Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people who say top performing kids at Wilson struggle in college are just trying to feel better about having spent a lot to send their kids to private or moved out the city... just not true. Lots of kids at Wilson from families with parents who are just many of those at the privates and 'top' MD and VA public schools. So few kids are also really the elite level athletes talked about on DCUM - but another way to self justify why their kid didn't get into the school they thought they paid for through private school. Putting down Wilson seems like a fun sport for those folks...

Granted, this is from 2012, but I remember it when it ran and think of it reading this thread. I'm not all that certain how much DCPS curriculum has strengthened since then:

"I went to some of D.C.’s best schools. I was still unprepared for college."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/i-went-to-one-of-dcs-best-high-schools-i-was-still-unprepared-for-college/2012/04/13/gIQAqQQAFT_story.html?utm_term=.23cb6c9c9ac4

https://ggwash.org/view/12881/graduate-of-dc-schools-says-he-wasnt-prepared-for-college

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people who say top performing kids at Wilson struggle in college are just trying to feel better about having spent a lot to send their kids to private or moved out the city... just not true. Lots of kids at Wilson from families with parents who are just many of those at the privates and 'top' MD and VA public schools. So few kids are also really the elite level athletes talked about on DCUM - but another way to self justify why their kid didn't get into the school they thought they paid for through private school. Putting down Wilson seems like a fun sport for those folks...

Granted, this is from 2012, but I remember it when it ran and think of it reading this thread. I'm not all that certain how much DCPS curriculum has strengthened since then:

"I went to some of D.C.’s best schools. I was still unprepared for college."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/i-went-to-one-of-dcs-best-high-schools-i-was-still-unprepared-for-college/2012/04/13/gIQAqQQAFT_story.html?utm_term=.23cb6c9c9ac4

https://ggwash.org/view/12881/graduate-of-dc-schools-says-he-wasnt-prepared-for-college

Anonymous wrote:The people who say top performing kids at Wilson struggle in college are just trying to feel better about having spent a lot to send their kids to private or moved out the city... just not true. Lots of kids at Wilson from families with parents who are just many of those at the privates and 'top' MD and VA public schools. So few kids are also really the elite level athletes talked about on DCUM - but another way to self justify why their kid didn't get into the school they thought they paid for through private school. Putting down Wilson seems like a fun sport for those folks...

Anonymous wrote:I was told that in creating their "ideal" and well-rounded/diverse class, colleges like to have a public high school represented from every state, including the District. I have heard colleges like to take students from Wilson, where possible, because it allows them to check the "DC public" box. Who knows if this is true or not, but it's possible.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They always get into some good schools. The issue is when they feel out-matched by peers who have attended far more rigorous public and private schools. It is a rude awakening for many.

But so what; at least they got into somewhere. What does it matter to you or anyone else.

Top schools like geographical and public/private diversity, and there aren't many places to look in DC other than Wilson.

But Wilson students generally don't shine at top schools compared to graduates of area privates and MD/VA publics. They are typically middle of the pack and quite a few struggle.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anecdotally because the school won’t say this, but if you talk with fellow parents, whose kids were admitted to some top ranked schools, they will tell you how their kids were surprisingly unprepared for demanding college work. Wilson is better than most DC alternatives, but it needs to up its scholastic game. It’s better to acknowledge and improve, rather than act like the DCPS communications office and pretend that all is wonderful.

So you’ve talked to a few neighbors at the summer cook-out about their kids and that qualifies you to come here and spout some generalization that Wilson doesn’t prepare its students? Your critical thinking skills are that of a wet blanket. Do you even have kids? When is the last time you darkened the doorway of Wilson?

Defensive much?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anecdotally because the school won’t say this, but if you talk with fellow parents, whose kids were admitted to some top ranked schools, they will tell you how their kids were surprisingly unprepared for demanding college work. Wilson is better than most DC alternatives, but it needs to up its scholastic game. It’s better to acknowledge and improve, rather than act like the DCPS communications office and pretend that all is wonderful.

So you’ve talked to a few neighbors at the summer cook-out about their kids and that qualifies you to come here and spout some generalization that Wilson doesn’t prepare its students? Your critical thinking skills are that of a wet blanket. Do you even have kids? When is the last time you darkened the doorway of Wilson?

Anonymous wrote:Anecdotally because the school won’t say this, but if you talk with fellow parents, whose kids were admitted to some top ranked schools, they will tell you how their kids were surprisingly unprepared for demanding college work. Wilson is better than most DC alternatives, but it needs to up its scholastic game. It’s better to acknowledge and improve, rather than act like the DCPS communications office and pretend that all is wonderful.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people who say top performing kids at Wilson struggle in college are just trying to feel better about having spent a lot to send their kids to private or moved out the city... just not true. Lots of kids at Wilson from families with parents who are just many of those at the privates and 'top' MD and VA public schools. So few kids are also really the elite level athletes talked about on DCUM - but another way to self justify why their kid didn't get into the school they thought they paid for through private school. Putting down Wilson seems like a fun sport for those folks...

“Struggle” may be an exaggeration, but Wilson kids anecdotally at least aren’t as well prepared for college as students from some other area schools. Wilson just is not that great a school. It’s just very good for DC.

Anonymous wrote:Now that we talked about how many are going to take do we get to talk about how many are going to jail ? I bet more end up there than high end universities.

Anonymous wrote:Caltech acceptance rate for last year was about 7% so no surprise there.

Wilson is a good school. It's funny how much it's being vilified by charter school advocates. We are in boundary and did not consider it because of the terrible things we were told. And please do not believe those who say that anyone who does homework gets an "A" . Maybe in general music or health classes but believe me, there was a Physics class where the teacher only gave one "A", 2 "B+", a few "C"S and "D"s and failed the rest.