I got accepted to the two above schools but I am not sure which one to go to yet. George is an IB school and I was told that getting an IB Diploma could increase chances of getting into a good college. But then looking at their college matriculation, I saw that not many students go to Ivy Leagues. The colleges students at George attend are really spread out in terms of ranking. (Lots of the students go to Bucks County Community College??) This really confused me since 1/3 of the students pursue IB Diplomas? Is it possible that George School teachers are strict graders so students don’t end up with a great GPA thus not getting into national top colleges?
Are there any George alumnis/parents or SBS alumnis/parents that could recommend me? Thanks!
Hunh?
https://www.georgeschool.org/academics/college-counseling/college-acceptances-2020/
I don’t even see Bucks County Community College on that list.
Why did you choose to apply to these two particular schools?
George is a Quaker school - the vibe at Quaker schools is very different from schools that describe themselves as existing “to challenge young men and women to know Jesus Christ as Lord” as Stony Brook does.
George School had a pretty impressive bunch of acceptances this year alone - multiple MIT, Stanford, Brown, Williams, etc. But there are definitely plenty of kids who make decisions based on finances (so will choose affordable over prestige) as well as kids who pick places based on what’s a good fit.
Personally, I would pick George in a heartbeat. If you are the kind of student who wants an academic challenge (which it sounds like you do based on the kind of colleges you think you’ll be interested in), you will love the engagement in the classroom and the IB curriculum. The community is exceptionally diverse and welcoming. And best of all, they will really support you in being who you want to be rather than having some ideal for you to conform to.
Did you get a chance to visit when you applied or are you trying to get the vibe from their virtual revisits?
Hi @gardenstategal, thank you for your reply. It was very helpful.
And yes, I did get a chance to visit campus. The school was very big but I am also participating in their virtual revisits and other online stuffs to ask questions and all that.
Are you an alumni of GS? I can’t PM you because I don’t know how to and I don’t think I can??? thanks again.
PM ing you! I am a parent of an alum.
@stalecookies: Thank you for the college acceptance list cite. At the bottom of the college acceptance list is an option to view the college matriculation list. After clicking “view college matriculation”, a photo of a recent class appears. One of the nicest looking group of kids that I have ever seen. Who wouldn’t want their child attending school with these kids ?
My son applied to George in 2018 and we all loved the school. There is such a strong sense of community there and all the students were so friendly. My son was accepted to both of his top two choices - George and Mercersburg. Honestly he had a hard time choosing between the two. Mercersburg was his choice in the end for a couple of reasons, but we still think highly of George. I think it is a wonderful school.
I don’t know much about George, but I visited Stony Brook a year ago because one of my friends went there and she liked it a lot. I didn’t do a full tour because it was pouring, but I think SBS is really good for STEM kids with a large variety of STEM electives and programs, and an innovation lab as well. They also have short courses in the winter that last only a week which I thought was pretty interesting. I was although a little concerned about the religious aspect of the school, since their website and course catalog centers a lot around their Christian background. I don’t know how it compares to George, but I think SBS also has a pretty large day student percentage.
I actually loved the faith component of SBS, but it’s in line with our faith, so that makes sense I suppose. What made it a problem for us was French was only offered online. You had to go through the Middlebury online language program. French is important to us, but bigger issue for us was this lack of resources that might rear its head elsewhere. That said, I know some teachers at SBS and I would LOVE my DD to be taught by them. Really amazing people. (NB: DD did not apply to SBS so we did not visit.)