Anonymous wrote:20:30, say more about these unfair decisions. In the pipeline, so curious to know.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They tend to time these so they will arrive on Fri or Sat. That way, everyone has a chance to calm down over the weekend before they call the ADs on Monday.

Not to be too obtuse, but why would everyone call the AD's on monday? I mean, if you're in, you would be relieved, so you wouldn't be in a rush, so I assuming it's because you're not in, and in that case, why would you call? Would calling help in any way? I can't imagine it would...

Yes, it's the people who were rejected who want to appeal, and the people who were wait listed and want to know their chances as well as get themselves on the AD's radar screen, who will call Monday morning. Hopefully they will be calmer after 2 days of thinking about it, talking to their friends who applied, and weighing their acceptances from other schools.

Fact is abot 10% of applicants will call, they will all think that THEY are being super polite, considerate and subtle, and that NOONE before them has though thought of this tact. The poor AD, if she actually picks up her phone for the folowing two weeks or so, is trained like a cop is, by YEARS of experience having heard the same BS, the same schmooze OVER and OVER , until there is no "original tactic" " no subtle advocacy" , but merely the blatantly obvious: I think I'ms so clever, and you have NEVER heard this spin before....

All reason enough, to give these AD's one last weekend of peace.

I can understand that I guess. But if there was something that could be done, you would have done it before. I started taking my DD to schools 3 years before (going to plays and so forth) so we would have some idea what we liked. We figured out classes in MS and practiced essays the year before. I was diligent about playing an active role all through MS so that I knew the administration and how to get the recommendations through it. We met with the teachers and the guidance counselor often and in person to make sure that she sent the transcripts and so forth. I had spread sheets of what was due when etc. Frankly, I can't see how a single parent could handle the paperwork, especially for more than one school. I set up tests and visits early, so if DD did poorly or was sick, we had a make up day. Heck, my wife even took our DD to get hair cuts and buy outfits before visits.

The only thing I didn't do, and this is where I am still a bit nervous, is we didn't try and get any super high name folks to send in references. I just felt that wasn't useful, and I think that we had set our DD up for success, so she had to do the work to go through the door. I'm still torn on this one. She scored 91 on the SSAT, and has all A's on most quarters, so I think she should be ok, but I keep worrying....

Anyhow, I don't see how beating up the AD would help reverse a decision if all of that wasn't enough. I literallly have 100's of hours in this process so I doubt a follow up call will help reverse a decision.

I don't expect PP above to be the type who can stop themselves from micromanaging and planning to that extent, but would be interesting to see if his/her DC's teachers fiind the DC inquestion to be as highly self-motivated as her peers, given parents style of pushing. My guess is the kid might not be as independant as many of her cohorts.

Secondly, PP don't you realize that for 99% of applicants its who the parents are . OK, the kids has to have teh scores in HS ( less tru in Pre-K0, but seriously do you think anyone asked ot see Malia's WISC or the Gore Girls SSAT scores. come on.

Hum.... well it is true managing is what I do for a living, so I guess it might feel like I'm micro managing my DD when I talk about the process, but her grades and her SSAT/CHPT are her own, as are her recommendations. Plus, her interview and what happens in it aren't anything I can control.

I don't know about the who you are stuff. I thought about that long and hard. We probably could get an intro from some big wig to prove who we are. But if that's what it takes, I don't know that it's what we want to do. I'd rather just be myself. We do work hard to set the kids up to do well, and that's nothing to be ashamed of, and we will continue to be involved parents through the whole process. I look at this as practice for the next round of applications in 4 years, so it's good for DD to own this since she will have to live with it. So, I hope we are in the 1% or whatever that gets in on merit....

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They tend to time these so they will arrive on Fri or Sat. That way, everyone has a chance to calm down over the weekend before they call the ADs on Monday.

Not to be too obtuse, but why would everyone call the AD's on monday? I mean, if you're in, you would be relieved, so you wouldn't be in a rush, so I assuming it's because you're not in, and in that case, why would you call? Would calling help in any way? I can't imagine it would...

Yes, it's the people who were rejected who want to appeal, and the people who were wait listed and want to know their chances as well as get themselves on the AD's radar screen, who will call Monday morning. Hopefully they will be calmer after 2 days of thinking about it, talking to their friends who applied, and weighing their acceptances from other schools.

Fact is abot 10% of applicants will call, they will all think that THEY are being super polite, considerate and subtle, and that NOONE before them has though thought of this tact. The poor AD, if she actually picks up her phone for the folowing two weeks or so, is trained like a cop is, by YEARS of experience having heard the same BS, the same schmooze OVER and OVER , until there is no "original tactic" " no subtle advocacy" , but merely the blatantly obvious: I think I'ms so clever, and you have NEVER heard this spin before....

All reason enough, to give these AD's one last weekend of peace.

I can understand that I guess. But if there was something that could be done, you would have done it before. I started taking my DD to schools 3 years before (going to plays and so forth) so we would have some idea what we liked. We figured out classes in MS and practiced essays the year before. I was diligent about playing an active role all through MS so that I knew the administration and how to get the recommendations through it. We met with the teachers and the guidance counselor often and in person to make sure that she sent the transcripts and so forth. I had spread sheets of what was due when etc. Frankly, I can't see how a single parent could handle the paperwork, especially for more than one school. I set up tests and visits early, so if DD did poorly or was sick, we had a make up day. Heck, my wife even took our DD to get hair cuts and buy outfits before visits.

The only thing I didn't do, and this is where I am still a bit nervous, is we didn't try and get any super high name folks to send in references. I just felt that wasn't useful, and I think that we had set our DD up for success, so she had to do the work to go through the door. I'm still torn on this one. She scored 91 on the SSAT, and has all A's on most quarters, so I think she should be ok, but I keep worrying....

Anyhow, I don't see how beating up the AD would help reverse a decision if all of that wasn't enough. I literallly have 100's of hours in this process so I doubt a follow up call will help reverse a decision.

I don't expect PP above to be the type who can stop themselves from micromanaging and planning to that extent, but would be interesting to see if his/her DC's teachers fiind the DC inquestion to be as highly self-motivated as her peers, given parents style of pushing. My guess is the kid might not be as independant as many of her cohorts.

Secondly, PP don't you realize that for 99% of applicants its who the parents are . OK, the kids has to have teh scores in HS ( less tru in Pre-K0, but seriously do you think anyone asked ot see Malia's WISC or the Gore Girls SSAT scores. come on.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:20:30, say more about these unfair decisions. In the pipeline, so curious to know.

I'm not 20:30, but I think it's fair to say that many decisions are totally arbitrary- I don't know if I'd necessarily say unfair. Honestly, how can you judge a 4-5 year old child applying for PK or K? The WPPSI isn't reliable (especially since almost everyone gets 90%+). There is only so much a kid can do to make a negative or positive impression on a 1.5-2 hour playdate. Most teacher recs are biased. The AD only has so many slots to work with after accounting for siblings, faculty children, legacies, etc. It's as much of a crapshoot for the ADs selecting the kids as it is for the parents applying.

Also, I think the reason ADs get bombarded with phone calls on Mondays is because most schools tend to waitlist everyone. I don't know which is worse- receiving a letter outright rejecting your child or being strung along to hope your child will be accepted off a waitlist. I really wish the ADs would keep the WLs to a minimum so the WL actually meant something vs. a soft rejection. Kudos to Sidwell for taking this approach.

Anonymous wrote:20:30, say more about these unfair decisions. In the pipeline, so curious to know.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They tend to time these so they will arrive on Fri or Sat. That way, everyone has a chance to calm down over the weekend before they call the ADs on Monday.

Not to be too obtuse, but why would everyone call the AD's on monday? I mean, if you're in, you would be relieved, so you wouldn't be in a rush, so I assuming it's because you're not in, and in that case, why would you call? Would calling help in any way? I can't imagine it would...

Yes, it's the people who were rejected who want to appeal, and the people who were wait listed and want to know their chances as well as get themselves on the AD's radar screen, who will call Monday morning. Hopefully they will be calmer after 2 days of thinking about it, talking to their friends who applied, and weighing their acceptances from other schools.

Fact is abot 10% of applicants will call, they will all think that THEY are being super polite, considerate and subtle, and that NOONE before them has though thought of this tact. The poor AD, if she actually picks up her phone for the folowing two weeks or so, is trained like a cop is, by YEARS of experience having heard the same BS, the same schmooze OVER and OVER , until there is no "original tactic" " no subtle advocacy" , but merely the blatantly obvious: I think I'ms so clever, and you have NEVER heard this spin before....

All reason enough, to give these AD's one last weekend of peace.

I can understand that I guess. But if there was something that could be done, you would have done it before. I started taking my DD to schools 3 years before (going to plays and so forth) so we would have some idea what we liked. We figured out classes in MS and practiced essays the year before. I was diligent about playing an active role all through MS so that I knew the administration and how to get the recommendations through it. We met with the teachers and the guidance counselor often and in person to make sure that she sent the transcripts and so forth. I had spread sheets of what was due when etc. Frankly, I can't see how a single parent could handle the paperwork, especially for more than one school. I set up tests and visits early, so if DD did poorly or was sick, we had a make up day. Heck, my wife even took our DD to get hair cuts and buy outfits before visits.

The only thing I didn't do, and this is where I am still a bit nervous, is we didn't try and get any super high name folks to send in references. I just felt that wasn't useful, and I think that we had set our DD up for success, so she had to do the work to go through the door. I'm still torn on this one. She scored 91 on the SSAT, and has all A's on most quarters, so I think she should be ok, but I keep worrying....

Anyhow, I don't see how beating up the AD would help reverse a decision if all of that wasn't enough. I literallly have 100's of hours in this process so I doubt a follow up call will help reverse a decision.

Anonymous wrote:

Fact is abot 10% of applicants will call, they will all think that THEY are being super polite, considerate and subtle, and that NOONE before them has though thought of this tact. The poor AD, if she actually picks up her phone for the folowing two weeks or so, is trained like a cop is, by YEARS of experience having heard the same BS, the same schmooze OVER and OVER , until there is no "original tactic" " no subtle advocacy" , but merely the blatantly obvious: I think I'ms so clever, and you have NEVER heard this spin before....

All reason enough, to give these AD's one last weekend of peace.

Anonymous wrote:
I can understand that I guess. But if there was something that could be done, you would have done it before. I started taking my DD to schools 3 years before (going to plays and so forth) so we would have some idea what we liked. We figured out classes in MS and practiced essays the year before. I was diligent about playing an active role all through MS so that I knew the administration and how to get the recommendations through it. We met with the teachers and the guidance counselor often and in person to make sure that she sent the transcripts and so forth. I had spread sheets of what was due when etc. Frankly, I can't see how a single parent could handle the paperwork, especially for more than one school. I set up tests and visits early, so if DD did poorly or was sick, we had a make up day. Heck, my wife even took our DD to get hair cuts and buy outfits before visits.

The only thing I didn't do, and this is where I am still a bit nervous, is we didn't try and get any super high name folks to send in references. I just felt that wasn't useful, and I think that we had set our DD up for success, so she had to do the work to go through the door. I'm still torn on this one. She scored 91 on the SSAT, and has all A's on most quarters, so I think she should be ok, but I keep worrying....

Anyhow, I don't see how beating up the AD would help reverse a decision if all of that wasn't enough. I literallly have 100's of hours in this process so I doubt a follow up call will help reverse a decision.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They tend to time these so they will arrive on Fri or Sat. That way, everyone has a chance to calm down over the weekend before they call the ADs on Monday.

Not to be too obtuse, but why would everyone call the AD's on monday? I mean, if you're in, you would be relieved, so you wouldn't be in a rush, so I assuming it's because you're not in, and in that case, why would you call? Would calling help in any way? I can't imagine it would...

Yes, it's the people who were rejected who want to appeal, and the people who were wait listed and want to know their chances as well as get themselves on the AD's radar screen, who will call Monday morning. Hopefully they will be calmer after 2 days of thinking about it, talking to their friends who applied, and weighing their acceptances from other schools.

Fact is abot 10% of applicants will call, they will all think that THEY are being super polite, considerate and subtle, and that NOONE before them has though thought of this tact. The poor AD, if she actually picks up her phone for the folowing two weeks or so, is trained like a cop is, by YEARS of experience having heard the same BS, the same schmooze OVER and OVER , until there is no "original tactic" " no subtle advocacy" , but merely the blatantly obvious: I think I'ms so clever, and you have NEVER heard this spin before....

All reason enough, to give these AD's one last weekend of peace.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They tend to time these so they will arrive on Fri or Sat. That way, everyone has a chance to calm down over the weekend before they call the ADs on Monday.

Not to be too obtuse, but why would everyone call the AD's on monday? I mean, if you're in, you would be relieved, so you wouldn't be in a rush, so I assuming it's because you're not in, and in that case, why would you call? Would calling help in any way? I can't imagine it would...

Yes, it's the people who were rejected who want to appeal, and the people who were wait listed and want to know their chances as well as get themselves on the AD's radar screen, who will call Monday morning. Hopefully they will be calmer after 2 days of thinking about it, talking to their friends who applied, and weighing their acceptances from other schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No longer on a Saturday, thanks to USPS.

You mean, thanks to Republicans in Congress. And yeah, I know their funding is complex, but you guys need to own the consequences of your funding decisions.

Before you start placing blame, you might want to research what Congress Did. They actually helped to prevent the USPS from going bankrupt.Since 2009 congress was under Democratic control and 2011 was Republican control, neither party is to blame. The appropriation from Congress is .1 % of the USPS budget. ($100 Million of a $75 Billion operating budget)

The problem is less revenue, more expenses.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41024.pdf

Congress Alleviated the USPS’s Immediate
Financial Distress in FY2009 and FY2011
On September 30, 2009, the last day of FY2009, Congress alleviated the USPS’s cash shortage
when it enacted H.R. 2918, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act [of] 2010. President
Barack Obama signed the bill into law the next day (P.L. 111-68). Section 164 of the law
provided the USPS with an immediate reduction of $4 billion in operating expenses by reducing
the USPS’s FY2009 payment to the Postal Retiree Health Benefits Fund from $5.4 billion to $1.4
billion. The legislation did not relieve the USPS of this $4 billion obligation; rather, it deferred
the USPS’s payment. Come FY2017, the $4 billion will be added to whatever remaining
outstanding health care obligation may exist, and amortized over a 40-year period.
In autumn 2011, Congress again aided the USPS. Congress delayed the due date of the FY2011
payment ($5.5 billion) to October 4, 2011 (P.L. 112-33, §124), November 18, 2011 (P.L. 112-36,
§124), to December 16, 2011 (P.L. 112-55, §101), and then August 1, 2012 (H.Rept. 112-331).
Issues for Congress
The USPS’s financial challenges raise difficult questions: Did the USPS simply suffer from a
“perfect storm” of high retiree health benefits payments and declining revenue? Or is the USPS,
as currently constituted, incapable of responding to a shifting, and possibly declining, market fo

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They tend to time these so they will arrive on Fri or Sat. That way, everyone has a chance to calm down over the weekend before they call the ADs on Monday.

Not to be too obtuse, but why would everyone call the AD's on monday? I mean, if you're in, you would be relieved, so you wouldn't be in a rush, so I assuming it's because you're not in, and in that case, why would you call? Would calling help in any way? I can't imagine it would...

Anonymous wrote:They tend to time these so they will arrive on Fri or Sat. That way, everyone has a chance to calm down over the weekend before they call the ADs on Monday.