Reviews: Gossip Girl and NYC Prep

Published July 05, 2009

Two television series about private schools have received a certain amount of buzz recently. Gossip Girl  airs on CW .  NYC Prep is on Bravo.


Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl is based on the novels of Cecily von Ziegesar.  Ms. von Ziegsar herself is a graduate of Nightingale-Bamford, a Manhattan girls' school. The Gossip Girl series made it to the best seller lists in 2002. It chronicles the lives and exploits of the wealthy teens attending The Constance Billard School for Girls. Gossip Girl premiered on CW in 2007.

What's to Like

The cinematography is fabulous. You will have plenty of New York City vistas, shops and restaurants, as well as those incredible Park Avenue apartments to soak up. HDTV makes it a breath-taking experience without doubt.

The fact that the show really does not depict what actually goes on in a fine old Manhattan girls' school. That's a good thing. Because we can only imagine what those poor teachers and administrators have to deal with on a daily basis. New York is a vibrant, exciting city, but it can be terribly rough and 'in your face'. It takes a very tough teacher to face some of those parents and children in a conference room discussing little Rebecca's failing grade in calculus, that's for sure.

The clothes. No American city does clothes better than New York. And these kids know how to wear those clothes. And where to wear them. Fashionistas will find much to savor in each episode.

What's Not to Like

The fact that the teens in Gossip Girl seem to be irresponsible, aimless and unfocused is kind of sad. You would think that children from great wealth and privilege would be taught by their parents that wealth and privilege has its obligations and responsibilities.

Most of the characters are teens. Teens are rather boring simply because they don't know that much and are very opinionated about what they think they know.

Gossip Girl gives the impression that private schools as a genre are just for rich kids. That's just not true anymore. Ms. von Ziegsar attended Nightingale-Bamford back in the 70s and 80s. Much has changed since then. Yes, children from very wealthy families still attend private school. Yes, the offspring of corporate titans and famous neurosurgeons still attend private school. But nowadays so do the policeman's daughter and the truck driver's son. Diversity rules in private schools pretty much everywhere these days, except perhaps at Le Rosey.

NYC Prep

NYC Prep hit the small screen in June 2009. It purports to be a reality show. In reality it's very unreal.

What's to Like

All the same things written above about Gossip Girl apply. The New York scenery is simply amazing. Because the show uses the reality format, the photography is more natural with far fewer retakes. That can be appealing for the fluid scenes with plenty of action. It doesn't work as well with conversation scenes and closeups simply because the actors don't always project the emotion tight closeups require to be effective.

NYC Prep focuses on just six main characters. Unfortunately they are teens, so you have to wade through a lot of inanities to unlock the personality of each character.

The vicarious element is definitely delicious. Enjoying some of those neighborhood restaurants only New York seems to have in great abundance is great fun. Once again, the boutique and spa scenes reveal the opulence of the life style of the extremely rich.

What's Not to Like

These children have far too much time on their hands. If they were in boarding school in New Hampshire or Connecticut, they would be leading structured lives 24/7. Since their parents aren't actively supervising their lives, with the exception of one poor girl's overzealous mother, it's no wonder these kids wander about so aimlessly, spending tons of money which they haven't earned, filling their days with frivolous pursuits with not a care for anything or anyone but themselves. This selfish side of growing up rich in Manhattan is kind of hard to take.

Final Thoughts

Take Gossip Girl and NYC prep with a grain of salt. Actually, take them with many grains of salt. They may claim to portray the lives of real students who attend the best Manhattan private schools. In truth they portray the lives of some students who attend a few schools of the hundreds of private schools Manhattan offers. For every Gossip Girl or NYC Prep student who is struggling with shopping, there are hundreds of students struggling to make better lives for themselves by doing the very hard academic work a private school expects.

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Different kinds of schools, schools in various locations, associations and directories.

About Schools

Associations

National, state and regional association of private schools

  • National Associations
    As you research schools, check the national and state associations. Is the school you are considering a member? If not, why not?
  • Regional Associations
    Some states do not have their own private school associations. Schools band together across state lines forming regional associations. These associations have the same purpose as state associations. More here.
  • State Associations
    Do the schools you are researching belong to state independent school associations? If not, find out why not!

Directories

Guides and web sites with lists of schools

  • Directories
    A list of directories of private and independent schools.
  • Guides To Private Schools
    Do you prefer to peruse a book rather than going online to find private schools? If so, there are some excellent guides to private schools available.

Kinds of Schools

Various kinds of schools

  • Alternative Schools
    Sometimes a regular school is not the right fit for a child. Perhaps she needs an alternative school.
  • Classical Christian Schools
    Classical Christian schools combine strict adherence to Christian beliefs with classical principles of education.
  • Semester Schools
    A semester school allows you to experience new surroundings, new environments, different ways of life and much more.
  • Hockey Schools
    Got an aspiring hockey player in your family? Many American private schools enjoy a great reputation for excellent hockey teams as well as superb academics.
  • Free Schools
    There are but a few free private schools in the United States. Most of them were founded by visionary businessmen who believed that children from working class and poor families should have the same educational advantages as children from families with money.
  • Progressive Schools
    Progressive schools have been around since the early 1900's. Some educators think that progressives are rebels against traditional rote learning. The progressive educators like to think of themselves as reformers. The truth is somewhere in the middle.
  • 5 Clues That It Might Not Really Be Montessori School
    Of the approximately 8,000 Montessori schools in the U.S. only 1,100 schools are members of the American Montessori Society. Does this matter? What else should you look for to determine if a Montessori school is the real thing?
  • International Schools
    Sending your children to an international school might make sense if you plan on being in the U.S. only for a few years.
  • Lab Schools
    What is a lab school? It's a K-12 school or school with some variation of those grades which is operated by a university or college.
  • Military Schools
    Military schools offer structure and discipline as well as a top-notch education.
  • Montessori Schools
    Montessori schools are popular world-wide with parents of children in the primary grades.
  • The Oldest Schools
    The oldest American private school is Collegiate School in Manhattan founded in 1628.
  • Religious Schools
    Religion is important to you. You want your children to be educated in a school where your religion matters.
  • Schools For The Arts
    Schools for the artistically gifted child are in short supply.
  • The PG Year
    A PG or Post Graduate year offers time to mature and time to perfect a sport or other interests.
  • Special Needs Schools
    Do you think your son has a learning disability? Not sure what to do? A special needs school might be the way to go.
  • Waldorf Schools
    Waldorf schools offer a well thought out approach to K-12 education.

Locations

Schools in major cities

  • Boston Area Schools
    The metropolitan Boston area offers a wide range of academic and cultural activities. Just as impressive is the area's selection of private schools.
  • Litchfield County Schools
    Litchfield County, Connecticut, is home to a couple of dozen excellent schools catering to just about every need. The setting about 90 miles north of New York City is convenient to one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world.
  • Seattle Area Schools
    The Seattle area is home to many fine private schools as well as to Microsoft and Boeing.

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