Anonymous wrote:LOL. There is no comparison. Gilman is a great academic school.

Calvert Hall is very good at lacrosse. It is nowhere near a respectable academic school.

No one is talking about Calvert Hall. We’re talking about the Calvert School.

Gilman

Calvert Hall is a Catholic school and they are different in their mission from schools like St Paul’s or Gilman. They educate boys in all levels of the educational spectrum, not just the top students. My son graduating two years ago and was accepted into a wide range of schools from 3 Ivy League schools to state schools. He chose a private out of state school for its emphasis on cooperative education. The other boys in the McMullen program was also accepted into top 20 schools. Some attended and some didn’t. It is a sold school and has a ton of opportunity other than sports. My son never played sports and still found things to do that interested him as did his friends. It isn’t just good for lacrosse. Their robotics team wins many competitions each year and I saw that this year they have a cyber security team win a top prize at their rival school’s tournament.

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Anonymous wrote:McDonogh is a college prep school that is nothing special when it comes to college admissions. Tawdry as it may seem, relationships and advocacy are part of the mix, and here, they are lacking. Be clear, this is a simple cost/benefit analysis. Why pay the cost without receiving the benefit? Save your money or go to Gilman/Bryn Mawr. They know what they're doing.

I think your information is outdated. McDonogh has received a huge amount of money in the last decade and is now every bit in the same league as Gilman/Bryn Mawr in college acceptances.

Money=college acceptances? Hardly. Try again.

As part of the research process we went through last year, I actually put the college acceptance lists side by side to see if there were any standouts. There were not. All these schools are very similar, it’s just about finding the right fit for your family and not relying on outdated stereotypes. Our kid went on shadow days at all the schools and her impressions meant more to us than rumors.

Mcd and gilman are about equal with top tier college admittances, but mcd is far better than bryn mawr. There are good schools here for lots of different types of learners, and for family fit. Acceptances can vary a lot year by year too. But, in the past 5-10 years, there has been a big shift towards mcdonogh, both because it’s the only top academic performer that’s coed and because of some recent big donations have been a game changer in terms of resources. The girls schools and non-gilman boys schools are not keeping up - academically or financially.

LOL. There is no comparison. Gilman is a great academic school.

Calvert Hall is very good at lacrosse. It is nowhere near a respectable academic school.

Anonymous wrote:As an educator, I did not like what I saw of Calvert. The curriculum is not inline with current educational research. High emphasis on getting kids to perform in certain ways rather than teaching them to be flexible, rigorous, openended thinking. I have friends who taught there — culture is quite conservative.

Agreed that the curriculum is the opposite of modern. They actually use some antiquated texts that were written by the school’s founder.

Having said that, my kid loved it, and although we didn’t end up there it was our second choice. My kid is quiet, shy, and loves structure and clear expectations. Calvert is extremely organized, quiet, and orderly. I think our kid would’ve had a great educational experience there. It is definitely not the place for free spirits though! If you want your child to get a very traditional education with a strong emphasis on basic writing and speaking skills, then you can’t do much better.

I also have to admit that I was charmed by the beauty of the buildings and the carved wood lockers etc.…

I’ll add that my wife objected to how strongly gendered some aspects of the education seemed to be, and I think it’s a valid concern.

I think most people who send their kids there know exactly what they’re getting and choose Calvert because it’s what they want.

As an educator, I did not like what I saw of Calvert. The curriculum is not inline with current educational research. High emphasis on getting kids to perform in certain ways rather than teaching them to be flexible, rigorous, openended thinking. I have friends who taught there — culture is quite conservative.

Alumni do not need to engage in outdated stereotypes and rumors. We lived it.

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Anonymous wrote:McDonogh is a college prep school that is nothing special when it comes to college admissions. Tawdry as it may seem, relationships and advocacy are part of the mix, and here, they are lacking. Be clear, this is a simple cost/benefit analysis. Why pay the cost without receiving the benefit? Save your money or go to Gilman/Bryn Mawr. They know what they're doing.

I think your information is outdated. McDonogh has received a huge amount of money in the last decade and is now every bit in the same league as Gilman/Bryn Mawr in college acceptances.

Money=college acceptances? Hardly. Try again.

As part of the research process we went through last year, I actually put the college acceptance lists side by side to see if there were any standouts. There were not. All these schools are very similar, it’s just about finding the right fit for your family and not relying on outdated stereotypes. Our kid went on shadow days at all the schools and her impressions meant more to us than rumors.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McDonogh is a college prep school that is nothing special when it comes to college admissions. Tawdry as it may seem, relationships and advocacy are part of the mix, and here, they are lacking. Be clear, this is a simple cost/benefit analysis. Why pay the cost without receiving the benefit? Save your money or go to Gilman/Bryn Mawr. They know what they're doing.

I think your information is outdated. McDonogh has received a huge amount of money in the last decade and is now every bit in the same league as Gilman/Bryn Mawr in college acceptances.

Money=college acceptances? Hardly. Try again.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McDonogh is a college prep school that is nothing special when it comes to college admissions. Tawdry as it may seem, relationships and advocacy are part of the mix, and here, they are lacking. Be clear, this is a simple cost/benefit analysis. Why pay the cost without receiving the benefit? Save your money or go to Gilman/Bryn Mawr. They know what they're doing.

I think your information is outdated. McDonogh has received a huge amount of money in the last decade and is now every bit in the same league as Gilman/Bryn Mawr in college acceptances.

Actually, my information is current as well as historic. That said, if you can explain the relationship between money and exmissions, I will share the latest college matriculations as soon as they become available again.

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Anonymous wrote:I know of a few students, including my own kids who were both accepted to these schools in the summer after we moved to the area. Both were fairly average students. One of the first questions these schools asked me was, "Do you require FA?" The answer was no. Both girls got accepted at all 3-4 schools.

And one of my children was a mid-year acceptance to one of the top schools. That doesn't mean the schools generally accept students mid-year. In fact, anyone involved with Baltimore's top privates will tell you that barring situations like a move, the schools don't consider mid-year transfers. Even in situations like a move, the schools don't accept all comers. Though of course once the school has determined its class, financial aid has been allocated and so any changes they might consider would need to involve little or no financial aid (again, barring special circumstances). This isn't really that different from private schools all over.

For anyone who's considering applying, please apply during the regular admission cycle. Full pay or not, your chances are much diminished outside of that cycle.

Bingo. They just don't have the FA to allocate outside the normal cycle. It's really not a sign that it's pay to play.

I don't know which schools your fairly-average DDs applied to, but if they got into Calvert and Bryn Mawr and McDonough off-cycle, they must have a winning way about them, so congratulations. Also, the ability to do well on standardized tests. Go them!

RCPS, Friends, SPSG may have more flexibility to consider a wider range of students.

Anonymous wrote:I know of a few students, including my own kids who were both accepted to these schools in the summer after we moved to the area. Both were fairly average students. One of the first questions these schools asked me was, "Do you require FA?" The answer was no. Both girls got accepted at all 3-4 schools.

And one of my children was a mid-year acceptance to one of the top schools. That doesn't mean the schools generally accept students mid-year. In fact, anyone involved with Baltimore's top privates will tell you that barring situations like a move, the schools don't consider mid-year transfers. Even in situations like a move, the schools don't accept all comers. Though of course once the school has determined its class, financial aid has been allocated and so any changes they might consider would need to involve little or no financial aid (again, barring special circumstances). This isn't really that different from private schools all over.

For anyone who's considering applying, please apply during the regular admission cycle. Full pay or not, your chances are much diminished outside of that cycle.

I know of a few students, including my own kids who were both accepted to these schools in the summer after we moved to the area. Both were fairly average students. One of the first questions these schools asked me was, "Do you require FA?" The answer was no. Both girls got accepted at all 3-4 schools.

Anonymous wrote:As I wrote before, if your child isn't an idiot and you can foot the bill, most of these schools have spots even after their admissions cycle ends. The economy has impacted the fewer wealthy families in Baltimore too.

Why do you keep repeating this as if it will make it true?

I can assure you that these schools turn away scads of non-idiotic full-pay applicants. Not sure why you're so bizarrely convinced otherwise. Some of the schools also do fairly extensive testing. They want children who will succeed in their particular environment.

I also don't know of any that have an underenrolled entering class. They manage their yield rates carefully.