2.08.2007

Financial aid form to the BLANK school sent.

And my heart sank as I mailed it in. In my gut, I know that the BLANK school is not for us. The questions on the financial aid form spell out a culture that is totally foreign to me right now. Not sure that I'd want my son in an environment of privilege, of entitlement, of excess.

I want him to work. I want him to make his way in the world.

A and I chatted about the public high school/early college. I remember what the admissions consultant told me -- "It's no Stuyvesant!" Well, that lady likes brands and labels. Stuyvesant is a brand - I mean a school - which is not our best fit. We're looking for a smaller community, not one in which A would become just a number, or a grade, as it were. Public high school/early college is small enough that A will get the attention he needs. The downside with the school is that it is a full 20 minute-walk from the nearest subway stop. "I can skateboard to school," offered A. And yet, we have no acceptances.

I called up the agency again today. I learned that our paperwork to Bucolic Campus School was not sent, after all. It was then that I asked to speak to the director.

Me: Hi. Thank you so much for sending our paperwork to BTBSA. But could you send our stuff to Bucolic Campus School?
Agency Director: Did you apply to Bucolic Campus School?
Me: Yes. Yes, we did. And we interviewed there, too.
AD: I'll see what I can do.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi,

It's not clear to me what the Lady meant when she said that B. was "not Stuyvesant." Was that a good thing, a bad thing, or what was it?

I know (not well) a girl who graduated from there recently. I think she had a good experience. It would also seem that A.'s many interesting activities and unconventional education would put him in a very good place re: that high school.

But still -- what did she MEAN?

la Maitresse said...

For the admissions consultant, and this is the impression I got from her, B. does not carry the prestige, nor does not offer the same education, as Stuyvesant.

I believe she would hold that Bronx Science is also not as good a school as Stuyvesant.

Stuyvesant does not offer Associate in Arts degrees, though.

The admissions consultant will make more cameo appearances here.

Anonymous said...

Whew, I finally finished reading all the archives. I loved them all, Alex is a lucky guy. One question: a few years ago, you mentioned that A's school had Publishing Parties. can you tell me more about that? There might be homeschooling in the future, but in the meantime I have lesson plans to do!
Thanks!

la Maitresse said...

Goodness, you REALLY went through the archives, didn't you?

That school, which I will call Public Schi-Schi school, for its proximity to Park Avenue and the Metropolitan Museum of Art did have "Publishing Parties." The kids wrote - poetry? stories? - and they were compiled into a class book. Then the publishing party.

This is New York City, after all...

If you email me at maitresse@gmail.com, I could maybe give you more info.