Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every BASIS parent event I attended included an intense pep talk on how their college admissions are "The best in DC!"

Some admin invariably would always reel off a list of high powered colleges recent grads were admitted to. Yea, MIT, HARVARD, YALE. They did this even if the meeting was to talk about fundraising or an another unrelated subject. The drill got embarrassing over the years.

The further we get from BASIS, the better I understand why families of some of the highest achieving middle school students leave for programs where school leaders aren't as obsessed with MIT, Harvard, Yale. I point this out as an MIT grad.

No one cares where you went to school.

We care. When MIT grads think that relentless Basis intensity on college admissions is a drag, I’m gonna agree, me with my degree from a small public univ down South. The complaint is valid and you guys know it.

As a grad of one of the oldest, most elite private schools in the US and of a certain college in Cambridge, MA, I would like to thank you all for providing me much pleasure. Watching people who send their kids to DC public schools complain about a school that is too focused on college acceptances and too vocal about ivy admissions is such fun!

Listening to 20-something BASIS admins who didn't attend MIT or Ivies drone on about how many of their grads crack these colleges during meetings for the parents of newly-minted 5th graders is somewhat less fun.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:an undue emphasis on college admissions for 5th graders is a turnoff

Agreed. 5th graders should not be admitted to college.

Alarming. If true.

Anonymous wrote:an undue emphasis on college admissions for 5th graders is a turnoff

Hate to beat my dead horse, but then BASIS is not for you. They tell you up front that the curriculum is designed around admissions to college and scholarships and everything is reverse engineered backwards to 5th from there. '

That may well not be what you want. In which case, don't send your kid to BASIS.

None of you people graduated from Andover, Exeter or Ethical Culture Fieldston School. For god's sake that last one plays in the "Ivy Preparatory School League" with Dalton, Horace Mann, etc. I guess that's how you all get comfortable with thinking Walls is a "good school".

Anonymous wrote:an undue emphasis on college admissions for 5th graders is a turnoff

Agreed. 5th graders should not be admitted to college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every BASIS parent event I attended included an intense pep talk on how their college admissions are "The best in DC!"

Some admin invariably would always reel off a list of high powered colleges recent grads were admitted to. Yea, MIT, HARVARD, YALE. They did this even if the meeting was to talk about fundraising or an another unrelated subject. The drill got embarrassing over the years.

The further we get from BASIS, the better I understand why families of some of the highest achieving middle school students leave for programs where school leaders aren't as obsessed with MIT, Harvard, Yale. I point this out as an MIT grad.

No one cares where you went to school.

We care. When MIT grads think that relentless Basis intensity on college admissions is a drag, I’m gonna agree, me with my degree from a small public univ down South. The complaint is valid and you guys know it.

You care where PP went to school?

Sure, Jan.

an undue emphasis on college admissions for 5th graders is a turnoff

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every BASIS parent event I attended included an intense pep talk on how their college admissions are "The best in DC!"

Some admin invariably would always reel off a list of high powered colleges recent grads were admitted to. Yea, MIT, HARVARD, YALE. They did this even if the meeting was to talk about fundraising or an another unrelated subject. The drill got embarrassing over the years.

The further we get from BASIS, the better I understand why families of some of the highest achieving middle school students leave for programs where school leaders aren't as obsessed with MIT, Harvard, Yale. I point this out as an MIT grad.

No one cares where you went to school.

We care. When MIT grads think that relentless Basis intensity on college admissions is a drag, I’m gonna agree, me with my degree from a small public univ down South. The complaint is valid and you guys know it.

As a grad of one of the oldest, most elite private schools in the US and of a certain college in Cambridge, MA, I would like to thank you all for providing me much pleasure. Watching people who send their kids to DC public schools complain about a school that is too focused on college acceptances and too vocal about ivy admissions is such fun!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every BASIS parent event I attended included an intense pep talk on how their college admissions are "The best in DC!"

Some admin invariably would always reel off a list of high powered colleges recent grads were admitted to. Yea, MIT, HARVARD, YALE. They did this even if the meeting was to talk about fundraising or an another unrelated subject. The drill got embarrassing over the years.

The further we get from BASIS, the better I understand why families of some of the highest achieving middle school students leave for programs where school leaders aren't as obsessed with MIT, Harvard, Yale. I point this out as an MIT grad.

No one cares where you went to school.

We care. When MIT grads think that relentless Basis intensity on college admissions is a drag, I’m gonna agree, me with my degree from a small public univ down South. The complaint is valid and you guys know it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every BASIS parent event I attended included an intense pep talk on how their college admissions are "The best in DC!"

Some admin invariably would always reel off a list of high powered colleges recent grads were admitted to. Yea, MIT, HARVARD, YALE. They did this even if the meeting was to talk about fundraising or an another unrelated subject. The drill got embarrassing over the years.

The further we get from BASIS, the better I understand why families of some of the highest achieving middle school students leave for programs where school leaders aren't as obsessed with MIT, Harvard, Yale. I point this out as an MIT grad.

People forget that every charter school is an independent business. Part of that is good pub and advertising. So no surprise at the endless cheerleading. It is also where bad things happen with leadership. They will do things to keep the gravy train going regardless .

Can I get some dressing with that word salad?

Anonymous wrote:Every BASIS parent event I attended included an intense pep talk on how their college admissions are "The best in DC!"

Some admin invariably would always reel off a list of high powered colleges recent grads were admitted to. Yea, MIT, HARVARD, YALE. They did this even if the meeting was to talk about fundraising or an another unrelated subject. The drill got embarrassing over the years.

The further we get from BASIS, the better I understand why families of some of the highest achieving middle school students leave for programs where school leaders aren't as obsessed with MIT, Harvard, Yale. I point this out as an MIT grad.

I'm at a loss to understand what you are trying to say. Are you suggesting that schools should not work to get their graduates admitted to Ivy League schools? You obviously have never attended an elite prep school because that's what they are; Ivy factories. Do you think the school should not tout its accomplishments wherever possible? Do you not understand the correlation between funding (fundraising pitch) and academic success? Again, you apparently haven't seen an elite prep school at work.

BASIS describes itself as a college preparatory school that is designed to get kids into 4 year colleges with as much money as possible. That's sentence one at every info session and all over the marketing materials. Why is their focus on college admissions a shock to you?

So you really expect us to believe that you departed BASIS because of repetitive boasting about Ivy admissions? That makes no sense.

P.S. It's odd that you condemn a school for boasting about Ivy admissions while touting (without context or reason) your MIT degree. In my experience people who do that are pretty high on the d-bag scale. Or do you think it is more relevant that you went to MIT 30 years ago than it is that a school got kids admitted last year?

Anonymous wrote:Every BASIS parent event I attended included an intense pep talk on how their college admissions are "The best in DC!"

Some admin invariably would always reel off a list of high powered colleges recent grads were admitted to. Yea, MIT, HARVARD, YALE. They did this even if the meeting was to talk about fundraising or an another unrelated subject. The drill got embarrassing over the years.

The further we get from BASIS, the better I understand why families of some of the highest achieving middle school students leave for programs where school leaders aren't as obsessed with MIT, Harvard, Yale. I point this out as an MIT grad.

People forget that every charter school is an independent business. Part of that is good pub and advertising. So no surprise at the endless cheerleading. It is also where bad things happen with leadership. They will do things to keep the gravy train going regardless .

Anonymous wrote:Every BASIS parent event I attended included an intense pep talk on how their college admissions are "The best in DC!"

Some admin invariably would always reel off a list of high powered colleges recent grads were admitted to. Yea, MIT, HARVARD, YALE. They did this even if the meeting was to talk about fundraising or an another unrelated subject. The drill got embarrassing over the years.

The further we get from BASIS, the better I understand why families of some of the highest achieving middle school students leave for programs where school leaders aren't as obsessed with MIT, Harvard, Yale. I point this out as an MIT grad.

No one cares where you went to school.

Every BASIS parent event I attended included an intense pep talk on how their college admissions are "The best in DC!"

Some admin invariably would always reel off a list of high powered colleges recent grads were admitted to. Yea, MIT, HARVARD, YALE. They did this even if the meeting was to talk about fundraising or an another unrelated subject. The drill got embarrassing over the years.

The further we get from BASIS, the better I understand why families of some of the highest achieving middle school students leave for programs where school leaders aren't as obsessed with MIT, Harvard, Yale. I point this out as an MIT grad.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the post above that digs into college admissions at BASIS. So glad we left for Walls, where college admissions isn’t the be and end all. My kid rows crew and plays in the orchestra, lots of fun. With an 800 on her math SAT and half a dozen 5s on AP exams, I’m not worried about college admissions.. BASIS was much too controlling for some of us. Their admins underwhelm. DCPS can work fine all the way up for a top kid.

Bully for you. Not sure what your point is.

Walls is a good school too.

. The point is that BASIS exceptionalism only gets more intense and ridiculous as time goes by. Open minded Walls with mature leadership has been a breath of fresh air for our family and others that left BASIS.

Sounds like your departure from Basis improved both schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the post above that digs into college admissions at BASIS. So glad we left for Walls, where college admissions isn’t the be and end all. My kid rows crew and plays in the orchestra, lots of fun. With an 800 on her math SAT and half a dozen 5s on AP exams, I’m not worried about college admissions.. BASIS was much too controlling for some of us. Their admins underwhelm. DCPS can work fine all the way up for a top kid.

Bully for you. Not sure what your point is.

Walls is a good school too.

. The point is that BASIS exceptionalism only gets more intense and ridiculous as time goes by. Open minded Walls with mature leadership has been a breath of fresh air for our family and others that left BASIS.