Germantown Friends School review by University of Virginia student.
Overall, GFS prepared me very well for moving on to college, but there are several areas of preparation that were seriously lacking. The first program that did not adequately prepare me for college was the college guidance. Most schools, from what I understand from talking to my peers at other schools, have dedicated college counselors whose primary job is to get every student into the best school possible through help with applications, connections with admissions programs, and dedication. GFS has a program that has full time teachers do college counseling on the side. They often cannot spend the necessary time on their students application because they also have to spend time on their classes. I found that it actually held me back in several ways once their necessary work was done; once they had submitted the teacher recommendations and reports, I worked on my own. That being said, the time that they spend on their classes, not advising college applicants, pays off because they teach some great classes. I have heard that the classics department is exceptional, but I never got to experience it. For a long time I have wanted to be an engineer, so I focused on math and science classes. These classes are all excellent, but they, as well as every other class, have one major flaw: the AP exam. On many occasions, we were told by teachers and guidance counselors that the APs are a waste of time and money, that we should take the same courses at a college level. One of the few people who actually told us to take them was a calculus teacher who told us in her first year of teaching (she no longer teaches at GFS). In that course, we took a mock AP exam and graded it on the national AP curve. Many of us would have gotten top scores. I can only guess that this would hold true for most classes, which would mean that I would have been able to enter college with the equivalent of over a semester already completed. That is $24,000 dollars that my family could have saved by graduating a semester early, or an entire semester of other classes that I could have taken to expand my knowledge base. There is no reason that I should have repeated Chemistry, Physics, Calculus, Spanish, and Biology. The greatest part of GFS is the community that the students, teachers, and staff form. The small school environment that includes pick up basketball games between students, teachers, coaches, maintenance personnel, and security guards is what makes GFS unique. This community makes it easy to reach out to anyone or ask for help from anyone. We could always feel comfortable anywhere on campus to study with peers or teachers.
The beginning of my experience with college counseling was good. Starting in the second semester.... Get the real inside story on college counseling at Germantown Friends School as experienced by former pupil and University of Virginia student — Login or Sign Up to access full review
Sample insights on college counseling
They have contacts at most of the major universities and feel perfectly comfortable picking up the phone and advocating for a student to get accepted somewhere they feel is a good fit for that student. However, these counselors are certainly not magic bullets. They cannot guarantee that a student will get into an Ivy League university...
For those wishing to move on to Oxford or Cambridge, the provision is second-to-none. In the months running up to application and interview, every subject faculty offers classes (often run by former Oxbridge tutors) exploring further areas of their subject as well as offering advice on personal statements, interview technique and more...
I came to GFS in 7th grade, a year when many students switch schools. This.... Get in-depth insights and personal advice on admissions to Germantown Friends School by former pupil and University of Virginia student — Login or Sign Up to access full review
Sample insights on admissions
For the interview, dress conservatively. Try to be very clean and put together. Also, I was a tour guide for two years and at the end of every tour, we were asked to evaluate the candidate so if you think the tour is not apart of the process, you are very wrong. Ask questions and be interested. Also, tip for the parents: the kids speak on the tour. Do not ask their questions for them...
Most younger siblings have an easy time in the admissions process. I can only think of one case of a younger sibling not being admitted. About half of the students who entered with me had come from public schools. The remainder came from private K-6 schools, or had transferred from other New York private schools The Elizabeth Morrow School and St. Bernard were two of the larger feeder schools...
There is no hiding that GFS is an extremely liberal school. Out of 90 graduates in my class, I can count on one hand the number of known republicans.This does not mean that the community is anti conservative. Everyone fits in and gets along just fine. The schools honor code is a great concept. It lays out definitive policies on integrity and honor, but the school needs to stick to it more strictly. The relationship between GFS and the neighborhood of Germantown is a complicated one. It is difficult to have a private school whose tuition is approaching $30,000 in a.... Get the real inside story on quality of school life and extracurricular offerings at Germantown Friends School as experienced by former pupil and University of Virginia student — Login or Sign Up to access full review