I’m super-excited to be quoted in the latest issue of of L.A. Parent Magazine’s Education Guide!. Here’s the article (March 2015), Finding A Private School With The Right Vibe. I’ve written about my family’s experience in trying to find the right school previously. I can’t underscore enough how important the right “vibe” is for you and your kid!–Christina
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I’m super-excited to contribute an article about L.A. private elementary school admissions to the March 2014 issue of L.A. Parent Magazine.
“Compelling Schools, Competitive Admissions” in this month’s issue, is an overview piece that covers the essentials of private elementary school admissions in Los Angeles. But, even if you already have a solid grasp on admissions basics, you might want to check it out to see if there’s new information! –Christina
Click onLA Parent to read the article and click to Page 14.
My latest post for Elizabeth Street is all about letters of recommendation for private school. It’s not too late to send them if you weren’t aware of this much-used, but under-the-radar- strategy to help your kid get into private schools.–Christina
We’re excited to be featured on the front page of Elizabeth Street! My co-author, Porcha Dodson, and I are talking about what to expect for kindergarten admissions testing. Porcha previously administered testing day at Curtis School.
We all know kids who, with help from their well-meaning parents, bolster their resumes before they apply to college. Teens are starting non-profits, developing apps, founding companies, volunteering in remote parts of the world and more. It’s the big push to get into college. I get it.
At lunch with a friend recently, the talk turned to middle school admissions for her private elementary school daughter. My friend doesn’t think her daughter is involved in enough activities, even though she plays on two club sports teams. My friend told her daughter she needed to sign up for several of their Westside school’s clubs. When her daughter resisted, she told her kid, “It will look good on your middle school applications.”
When we applied to middle schools last year, we didn’t feel the need to sign up for a bunch of activities my daughter wasn’t really interested in and had no intention of pursuing, even for a short time. Her activities reflect her true interests and don’t include competitive sports. Still, I saw parents putting their kids on sports teams (cross country running is popular), adding violin lessons at the last minute and all kinds of other stuff to ensure their kids seem well rounded, team players who are likely to succeed. Of course, one kid we know got to middle school and immediately dropped the big activity (tennis) he had used throughout his application to help him get in. He lost interest, he told his embarrassed parents and the coach.
I encourage my kids to try new things, but the quick sign up for the sole purpose of getting into secondary schools feels very inauthentic.
