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Old 03-12-2012, 10:58 AM
 
2 posts, read 15,657 times
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Big decision to make: I have an exceptional 8th grader who has been accepted to St. John's and Strake Jesuit for 9th grade. I'm looking for unbiased opinions on each school. Opinions/comparisons on academics, athletics, culture, environment, pressure to succeed, etc. are greatly appreciated. I definitely value the opinion of current or past parents/students from each school. Thanks in advance for replies.
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Old 03-12-2012, 12:06 PM
 
Location: Houston/Brenham
5,819 posts, read 7,170,875 times
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They are both excellent schools, and you can't go wrong with any decision. We had two kids graduate from SJS, but I know that Strake is also a top-notch school.

Good luck!
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Old 03-12-2012, 12:23 PM
 
53 posts, read 202,984 times
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Hello,
Congrats! My son is in the same position right now with SJS and Kinkaid (we narrowed down to these two after he got in everywhere!)
1. Where is your son coming from?
2. Is your son a big athlete; if so which sports?
3. Is your son artistic?
4. Does your son take academic competition well?
5. Do you want your son/does your son want to go to any Ivy League school?

The questions are crucial for you to answer. If you answer these, I will be happy to assist you.
SJS is definitely more "upper class" than Strake, if that matters at all to you..

Feel free to DM me if you prefer!
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Old 03-12-2012, 01:09 PM
 
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I'm not sure unbiased opinions exist. SJS seems to be considered at least a rank above Strake.

I would think about how driven your son is and how well he responds to competition. How hard is he willing and able to work? What are his friends like and from, in terms of sports, academic classes, etc and what does he like to do to socialize?

Strake will have a class of about 250, classes of about 25 to start, and I have to imagine a wider range of activities to choose from. It is not a cake walk, but if he works hard he will do well. The Jesuit influence is strong, religion a part of every day. He'll have some mediocre teachers, and some that are really good. Some kids go on to the ivies, but the majority do not.

I have no direct experience with SJS but imagine it should have a more uniform, higher academic caliber class as a whole. I imagine smaller classes, and different faculty, and much different spiritual vibe and campus vibe.

Which did your son prefer after shadowing? Really I think it comes down to the individual child and their interests and personality.
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Old 03-12-2012, 01:17 PM
 
53 posts, read 202,984 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by notready View Post
I'm not sure unbiased opinions exist. SJS seems to be considered at least a rank above Strake.

I would think about how driven your son is and how well he responds to competition. How hard is he willing and able to work? What are his friends like and from, in terms of sports, academic classes, etc and what does he like to do to socialize?

Strake will have a class of about 250, classes of about 25 to start, and I have to imagine a wider range of activities to choose from. It is not a cake walk, but if he works hard he will do well. The Jesuit influence is strong, religion a part of every day. He'll have some mediocre teachers, and some that are really good. Some kids go on to the ivies, but the majority do not.

I have no direct experience with SJS but imagine it should have a more uniform, higher academic caliber class as a whole. I imagine smaller classes, and different faculty, and much different spiritual vibe and campus vibe.

Which did your son prefer after shadowing? Really I think it comes down to the individual child and their interests and personality.
That's very true.. Shadowing plays a big part
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Old 03-12-2012, 11:17 PM
 
Location: Houston
687 posts, read 2,118,642 times
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All great comments - I agree completely.

Our son attends Strake, because it's a better fit for his personality and temperament. Overall, he's happy there, although he does confess to the occasional fantasy about attending public school where he can blend in with the crowds and not be noticed by teachers.

Strake is a bit more diverse than SJS, both in terms of income and ethnicity, thanks to the school's large scholarship endowment. We also liked the all boys environment. It gives the boys more freedom to be boys, without the added distractions and pressures of girls. If we had a girl, we'd put her in all-girls' school, based on our experiences at Strake. Strake's philosophy is that a busy boy is a boy that stays out of trouble. So opportunities for competitive sports abound, and a really heavy, rigorous academic workload.

A disadvantage of not having girls around - the boys don't mind their appearance much. Our son claims that after the first 6 months @ Strake, he lost his sense of smell
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Old 03-13-2012, 08:51 AM
 
53 posts, read 202,984 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by karuna95 View Post
All great comments - I agree completely.

Our son attends Strake, because it's a better fit for his personality and temperament. Overall, he's happy there, although he does confess to the occasional fantasy about attending public school where he can blend in with the crowds and not be noticed by teachers.

Strake is a bit more diverse than SJS, both in terms of income and ethnicity, thanks to the school's large scholarship endowment. We also liked the all boys environment. It gives the boys more freedom to be boys, without the added distractions and pressures of girls. If we had a girl, we'd put her in all-girls' school, based on our experiences at Strake. Strake's philosophy is that a busy boy is a boy that stays out of trouble. So opportunities for competitive sports abound, and a really heavy, rigorous academic workload.

A disadvantage of not having girls around - the boys don't mind their appearance much. Our son claims that after the first 6 months @ Strake, he lost his sense of smell
But even though strake is an all boy school, it's really not because St. Agnes is right across the parking lot, and the boys and girls interact every day, even in some classes and through lunch, so girls are around!
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Old 03-13-2012, 11:35 PM
 
Location: Houston
687 posts, read 2,118,642 times
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Yes, St. Agnes is next door, so girls are around, but not really. They can eat lunch at each others' cafeterias, and the older kids DO have the opportunity to take some classes together. There are opportunities to mingle like formal dances also, but day in day out, Strake is pretty much an all-boys environment.

But back to the original question, I think it's a matter of knowing your child's strengths and weaknesses, and then helping him pick the school that not only fits his temperament, but also can reduce his weaknesses while building on his strengths. Strake's not for every boy, but for the right boy, it is a good place to grow, and learn. The same can be said for St. John's.
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Old 06-04-2016, 11:01 AM
 
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I went to St. Agnes and my brother went to Strake. They are excellent schools, many of our teachers were professors and wonderful mentors who did everything they could to make sure we were successful. They went above and beyond and gave us networking opportunities and listened to our opinions. We had a wonderful mix of male and female teachers and friends of all backgrounds. It was wonderful being right across the parking lot from each other and nice to be focused in the classroom without distractions, but at the same time be able to everything with the other school outside of class. The food is top-notch at both school( really it's amazing). Strake Jesuit really does make men for others. They start of as foolish boys coming in freshman year and they graduate as young successful men who are responsible and ready for college. For many of them, college was actually easier. Having gone to St. Agnes, I can say that I had many friends and The diversity really makes for a wonderful experience and I saw no bullying or anything( I know that's hard to believe). I can also say that at St. Agnes we were able to be ourselves and people embraced each other's differences. My brother admits Strake was very academically challenging. However, he got use to its workload and was able to manage his time very well and was very successful with both academics and sports. He also had many friends and they still meet up each summer as a group to catch up and hang out. Strake and St. Agnes hold a special places in our hearts and we are forever thankful for our time there.
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Old 06-04-2016, 03:06 PM
 
2,639 posts, read 8,245,070 times
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My son went to Jesuit and he loved it. His teachers were awesome and he goes back and visits them often. We laugh about his days at Jesuit often. Fun things seemed to happen every day. The work was difficult but it was an easy transition to college.
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