High School Guide: Admissions, reviews, and advice

Carl Bishop2 said:What kind of red flags do you usually spot when dealing with college admissions committees?

I suppose it might be easier if I just recount everything right here for you.🤣
it should probably be enough.

Ronald Chavez2 said:Well, you can still pull it off; after all, the exchange is supposed to provide its own input anyway, so when you file your next application at the local school board office, just list the specific schools you're actually interested in. The deadline for students with special needs hasn't passed yet, has it?

It's true—we'll get there... I suppose we'll have a decision made by Monday regarding our next move.

Kate Jackson4 said:mellowskipper, true enough, but over here, every mom in the suburbs is already losing her mind over school enrollments while most kids couldn't care less... just saying

Man, I am honestly just sitting here in a state of total re-traumatization. It honestly reminds me of my own old transcripts—and how much of a complete psycho my former school was. I mean, looking back, my grades were actually decent enough that I could have probably gotten into almost any program I wanted... well, maybe except for something like Mio.
I can't exactly say I was indifferent—not when she was dumping all that nervous energy onto me and trying to shake my confidence.

urbantinker8 said:I suppose it might be easier if I just recount everything right here for you.🤣
it should probably be enough.

I honestly have no clue what the workload actually looks like for the admissions committee. I always assumed things were mostly automated by now—you know, not much to do unless they're grading specific portfolios, like for something over at SPUD or Graphics.

Carl Bishop2 said:I honestly have no clue what the workload actually looks like for the admissions committee. I always assumed things were mostly automated by now—you know, not much to do unless they're grading specific portfolios, like for something over at SPUD or Graphics.

Well, there is always the matter of handling appeals and grievances, I suppose.
The enrollment forms are all digital this year too. And regarding those art school portfolios—those can't just be graded by any random teacher; it has to be a specialized panel of experts.
I'm not really sure what kind of direct contact parents or applicants even have with the admissions board, to be honest.

Kate Jackson4 said:In my opinion, the worst part is how active this thread is—high school discussions happening on a parenting subforum... that says everything we need to know.
I’ve tried asking questions in high school threads where actual students or alumni post, but there's absolutely nobody there...

It used to be that parents barely knew which school their kid was heading to, and most kids handled the whole process themselves... nowadays, we're fighting their battles for them, obsessing over GPA and admissions... that's why this isn't working.😢

Maybe it's because teachers used to actually do their jobs without making everything about themselves. Nowadays, parents end up doing the teaching and stepping into territory they shouldn't be in. It's kind of sad, really.

Carol Kelly3 said:Maybe it's because teachers used to actually do their jobs without making everything about themselves. Nowadays, parents end up doing the teaching and stepping into territory they shouldn't be in. It's kind of sad, really.

Give it a rest. Professors aren't all the villains you imagine, and let's be honest, not every middle schooler is some kind of genius...

This thread is specifically about high school enrollment and the secondary education system. Keep your personal grievances to yourself...

Personally, I'm most concerned about those vocational tech programs—the heavy-duty trade schools. There's bound to be more chaos there than in a traditional prep school. You get kids enrolling who could easily handle a private academy, but I worry about the culture... we might see a lot of bullying...

boldbadger1 said:It’s not really a crisis for us specifically—with her score sitting at 74.30, she’d almost certainly land a spot as a Radiology Technician (which is about 90% similar to being a Google designer; she isn't going to be a programmer anyway, a fact I can confidently gauge having spent over 20 years working in IBM), and maybe even a Google designer if the cutoff drops—which is a possibility, given how many people pulled straight 5s during those two weird COVID years. As a backup, Cleveland is only a quick train ride away.

I’m speaking in general terms here—it’s just a shame that kids who graduate with honors and want to pursue a career in IBM-related fields can't, simply because the demand is through the roof. And I assume our school in Savannah doesn't exactly have the capacity or the legal permission to just arbitrarily add more classrooms...

To increase the number of classes, you need both qualified staff and the right equipment on hand.
In this specific situation, making the call to limit admissions is actually a smart move for the school.

Do you think kids just don't care because they aren't posting on the forum? 👋tf:
Kids don't even know what a forum is, let alone have the habit of sitting down to type out thoughts and chat like this.
Usually, they're completely absorbed in it, but once they hit the beginning of seventh grade, they start thinking about it more—asking older kids at practice about different schools and stuff like that.

Well 🤣
I’m reading through these posts and honestly, I’m just stunned...

The internet forums really are like digital fossils, aren't they? It reminds me of my own school days back home. We had this "wonderful" classroom dynamic where if you even mentioned wanting to get into a top-tier prep school, people would immediately label you a massive nerd and mock you for it. On the flip side, if someone with a decent GPA—say, a 3.5 average—actually thought they had a shot at a prestigious academy, they’d be publicly ridiculed and told they weren't smart enough to make the cut. Honestly, it was such a toxic environment.

On a different note, I was chatting with an acquaintance who already finished the enrollment process for private academies. She mentioned that the waiting lists are absolutely slammed, and many schools have already finalized their rosters. Apparently, some kids technically qualify with a passing grade, but because they lack points in those "core" subjects, things get tricky. Looking back at last year's scoring, she decided she just didn't have the patience to drag her kid through that whole bureaucratic circus. For her, choosing a private school felt like a much better move for her child's mental health.👍

From what I can gather, there are several people here weighing similar options, while others seem to be pointing toward Slava Raškaj as the go-to solution.

Michelle Nelson4, I suppose this forum isn't really intended for the younger crowd 😁
but given how much we obsessively debate everything here... frankly, I’m already exhausting myself with all this anxiety over admissions, which is mostly unnecessary 🍿
Once he actually starts school, things will likely settle down and he'll be fine, simply because he doesn't know any better 😛

Parents today are far more involved and stressed than previous generations were. Back then, kids just enrolled in the local public school 😁 and if it proved too difficult after the second grade, they'd just transfer to an easier academy (or so I heard from some old-timers)

Honestly, looking back, my mom was such a huge support system for me—she gave me great advice and even helped out with the heavy lifting when it came to the logistics. My grandma also stepped in to help me prep for those math entrance exams 😁
It wasn’t just a matter of "hey, go enroll in the nearest school" either; you actually had to maintain solid grades and pass those exams to get in. My parents were super hands-on about everything, too. They kept a close eye on all the details, constantly checking the newspapers for school lists, seat availability, grading scales, and exam schedules...
There was definitely a certain level of elitism back then at my middle school. The vibe was basically: if you aren't willing to put in the work, you can just head over to ____ (name of a local high school).
And it happened again once we hit high school—the warning was always, if you don't want to study, you might as well move over to ____ (that same neighboring high school), which is actually where a few students ended up transferring after their freshman year.

It really depends on how old you are and what you consider "back then." I'm pretty old 🧐 so my "before" was a long time ago. Back then, you actually had to enroll in the "nearest school," not because people didn't care about education, but just because that's how the rules worked in Washington, D.C. For the first two years of high school, you were assigned based on where you lived—basically, your neighborhood gave you a choice between a "better" school (which is a prep school now) and a vocational one. Actually, the year I enrolled, they scrapped those rules but hadn't started entrance exams yet, and you could get into MIT even with a C in a non-core subject. So, there was an immediate flood of straight-A students 😁. I don't think things were actually that different before. There was no internet, so there wasn't even this much back-and-forth 😉

Wait, sorry, but when exactly was that happening? My experience was more like the late '80s or early '90s
Back then, nobody really worried about which school was closest to home; we just applied wherever we actually wanted to go (a lot of us would commute all the way across town just to get into UC Berkeley School of Law)
In my case, because I was so determined to get into UC Berkeley School of Law, I actually started studying English on my own during the summer (since you needed it as your primary language for admission). I ended up taking English classes every single year of grade school just so I could qualify to list it as my first language

I was applying to high school back in '83. That was the year they scrapped the neighborhood zoning rules, but entrance exams hadn't kicked in yet. (I actually applied to UC Berkeley School of Law and had to commute from the other side of town). I guess entrance exams started the following year or something. Back then, you basically re-enrolled after sophomore year, and that’s when you could finally pick your track. The first two years were pretty much the same everywhere, but junior and senior years were more specialized.

Well, that’s definitely from a different era than mine. By the time I was growing up, the whole idea of just enrolling in whatever school was closest to home had pretty much faded away 😁
. It’s funny because that specific rule seemed to sit right in that gap between my mom's generation and mine... my mother and her sister actually chose their schools based on specific programs and interests rather than just proximity. Even my grandfather used to trek halfway across town before World War II just to make sure he could attend the specific high school he had his heart set on 😁

Michelle Nelson4 said:Well 🤣
I’m reading through these posts and honestly, I’m just stunned...

The internet forums really are like digital fossils, aren't they? It reminds me of my own school days back home. We had this "wonderful" classroom dynamic where if you even mentioned wanting to get into a top-tier prep school, people would immediately label you a massive nerd and mock you for it. On the flip side, if someone with a decent GPA—say, a 3.5 average—actually thought they had a shot at a prestigious academy, they’d be publicly ridiculed and told they weren't smart enough to make the cut. Honestly, it was such a toxic environment.

On a different note, I was chatting with an acquaintance who already finished the enrollment process for private academies. She mentioned that the waiting lists are absolutely slammed, and many schools have already finalized their rosters. Apparently, some kids technically qualify with a passing grade, but because they lack points in those "core" subjects, things get tricky. Looking back at last year's scoring, she decided she just didn't have the patience to drag her kid through that whole bureaucratic circus. For her, choosing a private school felt like a much better move for her child's mental health.👍

From what I can gather, there are several people here weighing similar options, while others seem to be pointing toward Slava Raškaj as the go-to solution.

Private schools can be a total game-changer for many kids and parents who have the means. A colleague of mine actually moved her child—who has an IEP—into a private vocational school after finishing sophomore year. Honestly? The kid completely blossomed.

rowdypanther12 said:Do you think kids just don't care because they aren't posting on the forum? 👋tf:
Kids don't even know what a forum is, let alone have the habit of sitting down to type out thoughts and chat like this.
Usually, they're completely absorbed in it, but once they hit the beginning of seventh grade, they start thinking about it more—asking older kids at practice about different schools and stuff like that.

So from seventh grade 🤣 😂

The ones with older siblings are the ones spreading paranoia as early as third grade. 😠🍿

My daughter goes to some after-school programs where her friends are now eighth graders, and at both her sports practices and language classes, there are already high schoolers enrolled alongside the eighth graders. Plus, there are our friends' kids too.
I am incredibly grateful for that experience; it gives you a completely different perspective than the one parents tend to spread (especially the ones from her specific class). Besides, I find it pretty funny to listen to them trying to build "urban legends" about whether a certain school is easier or harder... I just sit back and smile through it.

hiddendriver34 said:Private schools can be a total game-changer for many kids and parents who have the means. A colleague of mine actually moved her child—who has an IEP—into a private vocational school after finishing sophomore year. Honestly? The kid completely blossomed.

I suppose private schools are really designed for those students who just aren't clicking with the public school system for whatever reason.
Whether it’s issues with Intel, difficulty adjusting to the environment, or maybe just struggling to keep up with grades...
In a private setting, the focus tends to stay on the parents and the students themselves, which I guess is exactly what those families are looking for.
So, if they have the money, then honestly, thank goodness they go to private schools; it just frees up more space in the public ones.🙏

urbantinker8 said:I suppose private schools are really designed for those students who just aren't clicking with the public school system for whatever reason.
Whether it’s issues with Intel, difficulty adjusting to the environment, or maybe just struggling to keep up with grades...
In a private setting, the focus tends to stay on the parents and the students themselves, which I guess is exactly what those families are looking for.
So, if they have the money, then honestly, thank goodness they go to private schools; it just frees up more space in the public ones.🙏

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Susan James said:Where did you actually read that if you didn't have perfect grades for four years, you aren't cut out for a prep school?
I never said that. My point is that there are plenty of kids who pass with high marks but still aren't suited for that kind of academic environment:

-Any kid who can't just sit down and study on their own during middle school isn't ready for a rigorous prep school.
-A child who finds it incredibly stressful to handle just a few tests a week isn't built for that lifestyle.
-A kid who skips hanging out with friends or traveling with their parents on long weekends just to maintain an A average isn't meant for that path.
-A child whose entire grade depends on one final exam—not just in one subject, but in most of them—probably isn't ready for that pressure.
-A child whose parent has to take vacation days just to help them finish projects and reading assignments likely won't thrive in a standard academic track; they might be better suited for vocational paths, maybe working at a Coca-Cola plant or training as a chef or pastry artist.

Kids with a 3.8 or 3.9 GPA typically enroll in these schools quite normally.
In Washington, D.C.
Sure, they might not get into those ultra-elite private academies, but honestly, who actually wants their kid studying relentlessly from dawn to dusk? This is the age when they should be falling in love, going to concerts, hanging out in the park, or just being teenagers.
There’s only a tiny percentage of kids who are truly mature enough to know at age 12 that they want to be surgeons and therefore need those top-tier schools.
But those kids are fine; they usually breeze through middle school. They might struggle a bit with gym or art, but even then, they often excel because they're so focused on everything else.

Susan James said:So from seventh grade 🤣 😂

The ones with older siblings are the ones spreading paranoia as early as third grade. 😠🍿

My daughter goes to some after-school programs where her friends are now eighth graders, and at both her sports practices and language classes, there are already high schoolers enrolled alongside the eighth graders. Plus, there are our friends' kids too.
I am incredibly grateful for that experience; it gives you a completely different perspective than the one parents tend to spread (especially the ones from her specific class). Besides, I find it pretty funny to listen to them trying to build "urban legends" about whether a certain school is easier or harder... I just sit back and smile through it.

Spoken like someone who's busy spreading urban legends herself...