As October winds down, Darien High School seniors are putting the finishing touches on those college applications.
Who's going where, who applied early decision, who filled out collegiate sport profiles, and who had done absolutely nothing?
It's "those who have done nothing" we need to focus on.
Here, in Darien, we have the reputation of very good college placements.
The question is, did we REALLY earn it?
Every fall, right about this time, students have just finished taking their last SAT exam. Last weekend, in fact. Their scores are still unknown, even to them. How is that some students already know they have been accepted to outstanding colleges, while others anxiously await the news to arive in WELL OVER a month? Early decision applications are due Nov. 15. Therefore, it should follow no one knows YET where they have been accepted.
Not so fast.....Darien appears to an exeption. A very unfair acception, as well. Wait a sec, DARIEN PAYS TO BE THE EXCEPTION!!!! Maybe.
Fact: Georgetown accepts our "marginally" talented athletes that take either "200" (below average or perform poorly in "300" (average) classes.
Fact: FCIAC is the Fairfield County Athletic Conference. It is a joke compared with the athletic conferences in NJ and on LI,NY, and of course it is laughable if you compare Darien's little school with high school athletics nation wide.In other words, Darien is Smallville. But as we see, our kids probably have nicer uniforms, fields and equipment.....$$$$$$$$ They get brand new ones every single year!!!!!
Fact: Georgetown is almost impossible to get into for any student who has a 4.0 average, excellent SATs, and no varsity sport affiliation. It never fails to amaze me, that our top graduating 25 students do not go there, but a few of our bottom 25 do.....$$$$$$$
Fact: Last year, Darien High School Juniors who missed final exams, were given "C"s........not "F"s........and they could choose to take a "C" or take the exam. Some exams account for 50% of the final grade. How is this fair? Back when I was in high school I would have sold my soul for a "C" on the Chem final....or the chance to blow it off and head to the beach.
Fact: The double standards the Darien High School exercises ACROSS the board, is impossible to defend. Who gets in AP classes resembles a lottery. One student gets in, another with the same grade, doesn't. In Stamford, students may chose an AP class, and withdraw after 2 weeks if it is too difficult. In Darien, you must be among the "CHOSEN"
Has it occurred to anyone else that there must be ways of cheating on the SATss, the ACTs, and therefore colleges are beginning to look beyond standardized test scores?
Well, I can say without a doubt at least 70% of Dariens high school students cheat in their classes. And even if they are caught, there is literally no penalty to pay. So, what do I say to my high school student when they ask me:
- "how can I compete w/this?"
- "why is this happening?"
- "it's not fair I studied for 8 hours and got a B-, and the rest of my friends didn't spend more than 45 minutes, cheated, and got an A"
My reply, straining to sound optimistic,, was "I'm proud of you that you haven't stooped to that level and can still look at yourself in the mirror."
Gosh, lately, I have trouble believing this is MY KID. Was there a switch at birth? Or could it be I was REALLY being listened to as I repeated the words of "Parenting 101?"
And I always complain I'm being ignored..... Or no one hears me.....
There is much more than meets the eye at the Darien High School. I'm not sure the dishonesty and deception occurs in Greenwich, New Canaan, Stamford, and Norwalk.......but I'd sure like to know.
It is something that needs some investigating........and all comments are welcome as we start looking at the Darien Dreams vs Darien Reality.
More to come......
signed,
The Descerning Darien Dig
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