about one-third of the class at Sidwell going to Ivies included not only the Ivies but what some would consider the Ivy equivalents, such as Duke, Stanford, Little Three, etc.

Second, maybe, there are more parents at STA and Sidwell who themselves wents to these schools. If so, then no doubt they may want the same for their children. The foregoing, however, does NOT mean that their children will be admitted at these schools. Many of these parents may be donating some money to these schools, perhaps a few thousand a year. Donations at that level do not carry any real weight at these schools. As such, the college admission record at STA and Sidwell reflects more the rigorous and highly demanding curriculm at these schools, combined with the highly capable student bodies.

Finally, this does NOT make GP a bad school. But for an extremely bright and motivated kid with an interest in sports, STA or Sidwell may be a better fit.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:STA and Sidwell's impressive college admissions rosters are driven largely by parental legacies (i.e., there are more ivy alum parents at those schools than at any other schools south of Choate).

Actually, impressive college admissions rosters might more accurately be driven by the very high SAT, AP, and NMSF numbers at those schools ....

Wish that were true, but it simply isn't. Agree with 20:00. Deep parental legacies are what drives ivy admissions higher at St. Albans than other schools in the area. STA is a great school no doubt. But so is GP, Sidwell, Landon, GDS, NCS, and Episcopal.

Sorry -- meant to say I agree with 16:38...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:STA and Sidwell's impressive college admissions rosters are driven largely by parental legacies (i.e., there are more ivy alum parents at those schools than at any other schools south of Choate).

Actually, impressive college admissions rosters might more accurately be driven by the very high SAT, AP, and NMSF numbers at those schools ....

Wish that were true, but it simply isn't. Agree with 20:00. Deep parental legacies are what drives ivy admissions higher at St. Albans than other schools in the area. STA is a great school regardless. But so is GP, Sidwell, Landon, GDS, NCS, and Episcopal.

Does anyone know what percentage of Sidwell students do end up at the Ivies? Is the percentage for St. Albans students higher or lower?

Anonymous wrote:And the comment about a third of the Sidwell students going to Ivies is plain wrong.

Anonymous wrote:STA and Sidwell's impressive college admissions rosters are driven largely by parental legacies (i.e., there are more ivy alum parents at those schools than at any other schools south of Choate).

Actually, impressive college admissions rosters might more accurately be driven by the very high SAT, AP, and NMSF numbers at those schools ....

And the comment about a third of the Sidwell students going to Ivies is plain wrong.

Anonymous wrote:There are some illusions being promoted. GP may be a great school. Sending half of its kids to GT, BC and ND is certainly terrific. But GP is not in the same league academically as STA, Sidwell or Potomac. Not even close. Those schools probably send a third of their kids to the Ivies and their equivalents such as Stanford and Little Three. Let's get real. GP has been around a long time and a has terrific traditions that attract many families. But those qualities to not place it in the same league as the above schools in terms of academics. Sports is obviously a different matter. Now GP can be legitimately criticized for having failed to improve its academic standing despite its money and the growth in MC over the last 20 years as a PP noted.

Misleading. STA and Sidwell's impressive college admissions rosters are driven largely by parental legacies (i.e., there are more ivy alum parents at those schools than at any other schools south of Choate). Potomac doesn't send their kids to more ivies than GP or any other top high school in the region--not sure why they're even in the conversation. In short, you're setting yourself up for disappointment if you think STA or SF will give your child a better shot to get into an ivy than GP or Landon. If you yourself don't already have an ivy legacy, your son is going to be on equal footing, so it's best to choose the right match for him b/c it'll be up to him (not the prep school) to get into the college of his choice.