Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How difficult is it to gain admission during an entry year (9th grade)? My DS is very intelligent but has been in public for ES and MS. Would appreciate any insights as well as any experiences others have had recently with their DS. Thanks!

For any boys transferring in from public, be prepared for a significant jump in workload and sky high expectations for writing skills. Boys in 9th are expected to write at the level of college sophomores. Several of your classes will be taught at a freshman college level: history, biology, English, Spanish/French. Geometry is taught at such a high level that freshmen from public schools who are repeating have trouble with it.

Big exaggeration. Huge.

So you say, non-STA parent.

If you truly believe that your 9th grader at STA has writing skills on par with a college sophomore, I have some lovely oceanfront property in Kansas that you would jump at.

I didn’t say that the kids did have writing skills at that level, honey. I said that’s what the expectations are from the teachers. Almost all kids at STA get B’s and C’s in English their freshmen year because they don’t meet those expectations. It’s brutal.

May I pour you another glass of Kool-Aid?

PS. It’s “freshman” year, not “freshmen” year.

Actually, it’s Form III.

Ultimate annoying STA parent quote. If you think a school where 2/3 got in via Beauvoir in K is filled to the brim with kids taking "college level" courses due to their genius...I know of several kids there: they are just normal kids getting a good education. Their college results (outside of U of Chicago) are just like any other private in the area.

Nope. They are better.

Not really. NCS often outshines STA when comparing college placements. Sidwell as well and even GDS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How difficult is it to gain admission during an entry year (9th grade)? My DS is very intelligent but has been in public for ES and MS. Would appreciate any insights as well as any experiences others have had recently with their DS. Thanks!

For any boys transferring in from public, be prepared for a significant jump in workload and sky high expectations for writing skills. Boys in 9th are expected to write at the level of college sophomores. Several of your classes will be taught at a freshman college level: history, biology, English, Spanish/French. Geometry is taught at such a high level that freshmen from public schools who are repeating have trouble with it.

Big exaggeration. Huge.

So you say, non-STA parent.

If you truly believe that your 9th grader at STA has writing skills on par with a college sophomore, I have some lovely oceanfront property in Kansas that you would jump at.

I didn’t say that the kids did have writing skills at that level, honey. I said that’s what the expectations are from the teachers. Almost all kids at STA get B’s and C’s in English their freshmen year because they don’t meet those expectations. It’s brutal.

May I pour you another glass of Kool-Aid?

PS. It’s “freshman” year, not “freshmen” year.

Actually, it’s Form III.

Ultimate annoying STA parent quote. If you think a school where 2/3 got in via Beauvoir in K is filled to the brim with kids taking "college level" courses due to their genius...I know of several kids there: they are just normal kids getting a good education. Their college results (outside of U of Chicago) are just like any other private in the area.

Well, you’re not an STA parent and would not know what level of education the kids are getting, would you?

The fact that they entered Beauvoir at K has no bearing on the kids’ intelligence or on STA’s rigor. For some classes, there can be significant attrition and by 9th, less than half of the boys who enter are from Beauvoir.

The boys who stay at STA are bright, some exceptionally so, even if they can from Beauvoir. Beauvoir parents are generally privileged, intelligent, and well-off.

Why would anyone assume that children of parents who graduated themselves from Ivies and other prestigious institutions who give their children the best grounding money can buy would have children who are uniformly dumb?

True, some of the parents are dimwitted trophies but most are not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How difficult is it to gain admission during an entry year (9th grade)? My DS is very intelligent but has been in public for ES and MS. Would appreciate any insights as well as any experiences others have had recently with their DS. Thanks!

For any boys transferring in from public, be prepared for a significant jump in workload and sky high expectations for writing skills. Boys in 9th are expected to write at the level of college sophomores. Several of your classes will be taught at a freshman college level: history, biology, English, Spanish/French. Geometry is taught at such a high level that freshmen from public schools who are repeating have trouble with it.

Big exaggeration. Huge.

So you say, non-STA parent.

If you truly believe that your 9th grader at STA has writing skills on par with a college sophomore, I have some lovely oceanfront property in Kansas that you would jump at.

I didn’t say that the kids did have writing skills at that level, honey. I said that’s what the expectations are from the teachers. Almost all kids at STA get B’s and C’s in English their freshmen year because they don’t meet those expectations. It’s brutal.

May I pour you another glass of Kool-Aid?

PS. It’s “freshman” year, not “freshmen” year.

Actually, it’s Form III.

Ultimate annoying STA parent quote. If you think a school where 2/3 got in via Beauvoir in K is filled to the brim with kids taking "college level" courses due to their genius...I know of several kids there: they are just normal kids getting a good education. Their college results (outside of U of Chicago) are just like any other private in the area.

Nope. They are better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How difficult is it to gain admission during an entry year (9th grade)? My DS is very intelligent but has been in public for ES and MS. Would appreciate any insights as well as any experiences others have had recently with their DS. Thanks!

For any boys transferring in from public, be prepared for a significant jump in workload and sky high expectations for writing skills. Boys in 9th are expected to write at the level of college sophomores. Several of your classes will be taught at a freshman college level: history, biology, English, Spanish/French. Geometry is taught at such a high level that freshmen from public schools who are repeating have trouble with it.

Big exaggeration. Huge.

So you say, non-STA parent.

If you truly believe that your 9th grader at STA has writing skills on par with a college sophomore, I have some lovely oceanfront property in Kansas that you would jump at.

I didn’t say that the kids did have writing skills at that level, honey. I said that’s what the expectations are from the teachers. Almost all kids at STA get B’s and C’s in English their freshmen year because they don’t meet those expectations. It’s brutal.

May I pour you another glass of Kool-Aid?

PS. It’s “freshman” year, not “freshmen” year.

Actually, it’s Form III.

Ultimate annoying STA parent quote. If you think a school where 2/3 got in via Beauvoir in K is filled to the brim with kids taking "college level" courses due to their genius...I know of several kids there: they are just normal kids getting a good education. Their college results (outside of U of Chicago) are just like any other private in the area.

Well, you’re not an STA parent and would not know what level of education the kids are getting, would you?

The fact that they entered Beauvoir at K has no bearing on the kids’ intelligence or on STA’s rigor. For some classes, there can be significant attrition and by 9th, less than half of the boys who enter are from Beauvoir.

The boys who stay at STA are bright, some exceptionally so, even if they can from Beauvoir. Beauvoir parents are generally privileged, intelligent, and well-off.

Why would anyone assume that children of parents who graduated themselves from Ivies and other prestigious institutions who give their children the best grounding money can buy would have children who are uniformly dumb?

True, some of the parents are dimwitted trophies but most are not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How difficult is it to gain admission during an entry year (9th grade)? My DS is very intelligent but has been in public for ES and MS. Would appreciate any insights as well as any experiences others have had recently with their DS. Thanks!

For any boys transferring in from public, be prepared for a significant jump in workload and sky high expectations for writing skills. Boys in 9th are expected to write at the level of college sophomores. Several of your classes will be taught at a freshman college level: history, biology, English, Spanish/French. Geometry is taught at such a high level that freshmen from public schools who are repeating have trouble with it.

Big exaggeration. Huge.

So you say, non-STA parent.

If you truly believe that your 9th grader at STA has writing skills on par with a college sophomore, I have some lovely oceanfront property in Kansas that you would jump at.

I didn’t say that the kids did have writing skills at that level, honey. I said that’s what the expectations are from the teachers. Almost all kids at STA get B’s and C’s in English their freshmen year because they don’t meet those expectations. It’s brutal.

May I pour you another glass of Kool-Aid?

PS. It’s “freshman” year, not “freshmen” year.

Actually, it’s Form III.

Ultimate annoying STA parent quote. If you think a school where 2/3 got in via Beauvoir in K is filled to the brim with kids taking "college level" courses due to their genius...I know of several kids there: they are just normal kids getting a good education. Their college results (outside of U of Chicago) are just like any other private in the area.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How difficult is it to gain admission during an entry year (9th grade)? My DS is very intelligent but has been in public for ES and MS. Would appreciate any insights as well as any experiences others have had recently with their DS. Thanks!

For any boys transferring in from public, be prepared for a significant jump in workload and sky high expectations for writing skills. Boys in 9th are expected to write at the level of college sophomores. Several of your classes will be taught at a freshman college level: history, biology, English, Spanish/French. Geometry is taught at such a high level that freshmen from public schools who are repeating have trouble with it.

Big exaggeration. Huge.

So you say, non-STA parent.

If you truly believe that your 9th grader at STA has writing skills on par with a college sophomore, I have some lovely oceanfront property in Kansas that you would jump at.

I didn’t say that the kids did have writing skills at that level, honey. I said that’s what the expectations are from the teachers. Almost all kids at STA get B’s and C’s in English their freshmen year because they don’t meet those expectations. It’s brutal.

May I pour you another glass of Kool-Aid?

PS. It’s “freshman” year, not “freshmen” year.

Actually, it’s Form III.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How difficult is it to gain admission during an entry year (9th grade)? My DS is very intelligent but has been in public for ES and MS. Would appreciate any insights as well as any experiences others have had recently with their DS. Thanks!

For any boys transferring in from public, be prepared for a significant jump in workload and sky high expectations for writing skills. Boys in 9th are expected to write at the level of college sophomores. Several of your classes will be taught at a freshman college level: history, biology, English, Spanish/French. Geometry is taught at such a high level that freshmen from public schools who are repeating have trouble with it.

Big exaggeration. Huge.

So you say, non-STA parent.

If you truly believe that your 9th grader at STA has writing skills on par with a college sophomore, I have some lovely oceanfront property in Kansas that you would jump at.

I didn’t say that the kids did have writing skills at that level, honey. I said that’s what the expectations are from the teachers. Almost all kids at STA get B’s and C’s in English their freshmen year because they don’t meet those expectations. It’s brutal.

May I pour you another glass of Kool-Aid?

PS. It’s “freshman” year, not “freshmen” year.

Actually, it’s Form III.

Ultimate annoying STA parent quote. If you think a school where 2/3 got in via Beauvoir in K is filled to the brim with kids taking "college level" courses due to their genius...I know of several kids there: they are just normal kids getting a good education. Their college results (outside of U of Chicago) are just like any other private in the area.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - it is St. Albans. No apostrophe.

You are correct, but one has to wonder who made that grammatical error. I mean, the saint's name was St. Alban. From where does the "St. Albans" in "St. Albans School" come from if not intended to be possessive of St. Alban?

Note that the adjacent church is "St. Alban's Church."

Yes, that’s always made me curious and kind of amused. As a grammar/word nerd I find it interesting to see which of the various saint/bishop-named schools use the possessive form and which don’t. Such as how we ended up with St Stephen’s and St Agnes School when the two schools—one possessive and one not—merged. But STA may be unique in using the S but not the apostrophe.

If you were curious perhaps you should have explored a bit more. St. Albans draws its name from St. Albans Cathedral and the town named after St. Alban, founded some time in the late 8th century.

Apostrophes were not introduced into written English until the 16th century. The name of the cathedral and the town in England predates the apostrophe and to this day is “St. Albans Cathedral” and the town is “St. Albans.”

When St. Albans School was founded, it was named after the English cathedral. Hence, it is also spelled without the apostrophe.

You’re right, I wasn’t curious enough to bother looking it up. Thanks for the history lesson, that’s pretty interesting. I could have done without the side of condescension, but the info is appreciated all the same.

Perhaps you could have avoided the snarky know-it-all tone and being amused that people were making grammatical errors by not using the apostrophe. Some might call it condescension.

Condescension? Snobbery from the gang which send their boys to St Alban's? Imagine that.

This is the same crowd that concerns itself with what schools are in or out of "The Big Three" or "Big Five".

This is the same crowd that argues that the Catholic high schools are not really "private" schools as they understand the term.

This is the heartland of "Ivy-trained" and the "Ivy-obsessed".

No one said anything about snobbery. Some people at STA are snobs. Some aren’t. Some people are Ivy-obsessed. Some could care less.

You seem dim, full of stereotypes, and resentful of people who are wealthier than you.

Your insecurity and resentment just provide fodder for the snobs because you sound unhinged. Maybe get some help?

Yeah, no.

Clearly you’re not a parent there. I know plenty of non-Ivy obsessed parents who are there for the quality of education, not where the kids will go to school. Granted some of these parents are mega millionaires whose kids are already set for life but you are going to encounter the full range. I’d say more than 1/2 the parents are non-Ivy-obsessed.

I am a parent of a current upper schooler and I find your post laughable. Be real. The parents may not outright say they want an Ivy for their son but they absolutely do. Sure they would be happy with top 25 but you have your head in the sand if you think half of the people paying 60k year for the “quality education” are not hoping for an Ivy. No one wants to say it because they don’t want to look bad when it doesn’t happen. The reality is a very small number of these boys will get into a top 5 university, that’s not how the world works anymore.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How difficult is it to gain admission during an entry year (9th grade)? My DS is very intelligent but has been in public for ES and MS. Would appreciate any insights as well as any experiences others have had recently with their DS. Thanks!

For any boys transferring in from public, be prepared for a significant jump in workload and sky high expectations for writing skills. Boys in 9th are expected to write at the level of college sophomores. Several of your classes will be taught at a freshman college level: history, biology, English, Spanish/French. Geometry is taught at such a high level that freshmen from public schools who are repeating have trouble with it.

Big exaggeration. Huge.

So you say, non-STA parent.

If you truly believe that your 9th grader at STA has writing skills on par with a college sophomore, I have some lovely oceanfront property in Kansas that you would jump at.

I didn’t say that the kids did have writing skills at that level, honey. I said that’s what the expectations are from the teachers. Almost all kids at STA get B’s and C’s in English their freshmen year because they don’t meet those expectations. It’s brutal.

May I pour you another glass of Kool-Aid?

PS. It’s “freshman” year, not “freshmen” year.

Actually, it’s Form III.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How difficult is it to gain admission during an entry year (9th grade)? My DS is very intelligent but has been in public for ES and MS. Would appreciate any insights as well as any experiences others have had recently with their DS. Thanks!

For any boys transferring in from public, be prepared for a significant jump in workload and sky high expectations for writing skills. Boys in 9th are expected to write at the level of college sophomores. Several of your classes will be taught at a freshman college level: history, biology, English, Spanish/French. Geometry is taught at such a high level that freshmen from public schools who are repeating have trouble with it.

Big exaggeration. Huge.

So you say, non-STA parent.

If you truly believe that your 9th grader at STA has writing skills on par with a college sophomore, I have some lovely oceanfront property in Kansas that you would jump at.

I didn’t say that the kids did have writing skills at that level, honey. I said that’s what the expectations are from the teachers. Almost all kids at STA get B’s and C’s in English their freshmen year because they don’t meet those expectations. It’s brutal.

May I pour you another glass of Kool-Aid?

PS. It’s “freshman” year, not “freshmen” year.

Actually, it’s Form III.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How difficult is it to gain admission during an entry year (9th grade)? My DS is very intelligent but has been in public for ES and MS. Would appreciate any insights as well as any experiences others have had recently with their DS. Thanks!

For any boys transferring in from public, be prepared for a significant jump in workload and sky high expectations for writing skills. Boys in 9th are expected to write at the level of college sophomores. Several of your classes will be taught at a freshman college level: history, biology, English, Spanish/French. Geometry is taught at such a high level that freshmen from public schools who are repeating have trouble with it.

Big exaggeration. Huge.

So you say, non-STA parent.

If you truly believe that your 9th grader at STA has writing skills on par with a college sophomore, I have some lovely oceanfront property in Kansas that you would jump at.

I didn’t say that the kids did have writing skills at that level, honey. I said that’s what the expectations are from the teachers. Almost all kids at STA get B’s and C’s in English their freshmen year because they don’t meet those expectations. It’s brutal.

May I pour you another glass of Kool-Aid?

PS. It’s “freshman” year, not “freshmen” year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How difficult is it to gain admission during an entry year (9th grade)? My DS is very intelligent but has been in public for ES and MS. Would appreciate any insights as well as any experiences others have had recently with their DS. Thanks!

For any boys transferring in from public, be prepared for a significant jump in workload and sky high expectations for writing skills. Boys in 9th are expected to write at the level of college sophomores. Several of your classes will be taught at a freshman college level: history, biology, English, Spanish/French. Geometry is taught at such a high level that freshmen from public schools who are repeating have trouble with it.

Big exaggeration. Huge.

So you say, non-STA parent.

If you truly believe that your 9th grader at STA has writing skills on par with a college sophomore, I have some lovely oceanfront property in Kansas that you would jump at.

I didn’t say that the kids did have writing skills at that level, honey. I said that’s what the expectations are from the teachers. Almost all kids at STA get B’s and C’s in English their freshmen year because they don’t meet those expectations. It’s brutal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - it is St. Albans. No apostrophe.

You are correct, but one has to wonder who made that grammatical error. I mean, the saint's name was St. Alban. From where does the "St. Albans" in "St. Albans School" come from if not intended to be possessive of St. Alban?

Note that the adjacent church is "St. Alban's Church."

Yes, that’s always made me curious and kind of amused. As a grammar/word nerd I find it interesting to see which of the various saint/bishop-named schools use the possessive form and which don’t. Such as how we ended up with St Stephen’s and St Agnes School when the two schools—one possessive and one not—merged. But STA may be unique in using the S but not the apostrophe.

If you were curious perhaps you should have explored a bit more. St. Albans draws its name from St. Albans Cathedral and the town named after St. Alban, founded some time in the late 8th century.

Apostrophes were not introduced into written English until the 16th century. The name of the cathedral and the town in England predates the apostrophe and to this day is “St. Albans Cathedral” and the town is “St. Albans.”

When St. Albans School was founded, it was named after the English cathedral. Hence, it is also spelled without the apostrophe.

You’re right, I wasn’t curious enough to bother looking it up. Thanks for the history lesson, that’s pretty interesting. I could have done without the side of condescension, but the info is appreciated all the same.

Perhaps you could have avoided the snarky know-it-all tone and being amused that people were making grammatical errors by not using the apostrophe. Some might call it condescension.

Condescension? Snobbery from the gang which send their boys to St Alban's? Imagine that.

This is the same crowd that concerns itself with what schools are in or out of "The Big Three" or "Big Five".

This is the same crowd that argues that the Catholic high schools are not really "private" schools as they understand the term.

This is the heartland of "Ivy-trained" and the "Ivy-obsessed".

No one said anything about snobbery. Some people at STA are snobs. Some aren’t. Some people are Ivy-obsessed. Some could care less.

You seem dim, full of stereotypes, and resentful of people who are wealthier than you.

Your insecurity and resentment just provide fodder for the snobs because you sound unhinged. Maybe get some help?

Yeah, no.

Clearly you’re not a parent there. I know plenty of non-Ivy obsessed parents who are there for the quality of education, not where the kids will go to school. Granted some of these parents are mega millionaires whose kids are already set for life but you are going to encounter the full range. I’d say more than 1/2 the parents are non-Ivy-obsessed.

I am a parent of a current upper schooler and I find your post laughable. Be real. The parents may not outright say they want an Ivy for their son but they absolutely do. Sure they would be happy with top 25 but you have your head in the sand if you think half of the people paying 60k year for the “quality education” are not hoping for an Ivy. No one wants to say it because they don’t want to look bad when it doesn’t happen. The reality is a very small number of these boys will get into a top 5 university, that’s not how the world works anymore.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - it is St. Albans. No apostrophe.

You are correct, but one has to wonder who made that grammatical error. I mean, the saint's name was St. Alban. From where does the "St. Albans" in "St. Albans School" come from if not intended to be possessive of St. Alban?

Note that the adjacent church is "St. Alban's Church."

Yes, that’s always made me curious and kind of amused. As a grammar/word nerd I find it interesting to see which of the various saint/bishop-named schools use the possessive form and which don’t. Such as how we ended up with St Stephen’s and St Agnes School when the two schools—one possessive and one not—merged. But STA may be unique in using the S but not the apostrophe.

If you were curious perhaps you should have explored a bit more. St. Albans draws its name from St. Albans Cathedral and the town named after St. Alban, founded some time in the late 8th century.

Apostrophes were not introduced into written English until the 16th century. The name of the cathedral and the town in England predates the apostrophe and to this day is “St. Albans Cathedral” and the town is “St. Albans.”

When St. Albans School was founded, it was named after the English cathedral. Hence, it is also spelled without the apostrophe.

You’re right, I wasn’t curious enough to bother looking it up. Thanks for the history lesson, that’s pretty interesting. I could have done without the side of condescension, but the info is appreciated all the same.

Perhaps you could have avoided the snarky know-it-all tone and being amused that people were making grammatical errors by not using the apostrophe. Some might call it condescension.

Condescension? Snobbery from the gang which send their boys to St Alban's? Imagine that.

This is the same crowd that concerns itself with what schools are in or out of "The Big Three" or "Big Five".

This is the same crowd that argues that the Catholic high schools are not really "private" schools as they understand the term.

This is the heartland of "Ivy-trained" and the "Ivy-obsessed".

No one said anything about snobbery. Some people at STA are snobs. Some aren’t. Some people are Ivy-obsessed. Some could care less.

You seem dim, full of stereotypes, and resentful of people who are wealthier than you.

Your insecurity and resentment just provide fodder for the snobs because you sound unhinged. Maybe get some help?

Yeah, no.

Clearly you’re not a parent there. I know plenty of non-Ivy obsessed parents who are there for the quality of education, not where the kids will go to school. Granted some of these parents are mega millionaires whose kids are already set for life but you are going to encounter the full range. I’d say more than 1/2 the parents are non-Ivy-obsessed.