Stupid question about elite private high schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually they do exist and they are living at home after failing out of their after first semester/year now going to community college. And yea they are UMC.

Wait until your kids go to college and read the fb pages of all the parents freaking out about their failed classes and being put on academic probation.

Good luck poster..you are in for a rude awakening!!!!!

Top schools like say Princeton have a 98% graduation rate for all students (and a 98% freshman retention rate). Princeton is around 64% from public school and 36% from private school.

They don't have data on the 2% that drop out...so, a person like Miles Cole (public HS kid; Forbes 30 under 30) who drops out to found a start-up, is in the same statistic of a kid who flunks out.

It's again silly to claim public high school kids are all struggling at these top schools. A school like Princeton has 80% submitting test scores, and average SAT scores of like 1560. The athletes (who skew private school) have 35% getting admitted TO, so that means even more of the general population is submitting scores.

This is the key stat, which is true at other top schools too. Yes, private high schools are over-represented—and for good reason—but it is the height of stupidity to think that a super majority of students at Ivy Plus schools are floundering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually they do exist and they are living at home after failing out of their after first semester/year now going to community college. And yea they are UMC.

Wait until your kids go to college and read the fb pages of all the parents freaking out about their failed classes and being put on academic probation.

Good luck poster..you are in for a rude awakening!!!!!

Top schools like say Princeton have a 98% graduation rate for all students (and a 98% freshman retention rate). Princeton is around 64% from public school and 36% from private school.

They don't have data on the 2% that drop out...so, a person like Miles Cole (public HS kid; Forbes 30 under 30) who drops out to found a start-up, is in the same statistic of a kid who flunks out.

It's again silly to claim public high school kids are all struggling at these top schools. A school like Princeton has 80% submitting test scores, and average SAT scores of like 1560. The athletes (who skew private school) have 35% getting admitted TO, so that means even more of the general population is submitting scores.

This is the key stat, which is true at other top schools too. Yes, private high schools are over-represented—and for good reason—but it is the height of stupidity to think that a super majority of students at Ivy Plus schools are floundering.

It is all relative at these schools. Where are the top college students at Princeton coming from and where are the bottom from? The answer shouldn’t surprise anybody.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually they do exist and they are living at home after failing out of their after first semester/year now going to community college. And yea they are UMC.

Wait until your kids go to college and read the fb pages of all the parents freaking out about their failed classes and being put on academic probation.

Good luck poster..you are in for a rude awakening!!!!!

Top schools like say Princeton have a 98% graduation rate for all students (and a 98% freshman retention rate). Princeton is around 64% from public school and 36% from private school.

They don't have data on the 2% that drop out...so, a person like Miles Cole (public HS kid; Forbes 30 under 30) who drops out to found a start-up, is in the same statistic of a kid who flunks out.

It's again silly to claim public high school kids are all struggling at these top schools. A school like Princeton has 80% submitting test scores, and average SAT scores of like 1560. The athletes (who skew private school) have 35% getting admitted TO, so that means even more of the general population is submitting scores.

This is the key stat, which is true at other top schools too. Yes, private high schools are over-represented—and for good reason—but it is the height of stupidity to think that a super majority of students at Ivy Plus schools are floundering.

It is all relative at these schools. Where are the top college students at Princeton coming from and where are the bottom from? The answer shouldn’t surprise anybody.

That’s fine—though still a dubious claim—but that’s not the point people have been making.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, because most people who send their kids to private don't think the tuition part is a big deal. It's about the quality of the environment and learning, not a direct funnel to certain colleges.

Are privates around here $35k? Ours is $52k.

Correct on why we send them to a private. It's the everyday that counts. The lunch, the bathrooms, the teacher availability.
Oh, it's closer to 60k, btw.

[Anonymous]

I know from personal experience that public school students do not struggle at top schools. I went to an Ivy from a very mediocre high school and felt a bit intimidated for my first couple of weeks. However, by about week 3, I realized that I could handle the work as well as my peers.

Those from private schools and good public schools did not seem to have the same qualms those first few weeks, but it all evened out very quickly. After graduating, I went on to an Ivy law school. Top colleges only accept those they feel sure sill be able to succeed at their school. So I think it’s ridiculous to say that public school students struggle at top colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course everyone here says no but the answer is often yes. Not because they necessarily regret spending the money, though some do, but because the fixation on prestige and status that often accompanies private school attendance doesn’t suddenly vanish when the kids turn 18.

Just look at how nasty the fights turn on this site every year when the college acceptance threads start. Or the fixation with middling private colleges over better-ranked and more highly regarded public ones. Plenty of parents may not care or learn to live with where their kid is ending up, but plenty of others don’t.

Both things can also be true—you can send your kid to private for better environment/education, but can also be disappointed with the college outcome.

+1. I agree. If you care so much about “better” education, nice environment, access to peers for future networking, etc. then it makes no sense you’d suddenly NOT care about that for college, especially when you’ve invested half a million dollars to that end. Pretending you don’t care is part of justifying the choice or saving face.

For many of us, "better environment" mean a better fit. That will still hold true for college. T10/25/50 may not be the best fit for a kid. So if the kid went to an elite private school for fit, and then attends a college not in the T100 because of the fit, do you think the parents are disappointed? Do you think they feel they made a poor investment in their childs education?

Yes. There are very few parents at competitive DC privates that think their kid can’t find a good fit in the top 50. Not to mention the face-saving aspect of going somewhere ranked higher.

Face saving? Talk about insecure. My kids are good, but not top students. I do not expect them to apply to let alone get into top colleges. They are happy and thriving at a small private school, and they will continue to thrive in a small college environment with nice people. They will be happy there and do well. They will get jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know from personal experience that public school students do not struggle at top schools. I went to an Ivy from a very mediocre high school and felt a bit intimidated for my first couple of weeks. However, by about week 3, I realized that I could handle the work as well as my peers.

Those from private schools and good public schools did not seem to have the same qualms those first few weeks, but it all evened out very quickly. After graduating, I went on to an Ivy law school. Top colleges only accept those they feel sure sill be able to succeed at their school. So I think it’s ridiculous to say that public school students struggle at top colleges.

Of course it’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous to claim that 2/3s of these schools’ classes are struggling and continue to struggle after graduation.

Even more than being ridiculous, though, it’s poor reasoning and reflects badly on the people making the claims.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know from personal experience that public school students do not struggle at top schools. I went to an Ivy from a very mediocre high school and felt a bit intimidated for my first couple of weeks. However, by about week 3, I realized that I could handle the work as well as my peers.

Those from private schools and good public schools did not seem to have the same qualms those first few weeks, but it all evened out very quickly. After graduating, I went on to an Ivy law school. Top colleges only accept those they feel sure sill be able to succeed at their school. So I think it’s ridiculous to say that public school students struggle at top colleges.

This is just what some people say to make themselves feel better about sending their kids to private. I also went to an Ivy from a public and had a 4.0.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know from personal experience that public school students do not struggle at top schools. I went to an Ivy from a very mediocre high school and felt a bit intimidated for my first couple of weeks. However, by about week 3, I realized that I could handle the work as well as my peers.

Those from private schools and good public schools did not seem to have the same qualms those first few weeks, but it all evened out very quickly. After graduating, I went on to an Ivy law school. Top colleges only accept those they feel sure sill be able to succeed at their school. So I think it’s ridiculous to say that public school students struggle at top colleges.

Of course it’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous to claim that 2/3s of these schools’ classes are struggling and continue to struggle after graduation.

Even more than being ridiculous, though, it’s poor reasoning and reflects badly on the people making the claims.

Nobody said that. However where are the bottom 30% of college students at the ivies coming from? Mostly public. How are their careers after college? Middling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know from personal experience that public school students do not struggle at top schools. I went to an Ivy from a very mediocre high school and felt a bit intimidated for my first couple of weeks. However, by about week 3, I realized that I could handle the work as well as my peers.

Those from private schools and good public schools did not seem to have the same qualms those first few weeks, but it all evened out very quickly. After graduating, I went on to an Ivy law school. Top colleges only accept those they feel sure sill be able to succeed at their school. So I think it’s ridiculous to say that public school students struggle at top colleges.

This is just what some people say to make themselves feel better about sending their kids to private. I also went to an Ivy from a public and had a 4.0.

How has your career post college gone? Did you set yourself up for success in college, beyond class grades? Where are you now?

[Anonymous]

We definitely didn't send our kid to private school because of college placement, but because we were looking for a quality high school education with higher standards. We sent her to a top private school to try to replicate the fantastic education that my husband and I got for free in the public schools back in the day. We used to send our kid to public school but unfortunately our public school curriculum is a joke post-covid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know from personal experience that public school students do not struggle at top schools. I went to an Ivy from a very mediocre high school and felt a bit intimidated for my first couple of weeks. However, by about week 3, I realized that I could handle the work as well as my peers.

Those from private schools and good public schools did not seem to have the same qualms those first few weeks, but it all evened out very quickly. After graduating, I went on to an Ivy law school. Top colleges only accept those they feel sure sill be able to succeed at their school. So I think it’s ridiculous to say that public school students struggle at top colleges.

Of course it’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous to claim that 2/3s of these schools’ classes are struggling and continue to struggle after graduation.

Even more than being ridiculous, though, it’s poor reasoning and reflects badly on the people making the claims.

Nobody said that. However where are the bottom 30% of college students at the ivies coming from? Mostly public. How are their careers after college? Middling.

Actually, they did say that. This was on page 4, in response to a comment saying that plenty of public school grads do well:

“Not really. Most non-magnet public school students at top colleges struggle and don’t have good outcomes afterwards.”

And then on page 6 there was the comment along the lines of, “if you actually went to a top college, you would know how public school grads struggle there and afterwards.”

With over 60% of the student body at these colleges coming from public high schools—and with the outcomes from these colleges being very strong—this is terrible logic and absurd.

And to your latest point, no, the bottom 30% of Ivy grads don’t have middling careers. This is like Make Up Numbers Day, or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know from personal experience that public school students do not struggle at top schools. I went to an Ivy from a very mediocre high school and felt a bit intimidated for my first couple of weeks. However, by about week 3, I realized that I could handle the work as well as my peers.

Those from private schools and good public schools did not seem to have the same qualms those first few weeks, but it all evened out very quickly. After graduating, I went on to an Ivy law school. Top colleges only accept those they feel sure sill be able to succeed at their school. So I think it’s ridiculous to say that public school students struggle at top colleges.

Of course it’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous to claim that 2/3s of these schools’ classes are struggling and continue to struggle after graduation.

Even more than being ridiculous, though, it’s poor reasoning and reflects badly on the people making the claims.

Nobody said that. However where are the bottom 30% of college students at the ivies coming from? Mostly public. How are their careers after college? Middling.

Actually, they did say that. This was on page 4, in response to a comment saying that plenty of public school grads do well:

“Not really. Most non-magnet public school students at top colleges struggle and don’t have good outcomes afterwards.”

And then on page 6 there was the comment along the lines of, “if you actually went to a top college, you would know how public school grads struggle there and afterwards.”

With over 60% of the student body at these colleges coming from public high schools—and with the outcomes from these colleges being very strong—this is terrible logic and absurd.

And to your latest point, no, the bottom 30% of Ivy grads don’t have middling careers. This is like Make Up Numbers Day, or something.

Yes they do. Lots of duds actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know from personal experience that public school students do not struggle at top schools. I went to an Ivy from a very mediocre high school and felt a bit intimidated for my first couple of weeks. However, by about week 3, I realized that I could handle the work as well as my peers.

Those from private schools and good public schools did not seem to have the same qualms those first few weeks, but it all evened out very quickly. After graduating, I went on to an Ivy law school. Top colleges only accept those they feel sure sill be able to succeed at their school. So I think it’s ridiculous to say that public school students struggle at top colleges.

This is just what some people say to make themselves feel better about sending their kids to private. I also went to an Ivy from a public and had a 4.0.

How has your career post college gone? Did you set yourself up for success in college, beyond class grades? Where are you now?

I’m not at all pro-public schools and wouldn’t send my kids to one after having attended public schools from K through 12 and formed a very negative opinion of the quality. That said, I’ve been quite successful professionally after 13 years of public school followed by 4 years of elite college and 3 years of elite law school, and I know other public school kids who did just fine after the Ivies and their equivalents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know from personal experience that public school students do not struggle at top schools. I went to an Ivy from a very mediocre high school and felt a bit intimidated for my first couple of weeks. However, by about week 3, I realized that I could handle the work as well as my peers.

Those from private schools and good public schools did not seem to have the same qualms those first few weeks, but it all evened out very quickly. After graduating, I went on to an Ivy law school. Top colleges only accept those they feel sure sill be able to succeed at their school. So I think it’s ridiculous to say that public school students struggle at top colleges.

Of course it’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous to claim that 2/3s of these schools’ classes are struggling and continue to struggle after graduation.

Even more than being ridiculous, though, it’s poor reasoning and reflects badly on the people making the claims.

Nobody said that. However where are the bottom 30% of college students at the ivies coming from? Mostly public. How are their careers after college? Middling.

Actually, they did say that. This was on page 4, in response to a comment saying that plenty of public school grads do well:

“Not really. Most non-magnet public school students at top colleges struggle and don’t have good outcomes afterwards.”

And then on page 6 there was the comment along the lines of, “if you actually went to a top college, you would know how public school grads struggle there and afterwards.”

With over 60% of the student body at these colleges coming from public high schools—and with the outcomes from these colleges being very strong—this is terrible logic and absurd.

And to your latest point, no, the bottom 30% of Ivy grads don’t have middling careers. This is like Make Up Numbers Day, or something.

Yes they do. Lots of duds actually.

No, a middling career is starting out as a management trainee in the management training program at Enterprise. A third of Ivy grads are not ending up with careers like that. Maybe 5-10% max.