Comments on: High school hustle: Choice, and crying teens

By: a pretty scared 8th garder

a pretty scared 8th garder — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 03:25:39 +0000

i’m an eight grader who was just checking out a few scool webs when i ran into this website reading it got me scared and hyperventilating what if i dont get into any of my choices or a specialized hs or lagardia. i think its super unfair that kids have to wait till febuary its just not rigth to keep us waiting in the dark like this. i know a few pretty pissed off kids from last year that didnt get into the school of his or her choice because she was 1 point off the specialized test score, she was so mad she just didnt want to try anymore so she just stoped caring for school adn she was lik a top 2 percentile student. the school system needs an upgrade lik now, cause hell were the ones that have to go to that stupid hell hole evry single crappy day! its not right why cant we be given the result within a month or 2 even!

By: B

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 22:52:19 +0000

Everyone being placed in a school in their top 5 does not at ALL mean that each is happy or satisfied with the process. A B student who doesn’t live in Manhattan probably doesn’t even have 5 decent (80% or more students graduate in 4 years / safety record which proves it safe for all) schools he or she can apply to. How is this fair? Those people who got #4 or #5 on their list, they are not satisfied, so that 86% satisfaction number presented by the Dep’t of Ed is completely misleading. Those who apply to screened programs for which they are more than qualified don’t get satisfaction either, as there are NOT ENOUGH SEATS in all the programs to accomodate all students who want to attend and meet all criteria. My older son is currently dealing with this nightmarish process, and my younger son had a score entitling him to attend one of the 3 elementary-level citywide gifted programs, only to be told in an apologetic form letter that they do not have for the surprisingly high number of students who qualified for the three programs.

By: Meghan

Meghan — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:28:59 +0000

How did everyone fair in the supplementary round? I’m a reporter covering high school admissions in NYC. Please email me if you’d like to share your experience. Thank you! mhb2122@columbia.edu

By: sue

sue — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:29:44 +0000

believe it or not nothing is guarentee . i feel the same way i attend all the open house too. my son didn’t get in the frist round too. i hope the second round he could get in the school he wish to get in. all i could say is pray to god our kids will get in the school they enjoy. we do not want our kids to drop out high school.

By: Sam

Sam — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:21:46 +0000

My son did was among the 7,455 students that did not get selected to his choices in spite of the fact that we did everything we were told to make the top choices. We were in fact said that “it is a guarentee that your son will be accepted into this school if you attend the open house and put us down as your first choice”. The impact of this on a 14 year old is tremendous. Why should my son apply for a second round that includes schools that he has no interest in going to? This is the foundation for a youngster and if not positive it have negative effects that may not be able to be resolved.

By: Sherry

Sherry — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 02:17:14 +0000

This is my first experience with the public school system, and i am appalled. When my 8th grader decided that she wanted to attend a public school i was taken aback, but as promised choosing a high school will be her choice. We attended the school fairs and many open houses. We did interviews and the interviewers were impressed with her academic progress. We pondered for days the order in which to place her choices. Then the results came in an the devastation began. How could she not get into any of her first 3 choices, we only had 5, with the fifth being far fetched, she was choosen for the fifth choice, and to make matters worse many of her friends were not even accepted to a public school.
The selection process i think is inadquate, however, as many may know there are too few “good public high school” this is why thousands are applying to only a select few, leaving our teens to fall between the cracks at “the other public schools”. So what are my choices now “Private again or Charter” I am sickened to see many hopeful kids hurt and disappointed in our system…this is where we are losing our youth. AND THE TOP SCHOOL OF HER CHOICE SAID TO APPLEAL!! For what to give my daughter false hope and further dissapointment GIVE ME A BREAK!!

By: Roger

Roger — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:33:07 +0000

I’m still not sure of the purpose of a centralized administration for an urban educational system. Why have buildings full of relatively well-paid bureaucrats who never meet a student? There’s not really much use for anyone outside of the school itself. A successful school needs only students, parents, teachers, a Principal and some mechanism (e.g. Board comprising each of those constiuents) to govern. Neither bureaucrats or bureaucracies excell at providing service, but are excellent at self-preservation and self-aggrandizement.

By: sue

sue — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:16:36 +0000

i feel the same why. because my son did’nt get pick too.he have good great in school he make honer roll plus gold honer roll. so what it tell us is that you teach your kids work hard in school and now they don’t get where they want to go.how do you explain that.i am just like any parent tired of everything.i just wish he get in a school he want in the second round.

By: yvette

yvette — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 11:12:12 +0000

My twin niece and nephew were the first class that had to deal with this process where you can select up to 12 schools. My niece, the A student and salutatorian for the graduating class, followed the instructions, listed 12 schools and got the last one, which was at an undesirable school. My nephew, who, bless him, would do what he wanted when he wanted, got his first choice. We fought and got her into her first choice, but it was a struggle. And no, it wasn’t fair, but neither was the process and what going to the school she got would have done for her life. She graduated on the honor roll and is now in her first choice college studying biology.

I figure, I’ve learned from that experience. When my daughter had to go through this process, my daughter, an 85 student, I only put down three choices. She got her last one. The school turned out to be great on paper, but abysmal in its delivery. Again, we fought and got her moved, but it was a major struggle. Not fair, but neither was what that school was doing in her life. W/the move, she went from failing math B to a 94 average in math B. I asked her what was the difference. She said the teacher taught steps to solve the problem. I asked what did the other teacher do? She said he put the problem on the board and changed the variables to show how the answer would change. He taught just enough to confuse.

This year, I had to go through the process w/my son. An 80 average student and good child. I put down 2 schools because those were the schools I wanted. He got none of his choices, so we’re in second round. He felt like it meant he was stupid. I told him I thought at some point it’s a computer matching process. I went to the second-round fair last night and ask. And, yes, after the schools do a selection, those names go back to the department of ed’s computers. So getting the school you desire is akin to winning Lotto. This is problematic, as I’ve never won Lotto. I’m so tired of fighting, but here we go again. I looked into one of the area Catholic high schools as an option if he doesn’t get one of the schools we request and we can’t live with the computer “match.” It will cost $7,000 a year. That’s a lot for our family. There should be a tax deduction when families are forced into this position.

By: Zea

Zea — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 03:52:26 +0000

This is all very difficult. I have finally gotten a hold of myself & my disappointment. And I have to thank you, Liz willen, for helping to make that possible. I will go to the fair tomorrow night. If nothing else, it’s a chance to ORGANIZE!

I am curious about this 2nd round. How does a student suddenly become appealing, to a school? Some people seem to be pointing out in different ways, that it is not only the bad schools listed.
So, what are they, offered incentive money to take the stragglers??

Thank you for the suggestions & support. Good luck all.