<p>I can’t believe it took me so long to ask this, and that I didn’t find another thread on it - but maybe it exists.</p>
<p>Did anyone see the Documentary/reality show on cable lately … something like Nursery School University (I feel bad that I don’t know the real name). It’s SO crazy, and gives a clue how hard it is on the other side of admissions. You see why some parents chose certain schools, why they settle for others, it’s insane!</p>
<p>In Manhattan, there just aren’t enough places at the “good” pre-schools…just like there aren’t enough seats at top universities for qualified students. </p>
<p>So everyone visits every place attending meetings and selects their choices. Though of course it’s “known” which are the best. There is a scene in Baby Boom where the protagonist finds herself sitting in a park with the 2 year old child of a relative that she must now raise. Mommies are lamenting how Little Johnnie didn’t get into ABC-Finest-Daycare. “WIthout that, he stands no hope of a good private elementary school, can’t possibly attend prep school…and Harvard will never happen”. It’s all very tongue in cheek, but sounds much more true if you watch this documentary (or…once you see that Yale admitted…10 times?..the number of students from tiny Connecticut with elite prep schools as compared to some other states).</p>
<p>Then these elite nursery schools HOLD A LOTTERY where they draw names to select those families who can be allowed to submit an application! Or, some of them take the first phone calls they get to request applications (on a specific date). The families have their maid, the husband, wife, friends, all on various phones dialing frantically to try and get on a list to get an application. It’s a madhouse. At one place they cut off phone calls - no more applications. Then FOUND some lying around and took the next few calls even though people had already been turned down. Make note of this…you’ll see a similar story later. </p>
<p>The kids come and have their Ivy type interviews where the director sees if they can put the blocks together property. The parents attend open houses where the administrators form opinions on THEM. You have just GOT to see this if you haven’t.</p>
<p>They filmed the admissions committe sitting around looking at folders. “This guy SCARED me! This one kept dropping the name of his alma mater, but I CALLED them and he’s done nothing for them in 10 years. This child is too “young”, not chorologically but developmentally.” This is the same place who found misplaced applications. During this selection process, they ALSO misplaced some of the completed applications after they’d decided and had to factor them back in. This was one of the “good” schools. Yes, kids - you can “get lost in the system”.</p>
<p>They follow someone with twins, who believes one of her children needs some special attention (he’s not developing as quickly as his sibling), so she has two special issues to deal with. They show a couple of families who don’t have a lot of money (one ends up getting a scholarship!). They show a high powered couple who ends up moving after the show because they didn’t get into a good school. Another couple with an hispanic wife…and they lie on their application ! “Should we put that Spanish is her first language…will that look more international?” “Yes, the wife replies”. I think that’s fine of course…until you find out later that the child doesn’t speak Spanish and only the maid is trying to teach her a few words! They work so hard drafting these well thought out applications (nothing wrong with that…but they just don’t seem that “special” to me) - but their child IS the most adorable thing in the world. </p>
<p>They “announce” on a certain date…JUST like Ivies/top schools. Everyone hanging out at the mailbox. One actually got “waitlisted” - again just like college. She called them and their suggestion was that she call back once every day to check on it! She tried to go and schmooze them, but they didn’t want to see her. And when one husband went to a school to ask for more time (waiting to get off a waitlist from another school), they basically said “decide or not…we have a waitlist too” - fairly. </p>
<p>Anyway…the adorable girl gets into EVERY school to which she/they applied.</p>
<p>One gets a scholarship to the ONLY school she applied to.</p>
<p>One found a place which didn’t cost much because parents volunteered one day a week to be an aide and that worked for her.</p>
<p>One moved out of Manhattan because she didn’t get her child into the schools she wanted.</p>
<p>The twins found a great place where they seemed to fit in fine. </p>
<p>Sorry for typos, (too lazy to go back). Sorry for the length. But y’all really should see this show, it’s enlightening. And it’s for our 2 year olds!</p>