Do you think it is easier to get into a top college from public or private?

[Anonymous]

College is a business.

Non-profit entities that are a business.

As such, they operate in their own self-interest. They can take massive liberties in the way they present data to the public. Use Enron math to cook the books and draw mouths to the flame.

Think about it. 146,276 first-year applicants applied to UCLA for the Fall of 2024. If everyone paid $80 per application (the current US student app fee), assuming all from the US before expenses, they would make $12,433,460.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am from the Bay Area and what I can tell you from my experience is that the 5-10% top students at both the excellent (e.g. Gunn and the like) and the high quality independent privates do very well. Most, though not all will be accepted to a T20, assuming that is what they are trying for and that they have the EC's and character to match their GPA and scores.
The difference I have observed is where the next 10% of the class is accepted. In the case of my DC's private school those students got into Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, Rice, Emory, Vanderbilt and Georgetown (none were legacies). That was not the experience of the kids from the public high school-

This is it. If you are top 5% in public or top 5-10% in private, same outcomes - most likely.
If you are top 20-40% (depending on how "feeder" the private is), you'll have T20 outcomes. Just have to be at the "right" private school. They aren't all equal.

I don’t even think this is correct. Very few publics send the top few unhooked kids to a H/Y/P year after year. The top privates schools do.

There are plenty of publics that have those kinds of results in the upper echelons of their classes year after year. Take a look at Montgomery Blair’s college admissions IG from ‘25, for example. This board is preoccupied with the NOVA and W publics so it is rarely discussed, but I believe they had five kids go to MIT, among many other T20s. FIVE. Much broader range of schools than you would find at an elite private, but their top kids have great outcomes. That includes kids who might take a step or two down in “prestige” to take advantage of merit money or other scholarships.

You understand that a school like NCS has about 75 girls in the class? Sidwell maybe 125 kids? You can’t compare raw numbers of admits to a college between a private school and a big public school with 500+ kids per grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will depend on the school. Private schools obviously have an advantage bc they choose their students. That’s not the case at public high schools that educate everyone in their district. That’s their mission.

But the top 10-20 percent of students at well resourced public schools like Langley and the Ws do just as well as the elite private school students when it comes to college admissions. And the STEM kids at public schools are usually much stronger than the private school students. Which is no small thing these days.

Do they all get into top20 schools? This is the question. I don't know as I'm a private school parent. At STA and Sidwell they do. 100%.
Do 100% of the top 20% at Langley and the Ws get into top20 schools?

100 percent of students at STA and Sidwell do not go to top 20 schools. If you're talking about the top 10-20 percent at STA and Sidwell, sure. But you're talking about a few dozen students at most who all went through a competitive admissions process just to go to high school. That's not the case at public schools, where everyone can attend.

The other thing to remember is that STA and Sidwell parents tend to be rich. They don't think about merit scholarships. There are a lot of great students at Langley and the Ws that end up choosing full rides at Maryland or UVA or honors programs elsewhere with significant awards over dropping $400,000 to attend Cornel or Columbia. Most people have more than one kid, and spending $800,000 for college is a big stretch for most working professionals. So professional UMC families make different choices than the STA and Sidwell families who aren't concerned by cost.

But in terms of college admissions, there is no meaningful difference in results between private school students and the strong public school students. And of course there are a lot of wealthy families in the W and Langley districts, so the money issue doesn't apply to everyone. Choose whatever is a better fit for your kid.

Of course, there are differences, you just identified some,

One can reasonably conclude that if one wants to attend an instate public college, doesn’t matter where you go. But private schools do better with top private colleges, it’s obvious from the composition of the class. We have really touched on slacs, but they really love private school kids.

Absolutely no one cares about SLACs.

Both of my kids go to top 20 colleges and I've been following this thing for a little while. If you are in a good school district with all the options - from ECs to APs to high level math like multivariable - I can't see why one would choose a private school. Typically, in my area, that's the special needs option. Or the lazy rich choice.

I'm quite confident the top 10-20 percent of students at Whitman or Langley are far brighter and accomplished than students at GDS or Sidwell. And the college admissions results reflect that at the competitive schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The big advantage of a private is the college counseling advice. The big suburban publics give you no individualized support, and, indeed, frequently give counterproductive class selection guidance! Poor little teen complaining about how hard foreign language is? "Oh, poor dear, you should drop it next year and take something fun like ceramics!" Also, the competition is fierce and secretive. No one knows where anyone is applying!

As a reader for a college scholarship committee, I will also say that the recommendations from private school couseling offices are typically vastly superior. Public school recs tend to be Timmy is an excellent student, he took the hardest courses, he was a valuable member of our school. It is usually clear that the writer doesn't know the student all that well. Private school recs tend to be way more personal and detailed, highlighting accomplisments, leadership, special circumstances, and framing the candidate in a way that complements the rest of the application package. It is a huge advantage.

Op here. I worry about this for my HS kid. He is a strong student and the counselor absolutely does not know him.

I recommend reaching out to the counselor and talking with them about what the schools your DS is applying to expect.

I’ve heard here elsewhere that even some privates have counselors that send a form home junior year to get this information.

Doesn’t every school send forms home in junior year for both parents to fill out in a separate one for the kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will depend on the school. Private schools obviously have an advantage bc they choose their students. That’s not the case at public high schools that educate everyone in their district. That’s their mission.

But the top 10-20 percent of students at well resourced public schools like Langley and the Ws do just as well as the elite private school students when it comes to college admissions. And the STEM kids at public schools are usually much stronger than the private school students. Which is no small thing these days.

Do they all get into top20 schools? This is the question. I don't know as I'm a private school parent. At STA and Sidwell they do. 100%.
Do 100% of the top 20% at Langley and the Ws get into top20 schools?

100 percent of students at STA and Sidwell do not go to top 20 schools. If you're talking about the top 10-20 percent at STA and Sidwell, sure. But you're talking about a few dozen students at most who all went through a competitive admissions process just to go to high school. That's not the case at public schools, where everyone can attend.

The other thing to remember is that STA and Sidwell parents tend to be rich. They don't think about merit scholarships. There are a lot of great students at Langley and the Ws that end up choosing full rides at Maryland or UVA or honors programs elsewhere with significant awards over dropping $400,000 to attend Cornel or Columbia. Most people have more than one kid, and spending $800,000 for college is a big stretch for most working professionals. So professional UMC families make different choices than the STA and Sidwell families who aren't concerned by cost.

But in terms of college admissions, there is no meaningful difference in results between private school students and the strong public school students. And of course there are a lot of wealthy families in the W and Langley districts, so the money issue doesn't apply to everyone. Choose whatever is a better fit for your kid.

Of course, there are differences, you just identified some,

One can reasonably conclude that if one wants to attend an instate public college, doesn’t matter where you go. But private schools do better with top private colleges, it’s obvious from the composition of the class. We have really touched on slacs, but they really love private school kids.

Absolutely no one cares about SLACs.

Both of my kids go to top 20 colleges and I've been following this thing for a little while. If you are in a good school district with all the options - from ECs to APs to high level math like multivariable - I can't see why one would choose a private school. Typically, in my area, that's the special needs option. Or the lazy rich choice.

I'm quite confident the top 10-20 percent of students at Whitman or Langley are far brighter and accomplished than students at GDS or Sidwell. And the college admissions results reflect that at the competitive schools.

The lady doth protest too much. Sounds like you aren’t confident at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in a top public school (Langley High in McLean). My oldest is currently a junior and it feels like there are so many students who may sound similar on paper. He is targeting T20 schools like everyone else in the school.

I have 2 other kids and considering private schools for them. Cost is a non-factor. We gave our oldest the option to switch to private in middle school and he chose to stay with his friends. He does have a fantastic friend group. Wondering if we should switch our younger kids earlier.

We're been in a top public and a top private, also have friends from all over publics and private of different levels of selectivity.

My observation is if you can afford it (budget extra for donations, extra curricular, summer programs, etc. it sucks but that's the reality), then always better to be applying from a top feeder private HS if your goal is T20 college. My DC who goes to a top private sends 35% a year to T20, 1-2 each a year to HYP, Duke, Penn, Chicago, Williams, JHU, Dartmouth, etc. like clock work.

After a true feeder private, I have seen it's better to come from a top public, of course best if it's TJ, Stuy, Bronx Sci.. that level.

Affluent area top publics like Scarsdale also do well, but not at the same level as above 2.

After that, honestly I have seen kids who go to mediocre publics do well if your school generally sucks, never sends anyone to T20, but you are a unicorn and scored 1560+ in the SAT and have a real (not BS kind) hospital internship.

It gets harder when you come from a mediocre private. Some of these schools send a handful of kids to T20 a year, like 3-4 kids total out of a class 120 so lower than gen pop stats, and almost never to HYPMS unless it's a top athletic recruit.

If your kid is a true super star, then a feeder private will give you a better shot at HYPMS and magnet public will give you a great chance at T20. If your kid is the kind who would score 1400 in SAT first try with no tutoring no superscore (be honest here), then don't do top magnet because they won't be on the top 10% of class, and then after that it gets real dicey; UVA may not be a guarantee due to competition. if this caliber of kid can be tutored to get a 1530, then go for the top private if you can afford it. These kinds of kids get into at least Emory, and decent chance to schools like Chicago, Rice and Wash U if you are willing to ED.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The big advantage of a private is the college counseling advice. The big suburban publics give you no individualized support, and, indeed, frequently give counterproductive class selection guidance! Poor little teen complaining about how hard foreign language is? "Oh, poor dear, you should drop it next year and take something fun like ceramics!" Also, the competition is fierce and secretive. No one knows where anyone is applying!

As a reader for a college scholarship committee, I will also say that the recommendations from private school couseling offices are typically vastly superior. Public school recs tend to be Timmy is an excellent student, he took the hardest courses, he was a valuable member of our school. It is usually clear that the writer doesn't know the student all that well. Private school recs tend to be way more personal and detailed, highlighting accomplisments, leadership, special circumstances, and framing the candidate in a way that complements the rest of the application package. It is a huge advantage.

Op here. I worry about this for my HS kid. He is a strong student and the counselor absolutely does not know him.

I recommend reaching out to the counselor and talking with them about what the schools your DS is applying to expect.

I’ve heard here elsewhere that even some privates have counselors that send a form home junior year to get this information.

Doesn’t every school send forms home in junior year for both parents to fill out in a separate one for the kids?

Yes, our public sent a form for the student and for the parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will depend on the school. Private schools obviously have an advantage bc they choose their students. That’s not the case at public high schools that educate everyone in their district. That’s their mission.

But the top 10-20 percent of students at well resourced public schools like Langley and the Ws do just as well as the elite private school students when it comes to college admissions. And the STEM kids at public schools are usually much stronger than the private school students. Which is no small thing these days.

Do they all get into top20 schools? This is the question. I don't know as I'm a private school parent. At STA and Sidwell they do. 100%.
Do 100% of the top 20% at Langley and the Ws get into top20 schools?

100 percent of students at STA and Sidwell do not go to top 20 schools. If you're talking about the top 10-20 percent at STA and Sidwell, sure. But you're talking about a few dozen students at most who all went through a competitive admissions process just to go to high school. That's not the case at public schools, where everyone can attend.

The other thing to remember is that STA and Sidwell parents tend to be rich. They don't think about merit scholarships. There are a lot of great students at Langley and the Ws that end up choosing full rides at Maryland or UVA or honors programs elsewhere with significant awards over dropping $400,000 to attend Cornel or Columbia. Most people have more than one kid, and spending $800,000 for college is a big stretch for most working professionals. So professional UMC families make different choices than the STA and Sidwell families who aren't concerned by cost.

But in terms of college admissions, there is no meaningful difference in results between private school students and the strong public school students. And of course there are a lot of wealthy families in the W and Langley districts, so the money issue doesn't apply to everyone. Choose whatever is a better fit for your kid.

Of course, there are differences, you just identified some,

One can reasonably conclude that if one wants to attend an instate public college, doesn’t matter where you go. But private schools do better with top private colleges, it’s obvious from the composition of the class. We have really touched on slacs, but they really love private school kids.

Np. You’re confusing correlation with causation. Private school kids do better with private college admissions for one reason only— because the colleges assume (correctly) that private school kids will be FULL PAY. If you ED from a public with other signs of being FULL PAY, your chances are just as good, if not better. it’s all about the money for colleges, do not think otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in a top public school (Langley High in McLean). My oldest is currently a junior and it feels like there are so many students who may sound similar on paper. He is targeting T20 schools like everyone else in the school.

I have 2 other kids and considering private schools for them. Cost is a non-factor. We gave our oldest the option to switch to private in middle school and he chose to stay with his friends. He does have a fantastic friend group. Wondering if we should switch our younger kids earlier.

We're been in a top public and a top private, also have friends from all over publics and private of different levels of selectivity.

My observation is if you can afford it (budget extra for donations, extra curricular, summer programs, etc. it sucks but that's the reality), then always better to be applying from a top feeder private HS if your goal is T20 college. My DC who goes to a top private sends 35% a year to T20, 1-2 each a year to HYP, Duke, Penn, Chicago, Williams, JHU, Dartmouth, etc. like clock work.

After a true feeder private, I have seen it's better to come from a top public, of course best if it's TJ, Stuy, Bronx Sci.. that level.

Affluent area top publics like Scarsdale also do well, but not at the same level as above 2.

After that, honestly I have seen kids who go to mediocre publics do well if your school generally sucks, never sends anyone to T20, but you are a unicorn and scored 1560+ in the SAT and have a real (not BS kind) hospital internship.

It gets harder when you come from a mediocre private. Some of these schools send a handful of kids to T20 a year, like 3-4 kids total out of a class 120 so lower than gen pop stats, and almost never to HYPMS unless it's a top athletic recruit.

If your kid is a true super star, then a feeder private will give you a better shot at HYPMS and magnet public will give you a great chance at T20. If your kid is the kind who would score 1400 in SAT first try with no tutoring no superscore (be honest here), then don't do top magnet because they won't be on the top 10% of class, and then after that it gets real dicey; UVA may not be a guarantee due to competition. if this caliber of kid can be tutored to get a 1530, then go for the top private if you can afford it. These kinds of kids get into at least Emory, and decent chance to schools like Chicago, Rice and Wash U if you are willing to ED.

Interesting to read your observation as I've also been following this closely with kids in our network (and 3 kids of my own). In the end, it's the kid who gets into the college, and a private school isn't going to push a mediocre kid over the edge. Find the school that is the right fit for the kid - and that includes the social aspect too. We didn't want a crazy AP factory public school, and we didn't want unnecessary social pressures of elite private schools, so we landed on a highly rated, smaller public school and it has been excellent for our kids. Our kids have legacy at HYP and we considered that there will be even more HYP legacies at the privates in our area.

We have many friends with kids at highly ranked private schools in the area, and the college results have been similar (or sometimes worse for the private school kids, because it's dependent on the kid!) But talking to friends who have moved their kids from public to private for high school, many have regret. It's hard to adjust socially to kids who have been in the private school circle since kindergarten. Social issues can affect academics. So unless you know that your kids is going to thrive in a new environment, I would consider staying put and putting resources into helping position your kids for whatever tier college you're aiming for!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in a top public school (Langley High in McLean). My oldest is currently a junior and it feels like there are so many students who may sound similar on paper. He is targeting T20 schools like everyone else in the school.

I have 2 other kids and considering private schools for them. Cost is a non-factor. We gave our oldest the option to switch to private in middle school and he chose to stay with his friends. He does have a fantastic friend group. Wondering if we should switch our younger kids earlier.

We're been in a top public and a top private, also have friends from all over publics and private of different levels of selectivity.

My observation is if you can afford it (budget extra for donations, extra curricular, summer programs, etc. it sucks but that's the reality), then always better to be applying from a top feeder private HS if your goal is T20 college. My DC who goes to a top private sends 35% a year to T20, 1-2 each a year to HYP, Duke, Penn, Chicago, Williams, JHU, Dartmouth, etc. like clock work.

After a true feeder private, I have seen it's better to come from a top public, of course best if it's TJ, Stuy, Bronx Sci.. that level.

Affluent area top publics like Scarsdale also do well, but not at the same level as above 2.

After that, honestly I have seen kids who go to mediocre publics do well if your school generally sucks, never sends anyone to T20, but you are a unicorn and scored 1560+ in the SAT and have a real (not BS kind) hospital internship.

It gets harder when you come from a mediocre private. Some of these schools send a handful of kids to T20 a year, like 3-4 kids total out of a class 120 so lower than gen pop stats, and almost never to HYPMS unless it's a top athletic recruit.

If your kid is a true super star, then a feeder private will give you a better shot at HYPMS and magnet public will give you a great chance at T20. If your kid is the kind who would score 1400 in SAT first try with no tutoring no superscore (be honest here), then don't do top magnet because they won't be on the top 10% of class, and then after that it gets real dicey; UVA may not be a guarantee due to competition. if this caliber of kid can be tutored to get a 1530, then go for the top private if you can afford it. These kinds of kids get into at least Emory, and decent chance to schools like Chicago, Rice and Wash U if you are willing to ED.

Interesting to read your observation as I've also been following this closely with kids in our network (and 3 kids of my own). In the end, it's the kid who gets into the college, and a private school isn't going to push a mediocre kid over the edge. Find the school that is the right fit for the kid - and that includes the social aspect too. We didn't want a crazy AP factory public school, and we didn't want unnecessary social pressures of elite private schools, so we landed on a highly rated, smaller public school and it has been excellent for our kids. Our kids have legacy at HYP and we considered that there will be even more HYP legacies at the privates in our area.

We have many friends with kids at highly ranked private schools in the area, and the college results have been similar (or sometimes worse for the private school kids, because it's dependent on the kid!) But talking to friends who have moved their kids from public to private for high school, many have regret. It's hard to adjust socially to kids who have been in the private school circle since kindergarten. Social issues can affect academics. So unless you know that your kids is going to thrive in a new environment, I would consider staying put and putting resources into helping position your kids for whatever tier college you're aiming for!

I agree with all of this. Find the school where your kid will thrive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in a top public school (Langley High in McLean). My oldest is currently a junior and it feels like there are so many students who may sound similar on paper. He is targeting T20 schools like everyone else in the school.

I have 2 other kids and considering private schools for them. Cost is a non-factor. We gave our oldest the option to switch to private in middle school and he chose to stay with his friends. He does have a fantastic friend group. Wondering if we should switch our younger kids earlier.

I would enjoy assisting a Langley zoned, full pay family.

[Anonymous]

I think it depends on the private and what you are aiming for. If you look at GDS and Sidwell, it certainly appears to give a leg up. And I don’t buy all the public school parents shouting “legacy, blah blah, blah.” There are plenty of well connected public school kids in McLean and other areas.

Click thru the schools and make your own assessment.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/30/1173827.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends on the private. I don’t want to denigrate any schools, but there is a big difference between the best privates, mid tier privates, and random catholic schools. I would bet the best privates would give your kid a better chance but a great public would be the same or better than the latter two.

For us, the ones that I think are actually better than our public would add a lot of logistics and time, so we said no. No regrets but as we have a junior now, I can see the difference in the level of support that my kid is getting at his highly rated public vs some of my friends’ kids who are at these very good private schools.

Relatedly, I am over the rat race to a T20. I just want to raise a happy adult with a good work ethic. There is only one chance at childhood, and we aren’t breaking our kids’ backs to get to a T20. They will be just fine wherever they go. All that to say, I don’t care about the different college outcomes that much, even if they are a little different.

Op here. VA doesn’t have a lot of options and probably the reason why we haven’t switched to private. Our friends from college and grad school send their kids to private schools in the Northeast. Our options are little Langley (no high school), Basis and Potomac. Then there are inconvenient schools that I’m not sure are much better than our public like flint hill, SSSA, Landon, Hinton, etc. these are all a significant logistical challenge although we have neighbors who send their kids to st Albans, Gonzaga, NCS, etc.

We are in Arlington. I know kids at Holton, GDS, and Sidwell. It’s not a big deal to commute there. I also know kids at SR and Maret but I don’t think there is a boost there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fo course it’s easier, at least from the most academically rigorous private schools going to private colleges, especially when you look at admissions on per capita basis. Also disagree with the last poster, my spouse gets sent the results for our region as an interviewer for one of Y/P/H/S and the private schools do better.

For large public colleges, probably a wash.

Because of legacies. And there's nothing more annoying than an Ivy alumni interviewer. They can't get over their "glory days" and it's pretty pathetic.

Also, it's obvious you're not posting from the DMV and don't know anything about Langley High School.

All of this is false, and you are clearly triggered. Perhaps step away until you can participate in a rational, as opposed to crazy emotional, manner.

Are you posting from the DMV or not?

Yes, I am in the DMV.

And you and your husband now parse the limited data from the "glory days" college that your husband attended years ago and make broad generalizations from it.

Got it.

Says the person whose offered zero data, but plenty of hostility and rudeness.

You're not offering data. You're offering anecdotes. If you ran your "data" by your husband's "glory days" college admissions office and what the two of you are concluding from it I bet they'd disagree with you.

Actually I offered the data that 35 to 45 percent of the class at H and Y are from private schools. What data have you supplied? Zilch. Just bile from you.

And that means nothing in and of itself as has been explained time and again on this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fo course it’s easier, at least from the most academically rigorous private schools going to private colleges, especially when you look at admissions on per capita basis. Also disagree with the last poster, my spouse gets sent the results for our region as an interviewer for one of Y/P/H/S and the private schools do better.

For large public colleges, probably a wash.

Because of legacies. And there's nothing more annoying than an Ivy alumni interviewer. They can't get over their "glory days" and it's pretty pathetic.

Also, it's obvious you're not posting from the DMV and don't know anything about Langley High School.

All of this is false, and you are clearly triggered. Perhaps step away until you can participate in a rational, as opposed to crazy emotional, manner.

Are you posting from the DMV or not?

Yes, I am in the DMV.

And you and your husband now parse the limited data from the "glory days" college that your husband attended years ago and make broad generalizations from it.

Got it.

Says the person whose offered zero data, but plenty of hostility and rudeness.

You're not offering data. You're offering anecdotes. If you ran your "data" by your husband's "glory days" college admissions office and what the two of you are concluding from it I bet they'd disagree with you.

Actually I offered the data that 35 to 45 percent of the class at H and Y are from private schools. What data have you supplied? Zilch. Just bile from you.

And that means nothing in and of itself as has been explained time and again on this thread.

Huh? Stop making things up.