I wonder if anyone can give me some guidance. I was accepted into Regis High School, a Catholic school in NY. I accepted that spot. Then I heard I got a spot at Stuyvesant.
Because of the pandemic, I wasn’t able to tour either school. Regis did several zooms that were welcoming and informative. Nothing from Stuy yet.
I enjoy both Humanities and STEM. History and science are probably my two strongest areas. I won’t be one of those tip top math kids, but I do okay.
I’m the oldest in my family and we’re not from NY originally so this is all new. Commute is similar.
I do feel like I’ve committed to Regis, although I’m sure they have kids who end up taking the Stuy seat every year.
Appreciate your thoughts. I really wish I knew more about both schools.
Stuy is a great fit for some students, and an awful fit for others. If you are someone who likes being around smart kids who push themselves, Stuy is a good fit. If that environment overwhelms you, stay away.
Note that many kids entering Stuy do so because they think it will help them get into top colleges. And that’s likely true, if you are in the top 15% or so of the Stuy class. But if you end up in the middle or below, going to Stuy can hurt your future college admission chances.
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I know nothing about Regis. Stuy is a great intellectual environment and all departments are pretty strong, but is basically mass production with limited support (especially guidance & college). And mass production has to mean assignments that are easy to grade – so lots of memorization and multiple choice. If you do well with that, it can be good. And many of the students outside the top 15% do very well (unless your only definition of “well” is T15 schools only). But it is a pretty specific environment that you should be sure that you fit into.
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Regis is so much more than a great academic high school.
It’s a lifelong brotherhood.
+2 for Regis
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Your Regis acceptance is like gold—very few are granted it and you should treasure it. You will get a private prep school education for free. You will be challenged in all subjects, but also supported like you wouldn’t be at a NYC specialized high school. You will learn to be a leader, and colleges will value this when it comes time to apply to them. Regis has an excellent track record for sending its graduates to the Ivies. Georgetown, etc. Your class size will be a small fraction of that at Stuyvesant, where many incredibly smart kids fall to the middle of the pack. Come college application time, it is definitely harder to stand out if you’re at Stuyvesant unless you’re at the tippy-top of your class. This creates a pressure-cooker environment there which can be very stressful for its students.
My nephew is very happy at Regis, and I’m sure you would be too. Best of luck to you!
+3 for Regis
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+5 for Regis IMO it will have a more supportive environment and the academics are just as good.
Congrats on having two such great options!
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I went to Regis a long time ago. So did Doctor Fauci. We both say “Go to Regis.” You’ll be surrounded by super smart kids at both schools. And Regis has a science track just like Stuy.
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I had 3 nephews in NYC - one went to Stuy, one went to Bronx Science and one went to Regis. The one who went to Regis was happiest and had the best educational, as well as social, experience. FWIW - same academic excellence at all 3, but Regis was more like a school community.
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There are 2 major differences between the 2 schools. First, Regis is all boys while Stuyvesant is co-ed. Does that matter to you? I had girl friends in high school, but going off to school every day to hang out with the guys was fine with me. It’s not necessarily okay with everyone.
Second, Stuyvesant is huge compared to Regis - well over 3000 students while Regis is a little over 500. You’ll spend the beginning of your time at Stuy just trying to figure out how to get around the building. As Golfgr8 said, Regis will definitely have a sense of community. You’ll know everyone in your grade and others who aren’t in your grade. That won’t happen at Stuy.
Academically either will give you a great education. At Regis it will be easier to make the team if you’re into sports. It will be easier to be involved in clubs and eventually take a leadership role.
I’m curious about your commute. You said that it’s the same to both schools, but just how long is it?
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Wow. Thanks for everyone’s feedback! I really appreciate it.
I live in East Williamsburg so the commute is under 45 minutes either way. I’ve done a couple trial runs and it’s easy enough.
I’d prefer co-ed, but not a dealbreaker. I don’t worry too much about the size of Stuy or getting lost or finding friends. I come from a big and chaotic middle school. I worry a little about the wide variety of classes at Stuy. At first that was high up in the pro column, but I worry I’m get lost figuring that all that out, which teachers are better, how to get registered. At Regis it feels more set, like you just get in the stream and start paddling. That might be better for me in the long run.
I’m a decent athlete. Not NBA material. I’d like to try that if there’s time.
College feels a long way off, but having guidance would help. The high school application process was crazy enough. This year all the screens and dates kept changing.
A friend’s dad mentioned he thought Stuy had a more national reputation, although I’m not sure that matters much.
My biggest worry about Stuy is that I’m not convinced public schools will be open full time next year. I’m on a 10 day quarantine rn. I think I’ve been to in school 21 days this year. I really don’t want another year of hybrid school.
Plus if Dr Fauci is telling me to go to Regis maybe I better do that.
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I think the class variety at Stuy is a plus, not a minus. The core courses are pretty easy to navigate at least for the first 2-3 years. The 10-Tech vs. 5-Tech stuff gets a LITTLE complex, but it is really well laid out, and there is a custom-built Stuy tool that helps you figure out which classes count for what. So if the opportunity to take advanced computer classes, or forensics, or sci fi lit is appealing, Stuy definitely offers that.
Stuy does have a strong national reputation, no doubt. But people who do college admissions clearly know both schools well, so the “real” decision makers are aware (Stuy may just give you more bragging rights if you live outside of NYC). I wouldn’t rate pure reputation as terribly important.
No one really has any clue what to tell you about being open fully next fall or not. I guess I think public schools have a great likelihood of being closed than private, but I don’t know that the differences is meaningful or certain.
Other than (a) the coed vs single sex pointed out above and (b) size of student population. The racial diversity is quite different. About 70% white in Regis vs 70% Asians in Stuy.
That’s good to hear that the scheduling at Stuy is not as complicated as I was picturing.
Yes, neither school is diverse enough. You can’t help but be aware of that in NYC, especially regarding the specialized high schools. I’ll be in the minority either way.
+Regis. If you were a hard core STEM kid I would say it is a bit of a toss up. But based on what you’ve described about yourself, and me being very familiar and knowing a lot of friends, family and colleagues who go to or attended both schools, Regis is practically a perfect fit for you.
Case in point beyond academics… just look at how each handled the last year of covid… Stuy was standard NYC DOE mess (and this is before the constant political meddling). Regis switched to seamless online classes in less than a week without much hitch, and they have been running smoothly for the last 15 months even as many schools are still compromising. Go check this with any students/teachers/admin at Regis. My cousin who commutes there from out of Manhattan said it felt like the school already had a well-oiled remote learning plan for years. They didn’t, it’s just that the whole community - students, faculty, admin, parents, etc. - just came together and got it done. Zero drama, posturing, complaints. It just speaks to how there’s such a spirit about the school that is unique.
Regis boys have to work extremely hard (prob similar to Stuy and other specialized high schools). But there is no competition amongst classmates. Kids are supportive and helpful of each other, and happy for each others’ success. Maybe because they all have such a strong bond from the rigor and workload. It’s a very different culture than at other high academic schools, which probably contributes to the better overall experience.
Another vote for Regis. Without a doubt.
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How many hours of HW at Regis, approx per day? Do students need to spend time working on HW during the weekends too (if so, how many hrs)?
Approx 3-5 hours of work… including readings, projects, etc. Also depends on your commute, extracurricular activities, sports and other responsibilities. In general, not uncommon at all for students to be up until just past midnight, though not all the time. Can ebb and flow as well. At times things are light, but around midterms/finals things can get crazy busy too. I’ll check with cousin to make sure this is still correct… if not, I will revert… but I’m quite certain.
There’s generally work to do on weekends for sure, but there’s definitely opportunities for downtime, fun, sleep, church, etc. It’s rigorous and tough, and makes college easy by comparison. I think many of the specialized schools are fairly similar on workload.
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Wow, that sounds a bit scary. DC will be applying in the fall, but if he gets in (and I know it’s super hard to get in!!!), it will be 2 hr commute + 3 hr (minimum, possibly up to 5!!!) HW, not including ECs and such. Scary…
If he qualifies and gets accepted, it also means he’s capable of not just handling it, but also succeeding there. It seems daunting and there will be an adjustment period, but vast majority of the boys adapt and adjust (even with some initial tears at times!), and ultimately thrive. Plus he’ll learn to manage his time. Reading or doing HW on train, being efficient on free periods, working with friends, etc.
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