• by MIT Ivy League and Oxbridge Educated Insiders
  • Trusted by over tens of thousands online subscribers

Landon School

School rating 4 / 5 by

6101 Wilson Lane Bethesda MD 20817 United States
Day
3rd to 12th
Gender
Boys only

Academic

Landon School review by .

Landon had a very rigorous and challenging curriculum, but what made the difference were the small class sizes so that teachers can pay better attention to what students are doing in class. This aspect of the classroom made students leave their comfort zone and talk to their teachers and get to know them. At Landon there are generally 3 levels of courses for math and science - regular, honors and AP. Students are placed in these classes based on their grades in those particular courses. And it is also possible to enter an honors course without previously being in an honors class. I took regular algebra 2 freshmen year and I did well so I placed into Honors Geometry and I did honors/AP for the rest of my time at Landon. Landon didn't have any honors classes for English which helped everyone stay on the same level of English because Landon realizes that writing is a very important thing to learn before going to college/university. The English program is possibly the greatest part of academics at Landon because of the teachers and the books covered in classes from Huck Finn, to Catcher in the Rye. The most notable and unique part of the english/history curriculum is the required humanities class that every student takes Junior year (if not, senior year). Being in college now and taking a very similar class, I can say that my humanities teachers (Mr. Botti and Mr. Swinehart) were both inspiring and engaging teachers. Humanities was a double block class that fulfilled the English and History credits required for junior year. Humanities covered literature and philosophy from Plato and Aristotle to Rousseau, Sigmund Freud, Nietzsche and Kant. As well as religious philosophers such as Saint Augustine. The class was taught in a round table discussion style which made students speak in class. In terms of languages, there were 4 languages offered: Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, French and Latin. I took Mandarin Chinese and it was a wonderful experience to learn the culture and language of the Chinese people. AP courses were available in all subject areas. I took AP Stats, AB Calc, Chinese language and culture, Economics and US History. The courses were very difficult but the teachers often went the extra step in classes to make sure students learn what they need to learn to be as prepared as possible for the AP exams. Landon classes are generally difficult, but the teachers and resources make it much easier and in the end, you learn a lot more.

College Counseling

Having a small class size of 79 students, having an a college counselor was great....

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...

Admissions - Getting Accepted

I came to Landon in 3rd grade, so I don't know what the process is....

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...

School Life

Landon can be a very cliquey place. But I think by senior most kids are friendly with each other, and there is certainly a brotherhood aspect at Landon. Landon's student population is mostly white, and African American students typically hang out with other African American students, but I had all sorts of different kinds of friends with different backgrounds.Landon has a lot of community service opportunities especially with the sister school Holton Arms. Landon stresses the importance of giving back. The entire varsity hockey team shaved their heads for cancer for one game. That day was a notable example of....

Popular Comparisons