Don't send your kids to private school

[Anonymous]

I went to 'top' private schools and hated it so much. I always wanted to attend public school. I wish my parents invested the 50k year tuition (or just gave it to me) instead.

Public school = inflated gpas, easy classes, less workload, bigger campuses, and you actually get to choose your classes.

You know how maddening it is to have everyone tell us how "easy" we have it and how "privileged" we are when high school was miserable. I had to work 10x harder to get a mediocre GPA. Scored in the 97th percentile on my SAT and it simply wasn't good enough with such an awful GPA.

I attended a top 20 university that felt 100x less stressful than high school. Graduated summa cum laude with barely any effort. Meanwhile, there were countless public school students who entered university with absurd 4.5 GPAs, mediocre SAT scores, and struggled at the university level.

I even had roommates who FAILED classes when they were 'superstars' at their public high schools. And public school students all think they're geniuses because like 90 percent of them have at least a 4.0 GPA. Meanwhile, maybe 2 percent of students at private high school have a 4.0.

I attended the Dalton school in New York and National Cathedral School in DC. And only a handful of girls went to Ivys btw (my brother attended St Albans and more boys were accepted, but not many). Although my brother did go on to attend an Ivy league law school. Even with SAT scores above the 97th percentile, we STILL weren't competitive enough for the top 10 universities. Admittedly, I wasn't the most dedicated student back then, but I guarantee I would have had a 4.0 at public school with the same amount of effort.

If I have kids in the future (I'm still in my 20s), then I will never send them to private school. The education is not even superior, they just force more work on you. A few teachers were bitter weirdos who constantly guilt-tripped us and made us feel like trash for having wealthy parents & being "privileged". They would literally bring up their teacher salaries in front of us and tell us how 'lucky' we were constantly. What a lovely environment.

Honestly, the best plan is to send your kid to public school (for less stress, more choice, and an inflated GPA). Just get them an SAT tutor on the side. Then invest the 50-60k you'd spend a year. It's the perfect combo.

[Anonymous]

You are a sample size of one.



Thank you for sharing your singular experience

[Anonymous]

That fancy education didn’t teach you to write in any logical way. So you knew lots of kids from public schools who were unprepared for college, failing classes left and right, but you still think that’s the preferable route for your own kids? And you say the private school education isn’t even superior, but yet you and your private school peers were comparably much better prepared for college? What am I missing?

[Anonymous]

This is sad. You arein your 20s but sound bitter, or cynical. Maybe a bit of gratitude will help your perspective. Just hoping that you can see the glass half full.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
If I have kids in the future (I'm still in my 20s), then I will never send them to private school. The education is not even superior, they just force more work on you. A few teachers were bitter weirdos who constantly guilt-tripped us and made us feel like trash for having wealthy parents & being "privileged". They would literally bring up their teacher salaries in front of us and tell us how 'lucky' we were constantly. What a lovely environment.

Your kids will be on the internet in the future crying about how their grandparents sacrificed everything to send their parents to private schools and give them a great start in life... Only for the parent to do the bare minimum and send their children to public school.

[Anonymous]

So you will send your children to public school so they will be behind and ill-prepared for college just because your teachers called you privileged?

What kind of logic is this?

[Anonymous]

Your post actually makes the case for private school- you were so well prepared that college was easy and you did well, and you had friends who were top of their class at public who struggled a lot.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like you wish your parents had made different decisions. Which is part of being human. It also sounds like you wish your life had gone different and are blaming your high school experience and your parents choices, which is not uncommon but fairly immature and limited perspective.

Your parents made the best choices they could for you, and you are free to make different ones for your kids. Be aware that they’ll likely still blame you for their dissatisfaction (and everyone has some) if that’s what you model.

Quite frankly, it also sounds like you have no appreciation for the fact you’ve lived a very privileged life. Perhaps consider whatever it takes to gain some perspective - therapy, volunteering, whatever works for you.

[Anonymous]

Gently, OP, private school isn’t the core issue here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your post actually makes the case for private school- you were so well prepared that college was easy and you did well, and you had friends who were top of their class at public who struggled a lot.

Yup. Writing top public schools can't keep up is case in point.

My private school grad on the other hand is breezing through college and has a 4.0 in a top college.

[Anonymous]

Hm, which school? You write like a teenager.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your post actually makes the case for private school- you were so well prepared that college was easy and you did well, and you had friends who were top of their class at public who struggled a lot.

Yup. Writing top public schools can't keep up is case in point.

My private school grad on the other hand is breezing through college and has a 4.0 in a top college.

Bet they know better than to use a sample size of one as indicative of anything meaningful.

[Anonymous]

You felt entitled to an Ivy with a 1400 SAT.

Most public school kids with a 1400, even if they get the 4.0 you imagine you would have gotten aren’t getting into Ivies or T20s either.

So, you are imagining something that isn’t reality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If I have kids in the future (I'm still in my 20s), then I will never send them to private school. The education is not even superior, they just force more work on you. A few teachers were bitter weirdos who constantly guilt-tripped us and made us feel like trash for having wealthy parents & being "privileged". They would literally bring up their teacher salaries in front of us and tell us how 'lucky' we were constantly. What a lovely environment.

Your kids will be on the internet in the future crying about how their grandparents sacrificed everything to send their parents to private schools and give them a great start in life... Only for the parent to do the bare minimum and send their children to public school.

Yup, whiny kids of a whiny parent. All the privilege in the universe and still not satisfied with her life.

Typical fancy private entitled attitude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hm, which school? You write like a teenager.

Read the whole post, bright eyes.