Colegio Nacional De Buenos Aires ?

[Matiasba]

One thing, good or bad -you judge- that is important in CNBA is the very high politicization level the students have. In general (there are exceptions) the profile is very pro-UBA and in the defense of free public education. There are todays many intellectuals, as well as politicians, writers, etc, that went there. And if we go back in time, like 50-60 years, the place is plenty of honourable men and prominent people.

 

[Matt84]

...the place is plenty of honourable men and prominent people.

Did you have vuelta olimpica at your private school or is that a privilege that stems out of learning Ancient Greek?
What about toilet seats in the boy s room?

 

[nativexpat]

Artigas, when you say that you have an opportunity for your son to attend CNBA next year, what exactly do you mean? Because as far as I am concerned, every student who whishes to attend either CNBA, Pellegrini or ILSE needs to attend the "curso de ingreso" the year before and pass exams in Math, History, Literature, and Geography. Maybe there is an agreement between countries? Where do you live now?

CNBA and Pellegrini have the same exams, but CNBA requires that the lowest grade be 60, whereas Pellegrini requires a minimum of 40 (or something along those lines). ILSE has a different curso de ingreso alltogether.

In the case of CNBA and Pellegrini, it is a shame that the buildings are neglected, desks are very old (wooden and attached to the floor).

 

[nativexpat]

Pros: your son will meet people from all walks of life, and with a certain degree of intelligence (most private schools in BA are just about money). Critical thinking is encouraged, and the school will make your son street smart.

Cons: there are 3 shifts to attend school, and there is a "lottery" to determine where your son may go... so he may end up going to school from 5 to 9 pm in a not-so-nice area of town.

 

[nativexpat]

This is an article which was posted in La Nacion a couple months ago regarding CNBA and the others: http://www.lanacion....emos-el-ingreso

Pretty accurate from what I know.

 

[artigas]

Artigas, when you say that you have an opportunity for your son to attend CNBA next year, what exactly do you mean? Because as far as I am concerned, every student who whishes to attend either CNBA, Pellegrini or ILSE needs to attend the "curso de ingreso" the year before and pass exams in Math, History, Literature, and Geography. Maybe there is an agreement between countries? Where do you live now?

CNBA and Pellegrini have the same exams, but CNBA requires that the lowest grade be 60, whereas Pellegrini requires a minimum of 40 (or something along those lines). ILSE has a different curso de ingreso alltogether.

In the case of CNBA and Pellegrini, it is a shame that the buildings are neglected, desks are very old (wooden and attached to the floor).



Everyone -
Thank you all for your replies, they have been very helpful.

Nativexat -
My son is currently in the ¨curso de ingreso¨ and has completed 7 of the 10 exams and is already very close to passing the 600 benchmark. He is bright, but no genius and has got good results without any extra help, tutoring or excesive study. The ¨curso de ingreso¨ classroom is 5 hours on Saturday and packed with 35 kids and there is very little individual student teacher interaction, more like freshman college hall lectures. I do not know if this is indicative of how the Colegio works in practice, or is particular to the ¨curso de ingreso¨. Yes, the infrastructure is a bit worn down, but no worse than any other public institution in BA or Uruguay, and not a important factor for us. I understand the CNBA’s historical role and reputation in Argentina, my question is have they substantially lowered their standards and expectations in line with the times? Has the private school sector passed CNBA by? Are the academics, experience and contacts to be had at CNBA still valuable in today’s Argentina? Its hard to judge because we have only been in Argentina since the begining or the year and are not fully plugged in to the current local thinking about values and mindset.

I guess it all boils down to the old question: ¨is it worth joining a club that will accept me?¨ If CNBA is the best Argentina has to offer, I am all for it. If there are better options, I would at least like us to make an informed decision.

 

[Matt84]

The random part extends to the possibility of early morning or afternoon, only the low scores are offered the evening consolation alternative. Your son should do fine for a school with plumbingbof the 1860s

 

[Lulu-Kyoko]

I have a friend whose daughter attends CNBA. He is very, very proud of this... and has (repetitively) told me that the main purpose of attending the school is for the present and future contacts. He also appears to enjoy the fact that he too is now in the loop, as a result of being part of the Facebook 'father's group.'

Oddly, he has not mentioned the academic side of things, i.e., how rigorous the program is. His primary focus seems to be the status that comes with attending the school.

However, his point was that in Latin American countries, who you know is far more important than what you know.

 

[Rich One]

The Who is Who of Argentina Politics and business attended CNBA for what it may be worth...! I

 

[nativexpat]

Oh I see Artigas, I thought you were writing from abroad... I was confused.

All I can say is that everything and everyone in Argentina has lowered their standards, but I believe that CNBA and the 2 others are still sitting on top (of those low standards ).

One thing I can tell: I have been taking language lessons at CUI for the last 2 years, and in every class I have met a couple CNBA or Pellegrini egresados (ages 16 through 26). The way the speak, the way they interact with adults cannot compare with the others. These kids have something special.

Good luck! I am following this topic with interest since I have a son in the 6th grade and we are considering ILSE or Pellegrini.