Is Westminster School the best school on Earth? STATESMOM returns

[statesmom]

I have a lot to say, don't know if anyone remembers the thread. Let me know if you want to hear from me.

He’s 18 and has just left School.

Something has prompted the vitriol towards the school by the OP and it isn’t because her son went to Westminster, because he very clearly didn’t. Maybe he applied for 6th form and didn’t make the cut for the second time? Maybe she’s pissed because he didn’t;t get an Oxbridge offer after attending Eton (seemed to be her main aim in 2014) either so basically she has had no choice but to pay up for a US school? Maybe it is because she has lived apart from her son since 2017 and is pissed off that he’ll be even further away from this year onwards….Who knows? 🤷‍♀️

And this is why I know it is not bored school kids as was suggested upthread...

Bored school kids might find it now tho’ 😂

Cambridge offers computational linguistics at postgrad level.

True, which is why I said unusual.

I've worked / been friends with a lot of international people, including Americans and my DH. Generally people remain largely patriotic but become open to criticising their home countries when they see things done differently and sometimes better in other countries.
If your DH is really French then he'll be used to 5 -8 weeks holidays a year including pretty much the whole of August off. Compared with 2-3 weeks in the US, it's not the same lifestyle and not one money can always make up for.
OP is there anything you think is better in Europe?

Sorry I confused you. Whatever the definition of 'academic potential' may be, it most certainly doesn't mean the potential to become an academic.

Academic potential is divined by looking at a student's academic record from high school, a student's expected grade trajectory given their socio-economic status, location or calibre/ reputation of school, or other elements such as whether English is their first language, and standardised test results. It can also be glimpsed in the personal interview part of the application process (sometimes a personal interview is optional, though). On top of all that, applicants are asked to provide references from past teachers as part of the application portfolio.

The hope is that admitted students in Ivy League universities or colleges will contribute to the undergrad environment through academic prowess, eagerness to develop their academic ability across a broad range of studies, curiosity, and determination to master their topics of study; through varied perspectives born of diverse experiences, cultures, or heritage, and also through the personal qualities each one brings to the mix.

Obviously, nobody can predict exactly how an admitted student will perform academically or in any other way over their four years of undergrad studies. Some students will do far better and some far worse than anticipated. Some will transfer to another university. Some will drop out. Admissions committee practice an art, not a science.

Fair enough. When you wrote about contributing to the undergrad environment, I thought you were referring to potentially representing the university in rowing, for example, or the (in)famous 'orchestra needs an oboe player'.

In my experience, those students with truly exceptional academic potential are often guided towards a PhD and, potentially, an academic career.

Getting back to our original exchange, I maintain that the Ivies are looking for "good enough" academic ability (or potential), where "good enough" is something like top decile of the population. I gave my reasons for this belief in my post of 18th July 2024 11:04. Whether you agree with this assessment is up to you. If you do, whether you regard this level as exceptional is also up to you. I do not.

Yes, and undoubtedly other courses that could be of interest once he's decided on a more specific field. Not knocking the UK as a whole. I'm just saying for someone like that who wants to explore very different interests for undergraduate, the US system offers a particular advantage. There's likely degrees and people for whom the specialised English format would be a better fit, too; but people were asking about the appeal of the US system beyond prestige and that sort of thing would be a reason.

I think the kings, queens, princes and princesses are better in Europe.

Strangely, I believe the US college consultants are better in Europe because they have to work hard for their money. Ours was a Godsend and am so happy that my son was able to get his first choice college.

But anyway I don't really live in the UK, nor in Europe.

We live in central London, and we love it.

“I don’t really live in the UK” - the bubble of ex pat London! How sadly ignorant.

It is not ignorant. It is lived truth.

Any why is everyone "sad"? You are "sad" that, to you, I am ignorant?

There was a poster here who was "sad" that I used a university consultant.

Hmmmm . . . . I'm sort of wondering, who is really ignorant here? From where I'm sitting, I consider myself quite well informed on my life and how to live it.

Great posters, solid in their own skin and happy with their lives!!!!!!

I live in the greatest parts of any city in the world (even though Gavroche is no more).

Why would I, or anyone in my position, go to Grimsby or Blackpool? Or Tower Hamlets?

No thank you, I'll have a Cosmopolitan in the Blue Bar and sadly consider how ignorant I am.

Um, you've said your son is 18 (based on a thread 10 years ago where you said he was 8) and claim he's secured a 6 figure job for when he's 22. Which clearly isn't true. So it's a bit sad you've claimed it is, no? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Lived truth! That load of cobblers. You need to get out more. People with narrow lives are ignorant in so many ways.

Oh well, ladies, as manifestly bright, fun-loving and sophisticated so many of you appear to be (some of you MUST be in my inner circle, cleverly masked), I am tiring of this thread and about to get on a plane to New York in two days.

So perhaps we could re-route this thread to any actually serious posters who have any questions concerning the impetus of this thread: Westminster School?

If I could answer any questions from my experience, I would genuinely be happy to.

What do you mean by “my position “?

My DT’s got into their first choice without a consultant as did the majority of their classmates - including those who went to Ivy League.

Do you not see that people find it hard to take you seriously due to you lying about his future job?

Because an 18 year old absolutely hasn't got a six figure job lined up to start in four years time... 😬

Why did you say he had?

I think they mean someone of their socially superior standing in terms of wealth, class, education and intellect.

I write as a dense, poor, common person who lives in Tower Hamlets (albeit Oxbridge educated).

The op is on holiday in her Asian villa. Now off to NY. Doesn’t seem to understand that there’s more to uk than London. It’s odd because many well off Londoners come into my part of the uk. A lot. This is such a narrow lifestyle of jetting everywhere. With dc in tow?

Except you don’t actually have any experience of your Son attending the School. So that would be of no assistance to anyone actually wanting to know more about it 😂

You are of course free to impart your imagined experience of what might have come to pass had your child managed to gain a place - a bit like the imagined experience of him actually attending an IL college and his imaginary 6 figure job.

Enjoy your flight - I imagine you’ll be taking a G6 judging by the rest of your posts 😉

Your gracious acknowledgment of the information provided warms my circuits. Now, returning to your original inquiries: Is Westminster School still considered the greatest school on earth? If not, which other schools might surpass it? Additionally, when it comes to parents, do you perceive those from Westminster as the epitome of greatness?

Well I think it depends if you are asking Statesmom2014, Statesmom2017 or Statesmom2024.

2014 version - ‘My 8 year old son has to get a place at this great school! Imagine going to school at Westminster Abbey and being so close to all that History! Westminster is the best, Eton (or for that matter anywhere else) is a poor second - so we have hired a ‘Super Tutor’ to get him a place at the best School where there is an incredible chance of him getting a place at Oxbridge or the IL (although we have that covered because his Father and I have 3 legacies at IL) I’m going to donate £1-2k per year from now to get the attention of the nice American lady who runs the development programme so he gets a place’

2017 version - ‘Err…Does anyone know which lamps are best for an Eton boy’s bedroom?’

2024 - ‘well I’m back 10 years later. My Son has been through IL college and has a 6 figure job in IB….Westminster was shit, teachers were shit, university advisors were shit, facilities were shit (and ancient) and we had to spend 6 figures getting him into an IL with the best US college consultant”

Good luck getting a straight answer. But I think it is the case that the OP is very sore she didn’t manage to buy a place for her PFB.

Again, in retrospect, a boarding school like Eton, Harrow or Winchester would have better suited him and if not those then an Andover, Choate, Exeter et al.

The parents I met at Westminster Great School had 1 thing in common: a dedication to the impotance of education for their child. This was a good thing to share in common.

Other than that, there were as you would expect tons of people from central London with very diverse and international backgrounds. There were very (very) wealthy families, yes, but also families where the husband is a GP and it was a mighty struggle to send their child to Westmisnter.

Then in Sixth Form you get the parents from Hong Kong and so on (there was a chat with all of the China kids on it called "Eastminster" which is kind of funny) and they sort of stuck together the few times they were here.

I'd definitely not send him there again as they are now taking girls in fifth form, and I am really against this. It will change the school inexorably. The Under School is done for.

So he did go to Westminster? At what age? Where did he go to University? How did he manage that, given he is now only 18 according to your previous posts (he was 8 in 2014 and you didn’t know how academic he would be)?
It’s still not making sense!

No he did not. A current or indeed an ex alumnae parent would know the details of the co-Ed programme in which everything will be integrated. Girls will only join in yr9 from sept 2028. As the OP previously described the admission of 6th form girls as ‘clever kids or ringers’ (presumably she feels to up the results). Boys have every opportunity to join in the 6th form - They just have to match the standard of existing pupils…

An actual parent or ex parent would also be aware of the bursary numbers (which seemed a complete revelation to the OP).