Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Would like to hear thoughts on the rigor of the McMullen Scholars program at Calvert Hall compared to academic rigor at Gilman.
And also other (non-academic) opinions sought too -- culture, etc. I understand very different schools from a religious/non-religious standpoint (we are open to either). My DS loved his shadow day at both. Thanks for any input to help with this tough decision.

Academic rigor much higher at Gilman, it isn’t remotely close.

Serious question. How would you know if the rigor of two schools is actually comparable? Two different kids will take the same class and one will find it easy and one will find it hard.

If your kid is getting Bs at Gilman, it doesn't necessarily mean it's rigorous. There are families at ALL the schools who use this excuse for a mediocre report card.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not clear what the advantage of the McMullen is suppose to be. Money? The brochure mentions a year of Latin, Gilman offers four years of both Greek and Latin, including AP. Similarly, any Gilman student who wants can do a senior year research project. I’d chose Gilman for the more advanced peer group and wider selection of classes (curriculum available on website).

I was a McMullen Scholar (brifely). Long story short they invite the top 20 or so of the highest scores on the entrance exam that listed CHC as their first school choice to apply. I think there ended up being 11 of us in the program my Freshman year. It's essentially a school within a school experience for super intellectuals. Typically non-athletic admits to the T20 are coming out of the program.

Anonymous wrote:I’m not clear what the advantage of the McMullen is suppose to be. Money? The brochure mentions a year of Latin, Gilman offers four years of both Greek and Latin, including AP. Similarly, any Gilman student who wants can do a senior year research project. I’d chose Gilman for the more advanced peer group and wider selection of classes (curriculum available on website).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Would like to hear thoughts on the rigor of the McMullen Scholars program at Calvert Hall compared to academic rigor at Gilman.
And also other (non-academic) opinions sought too -- culture, etc. I understand very different schools from a religious/non-religious standpoint (we are open to either). My DS loved his shadow day at both. Thanks for any input to help with this tough decision.

Academic rigor much higher at Gilman, it isn’t remotely close.

Anonymous wrote:
Would like to hear thoughts on the rigor of the McMullen Scholars program at Calvert Hall compared to academic rigor at Gilman.
And also other (non-academic) opinions sought too -- culture, etc. I understand very different schools from a religious/non-religious standpoint (we are open to either). My DS loved his shadow day at both. Thanks for any input to help with this tough decision.

Anonymous wrote:
Would like to hear thoughts on the rigor of the McMullen Scholars program at Calvert Hall compared to academic rigor at Gilman.
And also other (non-academic) opinions sought too -- culture, etc. I understand very different schools from a religious/non-religious standpoint (we are open to either). My DS loved his shadow day at both. Thanks for any input to help with this tough decision.

Anonymous wrote:

They're looking for who has the best house to throw a massive party. US has a poor reputation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take a look at St Paul’s upper school. They just ended the IB program bc so few boys were actually earning the diploma. DS graduated a couple of years ago and only 4 kids of about 24 who attempted full diploma did well enough to earn diploma. And only 1/3 of the class even attempted the program. Not very strong academics.

Many families are not looking for ‘strong academics’ in the first place.

Anonymous wrote:PP - my DS really thrived in IB program. From what I understand (source - US teacher), the head simply gathered faculty one afternoon and announced school was doing away with it. No discussion. It’s true very few boys were earning the full diploma, but another option would have been to ramp up academics rather than end the program.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take a look at St Paul’s upper school. They just ended the IB program bc so few boys were actually earning the diploma. DS graduated a couple of years ago and only 4 kids of about 24 who attempted full diploma did well enough to earn diploma. And only 1/3 of the class even attempted the program. Not very strong academics.

As the parent of a St Paul's IB Diploma recipient, this is sad to hear. He's a few years older than your son and when he went there it really seemed like a place where every boy could be personally supported while pursuing what he liked most - academics, arts, athletics. Since the merger with SPSG (and, I have to say it, the emergence of MAGA) it feels much more like a place for non-academic rich kids from the Greenspring Valley. Maybe it always was and the attempt to instill academic rigor via the IB Program was the aberration. The turnover in faculty has also been saddening - when my son attended, there were teacher-coaches that had been there for literally decades, and they're all gone now.

Middle School still seems like a gem but that doesn't mean much if it elevates you into a less-than-stellar Upper School

Anonymous wrote:Take a look at St Paul’s upper school. They just ended the IB program bc so few boys were actually earning the diploma. DS graduated a couple of years ago and only 4 kids of about 24 who attempted full diploma did well enough to earn diploma. And only 1/3 of the class even attempted the program. Not very strong academics.