Unhooked kids - Why is private HS worth the diminished chances for top college admissions?

[Anonymous]

In looking at college admissions and based on comments on this board it seems like most kids from top privates getting in to top schools are athletic recruits, donor kids or other heavily hooked kids. If your child is not hooked do you believe your child's chances are lower at getting into a good college from your private? Why or why not? If so, why did you decide to have your child in private anyway?

[Anonymous]

Probably. We are here for the first 13 years of education, not the 4 that follow. There are many colleges that can give an excellent education, and I feel sure that my kids will get into one of them even if it’s not a “top school”. There are NOT many primary and secondary schools within driving distance for which I can say the same. It was a no-brainer for us.

There have been lots and lots of discussions of this topic. Not sure what new there is to say about it.

[Anonymous]

Well said. We don’t do it for the college admissions.

[Anonymous]

My kids are unhooked and I'm sure attending a top private (as they do) will decrease their college options. 100% sure. I've watched the admissions (public and private) somewhat obsessively for the past 2 cycles.

That said, our DCPS high school is uneven at best and dismal at worst (teacher dependent).
We were in DCPS for 14 years for 3 kids so I know of what I speak.

[Anonymous]

How many times will you make versions of this same thread?

[Anonymous]

How is it any better when you have 50+ kids from some giant Moco public applying to the same Ivy? Genuinely curious.

[Anonymous]

My kids go to private because we strongly believe it is a better, more enriching and well-rounded experience. College admissions have nothing to do with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is it any better when you have 50+ kids from some giant Moco public applying to the same Ivy? Genuinely curious.

Seriously. Can anyone provide proof that an unhooked MCPS kid does better with college admissions than an unhooked kid from a MoCo private?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is it any better when you have 50+ kids from some giant Moco public applying to the same Ivy? Genuinely curious.

Good question but I think it's because:
-Colleges will limit the number of kids they take from any one high school. Not a strict quota but they know how small the privates are.
-Privates have many more big donor and VIP legacies. Simple legacy means very little in the DMV--you often need to be a donor/VIP and the privates have a lot of these.
-Privates have a high percentage of sports recruits. They have to staff the same sports teams the publics do on a fraction of the student body. So there are far more athletes per capita.
-Privates also have a much higher URM ratio than most publics. At the top ones it's almost 50-50. These kids are gold for college admissions.

[Anonymous]

Aren’t hooked kids chances somewhat diminished too?

[Anonymous]

One reason I chose private is because a knife fight broke out in the local high school.

At the other local public high school we considered, science classes didn’t have a teacher so kids were learning from worksheets. The private school is a different kind of mess but no one brought a gun or knife and tried to use it.

Kid got into Burke and SSFS but we didn’t get enough financial aid, and we couldn’t not afford the $170,000.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is it any better when you have 50+ kids from some giant Moco public applying to the same Ivy? Genuinely curious.

Good question but I think it's because:
-Colleges will limit the number of kids they take from any one high school. Not a strict quota but they know how small the privates are.
-Privates have many more big donor and VIP legacies. Simple legacy means very little in the DMV--you often need to be a donor/VIP and the privates have a lot of these.
-Privates have a high percentage of sports recruits. They have to staff the same sports teams the publics do on a fraction of the student body. So there are far more athletes per capita.
-Privates also have a much higher URM ratio than most publics. At the top ones it's almost 50-50. These kids are gold for college admissions.

This all makes theoretic sense, but without data it’s all a theory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One reason I chose private is because a knife fight broke out in the local high school.

At the other local public high school we considered, science classes didn’t have a teacher so kids were learning from worksheets. The private school is a different kind of mess but no one brought a gun or knife and tried to use it.

Kid got into Burke and SSFS but we didn’t get enough financial aid, and we couldn’t not afford the $170,000.

Didn’t mean to use a double negative.

We couldn’t afford…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One reason I chose private is because a knife fight broke out in the local high school.

At the other local public high school we considered, science classes didn’t have a teacher so kids were learning from worksheets. The private school is a different kind of mess but no one brought a gun or knife and tried to use it.

Kid got into Burke and SSFS but we didn’t get enough financial aid, and we couldn’t not afford the $170,000.

second part maybe true but you never know about the first part

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is it any better when you have 50+ kids from some giant Moco public applying to the same Ivy? Genuinely curious.

Good question but I think it's because:
-Colleges will limit the number of kids they take from any one high school. Not a strict quota but they know how small the privates are.
-Privates have many more big donor and VIP legacies. Simple legacy means very little in the DMV--you often need to be a donor/VIP and the privates have a lot of these.
-Privates have a high percentage of sports recruits. They have to staff the same sports teams the publics do on a fraction of the student body. So there are far more athletes per capita.
-Privates also have a much higher URM ratio than most publics. At the top ones it's almost 50-50. These kids are gold for college admissions.

This is a good analysis