Anonymous
Post 12/20/2015 21:15     Subject: college admissons results?
Anonymous wrote:Ridiculous. Who are you, public school parents waiting to pounce so you can feel better about your decision not to pay for private? My kid got into her first choice, and we are thrilled. Don't care what the DCUM gawkers think.


Sad that you use that as an insult.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2015 21:02     Subject: college admissons results?
Anonymous wrote:My admittedly limited experience points to it being a tough admissions year. There's been some disappointment among DS friends at his school (which is one of the 'top' ones discussed here). DS got accepted ED to his first choice, I know 4 other boys from his class were deferred to the regular pool so while he's happy, he's bummed for his friends. There have not been a lot of ED admits to top schools. My friend, whose son is at another private HS, said the ED's there were generally not bearing good news. I think it's a highly competitive year with a bunch of great kids.

I meant to add not a lot of ED admits to top schools in my son's class. I have no idea what's going on in other schools.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2015 21:01     Subject: college admissons results?
My admittedly limited experience points to it being a tough admissions year. There's been some disappointment among DS friends at his school (which is one of the 'top' ones discussed here). DS got accepted ED to his first choice, I know 4 other boys from his class were deferred to the regular pool so while he's happy, he's bummed for his friends. There have not been a lot of ED admits to top schools. My friend, whose son is at another private HS, said the ED's there were generally not bearing good news. I think it's a highly competitive year with a bunch of great kids.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2015 18:40     Subject: college admissons results?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:GDS got 6 into Harvard ED

That's pretty par for the course, although GDS has had even bettter years, too.

But none of them are going to go there, because GDS students found too many mistakes in the professors syllabi last year, right?


This would be comical if it weren't a bit sad. I have no connection with, GDS, but I do have a PhD from a HYPS school and did work as a professor. You are truly clueless if you believe that the road to success in any elite school is by passively ingesting the material presented by faculty. If you have successfully taught your kids to be passive learners, they have already lost the game at the higher levels. Critical engagement is the key. And sure, there are subtle and not so subtle ways of doing it, but those can easily be addressed in most contexts (unless they are overtly politicized).

At research schools professors are used to having their work robustly critiqued at faculty seminars and at conferences. Most would invite questions about potential gaps in the syllabus as a great opportunity to explain further how they have shaped the course. And if the questions were memorable in a good way, that will be very helpful to the student when it comes to letters of recommendation.


I am a college professor and a current GDS parent, who cringed at the story about the GDS first year who could tell the prof how to make her syllabus better. As much as I appreciate critical thinking and engaged students, I would find an 18 year old who told me how to improve my syllabus to be impertinent, rude, and utterly lacking in manners. I eagerly welcome critiques from peers, but find it laughable that a fresh high school graduate sincerely believes that she understand better how to teach a subject matter that I have been studying for a decade longer than she has even been alive.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2015 17:00     Subject: college admissons results?
Anonymous wrote:Maybe the fancy pants schools aren't so happy with their ED numbers this year. People in the past seemed eager to share.


Perhaps people in the past were tackier.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2015 16:52     Subject: college admissons results?
0P, why don't you start a Fantast sports league for early decision results at local private schools and see if you can drum up some interest? Hold a live draft in September every year to see who gets to have Sidwell or GDS on their fantasy team. Try to have friends with children at the most sought after schools leak you actual GPA and SAT score information for the rising senior class at each area school, so you have a better chance of winning your fantasy league.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2015 16:37     Subject: college admissons results?
Ridiculous. Who are you, public school parents waiting to pounce so you can feel better about your decision not to pay for private? My kid got into her first choice, and we are thrilled. Don't care what the DCUM gawkers think.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2015 16:27     Subject: college admissons results?
Maybe the fancy pants schools aren't so happy with their ED numbers this year. People in the past seemed eager to share.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2015 15:27     Subject: college admissons results?
Why all the focus on Harvard? What about other Ivies, Stanford, MIT or Chicago? I personally don't think Harvard is the best of the Ivies, but even if you do, I think private schools should be judged by overall admission to top schools, not just Harvard. Our school went 2 for 2 at Harvard, but sent many more kids to other Ivies.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2015 14:56     Subject: college admissons results?
College matriculation does matter. Period. Maybe not in the way that "who got into school x?" does, but it is a useful way to compare schools.
5 year stats are less useful than current trends.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2015 14:38     Subject: college admissons results?
Anonymous wrote:Congrats to the person with the 5 admits!
Nobody is asking for names of students or how many got rejected. We are looking for data on how many people from certain schools got into particular colleges. It's a legit question for people looking to apply to area HS as well as for those of us with kids in lower grades already. Chill out.

So, is the "6 GDS to Harvard" real or not?


It really isn't a useful question. If college matriculation matters to you, what you need is the five-year stats. How specific groups of kids in one year did in early admission acceptances tells you pretty much nothing. And the ensuing conversations - "well, that's not very impressive" and "they only got in because they have hooks" - are also useless.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2015 13:36     Subject: college admissons results?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Congrats to the person with the 5 admits!
Nobody is asking for names of students or how many got rejected. We are looking for data on how many people from certain schools got into particular colleges. It's a legit question for people looking to apply to area HS as well as for those of us with kids in lower grades already. Chill out.

So, is the "6 GDS to Harvard" real or not?


Uh, not. The joke has run its course. Time to get some new material, people.


It's not a joke. It is absolutely what happened this year.


No it's not and I'm in a position to know. Let's leave it at that.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2015 13:35     Subject: college admissons results?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Congrats to the person with the 5 admits!
Nobody is asking for names of students or how many got rejected. We are looking for data on how many people from certain schools got into particular colleges. It's a legit question for people looking to apply to area HS as well as for those of us with kids in lower grades already. Chill out.

So, is the "6 GDS to Harvard" real or not?


Uh, not. The joke has run its course. Time to get some new material, people.


It's not a joke. It is absolutely what happened this year.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2015 13:32     Subject: Re:college admissons results?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DC was admitted to five private SLACs that DCUM'ers would turn their noses up at, with substantial merid aid packages - so will have lots of great choices, at prices comparable to in-state publics. DC would be happy at any one, so we are happy here!


To get those "substantial aid packages", have the parents filed the FAFSA and with financial aid at the colleges? Does anyone know of a financial aid counselor. DS has been accepted but we haven't even started the FAFSA.


No FAFSA, we will not qualify for need-based aid. OTOH, we cannot pay full price at privates. For this reason we targeted schools that award merit/scholarship money.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2015 12:57     Subject: college admissons results?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:GDS got 6 into Harvard ED

That's pretty par for the course, although GDS has had even bettter years, too.

But none of them are going to go there, because GDS students found too many mistakes in the professors syllabi last year, right?


This would be comical if it weren't a bit sad. I have no connection with, GDS, but I do have a PhD from a HYPS school and did work as a professor. You are truly clueless if you believe that the road to success in any elite school is by passively ingesting the material presented by faculty. If you have successfully taught your kids to be passive learners, they have already lost the game at the higher levels. Critical engagement is the key. And sure, there are subtle and not so subtle ways of doing it, but those can easily be addressed in most contexts (unless they are overtly politicized).

At research schools professors are used to having their work robustly critiqued at faculty seminars and at conferences. Most would invite questions about potential gaps in the syllabus as a great opportunity to explain further how they have shaped the course. And if the questions were memorable in a good way, that will be very helpful to the student when it comes to letters of recommendation.


I doubt a phd needs a dipshit college freshman telling her that she missed a book in her syllabus. even more lame is the fact that these students tout are self congratulatory about it.