#641 ·
Michael Lee75 said:Has anyone here actually gone through the Goldman Sachs program at an elite prep school? Or maybe you know a kid or a parent who survived the whole thing? I’m looking for honest feedback—the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Here’s the situation: my son is currently navigating the high school application process, finishing up his final year of middle school, and he’s been fixated on nothing but this specific program. He’s convinced it’s his only path because he wants to study abroad, and honestly, he acts like any other local public high school wouldn't even be worth his time. He passed the entrance exams and made the cut, but now, suddenly, he’s having second thoughts.
The part that really sticks in my craw is one of the reasons he’s wavering. He mentioned that the kids in that program are all from these incredibly wealthy families—he saw a few of them during the registration and entrance process, and they were already talking about $300 sneakers and stuff like that. It just feels like a different world.
His other concern is more practical: apparently, you have to maintain a certain GPA by the end of sophomore year, and if you don't hit that mark, you're essentially kicked out of the program. That’s definitely enough to make anyone hesitate.
As for the school itself, I don't particularly care; I’ve been telling him all along that a solid, standard American high school might actually be the smarter move. I mostly said that to soften the blow in case he didn't get in, so he wouldn't view it as some life-altering tragedy, but the reality is you can still get into great universities from a regular school, and it’s a much more affordable option. Still, I don't want him to abandon his ambitions just because he's feeling intimidated or uncertain.
Maybe this is just one of those cases where what you think you want isn't actually what you need, and perhaps he doesn't truly need this specific program after all. There’s a massive gap between dreaming about something and actually living it. I’m not going to force his hand—he picked these schools himself and he’s setting his own priorities—but he has two days left to make a call, so I figured I should try to find some real-world examples of kids who actually completed the program.
So, if anyone has any actual wisdom to share, I'm all ears.
Salambo, if I were in your shoes, I’d try to nudge him toward enrolling. It feels a bit silly to abandon a long-term goal just because of a few conversations outside the school building. And let’s be real: even in a standard public school, you’re going to have kids wearing $300 sneakers (and plenty of others daydreaming about them)🤣, even if they aren't quite as concentrated in an IB program.
Since it’s a specialized program, the tuition means it attracts families who can afford it. Sure, you’ll see some wealthy kids, but you’ll also see middle-class families who make sacrifices just to give their child this opportunity. It’s not like everyone there comes from old money.
I personally know a guy who finished the IB program in Miami a couple of years ago. He transferred there during his sophomore year from a regular public school. His parents weren't wealthy at all, and after graduation, he went off to a great university in Washington, D.C.
He made the switch because he felt like he was just an average student in the public school system and felt his skills weren't being recognized. Even in the IB program, he was still a pretty average student, but he was way more satisfied there. The workload is intense and the assignments are demanding, but it feels like the work is much more productive. They don't waste nearly as much time on fluff compared to what you see in a typical state school.
One downside is that the curriculum isn't tailored to standard American standardized testing, so you might need extra prep if you plan on staying local for college, but since your son wants to go abroad anyway, that probably won't even matter.
