Was Private Worth the Money if DC Didn’t Get into a “good” University?

[Anonymous]

Apply to college from Iowa for four years if you want a T20. Applying from a big metro area simply doesn’t work. That’s why 20% of sfs, cathedral schools apply again as transfer students during their freshman year. Or gap year and reapply.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apply to college from Iowa for four years if you want a T20. Applying from a big metro area simply doesn’t work. That’s why 20% of sfs, cathedral schools apply again as transfer students during their freshman year. Or gap year and reapply.

How does gap year help? They’re still be applying as a freshman matriculating from a private school in a top metro area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apply to college from Iowa for four years if you want a T20. Applying from a big metro area simply doesn’t work. That’s why 20% of sfs, cathedral schools apply again as transfer students during their freshman year. Or gap year and reapply.

20% huh? I’m willing to bet you haven’t stepped foot in any of these schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Obviously college matriculation isn’t everything, but I feel as if I have talked to parents who wish they had kept their kids in public had they known their kids were going to go to a subpar university. I have seen quite a few threads talking about grade deflation at ‘top whatever’ schools, and having concerns that it is negatively impacting their child’s admissions, then what exactly is the point of a top private school? Sure the quality of education in high school is important, but arguably you make most of your connections and zone in on your career path in college. Do you regret spending tens of thousands of dollars every year for private school?

Alex, I'll take things that never actually happened for $100.

DP. Oh come on, not every child who attends a private high school gets into a top university.

That said, who frickin cares. The obsession with colleges on this board is beyond ridiculous.

HVAC tech is making 160k in 23

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apply to college from Iowa for four years if you want a T20. Applying from a big metro area simply doesn’t work. That’s why 20% of sfs, cathedral schools apply again as transfer students during their freshman year. Or gap year and reapply.

How does gap year help? They’re still be applying as a freshman matriculating from a private school in a top metro area.

+1, unless they do a post grad year elsewhere

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Probably should have kept my child in PGCPS. They likely would have gotten better outplacement results, given the huge desparities and socioeconomic backgrounds that do not exist in independent schools.

The dirty little secret is the above--if you are a family that WOULD choose private, but keep your child in public--particularly from DC or a more economically diverse area like PG, you are going to get a lot of 'uniqueness' points if your kid is a high flyer in public. Our kid got into a reach school because of this. I am NOT saying our child got a better HS education, just more access to college choices. Bear in mind, it can be a blessing and a curse to get into a 'reach school' if you are not prepared. Research and drop out rates bear this out.

Lots of food for thought!

[Anonymous]

Yes - so far DC is not accepted to a T20 school via ED/EA (but in at several in T50-T75 range) and I would still send them to the same private HS. Hoping for some RD acceptances - there are many in the pipeline . But if not, they are very well prepared and have many opportunities available at the schools they have in hand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Probably should have kept my child in PGCPS. They likely would have gotten better outplacement results, given the huge desparities and socioeconomic backgrounds that do not exist in independent schools.

The dirty little secret is the above--if you are a family that WOULD choose private, but keep your child in public--particularly from DC or a more economically diverse area like PG, you are going to get a lot of 'uniqueness' points if your kid is a high flyer in public. Our kid got into a reach school because of this. I am NOT saying our child got a better HS education, just more access to college choices. Bear in mind, it can be a blessing and a curse to get into a 'reach school' if you are not prepared. Research and drop out rates bear this out.

Lots of food for thought!

I think it’s incredibly arrogant to assume your kid could do well out of any environment. I knew incredibly bright and talented kids at my crappy high school who just never took off. One of my brother’s friends even got into Harvard but washed out immediately and is back in our rural town not doing much. And he’s doing all that nothing with all his best friends from high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Probably should have kept my child in PGCPS. They likely would have gotten better outplacement results, given the huge desparities and socioeconomic backgrounds that do not exist in independent schools.

The dirty little secret is the above--if you are a family that WOULD choose private, but keep your child in public--particularly from DC or a more economically diverse area like PG, you are going to get a lot of 'uniqueness' points if your kid is a high flyer in public. Our kid got into a reach school because of this. I am NOT saying our child got a better HS education, just more access to college choices. Bear in mind, it can be a blessing and a curse to get into a 'reach school' if you are not prepared. Research and drop out rates bear this out.

Lots of food for thought!

Lol. That is less a “dirty little secret” and more “a super obvious thing everyone knows”. If all you care about is admission to a prestigious school, send your kid to the worst public you can.

Of course, if you are concerned with the actual education your kid receives for 13 formative years of their lives, the calculus might be different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was joking. There is in fact a serious movement. We’ve lost skilled industry workers.

Why not?
Anesthetist nurse makes 300k
Electrician (union) starts at 140k and is paid to qualify

Look up Opportunity@Work; they call tearing the paper ceiling (diploma, get it?)

But I don’t think this is a realistic expectation for the kids at Big3

Are you joking about anesthetist nurse salary?[/

No. There is a woman on IG talking about her job in this area. She makes $280k for 35-45 hrs of work.
The average is $200k

And she went to college!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Obviously college matriculation isn’t everything, but I feel as if I have talked to parents who wish they had kept their kids in public had they known their kids were going to go to a subpar university. I have seen quite a few threads talking about grade deflation at ‘top whatever’ schools, and having concerns that it is negatively impacting their child’s admissions, then what exactly is the point of a top private school? Sure the quality of education in high school is important, but arguably you make most of your connections and zone in on your career path in college. Do you regret spending tens of thousands of dollars every year for private school?

Alex, I'll take things that never actually happened for $100.

don’t get the reference.

PP, Alex is dating you a bit, perhaps you should have said Mayim... Although that doesn't have the same ring to it.

You can't be serious. He's been dead for THREE years. It's not like she made a Johnny Carson reference. (Mayim sucks as host btw)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Probably should have kept my child in PGCPS. They likely would have gotten better outplacement results, given the huge desparities and socioeconomic backgrounds that do not exist in independent schools.

The dirty little secret is the above--if you are a family that WOULD choose private, but keep your child in public--particularly from DC or a more economically diverse area like PG, you are going to get a lot of 'uniqueness' points if your kid is a high flyer in public. Our kid got into a reach school because of this. I am NOT saying our child got a better HS education, just more access to college choices. Bear in mind, it can be a blessing and a curse to get into a 'reach school' if you are not prepared. Research and drop out rates bear this out.

Lots of food for thought!

That’s why we moved abroad to a much smaller country for senior year of high school. There was only one american school in the entire country, and DC stood out for the geographic diversity points for college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Obviously college matriculation isn’t everything, but I feel as if I have talked to parents who wish they had kept their kids in public had they known their kids were going to go to a subpar university. I have seen quite a few threads talking about grade deflation at ‘top whatever’ schools, and having concerns that it is negatively impacting their child’s admissions, then what exactly is the point of a top private school? Sure the quality of education in high school is important, but arguably you make most of your connections and zone in on your career path in college. Do you regret spending tens of thousands of dollars every year for private school?

I’ve posted before but the majority of private school families don’t even feel the pain of tuition. It’s mind boggling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Probably should have kept my child in PGCPS. They likely would have gotten better outplacement results, given the huge desparities and socioeconomic backgrounds that do not exist in independent schools.

The dirty little secret is the above--if you are a family that WOULD choose private, but keep your child in public--particularly from DC or a more economically diverse area like PG, you are going to get a lot of 'uniqueness' points if your kid is a high flyer in public. Our kid got into a reach school because of this. I am NOT saying our child got a better HS education, just more access to college choices. Bear in mind, it can be a blessing and a curse to get into a 'reach school' if you are not prepared. Research and drop out rates bear this out.

Lots of food for thought!

That’s why we moved abroad to a much smaller country for senior year of high school. There was only one american school in the entire country, and DC stood out for the geographic diversity points for college.

For real, you win “parent of the year” for moving to Port Au Prince to boost DC’s college application profile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Probably should have kept my child in PGCPS. They likely would have gotten better outplacement results, given the huge desparities and socioeconomic backgrounds that do not exist in independent schools.

The dirty little secret is the above--if you are a family that WOULD choose private, but keep your child in public--particularly from DC or a more economically diverse area like PG, you are going to get a lot of 'uniqueness' points if your kid is a high flyer in public. Our kid got into a reach school because of this. I am NOT saying our child got a better HS education, just more access to college choices. Bear in mind, it can be a blessing and a curse to get into a 'reach school' if you are not prepared. Research and drop out rates bear this out.

Lots of food for thought!

That’s why we moved abroad to a much smaller country for senior year of high school. There was only one american school in the entire country, and DC stood out for the geographic diversity points for college.

For real, you win “parent of the year” for moving to Port Au Prince to boost DC’s college application profile.

The gangs, violence, and lack of potable water was worth it though! Larlo was able to write an amazing essay to Colby about getting cholera!