Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have kids in both high schools.
STA is not easy but it's objectively much easier than NCS. If you do the readings, write the papers and study you can do well. You might have to do a lot of work but if you do it, you'll do well.
NCS is next level. Girls can do everything right and still get a B+ because the teacher is only giving out two A minuses across 80 kids. It's just impossible at times.
You can do the work, stand on your head, count to 100, say the magic word and still end up with a B.

This is actually one of the reasons I didn't choose single gender schools for my kids. women focused schools just magnify women's self-loathing into a new kind of educational masochism for young women. They would be far better off in a coed environment, if only because teachers would be less extremist with their grading if they were also grading boys!

This makes no sense. Some all boys schools are incredibly hard and not all girls schools are the least bit difficult. You generalize too much.

It makes complete sense to parents with both a Boy and Girl on the Close

The culture at STA is that the take in 9 year old 4th grade puppies who in MS even are likely to lack executive functioning skills while their feet grow faster

On the other side of the wind tunnel, the expectation is PERFECTION and the girls kill themselves to deliver just that - without a Peep

Until they are in their early 40's and their husband wants to use their Alum status to apply so their daughter can experience same

Anonymous wrote:It's possible to do very well at NCS.
My daughter and her friends are all really academic kids and will end the year with all As, plus or minus a few A minuses. They work extremely hard and never, ever let their guard down.
The standard is high because there are girls who meet it.

And this is the kind of mother driving the very unhealthy atmosphere at NCS. It's why my DD abhors it and these kind of girls there. They look down their noses at the B/B+ girls. They are horrible.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have kids in both high schools.
STA is not easy but it's objectively much easier than NCS. If you do the readings, write the papers and study you can do well. You might have to do a lot of work but if you do it, you'll do well.
NCS is next level. Girls can do everything right and still get a B+ because the teacher is only giving out two A minuses across 80 kids. It's just impossible at times.
You can do the work, stand on your head, count to 100, say the magic word and still end up with a B.

This. We moved and at the new school, DD re-wrote her first paper 7 times and hoped she’d get a B. She got 100. She was used to NCS standards.

I'm an alumna. My "highly selective" college was much easier than NCS. Talk to most NCS grads and they will say the same. Yes, it prepared me well but I will never feel any fondness for the place. I would never choose it for my daughter.

My SIL is an alumn but feels the same. She is successful and was even asked to speak at the school at reunion. She did not encourage our girls to go.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have kids in both high schools.
STA is not easy but it's objectively much easier than NCS. If you do the readings, write the papers and study you can do well. You might have to do a lot of work but if you do it, you'll do well.
NCS is next level. Girls can do everything right and still get a B+ because the teacher is only giving out two A minuses across 80 kids. It's just impossible at times.
You can do the work, stand on your head, count to 100, say the magic word and still end up with a B.

This. We moved and at the new school, DD re-wrote her first paper 7 times and hoped she’d get a B. She got 100. She was used to NCS standards.

I'm an alumna. My "highly selective" college was much easier than NCS. Talk to most NCS grads and they will say the same. Yes, it prepared me well but I will never feel any fondness for the place. I would never choose it for my daughter.

I wonder if things have changed, culture-wise, in the past 15 plus years. That is definitely the message I was given when our daughter applied. Much more diversity, and more focus in community. I don’t discount your experience but institutions do evolve.

This is a data point of one, but I have a co-worker who graduated from NCS in the past 5 years who feels exactly the same way as PP (i.e., school prepared her quite well for undergrad, no fondness for the place).

You have a very young coworker.

Yes was thinking the same thing. Is she still in college or in her First year out of college?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have kids in both high schools.
STA is not easy but it's objectively much easier than NCS. If you do the readings, write the papers and study you can do well. You might have to do a lot of work but if you do it, you'll do well.
NCS is next level. Girls can do everything right and still get a B+ because the teacher is only giving out two A minuses across 80 kids. It's just impossible at times.
You can do the work, stand on your head, count to 100, say the magic word and still end up with a B.

This. We moved and at the new school, DD re-wrote her first paper 7 times and hoped she’d get a B. She got 100. She was used to NCS standards.

I'm an alumna. My "highly selective" college was much easier than NCS. Talk to most NCS grads and they will say the same. Yes, it prepared me well but I will never feel any fondness for the place. I would never choose it for my daughter.

I wonder if things have changed, culture-wise, in the past 15 plus years. That is definitely the message I was given when our daughter applied. Much more diversity, and more focus in community. I don’t discount your experience but institutions do evolve.

This is a data point of one, but I have a co-worker who graduated from NCS in the past 5 years who feels exactly the same way as PP (i.e., school prepared her quite well for undergrad, no fondness for the place).

You have a very young coworker.

DD graduated w/in last 5 years.
Extremely grateful for how well prepared she was in undergrad.
Very fond of handful of incredible teachers/administrators. Sadly several of them are no longer at NCS.

Her fondness for NCS has aged with time. It WAS hard but she knew it was going to be and set her expectations accordingly. I recall her struggling to get an A from a certain, really tough English teacher. Kept taking her courses instead of others known to be more generous grade-wise. Finally got that A in her last semester and was SO thrilled.

Interestingly though she’s not A personality type. There is no way to define the type of student who will be “successful” at NCS. The definition of success is very different for every parent and for every student.

NCS has a reputation as a school that offers an excellent college prep education and does not inflate grades. There is a trend for multiple valedictorians over past 10 years so the school does seem to be moving somewhat in that direction. I’m not sure what the right answer is. For my DD an NCS experience with grade inflation would’ve meant a higher GPA, but she would never have experienced that moment of personal triumph after working hard to achieve something difficult.

FWIW that same teacher told all of the students in her class that her goal was to prepare them to be published authors - each and every one of them. DD is about to have her 1st article published and will likely feel more pride in sharing it with that teacher than with anyone else.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have kids in both high schools.
STA is not easy but it's objectively much easier than NCS. If you do the readings, write the papers and study you can do well. You might have to do a lot of work but if you do it, you'll do well.
NCS is next level. Girls can do everything right and still get a B+ because the teacher is only giving out two A minuses across 80 kids. It's just impossible at times.
You can do the work, stand on your head, count to 100, say the magic word and still end up with a B.

This. We moved and at the new school, DD re-wrote her first paper 7 times and hoped she’d get a B. She got 100. She was used to NCS standards.

I'm an alumna. My "highly selective" college was much easier than NCS. Talk to most NCS grads and they will say the same. Yes, it prepared me well but I will never feel any fondness for the place. I would never choose it for my daughter.

I wonder if things have changed, culture-wise, in the past 15 plus years. That is definitely the message I was given when our daughter applied. Much more diversity, and more focus in community. I don’t discount your experience but institutions do evolve.

This is a data point of one, but I have a co-worker who graduated from NCS in the past 5 years who feels exactly the same way as PP (i.e., school prepared her quite well for undergrad, no fondness for the place).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have kids in both high schools.
STA is not easy but it's objectively much easier than NCS. If you do the readings, write the papers and study you can do well. You might have to do a lot of work but if you do it, you'll do well.
NCS is next level. Girls can do everything right and still get a B+ because the teacher is only giving out two A minuses across 80 kids. It's just impossible at times.
You can do the work, stand on your head, count to 100, say the magic word and still end up with a B.

This is actually one of the reasons I didn't choose single gender schools for my kids. women focused schools just magnify women's self-loathing into a new kind of educational masochism for young women. They would be far better off in a coed environment, if only because teachers would be less extremist with their grading if they were also grading boys!

This makes no sense. Some all boys schools are incredibly hard and not all girls schools are the least bit difficult. You generalize too much.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have kids in both high schools.
STA is not easy but it's objectively much easier than NCS. If you do the readings, write the papers and study you can do well. You might have to do a lot of work but if you do it, you'll do well.
NCS is next level. Girls can do everything right and still get a B+ because the teacher is only giving out two A minuses across 80 kids. It's just impossible at times.
You can do the work, stand on your head, count to 100, say the magic word and still end up with a B.

This. We moved and at the new school, DD re-wrote her first paper 7 times and hoped she’d get a B. She got 100. She was used to NCS standards.

I'm an alumna. My "highly selective" college was much easier than NCS. Talk to most NCS grads and they will say the same. Yes, it prepared me well but I will never feel any fondness for the place. I would never choose it for my daughter.

I wonder if things have changed, culture-wise, in the past 15 plus years. That is definitely the message I was given when our daughter applied. Much more diversity, and more focus in community. I don’t discount your experience but institutions do evolve.

Anonymous wrote:I have kids in both high schools.
STA is not easy but it's objectively much easier than NCS. If you do the readings, write the papers and study you can do well. You might have to do a lot of work but if you do it, you'll do well.
NCS is next level. Girls can do everything right and still get a B+ because the teacher is only giving out two A minuses across 80 kids. It's just impossible at times.
You can do the work, stand on your head, count to 100, say the magic word and still end up with a B.

This is actually one of the reasons I didn't choose single gender schools for my kids. women focused schools just magnify women's self-loathing into a new kind of educational masochism for young women. They would be far better off in a coed environment, if only because teachers would be less extremist with their grading if they were also grading boys!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have kids in both high schools.
STA is not easy but it's objectively much easier than NCS. If you do the readings, write the papers and study you can do well. You might have to do a lot of work but if you do it, you'll do well.
NCS is next level. Girls can do everything right and still get a B+ because the teacher is only giving out two A minuses across 80 kids. It's just impossible at times.
You can do the work, stand on your head, count to 100, say the magic word and still end up with a B.

This. We moved and at the new school, DD re-wrote her first paper 7 times and hoped she’d get a B. She got 100. She was used to NCS standards.

I'm an alumna. My "highly selective" college was much easier than NCS. Talk to most NCS grads and they will say the same. Yes, it prepared me well but I will never feel any fondness for the place. I would never choose it for my daughter.

Anonymous wrote:I have kids in both high schools.
STA is not easy but it's objectively much easier than NCS. If you do the readings, write the papers and study you can do well. You might have to do a lot of work but if you do it, you'll do well.
NCS is next level. Girls can do everything right and still get a B+ because the teacher is only giving out two A minuses across 80 kids. It's just impossible at times.
You can do the work, stand on your head, count to 100, say the magic word and still end up with a B.

This. We moved and at the new school, DD re-wrote her first paper 7 times and hoped she’d get a B. She got 100. She was used to NCS standards.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's possible to do very well at NCS.
My daughter and her friends are all really academic kids and will end the year with all As, plus or minus a few A minuses. They work extremely hard and never, ever let their guard down.
The standard is high because there are girls who meet it.

It’s high school not college. Burnout is a real thing.

And yet there are many students who are able and willing to do this kind of work because they actually enjoy it. Again, as many people have said on this board, schools like NCS are not for everyone. It's a great fit for a particular kind of student.

Anonymous wrote:It's possible to do very well at NCS.
My daughter and her friends are all really academic kids and will end the year with all As, plus or minus a few A minuses. They work extremely hard and never, ever let their guard down.
The standard is high because there are girls who meet it.

It’s high school not college. Burnout is a real thing.

It's possible to do very well at NCS.
My daughter and her friends are all really academic kids and will end the year with all As, plus or minus a few A minuses. They work extremely hard and never, ever let their guard down.
The standard is high because there are girls who meet it.