Probably true. However, money can only compensate to a certain point. I think BS parents are typically much more demanding than their counterparts at public schools. With college admissions becoming so competitive the past few years, most parents are stressed out beyond reasonable levels, and the faculty/GCs definitely feel it, too.
I don’t think BS parents are more demanding at all. I think most BS pretty much ignore parents. I think there are many type a, very wealthy public schools parents who have far more access to teachers than BS parents do.
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I think parents have different expectations for BS than public schools so BS parents are probably more demanding. The fact that kids are away from the parents makes it more so.
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The 2 are not mutually exclusive. BS parents can be demanding (of course, not all are) but administrators are also experts in saying no. As the quote misattributed to Winston Churchill says ‘A diplomat is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a tactful way that you’ll look forward with pleasure to making the trip.’
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Hmmmm……I thought someone on this thread admonished us to stay on the OP’s topic.
The OP asked about 3 very different schools. These 3 schools have very different cultures and different levels of academic rigor. I think the mistake that some applicants and parents make is in thinking that schools attract similar kids. It has been our experience that this is not the case. I have seen a difference in culture, demographics, and faculty engagement at the 3 schools mentioned by the OP. Also, several others. BS has changed a lot - there have been many changes (eg schedules, athletics, courses) still in place since COVID.
Helpful Hint (again): Do read the school profile. They may have been updated since COVID. Check out the course lists, the distribution requirements, and the grade distributions. Usually, it’s the grades for the Junior year that are highlighted. Check out the % of kids who earn what grades. Also, check out matriculation lists.
During Revisit, you will get a better idea of the students who are with you. Check them out. Also, check out who the advancement folks and faculty are fawning over at Revisit. Spend time AFTER school is over to check out the social scene, athletics, and EC’s going on. Look at where students are congregating and what they are doing. Try to find students to talk to after school. If possible, connect with current parents and students via CC threads.
On another note regarding parents being demanding. Ummm….I don’t think its being demanding to expect accountability and communication from boarding school faculty. Most folks are paying a lot of $$ to send their kids to BS. Most folks are sending their kids far away to school. Frankly, I have met/experienced too many faculty members who are not only resentful of students and parents but also clearly frustrated by the deal they made by signing onto a BS position.
Before you bark my head off…I am a former educator at a well known public school in the NE and a former educator at the university level. I would never have the stamina to be a boarding school faculty member. That is a lifestyle commitment, not only a teaching job. So, I have respect for those that do it.
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No I agree. One persons “demanding” is another persons “just do your basic job.” I get that covid was hard to impossible, but you know I very much feel that parental feedback is valuable.
I will say that while Deerfield is clearly the most challenging of these schools, I do also know that Taft has a big stake in keeping grades above a certain level. Admins will just order teachers to change grades they deem “too low.”
I’m also floored that so many schools seem to have their school profile on display - Groton’s is a closely guarded secret as far as I can tell. For good reason!
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I was under the impression that colleges use this information to recalibrate GPAs and check the rigor available vs the rigor taken of the student. Does Groton supply this directly to the colleges where their senior students are applying but not make it publically available? Or maybe they assume that the kind of schools that their students apply already know Groton’s profile.
The Groton school profile is sent to colleges and they will send it to parents who request it with good reason - so if a coach asks for it a parent can get the profile (this is how I have it). I believe that parents of juniors or seniors are also given it but I am not sure of the timing since I already had it “early.”
It is not, to my knowledge, publicly available anywhere. I believe this is on purpose as it is rather shocking. Less than 10% of any class has an average of 92 or above.
‘Twas the night before mid-terms
And all through the dorm
DA students were stressing
- 89 is the norm!
No matter how pithy
Your writing might be
You won’t get that grade
Above a 92, don’t you see?
The teachers are gloating
Their mandate is firm
89 is the median
Now struggle and squirm!
Excellent, great, good work
On your paper, they’ll write
You will not get high 90’s
Try as you might!
At Loomis, you get A’s
Easy 95’s given at Taft
Mostly high 80’s low 90’s
At DA - that is daft!
The students learn quickly
No matter how you might try
Teachers won’t give easy A’s
Kiss that expectation “goodbye”!
Be prepared to work harder
At DA, don’t you see?
The pay off comes later
College will be EZ!!
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Here is something important for you students to understand…
At some of the more rigorous schools (can’t speak for all), you will be expected to teach yourself. It is a true college prep experience.
- You will not be spoon fed material.
*You will not be told in advance what is on the test.
*You will be expected to (without being told) go the extra mile and complete the “additional brain teaser” problems at the end of the math chapter.
*You WILL be tested on material that was never discussed in class.
*You WILL have to organize complex and abstract material - some kids really struggle with this.
*You will NOT get consistent feedback - so you better be able to judge for yourself how you are doing, if you are keeping up, if you are on track.
*You will have a lot of “story problems” in math, physics, chem… - The SAT & ACT math sections will be easy compared to course tests
*.You WILL be expected to extrapolate on theories during tests - Much of the class time will be spent discussing (“Talk amongst yourselves”, says the Coffee Talk lady from SNL)
- The teacher will rarely “teach you” concretely.
- You will need to explain on tests what you learned from a lab.
- You WILL need to pull together different perspectives when writing in-class essays….in an organized and persuasive way.
*You will NOT get a “pat on the head” at the rigorous schools (DA included - no pats on head - maybe a cigar at graduation).
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Off-topic, but I have to say: High Rigor is not always equivalent to “compressed or low median grading distribution”.
Loomis gives a ton of work. It may be easier to get A/A+ there than at Groton and DA, but it does not necessarily mean it is an “easier” school.
(Mine doesn’t go there, but we are extremely familiar with the school and families from Loomis).
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Good point @UltimaCroix
Do they also give out cigars? I can’t wait for mine on May 29th!
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