<p>What do you know about Riverdale? What have you heard about it? I'm thinking of applying there... Any info would be really helpful, thanks!</p>
<p>My son goes to Riverdale. I think I can tell you a little bit about the school. Riverdale is a rigorous school. Among the three Riverdale schools, Fieldston is considered more artsy. Horace Mann students are more driven. Riverdale is thought of as sweet, middle of the road school. My son is in high school now. The school expects every student to spend no more than 45 minutes per subject. There are 5 academic subjects. Therefore every student is expected to spend about 3 hours at the homework every school day.</p>
<p>There are few interdepartmental classes. Constructing America a two-credit American Studies course jointly taught by a history and an English teacher. Students are regularly invited to read literature through the lens of economic, political, and social conditions and theories, and to explore the intersection of cultural heroes, literary characters, and national mythologies. They gain a feel for living history as carefully chosen literature fleshes out the social changes and the threads of consequence that give history its specific character. Sometimes they see connections not only between a story and a historical event but also between historical eras in their succession and corresponding transformations in literary expression. Such learning inevitably strengthens students abilities to think abstractly and analytically. </p>
<p>In senior year, Integrated Liberal Studies is the course that stretches the capacities developed in Constructing America. Two disciplines expand to five: literature, philosophy, history of science, history of art, and history of music. Five major essay assignments are designed to engage students in finding a thesis that will tie together aspects of political theory and art, or literature and scientific theory, and so on. The readings are sophisticated texts of central cultural importance, and if some students find the work challenging at first, they all experience a growth in the flexibility and creativity of their thought processes by virtue of the effort.</p>
<p>In grades 9, 10, and 11 the normal expectation is that 5 or 5 ½ credits will be taken each year. There are not many elective classes before 11th grade. Math is the only class that offers honor level sections to allow the most talented and dedicated students to study mathematics in greater depth and at an accelerated pace. Four foreign languages are offered: Spanish, French, Latin or Japanese.</p>
<p>Having satisfied most of their departmental requirements by the middle or end of their junior year, students are free to choose from an array of 19 Advanced Placement courses and many topical electives. I read in CC that some students in other high schools take more than 5 AP courses before their Junior year. It may be difficult to take as many AP courses in Riverdale. </p>
<p>Riverdale offers a full range of intramural and interscholastic sports: baseball, basketball, fencing, field hockey, football, golf, gymnastics, lacrosse, soccer, softball, track and cross-country running, wrestling, tennis on outdoor courts, and swimming in our six-lane, 25-meter pool. The campus is beautiful. In fact it has one of the most beautiful campus among the New York City prep schools.</p>
<p>Please feel free to ask me if you have any additional questions.</p>
<p>What do you make of that?</p>
<p>I do not know about the merit of this lawsuit. It is difficult for me to believe that Riverdale, or any other selective schools, will discriminate against children of rich celebrities.</p>
<p>Instead of talking about allegation and rumor, I like to share some thoughts with you. In an open letter to upper school parents, the head of upper school wrote, what should we be doing at Riverdale to make it easier for students to get the most out of a wonderful school and still be teenagers, kids who need to sleep, socialize, and pursue much interest?</p>
<p>Thought #1
Teenagers need as much sleep as they can get and we know out students do not get enough sleep. Encouragement to sleep must come from home and school.</p>
<p>Thought #2
A Riverdale student should be encouraged and enabled to be an athlete, an actor or writer or musician, a kid with afternoon and weekend hobbies or interests that are meaningful and time-consuming.</p>
<p>Thought #3
Homework is important but it should be not overwhelming. The School should expect that five nights per week (Monday to Thursday and Sunday evening), a student will have undisturbed, undistracted time to study and to prepare from about 7 pm until 10:30 pm or about 8 pm to 11:30 pm. We are making it a point of emphasis this fall to examine the volume of homework we assign and to insure that homework is the meaningful reinforcement and exploration that it ought to be.</p>
<p>Thought #4
The School should expect that, in addition to five nights of homework, a student will find additional hours on the weekend to read, study, and prepare perhaps on Saturday, perhaps on Sunday, In addition, students must be encouraged to use free time at school to study as well as to socialize. It is important for teenagers to learn how to balance their obligations to friends and to their work.</p>
<p>Thought #5
Parents and students need to feel that teachers are empathetic, than we will have high standards but flexible and compassionate approaches to out students.</p>
<p>Thought #6
We owe it to ourselves to say that decision about where a teenager goes to college is not a life-or-death decision and it is not even a decision that compares to the really important choices we eventually all must make. The School must commit to removing any subtle messages it undoubtedly broadcasts that college admission is the only reason students come to Riverdale. Instead we must recommit ourselves to encouraging teenagers to be teenagers, learning from and enjoying all the opportunities that an extraordinary secondary school has to offer.</p>
<p>Thought #7</p>
<p>Admission to an appropriate, fine college or university after Riverdale is a perfect normal goal and we will never eliminate all the stress that surrounds the endeavor. Just as the school must examine the ways it adds to this pressure, so must families do all they can to reduce the burdens on their children. Perhaps the numbers one enemy in this regard is SAT preparation, a drain on student time that can literally rob an eleventh grader of every waking she has and put the preparation for a three-hour standardized test ahead of homework, weekend free time or sleep. The simple answer is to confine test preparation to the summer, to vacations, and at the same time to recognize that enormous amounts of time and money are often wasted in pursuit of the most marginal differences in numbers.</p>
<p>Riverdale is not perfect. If the accusations in Daily News article bother you, I am sure that many other schools offer more financial aids or spots for celebrities. You have to decide for yourself what the goals of your high school experience are. Good luck in your prep school admission.</p>
<p>My "friend" got into Riverdale......like a hook up from a parent on the board...
What a total rip off. I should have gone to that person. lol
Riverdale along with many other N.Y.C schools cough Horace-Mann cough are very scandelous.
Did you hear about Dalton and the science room. EWWW</p>
<p>wow aussie....
have fun at kent..hope its not scandelous</p>