<p>Evening to y'all, </p>
<p>I am an international student currently studying in the United States. I was accepted to St.Albans School in Washington D.C. and I heard from my American friends that it was a really prestigious school with a strong academic program, advanced facilities, amazing matriculation rates into the ivy league schools, as well as some very famous alumni... mostly politicians and the guys who made "The Simpsons."</p>
<p>I also heard that the school was very hard to get into unless one had a parent who was either a congressman or a top-level executive stationed in D.C. Is this true or not? Does legacy play an important role in STA's admissions process? How selective is it?</p>
<p>It seems that the school does not do a lot of promotion... so how is the school's actual reputation? How hard are its academics? How would you describe the student body? </p>
<p>Can anyone (especially if you are from the D.C. metropolitan area - Maryland, Northern VA) offer any advice or provide any information on this school? </p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Hey @DCB, I am going to STA unless i get off the wait list at one of the hades. It is certainly a very prestigious school with high ivy matriculation. It is not very well known on CC, probably cause only 5% of the school is boarders. When i visited I loved the place. THe boarding acceptance rate is high, but if you are a day student its very tough to get in. I hear the 9th grade day is very tough, with below 20% acceptance rate, but the 4th grade rate is very very high because not many parents are willing to pay that price for elementary school. If you are applying for high school as a day student, you will need somewhat of a connection or push to get in. When I visited, the student body was diverse and open. It is cool being guys only, but still having the coed option. But yeah the matriculation is very prestigious with almost 1 in 4 kids going to an ivy league. The food was good when I visited. Marriott hall is unreal. I would definitely recommend STA, and put it in the top 6 or 7 boarding schools in the country.</p>
<p>Thank you @baseball25 for your response! I am very likely going to STA if I don’t get off the WL at any of the HADES schools I applied to (almost all the big name schools waitlisted me).</p>
<p>STA is an excellent school, although the number of boarders, as stated, is tiny. When I went to the sister school (National Cathedral School for Girls) a lifetime ago, the boarders were close knit but well integrated into the day population. Starting in the Junior year, many classes are coed, with NCS’ers going to STA for certain subjects and vice-versa. The school is definiitely a place of privilege, and it is true that its alumni are very well-connected.</p>
<p>its also right in the city so you have everything you need around you, which none of the other top boarding schools have. HADES are all in suburbs or very rural areas, so its kinda cool living in the city.</p>
<p>@paobs 12 Thank you for your comments. How would you compare STA to the HADES and other “ACRONYM” schools (in terms of academics, prestige, and student quality)? and @baseball25 I got your message but I can’t reply to it because of account restrictions (I haven’t had the required 15 posts yet…).</p>
<p>STA has a different feel than the HADES schools because boarding students predominate at those schools. This is very much NOT the case at STA. In my day, there were perhaps 25-30 boarders out of several hundred students. That said, they were a close knit group who fit in well with the day students. The campus is pristine; the athletic facilities are great, and the location can not be beat. I was born and raised in DC, and there are opportunities there that you will not find any place else. STA is a very prestigious school, although it has the dubious distinction of being the most expensive boarding school in the country. Its students are the sons of many of the most powerful families in the city.</p>
<p>Just found the class of 2012 matriculation. 24 out of the 75 graduates went to IVY+MS. 32%. Higher than all GLADCHEMMS cept for PEA and DA.</p>
<p>if anyone needs the STA 2012 matriculation just PM me.</p>