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

[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.

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.

We aren’t debating why, we are debating whether it’s an advantage. I will say that we have a good amount of economic diversity at our private,more than one would find at say a W school, and the admission results don’t differ by income.

[Anonymous]

It’s always amusing to see how worked up public school parents get on these threads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

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.

We aren’t debating why, we are debating whether it’s an advantage. I will say that we have a good amount of economic diversity at our private,more than one would find at say a W school, and the admission results don’t differ by income.

Im other words, pp’s theory is wrong. Colleges like taking kids where an admissions department has already screened them, and they are very familiar with the level of rigor. Same reason they like magnet kids.

[Anonymous]

The only answer is ...it depends. You compete for admission to top colleges with the other students in your HS class. If that is your criteria for choosing a high school, within reason, choose the one where you can be top dog.

[Anonymous]

You people are just nuts. You’re responding to OP’s thread asking about Langley High School compared to privates by bringing up the most elite and selective private high schools all over the country and saying they do better.

Well, duh. Of course they do.

But we’re talking about private schools in the DMV. With few exceptions it’s much less clear.

Another example of how this website going “national” is making it useless to DMV folks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s always amusing to see how worked up public school parents get on these threads.

lol
so true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You people are just nuts. You’re responding to OP’s thread asking about Langley High School compared to privates by bringing up the most elite and selective private high schools all over the country and saying they do better.

Well, duh. Of course they do.

But we’re talking about private schools in the DMV. With few exceptions it’s much less clear.

Another example of how this website going “national” is making it useless to DMV folks.

Yeah, it's weird when people are chiming in from SF or Seattle, or talking about Lawrenceville admission results. Kids who would otherwise go to Langley are sometimes also looking at Potomac, Landon, Gonzaga, and to a lesser extent some of the more academic DMV privates like Sidwell or St. Albans or NCS. What happens at elite boarding schools really doesn't matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You people are just nuts. You’re responding to OP’s thread asking about Langley High School compared to privates by bringing up the most elite and selective private high schools all over the country and saying they do better.

Well, duh. Of course they do.

But we’re talking about private schools in the DMV. With few exceptions it’s much less clear.

Another example of how this website going “national” is making it useless to DMV folks.

Yeah, it's weird when people are chiming in from SF or Seattle, or talking about Lawrenceville admission results. Kids who would otherwise go to Langley are sometimes also looking at Potomac, Landon, Gonzaga, and to a lesser extent some of the more academic DMV privates like Sidwell or St. Albans or NCS. What happens at elite boarding schools really doesn't matter.

So the OP sys Junior DC does not stand out in Public school. So should the younger ones be sent to one of those privates so they can stand out more from their peers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You people are just nuts. You’re responding to OP’s thread asking about Langley High School compared to privates by bringing up the most elite and selective private high schools all over the country and saying they do better.

Well, duh. Of course they do.

But we’re talking about private schools in the DMV. With few exceptions it’s much less clear.

Another example of how this website going “national” is making it useless to DMV folks.

Yeah, it's weird when people are chiming in from SF or Seattle, or talking about Lawrenceville admission results. Kids who would otherwise go to Langley are sometimes also looking at Potomac, Landon, Gonzaga, and to a lesser extent some of the more academic DMV privates like Sidwell or St. Albans or NCS. What happens at elite boarding schools really doesn't matter.

So the OP sys Junior DC does not stand out in Public school. So should the younger ones be sent to one of those privates so they can stand out more from their peers?

Honestly, I don't think the OP's kid goes to Langley, so I'm not that inclined to give specific advice. The line that every kid at Langley is gunning for T20 is laughable. The bottom half of Langley is not even thinking about T50, much less T20.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For super smart kids who want T5, they probably have a better chance at a competitive public high school. If T5 is not the goal, it’s easier to get into T20 at a good private school as long as the kid stays on top.

The ratio of private high school to public high schools kids, given how many more kids are public school kids, suggests the contrary.

For the T5 kids, they do well in private or public schools. These are the selected few, truly outstanding. But public schools provide a larger platform for leadership, whereas private schools often have more legacies and other hooks. They stand a slightly better chance at a public school.

This is based on nothing but your own opinion, and is nonsense. Schools like Langley and the Ws will have just as many legacies.

Nice try but false.

I know about a gazillion HYP legacies at the Ws. My husband is one of them.

lol look at what you wrote. "Oh my hubby is one." "Gazillion!" That must be true.

DP. You public school parents are so defensive. I just don't understand it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You people are just nuts. You’re responding to OP’s thread asking about Langley High School compared to privates by bringing up the most elite and selective private high schools all over the country and saying they do better.

Well, duh. Of course they do.

But we’re talking about private schools in the DMV. With few exceptions it’s much less clear.

Another example of how this website going “national” is making it useless to DMV folks.

Yeah, it's weird when people are chiming in from SF or Seattle, or talking about Lawrenceville admission results. Kids who would otherwise go to Langley are sometimes also looking at Potomac, Landon, Gonzaga, and to a lesser extent some of the more academic DMV privates like Sidwell or St. Albans or NCS. What happens at elite boarding schools really doesn't matter.

So the OP sys Junior DC does not stand out in Public school. So should the younger ones be sent to one of those privates so they can stand out more from their peers?

Honestly, I don't think the OP's kid goes to Langley, so I'm not that inclined to give specific advice. The line that every kid at Langley is gunning for T20 is laughable. The bottom half of Langley is not even thinking about T50, much less T20.

So it should be easier to stand out at Langely?

[Anonymous]

Langley*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For super smart kids who want T5, they probably have a better chance at a competitive public high school. If T5 is not the goal, it’s easier to get into T20 at a good private school as long as the kid stays on top.

The ratio of private high school to public high schools kids, given how many more kids are public school kids, suggests the contrary.

For the T5 kids, they do well in private or public schools. These are the selected few, truly outstanding. But public schools provide a larger platform for leadership, whereas private schools often have more legacies and other hooks. They stand a slightly better chance at a public school.

This is based on nothing but your own opinion, and is nonsense. Schools like Langley and the Ws will have just as many legacies.

Nice try but false.

I know about a gazillion HYP legacies at the Ws. My husband is one of them.

lol look at what you wrote. "Oh my hubby is one." "Gazillion!" That must be true.

DP. You public school parents are so defensive. I just don't understand it.

Sigh, you also lack creativity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You people are just nuts. You’re responding to OP’s thread asking about Langley High School compared to privates by bringing up the most elite and selective private high schools all over the country and saying they do better.

Well, duh. Of course they do.

But we’re talking about private schools in the DMV. With few exceptions it’s much less clear.

Another example of how this website going “national” is making it useless to DMV folks.

Yeah, it's weird when people are chiming in from SF or Seattle, or talking about Lawrenceville admission results. Kids who would otherwise go to Langley are sometimes also looking at Potomac, Landon, Gonzaga, and to a lesser extent some of the more academic DMV privates like Sidwell or St. Albans or NCS. What happens at elite boarding schools really doesn't matter.

So the OP sys Junior DC does not stand out in Public school. So should the younger ones be sent to one of those privates so they can stand out more from their peers?

Honestly, I don't think the OP's kid goes to Langley, so I'm not that inclined to give specific advice. The line that every kid at Langley is gunning for T20 is laughable. The bottom half of Langley is not even thinking about T50, much less T20.

So it should be easier to stand out at Langely?

This is way too generic of a question. Langley has close to 600 kids in each class. The top 10 percent is 60 kids, which is almost as many as the entire graduating class at a school at like St. Albans. The top 50% at St. Albans (30 kids) are probably comparable to the top 5% at Langley (30 kids). It is just apples and oranges. This is a stupid way to pick a high school.

[Anonymous]

Bay Area parent back again- one note.
The kids at our private school accepted their spots at the private colleges they were accepted to. Even though they were also excepted to one or both of Cal and UCLA. The drop off to the UC’s doesn’t happen until you get to Tufts for example. I suspect the private high schools result in higher yield for the T 20 (probably T30 and top SLAC’s) than the top public high schools. I don’t know whether that is part of the difference but it could be