Anonymous wrote:New poster here. What I have heard or get a sense from friends at the Abby is that the academics are incredibly rigorous. I almost get a sense that workload-wise, it might not be that far from if not similar to the schools deemed pressure cookers in the DMV. The fact that Abbey students enter starting in 6th grade to me implies that the student body is heavily if not completely self-selecting for this level of rigor. Most of the top schools that it is being compared to enroll students starting in Kindergarten. There's no way then that all of those grade school kids are all on top of their game come high-school. It just doesn't work that way.

Why then is Saint Anslems being shamed for not being as strong academically as these other schools where 30-50% of their student body may be those who started in elementary school and would not necessarily all be as sharp as those who self-selected the school in the more challenging middle and high school years?

The workload at SAAS would break top students at most competitors. The idea that it is “not as strong academically” is completely inconsistent with reality.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At 20K less than St. Albans and and co, this place sounds great for non D1 bound student athletes.

+1 perfect place if your son is not focused on attending a top 50 college.

Why are some people so insistent on bringing the Abbey down and always saying such negative things. Acceptance results are great. Sorry you must be so competitive that only if all 30 kids decide to go to a T20, would it be considered a good school. That wouldn’t even be true at any of the big 3 schools. So why should it be true for the Abbey?

New poster here. What I have heard or get a sense from friends at the Abby is that the academics are incredibly rigorous. I almost get a sense that workload-wise, it might not be that far from if not similar to the schools deemed pressure cookers in the DMV. The fact that Abbey students enter starting in 6th grade to me implies that the student body is heavily if not completely self-selecting for this level of rigor. Most of the top schools that it is being compared to enroll students starting in Kindergarten. There's no way then that all of those grade school kids are all on top of their game come high-school. It just doesn't work that way.

Why then is Saint Anslems being shamed for not being as strong academically as these other schools where 30-50% of their student body may be those who started in elementary school and would not necessarily all be as sharp as those who self-selected the school in the more challenging middle and high school years?

Anonymous wrote:At 20K less than St. Albans and and co, this place sounds great for non D1 bound student athletes.

+1 perfect place if your son is not focused on attending a top 50 college.

At 20K less than St. Albans and and co, this place sounds great for non D1 bound student athletes.

Anonymous wrote:How hard is it to get into 9th grade? Not too many schools require an interview as part of the admissions process

DC had to interview at every school they applied to for 9th. It’s pretty common.

How hard is it to get into 9th grade? Not too many schools require an interview as part of the admissions process

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Anonymous wrote:Rationalize it however you want, but it’s clearly not at the same altitude as the other schools. There is nothing wrong with any of them, but don’t pretend that the school is for the “most academically rigors and intellectually curious” boys. I’m sure it’s the right school for many kids, but it’s certainly not delivering “elite” results that would be commensurate with the “rigor” that the parents describe.

Actually, it delivers results far beyond mere college admissions; the education and intellectual training the boys receive is incredible and unlikely to be duplicated anywhere, including the personal and character development they achieve on the way.

+1. I think some posters are intent on bringing down the Abbey. And they do not realize that other places like Prep or STA have about 25% of the class being athletically recruited. Or to mention the Abbey does not have the same student body with oodles of money.

lol @ the idea of 25% of STA seniors being athletic recruits.

Ok…more like 20% but some years it has been up to 25%. And it’s true at Landon, Prep, Gonzaga as well.

Yes. And 100% of Abbey students are unhooked working class kids who would all go to top ranked colleges if they could afford it.

That's not entirely true. Many of them literally don't even look at the rankings. Mine didn't. They knew what they wanted and went for it. They were absolutely supported in pursuing what they, as individuals, wanted to do, and were not pressured to apply to the Ivy where they were legacies (and which we could have afforded full pay). It was discussed, but when the kid said no, that was it. I love that about this school. Our kids are happy and thriving with the choices they made without undue pressure from people who aren't them, and they celebrate and are celebrated by their classmates, not mocked like some posters on here are doing.

Anonymous wrote:Rationalize it however you want, but it’s clearly not at the same altitude as the other schools. There is nothing wrong with any of them, but don’t pretend that the school is for the “most academically rigors and intellectually curious” boys. I’m sure it’s the right school for many kids, but it’s certainly not delivering “elite” results that would be commensurate with the “rigor” that the parents describe.

You clearly are not understanding the conversation.

I have a high school classmate who was a genius (and class valedictorian) and very Catholic who sent her son to the Abbey. Their end game was not Harvard, trust me. That's not what the school is about.

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, the most important point here is that the Abbey provides a wonderful education, hands down. College outcomes *can* be one of many measures to evaluate the quality of a high school education, and the school sends enough boys to well-known colleges to affirm that, if that matters to you. But just because boys also go to schools outside the so-called "top tier" doesn't mean they didn't receive a strong, challenging, and inspiring education. Choosing a college is the result of a whole host of variables, tangible and intangible. Schools turned down by last year's graduates include Vanderbilt, Columbia, Berkeley, and Notre Dame (yes, I am a parent). Some of those boys went to schools that might have a perceived lower "brand value" for a number of well-considered reasons. I think they should be applauded for being thoughtful enough to go to a place that feels right for them instead of defaulting to the school with the biggest name. To me, that is evidence enough of a sound education.

+1. College outcomes is not a rational reason to exclude it; but there are many, far more important reasons for parents to affirmatively decide to send their DS there.

Yeah, the most important point here is that the Abbey provides a wonderful education, hands down. College outcomes *can* be one of many measures to evaluate the quality of a high school education, and the school sends enough boys to well-known colleges to affirm that, if that matters to you. But just because boys also go to schools outside the so-called "top tier" doesn't mean they didn't receive a strong, challenging, and inspiring education. Choosing a college is the result of a whole host of variables, tangible and intangible. Schools turned down by last year's graduates include Vanderbilt, Columbia, Berkeley, and Notre Dame (yes, I am a parent). Some of those boys went to schools that might have a perceived lower "brand value" for a number of well-considered reasons. I think they should be applauded for being thoughtful enough to go to a place that feels right for them instead of defaulting to the school with the biggest name. To me, that is evidence enough of a sound education.

My son is an Abbey high schooler but I honestly don’t know enough about the college universe (yet) to know if the schools the Abbey boys get into are super elite or not. They look good to me (Chicago, Cornell for the top tier of students etc) but the point is that that isn’t my priority for picking a high school. Indeed, my impression is that if the colleges Abbey boys go to are not as amazing as other privates, it’s not even necessarily a question of money. Abbey parents are just not the “brand name”/ ivy or bust types. Otherwise they’d also be Sidwell/GDS/St Albans or bust. We never even looked at those schools for our son even though we have a girl at a top area girls private so we know that world well, and could afford another. We didn’t want the pressure cooker environment for our son nor for us. We just wanted a low key school that provides the intellectual challenge he needs. We trust that if he continues to be committed and hard working his college options will work out fine and without as much anxiety as in some other schools.

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Anonymous wrote:Rationalize it however you want, but it’s clearly not at the same altitude as the other schools. There is nothing wrong with any of them, but don’t pretend that the school is for the “most academically rigors and intellectually curious” boys. I’m sure it’s the right school for many kids, but it’s certainly not delivering “elite” results that would be commensurate with the “rigor” that the parents describe.

Actually, it delivers results far beyond mere college admissions; the education and intellectual training the boys receive is incredible and unlikely to be duplicated anywhere, including the personal and character development they achieve on the way.

+1. I think some posters are intent on bringing down the Abbey. And they do not realize that other places like Prep or STA have about 25% of the class being athletically recruited. Or to mention the Abbey does not have the same student body with oodles of money.

lol @ the idea of 25% of STA seniors being athletic recruits.

Ok…more like 20% but some years it has been up to 25%. And it’s true at Landon, Prep, Gonzaga as well.

Yes. And 100% of Abbey students are unhooked working class kids who would all go to top ranked colleges if they could afford it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rationalize it however you want, but it’s clearly not at the same altitude as the other schools. There is nothing wrong with any of them, but don’t pretend that the school is for the “most academically rigors and intellectually curious” boys. I’m sure it’s the right school for many kids, but it’s certainly not delivering “elite” results that would be commensurate with the “rigor” that the parents describe.

Actually, it delivers results far beyond mere college admissions; the education and intellectual training the boys receive is incredible and unlikely to be duplicated anywhere, including the personal and character development they achieve on the way.

+1. I think some posters are intent on bringing down the Abbey. And they do not realize that other places like Prep or STA have about 25% of the class being athletically recruited. Or to mention the Abbey does not have the same student body with oodles of money.

lol @ the idea of 25% of STA seniors being athletic recruits.

Ok…more like 20% but some years it has been up to 25%. And it’s true at Landon, Prep, Gonzaga as well.