We need to submit list by Friday, but it's hard when we haven't been able to tour. Stuy and Brooklyn Tech are our 1 and 2. Commute would be simple to either. I think both DD and I are put off by the perception that Stuy is high pressure/cut throat and she'll be up all night doing homework, but is that true? I also worry it will be impossible to anything other than a middle of the pack kid (if that) and college admissions out of Stuy will be a killer. But is that true? Any insights appreciated.
I know a bunch kids who went to Stuy and didn't seem miserable and overworked, and they went to very decent LACs. My sense is it's not too hard to do fairly well at Stuy and the name means something to colleges, but it is hard to do VERY well at Stuy, and get into an Ivy. If that makes sense. As far as pressure, some of that is about your kid. One of mine just isn't fazed by academic pressures, and one is, so I wouldn't put that one in a high-pressure school.
I agree that it depends on your child. One of my kids is at Bronx Science and the workload is A LOT, but he's doing really well. However, I would not send my younger child there. As far as ranking, if you don't put Stuy first, don't bother ranking it. It will be filled with kids who ranked it first. Personally, we toured all the schools a few years ago and I would rank Stuy over Brooklyn Tech. Tech has almost 6000 kids, that's HUGE!
Depends on the kid - know your child. What's best fit for 1 may not be for another. Are they competitive? Do they work slow or fast? Are they out going with students / teachers ? Do they self advocate ? How will they feel in a huge school (will they get lost in the shuffle)? How do they handle stress/ pressure? How long of a commute can they handle? Do they want to be involved in clubs/sports/etc? Its hard w/o the tours this year. If you can find current or past students at the school to talk to it may help. There are also reviews on insideschools, niche. Don't overlook the smaller specialized high schools - they are excellent. Best of luck.
@Anonymous I can answer all of those questions about my kid. I just don't know the schools! I really can't believe the DOE didn't require every school to at least post a video tour answering a bunch of basic questions like, do kids get the AP classes they want? If not, do they get half the AP classes they want?
But to answer your questions, in case you have an idea: Not very competitive, works fast, outgoing with students and adults, will advocate, won't get lost in the shuffle, okay with stress (but I think there's a limit - 4 hours of homework a night would be too much stress), commute to 45-50 min tops, would like to be on a sports team but could be club level.
To rank... it's really about is your kid more STEM or Humanities + Location. Stuy is the only one that focuses on both ends of the spectrum really well. My kid is thriving at HSMSE and he is more math/science inclined. If your kid is STEMMY - I highly recommend this school. It's intimate and has everything - really nice student body and challenging but not oppressive. The campus is a terrific bonus once things go back to "normal" as they have a physical outdoor quad and can use CCNY's campus. Just a plug :).
HSMSE has a nice set of videos/virtual tour on their site. (Stuy and Tech have nothing.) We really liked it and while the commute is longer, it's pretty much a straight shot. The problem is she's not sure she's all in on STEM and isn't comfortable making that kind of commitment. Both Stuy and Tech seem to have both. Stuy for sure, but some of Tech's majors are humanities-based.
My DS (and DH and I) really like HSMSE. Would you mind sharing your DS's SHSAT score? Mine has consistently been getting 550s and I do worry that is too close to the cutoff.
@Anonymous These scores are Googleable - this source is accurate - I think my kid got in the 530's...
Stuyvesant High School
566
Bronx High School of Science
532
Brooklyn Latin School
498
Brooklyn Technical High School
507
High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College
523
High School for American Studies at Lehman College
520
Queens High School for Sciences at York College
535
Staten Island Technical High School
551
It’s true that it’s harder to stand out at Stuy. On the other hand, there was a study several years ago (Dobbie and Fryer) that included data on the proportion of students at each school that went to the top tier of colleges (Ivies and others at that level). 28.4% of Stuy students went to those colleges vs. 4.8% of BT students. So it’s a trade-off.
Thank you for this. I'm going to look into this study. That really goes against the idea of "why kill yourself at Stuy when Tech kids end up at the same colleges".
@Anon Based on what you've said here, I think you should rank Stuy first.
Is Brooklyn Latin a terrible commute for you?
@anonymous Brooklyn Latin is not too too long, but a hassle.
We're in a similar position, trying to rank by Friday.Trying to decide between Stuy and Bronx Science for #1 position. Have a very brainy, STEM and music-oriented kid that loves school but also loves socializing. Will these schools be all work and no fun?
Btw, Stuy has videos up now about the school.
omg - thank you! videos!
My kid is at Stuy and it is definitely a lot of work, but it’s not solitary. She’s on the phone with classmates late into the evening and often past midnight, doing homework and talking about other stuff. She also meets them occasionally on weekends. When she got to Stuy, she made a lot of friends when she joined an athletic team, if that’s a possibility for your kid.
I think if you like them both pick based on location. We are about equal distance from Stuy and Bronx Sci and my son put Bronx Science as his first choice a few year ago. For him, he felt like the school and the kids seemed more laid back.