Guys…don’t you get it? If you are on the B list, they link you up with an alumnus. If you’ve made the short list, you go straight up to the executive suite. They get SO many applicants each year !

As a Sidwell alum, I think this is a disappointing choice on the part of the school. We are talking about educational institutions, not social clubs. I feel the same way about having alums conduct evaluative college interviews.

Anonymous wrote:And yet if you are offered a spot, you will take it. They have no incentive to do better.

Ha, maybe. But I have kids at Beauvoir and I have no interest in Sidwell in part because of this sort of snobbish behavior. So many other great schools with a warmer feeling.

Anonymous wrote:Applying for 9th grade and we are keener on three other schools since the Sidwell interview process. Not impressed by a school that doesn't want to get to know us personally. Every other school from St Albans to GDS, Madiera, and Potomac felt like they wanted to get to know my kid and family. You may say if we get in we'd take the spot like past posters said but they have moved from top choice and agree with original poster.

Thank you. Sounds like the right choice that would be best for you and for us. But maybe count your chickens after they hatch, no?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We applied for high school and were interviewed by alumni as well. No personal contact with the administrative team. Fingers crossed they will google my husband.

What does he do?

Highly regarded rodeo clown.

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell having admissions interviews conducted by alumni tells me they place little to no value on the interview during the application/acceptance process. You can’t if you are having that many unqualified people doing interviews.

+1

Nonsense.

Anonymous wrote:Protip- There are other schools aside from Sidwell that have great experiences & outcomes and less drugs.

This is way more important to talk about. How you felt on an admissions tour/interview will have little to do with your experience one way or another, and a lot of this sounds like either anticipatory sour grapes and/or pre-admissions smack talk to try to move a waitlist you think your kid might be on.

Focus on the actual experience which, as pp said, is surprising as a matter of the drug use, or at least it was for us.

Blech off to GDS then, with thanks

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The process left a bad impression. Interview by alum, and no contact in person with any administrators. Just parent tours, a huge uninspiring meeting in the library, and a few online tests. Anyone else has in-person contact with admint? How would they ever assess if they don't meet in person with the applicant?

Money and connections and skin color don't require interviews, funny poster

Having seen this play out year-after-year, now from the inside I'd say that if there are 20 spots, 15 are pre-filled by legacies, siblings, VIPs, sports recruits, URMs, and kids who are in several of these categories. The school knows who these spots are going to before interviewing a soul.
Then maybe 5 spots are truly open. They can fill these without meeting kids. they take kids whose resumes are truly unique, kids who get those teacher recs which say "best in my career", etc.
There are probably always enough kids that REALLY stand out to fill the few spots they have.

Anonymous wrote:The process left a bad impression. Interview by alum, and no contact in person with any administrators. Just parent tours, a huge uninspiring meeting in the library, and a few online tests. Anyone else has in-person contact with admint? How would they ever assess if they don't meet in person with the applicant?

Money and connections and skin color don't require interviews, funny poster

Sidwell having admissions interviews conducted by alumni tells me they place little to no value on the interview during the application/acceptance process. You can’t if you are having that many unqualified people doing interviews.

We were interviewed by a teacher for 9th grade who gave a good impression of the school. The parent tour was OK. The assessments were fine I guess.

I wish you'd share this feedback with Sidwell after the process for your child is over. My child is there, we had a good admissions experience for 4th several years ago and we're pretty happy with the school, but I bet they would want to know how their choices affect prospective families' views of the school.

They just do not care.