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UB Like it's 1776!
Posted September 13, 2007(191 replies)
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When we looked at Brearley, we were appalled at the way they fawned all over the Euro-trash parents at various events. Now I hear how the school is a place that worships celebrity adn money and I totally believe it. Where did this "down to earth" reputation even come from? Is it some leftover from days gone by or did it actually never exist?
143 replies [ Reply | Watch | MoreWho are the famous people who went to Brearley? Are they like CEOs or working in congress now? Not being snarky. Really wondering.
[ Reply | More ]Now or before? Not many famous people before but many musicians, writers, politicians or daughters of those
[ Reply | More ]I know some famous people there: Daughter of Kevin Bacon (graduated this year), daughter of Tea Leoni and David Duchovny (Tea Leoni is a Brearley grad). But all schools are like this, don't act like this is a huge surprise, even our supposedly crunchy granola preschool is like this; event this year that invited select past families, no surprise it was all "famous" people, not people who had 5 kids go through thte school or people who volunteered the most.
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DH and I are from Europe and we have a dd at B. So, this automatically makes us Euro trash now. Thanks.
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If you sat there arrogantly at events yammering on about it and you are paying in Euro's you betchya
[ Reply | More ]Bet your dd is bilingual. Celebs, billionaires, bilingualism are Brearley's favorite things.
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I am baffled as to what is wrong with those of us from Europe with multi-lingual children.
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Brearley was for years the most down to earth of all the schools. Interested in intellect, shunned celebrity and its money (there are great stories about people they snubbed) but in recent years with the new head of school it has changed dramatically. I was there and we have DD there and we feel differently about the administration now. Curriculum and teaching still outstanding but the culture has changed
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LOL I would love to hear which between Chapin and Spence is not money grubbing lady. Welcome to Manhattan how was your bus trip in? Transplant.
[ Reply | More ]Actually grew up here. Why are you assuming its an SS? Look, they are all intot he $ and celeb's but Brearley just was over the top about it.
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Not nearly so many celebs at either Spence or Chapin as at Brearley--particularly in the lower schools.
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Df has daughter there and she told me they're particularly conscious of fund-raising ability in choosing new students b/c they have that new building across the street to pay for.
[ Reply | More ]This is so old! All of this animosity toward the school b/c of two celebrity families? Good grief, who cares!
[ Reply | More ]For me it is not because of two celebrities. For me it is because B was the ONLY school where my 99x3 DD got an outright reject. It meant that they don't give a crap about a quality of a kid. She is in another tt now (which means btw that we had no problems with the school report, or parent interview), and I don't care about B, but you must agree that they had some reason to skip a good applicant - too many "other types" to consider.
[ Reply | More ]np Same here. 99x3, outright reject at B, at another tt. White, boring, not spectacularly wealthy. PSD said playdate was great but "too many sibs" (which is what, I think, they say when there's no reason for a ding).
[ Reply | More ]You have this all wrong. MY DS is going to Dalton and he was outright rejected by Trinity and HM. I can only assume they had another kid who fit his profile or they knew he was more likely to end up st Dalton or similar. No sour grapes. No one, and I mean absolutely no one, who applies to the usual 8 or so schools get accepted by all of them.
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What I find amazing is that some UB with a kid with a perfect EVERYTHING get dinged from Brearley and they believe it's because Celebrities, transplanted Europeans, and Blacks are took their spot instead of looking at the numbers. I'm sure B gets about 500 new applications, not including sibs or legacies for about 25 open spots and I'm probably on the generous side of open seats.
[ Reply | More ]First of all, NO child has a perfect everything and you weren't in there for her playdate. Secondly, I hate to break it to you but I smell that YOU were the problem. Pretty clear to me. Anyone else?
[ Reply | More ]I don't have a child at B. I work for a private school but not in admissions, thank goodness. I see the amount of applications they receive, which rivals some colleges. If Brearley is like the school I work for, they are up to their eyeballs in applications and they read every single one. When I watched Nursery University, I wasn't surprised by the fact that the admissions personnel began to get "loopy". The worse is when it comes down to applicants who have just about identical statistics. You can't flip a coin to decide.
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I am the one with 99x3 kid. Let me also add that we are both academics (full profs from Columbia and a nearby Ivy (dont want to out myself)). All I am saying that I find it suspicious that B was the ONLY school completely dinging us. And i don't have to get over it - I am not that crazy about ss in the first place, and totally happy at my current tt (yes, Sh. Holmes, it is D, T ot HM) . totally get the dynamic of only few places available for non-sibs, etc but - we were acce[pted ot at least w/l at all oter tts. Fine, consider it a statistically insignificant event.
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I am in the same boat with you minus academia component. DC was outright dinged by B whereas other TTs all accepted or WLed us. We got a great FB too. I am very suspicious about the way they select DCs and does not surprise me reading about all the celeb, Euro, mega-rich things since we are far from any of those.
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Brearley is totally down to earth. Intellectuals abound and no one cares about what you or your bank account look like. I don't even know what you're talking about. I hate when people on UB cry sour grapes whenever someone has something negative to say about a school but you're oozing hurt feelings and a bruised ego. I'm sure your daughter is wonderful but she clearly isn't going to impress everyone all the time. I'd start accepting that now, otherwise it's going to be a rough road...for her!
[ Reply | More ]As I sit here and read these catty posts I laugh and sigh with relief that I am way too poor to ever consider private for my dd. Ahhh, the simple life :-)
[ Reply | More ]It never existed. Anyone who thinks Brearley is "down to earth" is out of their right minds. Go beavers!
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would have loved for my DC to attend B, but had to turn it down. I just find it hilarious that in one instance B is a horrible place b/c of all the girls it counsels out and yet, its turning away THE MOST QUALIFIED APPLICANTS? hahahahhaha, get over yourselves. Europenas, blacks and celebs are only there b/c of preference, but year after year this school exmissions with the best and has produces women who can stand up against any comp. give me a break.
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You know in the past, Brearley had a great rep basing their decision entirely on kids intelligence. I am not sure this was true or not but they at least had this great reputation. Many people are disappointed with their change. I know a few who turned down Brearley partially because of this nonsense. When I visited the school, girls were talking about facelift their parents got. I was completely turned off. Plus my friends daughter who goes there is dieting even though she is stick thin. Not a healthy environment for girls.
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The reason these schools focus on celebs is because the parents really are into celebrities as this post shows...you guys track the celebrities and where their kids go to school, and argue over who is "right"! If a school has celebrities in it, or the kids of celebs, it gets a name and gets known and somehow that is equated in the minds of most people with it being a good place. I would think UB what with all the educational emphasis and HYP degrees could manage to see through the PR, but hook line and sinker. People love to say "yes little Jane is at B you know so and so celebrity's child goes there as well..."
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