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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We do it for the 13 years of consistent education, the experience and connections made during those years and the community. Our public is too big, too anonymous, too many behavior problems and checked out parents. This is a gift to our children. The best education we could provide them and the environment to support a better childhood. I'm saying the quiet part out loud here- people are buying a prettier, calmer, more focused experience. It's not about college at all

If you could have a kid who is happy, well mannered, good stats..etc. in a public, would you still go with private? I am curious about "it's not about college at all" comment.

I am not the poster you are replying to but I will offer my experience. We had that situation with our older son and did not go private. He thrived in public school - loves the noise and hustle. Loved having large groups of friends who all lived within a reasonable distance from school and had a very active social life. High stats, good relationships with several teachers, very involved in EC and now at a highly selective NESCAC where he tutors many kids from well-known privates as a tutor for his college's resource center. Our other son wanted a smaller environment and less noise and stimuli. He likes his school and his teachers and we think it has been worth the money. He missed having friends close by and that has created some challenges in his social life (which I believe is a very important part of well-being and development). Each kids is different so generalizations don't help much, in my opinion. And for those posters saying that if you haven't experienced an independent school, they shouldn't be commenting here, the same could be said for those same people commenting on the public school experience. I've had the experience with both and I can say that both experiences can be good. When I went to college, the kids that I saw go crazy and flounder were the private school kids. My college-aged son says the same. My friends who are professors and deans at various colleges love public school students - they have learned to navigate heterogenous groups, deal with large classes, are more adaptable, keep themselves on track, etc. Yes, there is some generalizing here but it is their experience shared with me. It doesn't mean private school is bad at all just that it isn't a panacea or a guarantee of a good school experience. I live 2 blocks from our neighborhood elementary school and have three friends who teach there. Trust me, there is plenty of joy there. I hear the kids outside throughout the day, I know what my friends are doing in the classroom, I see all the families gather outside on the playground after school for hours playing and talking. People need to pick what is right for their family but don't bash others for their choice (if they even had one) and certainly don't diminish the hard work of public school students who do well in some challenging environments.

Stop the bashing of public school students while I go on about how dumb private schools kids are.

That isn't what I did - that's just what you took from it. As you can see what I wrote, i have a private school kid who is having a good experience and we think it is worth the money. You just chose to focus on the some of the experiences that I pointed out that addressed my point that a private school education isn't a panacea. I think this board frequently bashes public schools/students unfairly while deluding themselves that private schools are always better than public. If you can't see that point, that is your problem not mine.

I’m not PP, but I don’t think that’s accurate. There have been multiple threads over the past month or so on this forum about how crappy the college prospects are for private school kids, how private schools got rid of APs because their kids would do badly on the exams, etc.

No one says that's why private schools eliminated APs. Even at schools where the classes are gone, kids continue to do well on the exams.

But that's not the reason why you send your kids to private, right? Right?

My senior hasn't taken any, so I'm not sure what your point is. Probably will take some this spring just to see.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We do it for the 13 years of consistent education, the experience and connections made during those years and the community. Our public is too big, too anonymous, too many behavior problems and checked out parents. This is a gift to our children. The best education we could provide them and the environment to support a better childhood. I'm saying the quiet part out loud here- people are buying a prettier, calmer, more focused experience. It's not about college at all

If you could have a kid who is happy, well mannered, good stats..etc. in a public, would you still go with private? I am curious about "it's not about college at all" comment.

I am not the poster you are replying to but I will offer my experience. We had that situation with our older son and did not go private. He thrived in public school - loves the noise and hustle. Loved having large groups of friends who all lived within a reasonable distance from school and had a very active social life. High stats, good relationships with several teachers, very involved in EC and now at a highly selective NESCAC where he tutors many kids from well-known privates as a tutor for his college's resource center. Our other son wanted a smaller environment and less noise and stimuli. He likes his school and his teachers and we think it has been worth the money. He missed having friends close by and that has created some challenges in his social life (which I believe is a very important part of well-being and development). Each kids is different so generalizations don't help much, in my opinion. And for those posters saying that if you haven't experienced an independent school, they shouldn't be commenting here, the same could be said for those same people commenting on the public school experience. I've had the experience with both and I can say that both experiences can be good. When I went to college, the kids that I saw go crazy and flounder were the private school kids. My college-aged son says the same. My friends who are professors and deans at various colleges love public school students - they have learned to navigate heterogenous groups, deal with large classes, are more adaptable, keep themselves on track, etc. Yes, there is some generalizing here but it is their experience shared with me. It doesn't mean private school is bad at all just that it isn't a panacea or a guarantee of a good school experience. I live 2 blocks from our neighborhood elementary school and have three friends who teach there. Trust me, there is plenty of joy there. I hear the kids outside throughout the day, I know what my friends are doing in the classroom, I see all the families gather outside on the playground after school for hours playing and talking. People need to pick what is right for their family but don't bash others for their choice (if they even had one) and certainly don't diminish the hard work of public school students who do well in some challenging environments.

Stop the bashing of public school students while I go on about how dumb private schools kids are.

That isn't what I did - that's just what you took from it. As you can see what I wrote, i have a private school kid who is having a good experience and we think it is worth the money. You just chose to focus on the some of the experiences that I pointed out that addressed my point that a private school education isn't a panacea. I think this board frequently bashes public schools/students unfairly while deluding themselves that private schools are always better than public. If you can't see that point, that is your problem not mine.

I’m not PP, but I don’t think that’s accurate. There have been multiple threads over the past month or so on this forum about how crappy the college prospects are for private school kids, how private schools got rid of APs because their kids would do badly on the exams, etc.

No one says that's why private schools eliminated APs. Even at schools where the classes are gone, kids continue to do well on the exams.

I think private schools are getting rid of APs because public school APs diluted the brand.
I suspect private schools want to advance the idea that their course work is more rigorus and expansive than the public school offerings, which may or may not be true, depending on the school.

There are kids in public and kids in private who do well on AP tests. I actually think that AP test scores, more than HS grades or even the SAT/ACT, are a true reflection of a student's capacity to do well in college level courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We do it for the 13 years of consistent education, the experience and connections made during those years and the community. Our public is too big, too anonymous, too many behavior problems and checked out parents. This is a gift to our children. The best education we could provide them and the environment to support a better childhood. I'm saying the quiet part out loud here- people are buying a prettier, calmer, more focused experience. It's not about college at all

If you could have a kid who is happy, well mannered, good stats..etc. in a public, would you still go with private? I am curious about "it's not about college at all" comment.

I am not the poster you are replying to but I will offer my experience. We had that situation with our older son and did not go private. He thrived in public school - loves the noise and hustle. Loved having large groups of friends who all lived within a reasonable distance from school and had a very active social life. High stats, good relationships with several teachers, very involved in EC and now at a highly selective NESCAC where he tutors many kids from well-known privates as a tutor for his college's resource center. Our other son wanted a smaller environment and less noise and stimuli. He likes his school and his teachers and we think it has been worth the money. He missed having friends close by and that has created some challenges in his social life (which I believe is a very important part of well-being and development). Each kids is different so generalizations don't help much, in my opinion. And for those posters saying that if you haven't experienced an independent school, they shouldn't be commenting here, the same could be said for those same people commenting on the public school experience. I've had the experience with both and I can say that both experiences can be good. When I went to college, the kids that I saw go crazy and flounder were the private school kids. My college-aged son says the same. My friends who are professors and deans at various colleges love public school students - they have learned to navigate heterogenous groups, deal with large classes, are more adaptable, keep themselves on track, etc. Yes, there is some generalizing here but it is their experience shared with me. It doesn't mean private school is bad at all just that it isn't a panacea or a guarantee of a good school experience. I live 2 blocks from our neighborhood elementary school and have three friends who teach there. Trust me, there is plenty of joy there. I hear the kids outside throughout the day, I know what my friends are doing in the classroom, I see all the families gather outside on the playground after school for hours playing and talking. People need to pick what is right for their family but don't bash others for their choice (if they even had one) and certainly don't diminish the hard work of public school students who do well in some challenging environments.

Stop the bashing of public school students while I go on about how dumb private schools kids are.

That isn't what I did - that's just what you took from it. As you can see what I wrote, i have a private school kid who is having a good experience and we think it is worth the money. You just chose to focus on the some of the experiences that I pointed out that addressed my point that a private school education isn't a panacea. I think this board frequently bashes public schools/students unfairly while deluding themselves that private schools are always better than public. If you can't see that point, that is your problem not mine.

I’m not PP, but I don’t think that’s accurate. There have been multiple threads over the past month or so on this forum about how crappy the college prospects are for private school kids, how private schools got rid of APs because their kids would do badly on the exams, etc.

No one says that's why private schools eliminated APs. Even at schools where the classes are gone, kids continue to do well on the exams.

I think private schools are getting rid of APs because public school APs diluted the brand.
I suspect private schools want to advance the idea that their course work is more rigorus and expansive than the public school offerings, which may or may not be true, depending on the school.

There are kids in public and kids in private who do well on AP tests. I actually think that AP test scores, more than HS grades or even the SAT/ACT, are a true reflection of a student's capacity to do well in college level courses.

Not sure about that. Yes, if a student struggles with an AP exam, they are probably not prepared for college level course work. But a top grade on an AP is no guarantee that the they will not be very challenged by college level work at a high level academic college

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We do it for the 13 years of consistent education, the experience and connections made during those years and the community. Our public is too big, too anonymous, too many behavior problems and checked out parents. This is a gift to our children. The best education we could provide them and the environment to support a better childhood. I'm saying the quiet part out loud here- people are buying a prettier, calmer, more focused experience. It's not about college at all

If you could have a kid who is happy, well mannered, good stats..etc. in a public, would you still go with private? I am curious about "it's not about college at all" comment.

I am not the poster you are replying to but I will offer my experience. We had that situation with our older son and did not go private. He thrived in public school - loves the noise and hustle. Loved having large groups of friends who all lived within a reasonable distance from school and had a very active social life. High stats, good relationships with several teachers, very involved in EC and now at a highly selective NESCAC where he tutors many kids from well-known privates as a tutor for his college's resource center. Our other son wanted a smaller environment and less noise and stimuli. He likes his school and his teachers and we think it has been worth the money. He missed having friends close by and that has created some challenges in his social life (which I believe is a very important part of well-being and development). Each kids is different so generalizations don't help much, in my opinion. And for those posters saying that if you haven't experienced an independent school, they shouldn't be commenting here, the same could be said for those same people commenting on the public school experience. I've had the experience with both and I can say that both experiences can be good. When I went to college, the kids that I saw go crazy and flounder were the private school kids. My college-aged son says the same. My friends who are professors and deans at various colleges love public school students - they have learned to navigate heterogenous groups, deal with large classes, are more adaptable, keep themselves on track, etc. Yes, there is some generalizing here but it is their experience shared with me. It doesn't mean private school is bad at all just that it isn't a panacea or a guarantee of a good school experience. I live 2 blocks from our neighborhood elementary school and have three friends who teach there. Trust me, there is plenty of joy there. I hear the kids outside throughout the day, I know what my friends are doing in the classroom, I see all the families gather outside on the playground after school for hours playing and talking. People need to pick what is right for their family but don't bash others for their choice (if they even had one) and certainly don't diminish the hard work of public school students who do well in some challenging environments.

Stop the bashing of public school students while I go on about how dumb private schools kids are.

That isn't what I did - that's just what you took from it. As you can see what I wrote, i have a private school kid who is having a good experience and we think it is worth the money. You just chose to focus on the some of the experiences that I pointed out that addressed my point that a private school education isn't a panacea. I think this board frequently bashes public schools/students unfairly while deluding themselves that private schools are always better than public. If you can't see that point, that is your problem not mine.

I’m not that PP but that PP accurately and pithily summarized your post, and I say that as a parent with kids in both public and private. If you are defensive at the characterization, you should rethink your communication.

I do not think I need to rethink my communication (I mean, come on, this is a social media message board not a board room), nor did I respond defensively. I will explain this again: I simply replied that that wasn't what I said but rather that it was what the reader chose to take from it. Nowhere did I bash private school kids. If someone chose to infer that, that was their choice, not my words. I said that one of my kid tutors many private school students (that does not make them bad students? I don't think so at all - my kid loves his campus job) and shared what professor/dean friends of mine shared. Nowhere did I say anything about what the professor/dean said about private school kids (they did comment on helicopter parents but that's a different subject). Don't read into more than what is actually in writing. Why can't I say good things about public school students without private school private school parents feeling like I am criticizing them or their students? That's ridiculous. Why read it that way? Why so sensitive? Both of my kids have friends who are/were in public and private schools. These kids NEVER criticized one another the way parents on this board criticize each other. Clearly the point was lost entirely on the initial responder - that public vs private is, in my opinion and experience, a place, time and child specific issue and that maybe we should stop criticizing hardworking kids. Or perhaps the comparison just a fool's errand that this board spends entirely too much time on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We do it for the 13 years of consistent education, the experience and connections made during those years and the community. Our public is too big, too anonymous, too many behavior problems and checked out parents. This is a gift to our children. The best education we could provide them and the environment to support a better childhood. I'm saying the quiet part out loud here- people are buying a prettier, calmer, more focused experience. It's not about college at all

If you could have a kid who is happy, well mannered, good stats..etc. in a public, would you still go with private? I am curious about "it's not about college at all" comment.

I am not the poster you are replying to but I will offer my experience. We had that situation with our older son and did not go private. He thrived in public school - loves the noise and hustle. Loved having large groups of friends who all lived within a reasonable distance from school and had a very active social life. High stats, good relationships with several teachers, very involved in EC and now at a highly selective NESCAC where he tutors many kids from well-known privates as a tutor for his college's resource center. Our other son wanted a smaller environment and less noise and stimuli. He likes his school and his teachers and we think it has been worth the money. He missed having friends close by and that has created some challenges in his social life (which I believe is a very important part of well-being and development). Each kids is different so generalizations don't help much, in my opinion. And for those posters saying that if you haven't experienced an independent school, they shouldn't be commenting here, the same could be said for those same people commenting on the public school experience. I've had the experience with both and I can say that both experiences can be good. When I went to college, the kids that I saw go crazy and flounder were the private school kids. My college-aged son says the same. My friends who are professors and deans at various colleges love public school students - they have learned to navigate heterogenous groups, deal with large classes, are more adaptable, keep themselves on track, etc. Yes, there is some generalizing here but it is their experience shared with me. It doesn't mean private school is bad at all just that it isn't a panacea or a guarantee of a good school experience. I live 2 blocks from our neighborhood elementary school and have three friends who teach there. Trust me, there is plenty of joy there. I hear the kids outside throughout the day, I know what my friends are doing in the classroom, I see all the families gather outside on the playground after school for hours playing and talking. People need to pick what is right for their family but don't bash others for their choice (if they even had one) and certainly don't diminish the hard work of public school students who do well in some challenging environments.

Stop the bashing of public school students while I go on about how dumb private schools kids are.

That isn't what I did - that's just what you took from it. As you can see what I wrote, i have a private school kid who is having a good experience and we think it is worth the money. You just chose to focus on the some of the experiences that I pointed out that addressed my point that a private school education isn't a panacea. I think this board frequently bashes public schools/students unfairly while deluding themselves that private schools are always better than public. If you can't see that point, that is your problem not mine.

I’m not PP, but I don’t think that’s accurate. There have been multiple threads over the past month or so on this forum about how crappy the college prospects are for private school kids, how private schools got rid of APs because their kids would do badly on the exams, etc.

No one says that's why private schools eliminated APs. Even at schools where the classes are gone, kids continue to do well on the exams.

I think private schools are getting rid of APs because public school APs diluted the brand.
I suspect private schools want to advance the idea that their course work is more rigorus and expansive than the public school offerings, which may or may not be true, depending on the school.

There are kids in public and kids in private who do well on AP tests. I actually think that AP test scores, more than HS grades or even the SAT/ACT, are a true reflection of a student's capacity to do well in college level courses.

Not sure about that. Yes, if a student struggles with an AP exam, they are probably not prepared for college level course work. But a top grade on an AP is no guarantee that the they will not be very challenged by college level work at a high level academic college

I mostly agree. As a parent of a kid that took a lot of APs (13), I agree that they are not a guarantee that a student won't be challenged by actual college level courses. APs are often about test preparation and breadth not depth. They can show some mastery of material and the ability to managed a larger workload but not much more than that in many cases. That's why many schools will still require students to retake the coursework at college or make them take their own placement assessment. The College Board wanted to claim that my son was "bilingual" but his college made him take a placement test for a foreign language and that college placement test was harder than the AP exam. Where I don't agree with the PP is that if a student struggles with an AP exam, they are probably not ready for actual college level courses. AP exams are a one shot deal - many kids don't do well on that sort of exam. Most college courses aren't like that and your final grade is based on more than one test.

[Anonymous]

We have kids in middle school and are beginning to explore private high school options. Is it really true that kids from private schools do worse in college acceptances than similar kids from public school? We are in a county that has subpar schools and do not see many great matriculations from our high school. I can't imagine doing worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have kids in middle school and are beginning to explore private high school options. Is it really true that kids from private schools do worse in college acceptances than similar kids from public school? We are in a county that has subpar schools and do not see many great matriculations from our high school. I can't imagine doing worse.

There’s anecdotal evidence, but the truth is that it is extremely difficult to compare the two groups. Percentage wise, a much larger percentage of independent school students go to selective colleges, but of course, the populations aren’t equivalent.

Your kid will be fine and will go to college. Do what you need to do to get him or her the best education now. That’s what you can control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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?

We never did it for the college admissions. Never crossed our mind. It was the best for for DC. Money not really a concern.

I will say that I do not think chances are lower from private though. They are not what they were but not lower than public.

[Anonymous]

Private and public schools are not monolithic. Nor are kids. There is no one size answer to this question. Neither public nor private schools are uniformly better or worse.

You can’t draw any conclusions across the board about college admissions. Kids will get in and get denied from both public and privates.

Make a decision that works for your family and who cares what this board says.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Private and public schools are not monolithic. Nor are kids. There is no one size answer to this question. Neither public nor private schools are uniformly better or worse.

You can’t draw any conclusions across the board about college admissions. Kids will get in and get denied from both public and privates.

Make a decision that works for your family and who cares what this board says.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have kids in middle school and are beginning to explore private high school options. Is it really true that kids from private schools do worse in college acceptances than similar kids from public school? We are in a county that has subpar schools and do not see many great matriculations from our high school. I can't imagine doing worse.

There’s anecdotal evidence, but the truth is that it is extremely difficult to compare the two groups. Percentage wise, a much larger percentage of independent school students go to selective colleges, but of course, the populations aren’t equivalent.

Your kid will be fine and will go to college. Do what you need to do to get him or her the best education now. That’s what you can control.

None of it matters. In the end it’s your kid that is going to the school. What they are like after 3.5 years of public or private school is a complete unknown. You can’t actually compare the two because what you really need to do is send the same kid through both systems and see what happens. Which you can’t do.

[Anonymous]

Harvard-Westlake in Los Angeles published its college matriculation information with all hooked people removed! I wish the local DMV schools would do this as well.

https://students.hw.com/Portals/44/completehandbook2023.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harvard-Westlake in Los Angeles published its college matriculation information with all hooked people removed! I wish the local DMV schools would do this as well.

https://students.hw.com/Portals/44/completehandbook2023.pdf

Those are impressive numbers for unhooked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard-Westlake in Los Angeles published its college matriculation information with all hooked people removed! I wish the local DMV schools would do this as well.

https://students.hw.com/Portals/44/completehandbook2023.pdf

Those are impressive numbers for unhooked.

This is really interesting. They have higher GPAs than some of the DC privates. Very few GPAs under 3.5.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard-Westlake in Los Angeles published its college matriculation information with all hooked people removed! I wish the local DMV schools would do this as well.

https://students.hw.com/Portals/44/completehandbook2023.pdf

Those are impressive numbers for unhooked.

This is really interesting. They have higher GPAs than some of the DC privates. Very few GPAs under 3.5.

How do you know that? Full GPAs aren’t listed.