We would NEVER sent our DS to Hogwarts. Ok he's a muggle but there is no comparison between that school and my alma mater, Smeltings Academy. We are thrilled that he is going to a sensible school.

What's with the baggy black uniforms? I think uniforms stifle creativity, so we will be looking elsewhere.

I cannot even imagine considering Hogwarts after the behavior of the students at the last Hogwarts/Beauxbatons Quidditch match. Beauxbatons has a set of very special gold rocks. These rocks have been on campus and very important to Beauxbatons tradition for centuries. And Hogwarts, poor sports that they are (don't even get me started on the female Hogwarts students in their hoochie mama robes!) went and MOVED the special rocks and stuck a picture of Dumbledore on each of them with a permanent sticking charm! And they put the Beauxbatons bludger in the toilet! I guess some people are fine with their children growing up to be hooligan wizards, but I for one am seeing Hogwarts in a different lumos!

We toured Hogwarts and it doesn't have even the most basic amenities. Not only do the children not receive iPads, there wasn't even a computer lab, just that useless pensieve. And instead of iPhones they have owls? Not worth $35k!

Anonymous wrote:We toured Hogwarts and were just not impressed.

Totally unhelpful response.

Anonymous wrote:Hogwarts is full of witches and the school does nothing to support the children. It's a nest of snakes.

Signed, a disgruntled alum. I plan to repost these thoughts multiple times, in case my first five posts don't sink in.

What do you expect? The moms are witches so naturally the daughters are witches too.

(Yes, I'm sock puppetting myself, but you already suspected that.)

Anonymous wrote:Does anybody have exmissions stats for 2013? How many ended up at the Ministry, and how many are at Azkaban?

I think you really need house by house statistics. I don't have the exact statistics but many more Slytherin's than any of the other houses are at Azkaban due to the Death Eater fraternity.

Does anybody have exmissions stats for 2013? How many ended up at the Ministry, and how many are at Azkaban?

Anonymous wrote:I think the brochures make it look so much better than it really is. Has anyone been on a recent campus tour? Any new construction going up? It looked a little down-at-heels last time I saw it.

OP here. I haven't seen the main campus which to the best of my understanding is still under renovation but should be fully operational by the fall. However, we did go to the branch campus in Orlando last year. I've heard that they are opening one in California too. I realize that the branch campuses are more or less marketing ploys. How do you think these expansions are going to impact Hogwarts' reputation? I'm also concerned about Hogwarts' viability as I've been told that enrollment is down (including the upper grades where some kids died) and the the endowment took a very big hit. On that note, does anyone know how much you are suppose to donate to the annual giving campaign? Also, what are the dynamics of the benefit auction like? I'd really like to name the common room next year and I really hope that common room isn't Hufflepuff.

We've decided to send back the owl when it delivers the letter. Hogwarts just doesn't have the kind of educational approach we want for DS. It really isn't a good fit. The academics are fine, yes, and they do get a large percentage of their students through NEWTs, but are they HAPPY? From what I've heard about the last few classes I really don't think so. So we are looking at a small, progressive schools of magic that led students explore magic in a more hands-on way, rather than this "theory of magic" stuff Umbridge introduced, and seems to have caught hold at most schools of magic these days.

Curious about the Gryffindor quidditch team this year. Not many wins so far. The final game with Slytherin is always entertaining, though. I believe the match is scheduled for the old pitch at Hogwarts. One wonders if Hogwarts will ever get its act together and construct a first class pitch (field turf needed) instead of the old bog that was used back in the days of Albertius Gorebull, an old wizard who never achieved his goal of Head Minister. Is there a Potter or Weasley on this year's Gryffindor team? Apparently, Slytherin has a lot of boys in the infirmary. Even Malfoy himself has been stricken. Hard to find good coverage of the high school quidditch in the Daily Prophet/Washington Post.

You people are stressing too much. My DD was rejected by Hogwarts. At first, I was very unhappy, as both me and my DH went there, and I'll admit I sent many angry owls to the headmaster and posted false rumors on DCUM about the recreational activities of the faculty and staff (especially that gamekeeper) However, DD was accepted at Beauxbatons and she is so happy there! Being rejected by Hogwarts was the best thing that ever happened to her and she will soon have a cushy government job in the french ministry of magic, which pays much better than the British one. plus she has much better fashion sense than that Hermione.

I heard they are planning a celebration of LGBT week in honor of Dumbledore. I don't believe in this, as it is a break from tradition. This is why I want an elite school, so I can ensure my DS can have the exact same education that I had.

Does any one know the FARMs number for Hogwarts and then for each house?

My DH has a late birthday (he won't be 10 until September, but the cutoff is turning 10 by December). I have heard that parents are holding their kids back with birthdays as early as February. I'm afraid that his wrist motions are going to be at a developmental disadvantage compared to all the older kids when it comes to performing charms. Plus, he would really like to make the Quidditch team his first year, and I think he would be talented at being a beater, but right now he's very small and I'm concerned that the bludger will knock him off his broom! We are muggle-born, so it is important that he is given every advantage compared to those old-school wizarding families. Do you think we should hold him back? I think he will be more magically mature if he enters Hogwarts in a year, and this will certainly affect how he scores on his OWLs, NEWTs, and his post-Hogwarts career, don't you think?