Anonymous
05/07/2025 17:30
Subject: St Albans vs St Anselm's
I have a senior at the Abbey. He's had a good HS experience and is well prepared for college. He's also a great kid/young man who's comfortable in his own skin. He turned down offers from three schools that people on these boards gush over (among a bunch of great options) in favor of one that's generally considered "good" or "solid" around here. He's ecstatic about it, and for all the right reasons. I think he made the right call--for him--and I'm super excited for him.
He's not an outlier at the Abbey. A few of his friends are going to the "highest ranked" school where they were accepted, but most aren't. They almost all prioritize fit, including financial fit, over perceived prestige--which is wholly consistent with the school's values.
That said, of course the college advising is weaker at the Abbey than at schools with more than two college counselors who fill that role part time (as they're also teachers). The scale simply isn't one that lends itself to either developing/maintaining a comprehensive understanding of the university landscape or drumming up deep and wide driving interest in Abbey grads.
I don't know enough about college counseling at StA to comment on it.
He's not an outlier at the Abbey. A few of his friends are going to the "highest ranked" school where they were accepted, but most aren't. They almost all prioritize fit, including financial fit, over perceived prestige--which is wholly consistent with the school's values.
That said, of course the college advising is weaker at the Abbey than at schools with more than two college counselors who fill that role part time (as they're also teachers). The scale simply isn't one that lends itself to either developing/maintaining a comprehensive understanding of the university landscape or drumming up deep and wide driving interest in Abbey grads.
I don't know enough about college counseling at StA to comment on it.
Anonymous
05/07/2025 13:58
Subject: St Albans vs St Anselm's
Anonymous wrote:I love people who somehow know what "hook" a dozen different kids have in a graduating class.
Kids at Big 3 schools get into top 25-50 schools because they come from a well-known, competitive high school, generally have good college counseling, are generally well-rounded, are smart, sometimes wealthy.
If all of these are hooks, then so be it, but it sure sounds like "hooks" are how people rationalize others getting into better schools (high schools or colleges) than their kid.
Does your kid not talk to classmates? My Big3 kid does and knows what hooks many kids have just by going to school this past year. The kids talk a lot. There are many parents who call in favors or who are VIPs. The kids know whose parents made a phone call or who knows who. But they honestly don't care. They brush it off and are just happy for their friends. My own kid has an excellent college outcome and is thrilled for the others.
I only share to make the St. Anselem's parents and others feel better about college counseling. There is just so much that goes on behind the scenes at the Big3 schools, NYC schools, etc. All the kids are well prepared and will do very well in college. But it is not just "excellent college counseling" that is getting many of them there.
Anonymous
05/07/2025 13:35
Subject: St Albans vs St Anselm's
True, but I will in 30 days.
Anonymous
05/07/2025 13:18
Subject: St Albans vs St Anselm's
Anonymous wrote:I love people who somehow know what "hook" a dozen different kids have in a graduating class.
Kids at Big 3 schools get into top 25-50 schools because they come from a well-known, competitive high school, generally have good college counseling, are generally well-rounded, are smart, sometimes wealthy.
If all of these are hooks, then so be it, but it sure sounds like "hooks" are how people rationalize others getting into better schools (high schools or colleges) than their kid.
You clearly don’t have kids who have graduated from big 3.
Anonymous
05/07/2025 13:15
Subject: St Albans vs St Anselm's
I love people who somehow know what "hook" a dozen different kids have in a graduating class.
Kids at Big 3 schools get into top 25-50 schools because they come from a well-known, competitive high school, generally have good college counseling, are generally well-rounded, are smart, sometimes wealthy.
If all of these are hooks, then so be it, but it sure sounds like "hooks" are how people rationalize others getting into better schools (high schools or colleges) than their kid.
Kids at Big 3 schools get into top 25-50 schools because they come from a well-known, competitive high school, generally have good college counseling, are generally well-rounded, are smart, sometimes wealthy.
If all of these are hooks, then so be it, but it sure sounds like "hooks" are how people rationalize others getting into better schools (high schools or colleges) than their kid.
Anonymous
05/07/2025 12:47
Subject: St Albans vs St Anselm's
I have a senior at a Big3 and there are a lot of quiet hooks--I.e. parents calling in favors with friends or former college roommates who are now college admissions officers, board members, etc at top universities. the ivies don't play this game but the colleges just below (those ranked say 25-50) definitely do. I would say at my child's class there have been roughly 10 kids who pulled in a "one off" hook to get into the top 25-50 school they're matriculating to. if not for their hook their matriculation would look very different. It's been fascinating to see.
Anonymous
05/07/2025 12:23
Subject: St Albans vs St Anselm's
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Currently Abbey parent and new poster. I’ll
say what no one else has said yet: The school
And the academics are wonderful. The college counseling is atrocious!!! There should be more boys going to higher level schools and it’s not because they aren’t trying or can’t afford it. It’s for a few reasons. First despite what some say there is ZERO grade inflation at the Abbey. It’s incredibly rigorous for colleges to look at 30 boys in this current class and see several with 4.0 does not tell the whole story. Those boys have worked their butts off. Second, the college counselors are old and out of touch and college admissions counselors do not know the abbey. We picked the Abbey for our son knowing this based on what parents said but really didn’t understand the extent of it. The one, most awful counselor is retiring but keeping him in the job for so long was a grave disservice to the students. There are a few schools that know the Abbey well.. Chicago is one of them and three boys are going this year. It’s ridiculous that those families all strategically applied there knowing that it’s one of the few top schools
That know the Abbey. I’m sure any one of those boys would have applied or an IVY if they thought they had a chance of getting in. Abbey boys are well prepared for college without doubt… but the school in no
Way gives them any help with college admissions.
This is very rude. Those men are kind and dedicated and do not deserve this public humiliation.
Agree- this is very rude and was not our experience. Current parent here- we are thrilled with our "high stats" DS's college outcome and appreciative of the counseling that he received. The counselors were kind, dedicated, supportive and knowledgeable.
Odd that you felt the need to identify your child as high stats, when they are all pretty high stats as this thread acknowledges. And glad you had a good experience. However rude it may be its also accurate. They are no match for the college counselors at St. Albans, NCS, GDS or Sidwell. There is simply no comparison and if you had children at these other schools you would know.
Actually I do have a DD at a big 3 school for high school and you can’t compare the student body. The college counselors are no better at a big 3. Saint Anselms also has kids from 70 different zip codes who are not only looking for prestige but value. Whereas many kids at big 3 schools have plenty of money, connections and legacy and other hooks. Going somewhere for merit is not a consideration for many in my DD’s class. It’s ivy, top 20 or bust. The families at both are completely different. Apples to oranges.
Anonymous
05/07/2025 11:26
Subject: St Albans vs St Anselm's
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Currently Abbey parent and new poster. I’ll
say what no one else has said yet: The school
And the academics are wonderful. The college counseling is atrocious!!! There should be more boys going to higher level schools and it’s not because they aren’t trying or can’t afford it. It’s for a few reasons. First despite what some say there is ZERO grade inflation at the Abbey. It’s incredibly rigorous for colleges to look at 30 boys in this current class and see several with 4.0 does not tell the whole story. Those boys have worked their butts off. Second, the college counselors are old and out of touch and college admissions counselors do not know the abbey. We picked the Abbey for our son knowing this based on what parents said but really didn’t understand the extent of it. The one, most awful counselor is retiring but keeping him in the job for so long was a grave disservice to the students. There are a few schools that know the Abbey well.. Chicago is one of them and three boys are going this year. It’s ridiculous that those families all strategically applied there knowing that it’s one of the few top schools
That know the Abbey. I’m sure any one of those boys would have applied or an IVY if they thought they had a chance of getting in. Abbey boys are well prepared for college without doubt… but the school in no
Way gives them any help with college admissions.
This is very rude. Those men are kind and dedicated and do not deserve this public humiliation.
Agree- this is very rude and was not our experience. Current parent here- we are thrilled with our "high stats" DS's college outcome and appreciative of the counseling that he received. The counselors were kind, dedicated, supportive and knowledgeable.
Odd that you felt the need to identify your child as high stats, when they are all pretty high stats as this thread acknowledges. And glad you had a good experience. However rude it may be its also accurate. They are no match for the college counselors at St. Albans, NCS, GDS or Sidwell. There is simply no comparison and if you had children at these other schools you would know.
Anonymous
05/07/2025 08:05
Subject: St Albans vs St Anselm's
Anonymous wrote:Well, I’m not the PP but the narrative about SAAS being academically rigorous and amazing doesn’t sync with their college placements. You can claim that they want less prestigious or Catholic schools, but they outcomes are meh. Either the parents or overstating the rigor or colleges don’t understand it (which imputes that the counselors haven’t done a great job).
You seem to be making a mistake about what academic rigor means. High school rigor and college choice are not the same thing.
Anonymous
05/06/2025 21:26
Subject: St Albans vs St Anselm's
Anonymous wrote:I have a hard time understanding the gripe about less-than-stellar college placements from St Anselm’s. A previous poster identified that over half of the class is going to irrefutably excellent schools: Chicago, Cornell, Davidson, Wake Forest, Pomona, Navy, Tufts, Colgate, Vassar…and many of the other remaining destinations are quite solid in their own right. Kids from every elite school in the region also attend good schools like Gettysburg, F&M, and UMD. Plus, in many of these cases, students are taking significant merit money, and will sometimes choose the merit money over the bigger name school. St Anselm’s is very challenging academically. There is no grade inflation, and it’s very difficult to earn an A. The students are getting a superior education, and that is true whether they end up with a full ride to a flagship state university or an Ivy.
This. And the last time I checked, there were more Fortune 500 CEOs who graduated from the University of Wisconsin than any other university, including all the Ivies and Stanford. https://chiefexecutive.net/fortune-500-ceos-wisconsin/
And current trends away from Ivies to southern schools with greater school spirit, stronger sense of community, better job prospects, and less polarization that we are seeing in the "elite" schools.
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/sorry-harvard-everyone-wants-to-go-to-college-in-the-south-now-235d7934
Success in life in measured in many ways . . . and for the long haul.
Anonymous
05/06/2025 21:04
Subject: St Albans vs St Anselm's
I have a hard time understanding the gripe about less-than-stellar college placements from St Anselm’s. A previous poster identified that over half of the class is going to irrefutably excellent schools: Chicago, Cornell, Davidson, Wake Forest, Pomona, Navy, Tufts, Colgate, Vassar…and many of the other remaining destinations are quite solid in their own right. Kids from every elite school in the region also attend good schools like Gettysburg, F&M, and UMD. Plus, in many of these cases, students are taking significant merit money, and will sometimes choose the merit money over the bigger name school. St Anselm’s is very challenging academically. There is no grade inflation, and it’s very difficult to earn an A. The students are getting a superior education, and that is true whether they end up with a full ride to a flagship state university or an Ivy.
Anonymous
05/06/2025 20:39
Subject: St Albans vs St Anselm's
Anonymous wrote:Well, I’m not the PP but the narrative about SAAS being academically rigorous and amazing doesn’t sync with their college placements. You can claim that they want less prestigious or Catholic schools, but they outcomes are meh. Either the parents or overstating the rigor or colleges don’t understand it (which imputes that the counselors haven’t done a great job).
You know that a lot of college placement at the other schools is based on hooks like legacy and athletics. I know of several kids who got into great schools at SAAS but chose full ride over prestige. Not everything is about T20 or ivy.
Anonymous
05/06/2025 20:18
Subject: St Albans vs St Anselm's
Well, I’m not the PP but the narrative about SAAS being academically rigorous and amazing doesn’t sync with their college placements. You can claim that they want less prestigious or Catholic schools, but they outcomes are meh. Either the parents or overstating the rigor or colleges don’t understand it (which imputes that the counselors haven’t done a great job).
Anonymous
05/06/2025 19:26
Subject: St Albans vs St Anselm's
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Currently Abbey parent and new poster. I’ll
say what no one else has said yet: The school
And the academics are wonderful. The college counseling is atrocious!!! There should be more boys going to higher level schools and it’s not because they aren’t trying or can’t afford it. It’s for a few reasons. First despite what some say there is ZERO grade inflation at the Abbey. It’s incredibly rigorous for colleges to look at 30 boys in this current class and see several with 4.0 does not tell the whole story. Those boys have worked their butts off. Second, the college counselors are old and out of touch and college admissions counselors do not know the abbey. We picked the Abbey for our son knowing this based on what parents said but really didn’t understand the extent of it. The one, most awful counselor is retiring but keeping him in the job for so long was a grave disservice to the students. There are a few schools that know the Abbey well.. Chicago is one of them and three boys are going this year. It’s ridiculous that those families all strategically applied there knowing that it’s one of the few top schools
That know the Abbey. I’m sure any one of those boys would have applied or an IVY if they thought they had a chance of getting in. Abbey boys are well prepared for college without doubt… but the school in no
Way gives them any help with college admissions.
This is very rude. Those men are kind and dedicated and do not deserve this public humiliation.
Agree- this is very rude and was not our experience. Current parent here- we are thrilled with our "high stats" DS's college outcome and appreciative of the counseling that he received. The counselors were kind, dedicated, supportive and knowledgeable.
Anonymous
05/06/2025 15:57
Subject: St Albans vs St Anselm's
Anonymous wrote:Currently Abbey parent and new poster. I’ll
say what no one else has said yet: The school
And the academics are wonderful. The college counseling is atrocious!!! There should be more boys going to higher level schools and it’s not because they aren’t trying or can’t afford it. It’s for a few reasons. First despite what some say there is ZERO grade inflation at the Abbey. It’s incredibly rigorous for colleges to look at 30 boys in this current class and see several with 4.0 does not tell the whole story. Those boys have worked their butts off. Second, the college counselors are old and out of touch and college admissions counselors do not know the abbey. We picked the Abbey for our son knowing this based on what parents said but really didn’t understand the extent of it. The one, most awful counselor is retiring but keeping him in the job for so long was a grave disservice to the students. There are a few schools that know the Abbey well.. Chicago is one of them and three boys are going this year. It’s ridiculous that those families all strategically applied there knowing that it’s one of the few top schools
That know the Abbey. I’m sure any one of those boys would have applied or an IVY if they thought they had a chance of getting in. Abbey boys are well prepared for college without doubt… but the school in no
Way gives them any help with college admissions.
This is very rude. Those men are kind and dedicated and do not deserve this public humiliation.