Anonymous wrote:Here's our list for PK4, very much in the order of true preference for our family:
Inspired Teaching
Capital City
Mundo Verde
Eaton
Powell - our IB
Shepherd
Hearst
Lafayette
Lee Montessori
West
Tubman
Cleveland
I'm not sure if the tracking number is the lottery number that was pulled, but it was something above 23,000. We were matched, and have enrolled, at Powell. Our lowest WL # was at 100 at Cap City and the highest was 229 at Eaton.
I thought it was pretty wild that we pulled such a poor lottery number but still got matched at our IB school, and I'll always wonder if the ranking had anything to do with getting in or if it was just the number of other PK4 applicants there.
We're excited about the prospect of contributing to a rising neighborhood school and will stay in through 5th if it proves to be a good environment for our kid. I felt overall very pleased with the unified lottery because it was so much easier to research and consider schools that weren't even on my radar in the previous year. In hindsight of the former lottery process, we were making some pretty uninformed decisions based on the opinions of others. And I was doing it all myself with DH just waiting to hear the results. This time, there was much deeper research and many, many discussions with my husband about what we wanted and what would work within our expectations and household needs.
It was rather like throwing darts as opposed to throwing up a handful of chips to see where they fall. Did we get exactly what we wanted? No, but at least we were aiming for something specific and I think we came much closer to what we wanted than we would have with the previous process.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We applied to 12 schools. At least half were schools that I didn't think were particularly popular and we had a shot at. But this was for K and there aren't many spots for K at many schools.
We weren't matched anywhere in the lottery. I was disappointed because prior to the lottery we were given the impression that we'd have 12 separate chances to get in, but really our luck with any of those choices depended on a single draw. As far as I could tell we were about at the midway point in most of the waitlists that we joined (probably in the top 45 percent).
But, by the end of May we were offered spots at Lee, Bridges and Shining Stars. We're going to Lee and happy with it.
Unfortunately we know many others who still don't have options for K.
Thank you for reinforcing my scepticism regarding the common lottery. Yes, all the popular schools have WLs in the hundreds. However, back when they each ran their own lotteries, you had more than one shot at a decent number. Now it's just one bad number and you're screwed everywhere.
I really wish the lottery computer would run separate lotteries for each school in the common lottery. Can't see any reason it couldn't look at each applicant and each school and do mini lotteries for each school, sort by preference group, and fill slots. Then the overall process would be one common lottery, but each applicant would have 12 different chances to get a good number.
If they did this, then there would be trades possible where I get into A but prefer B and you get into B but prefer A. The way it works now, everyone gets into the highest choice school possible.
Everyone would still get into their highest choice possible, because once the computer does the individual school lotteries it reconciles the bigger list, dropping people off of any matched slot or waitlist slot lower than their highest accepted slot. It would still give everyone the highest choice they got into, but not damn you with one single number for all 12.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We applied to 12 schools. At least half were schools that I didn't think were particularly popular and we had a shot at. But this was for K and there aren't many spots for K at many schools.
We weren't matched anywhere in the lottery. I was disappointed because prior to the lottery we were given the impression that we'd have 12 separate chances to get in, but really our luck with any of those choices depended on a single draw. As far as I could tell we were about at the midway point in most of the waitlists that we joined (probably in the top 45 percent).
But, by the end of May we were offered spots at Lee, Bridges and Shining Stars. We're going to Lee and happy with it.
Unfortunately we know many others who still don't have options for K.
Thank you for reinforcing my scepticism regarding the common lottery. Yes, all the popular schools have WLs in the hundreds. However, back when they each ran their own lotteries, you had more than one shot at a decent number. Now it's just one bad number and you're screwed everywhere.
I really wish the lottery computer would run separate lotteries for each school in the common lottery. Can't see any reason it couldn't look at each applicant and each school and do mini lotteries for each school, sort by preference group, and fill slots. Then the overall process would be one common lottery, but each applicant would have 12 different chances to get a good number.
If they did this, then there would be trades possible where I get into A but prefer B and you get into B but prefer A. The way it works now, everyone gets into the highest choice school possible.
Anonymous wrote:I think the common lottery restored some sanity to the process. Having observed the madness over the last couple of years, this year was great in terms of less shuffling and switching and moving. If you're new to the process this year, you have no idea how insane it was in the past for both parents and schools.
I know some folks did not get into their school of choice. However, as someone who--over the years--has made several school moves, if you don't bail on the city, you'll land at a school you're very happy with by 2nd grade if not much sooner. I encourage you to call the schools that you are interested in through October and don't be afraid to make a mid Sept/Oct switch. Your kid will adjust just fine.
Those of us who stayed in the game understand that--in the end--it all works out AND... there is no such thing as the perfect school.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We applied to 12 schools. At least half were schools that I didn't think were particularly popular and we had a shot at. But this was for K and there aren't many spots for K at many schools.
We weren't matched anywhere in the lottery. I was disappointed because prior to the lottery we were given the impression that we'd have 12 separate chances to get in, but really our luck with any of those choices depended on a single draw. As far as I could tell we were about at the midway point in most of the waitlists that we joined (probably in the top 45 percent).
But, by the end of May we were offered spots at Lee, Bridges and Shining Stars. We're going to Lee and happy with it.
Unfortunately we know many others who still don't have options for K.
Thank you for reinforcing my scepticism regarding the common lottery. Yes, all the popular schools have WLs in the hundreds. However, back when they each ran their own lotteries, you had more than one shot at a decent number. Now it's just one bad number and you're screwed everywhere.
I really wish the lottery computer would run separate lotteries for each school in the common lottery. Can't see any reason it couldn't look at each applicant and each school and do mini lotteries for each school, sort by preference group, and fill slots. Then the overall process would be one common lottery, but each applicant would have 12 different chances to get a good number.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We applied to 12 schools. At least half were schools that I didn't think were particularly popular and we had a shot at. But this was for K and there aren't many spots for K at many schools.
We weren't matched anywhere in the lottery. I was disappointed because prior to the lottery we were given the impression that we'd have 12 separate chances to get in, but really our luck with any of those choices depended on a single draw. As far as I could tell we were about at the midway point in most of the waitlists that we joined (probably in the top 45 percent).
But, by the end of May we were offered spots at Lee, Bridges and Shining Stars. We're going to Lee and happy with it.
Unfortunately we know many others who still don't have options for K.
Thank you for reinforcing my scepticism regarding the common lottery. Yes, all the popular schools have WLs in the hundreds. However, back when they each ran their own lotteries, you had more than one shot at a decent number. Now it's just one bad number and you're screwed everywhere.
Anonymous wrote:We applied to 12 schools. At least half were schools that I didn't think were particularly popular and we had a shot at. But this was for K and there aren't many spots for K at many schools.
We weren't matched anywhere in the lottery. I was disappointed because prior to the lottery we were given the impression that we'd have 12 separate chances to get in, but really our luck with any of those choices depended on a single draw. As far as I could tell we were about at the midway point in most of the waitlists that we joined (probably in the top 45 percent).
But, by the end of May we were offered spots at Lee, Bridges and Shining Stars. We're going to Lee and happy with it.
Unfortunately we know many others who still don't have options for K.