Do elite college admissions officers look at private school as a negative?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am sure the trip sand pay-to-play enrichment are a red flag. Disagree that a high SAT score should be a flag.

That said, I think my high-stats kid was waitlist at some target schools that they might have got in test-optional.

I don’t get it. So not a high test score is a negative? How would admissions know how much tutoring or test prep anyone had or didn’t have?

[Anonymous]

Makes no sense. How would college admissions know whether the high test score was due to tutoring? Is she recommending bombing the test so you look less privileged?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think colleges nit pick the service trips, but can’t allow themselves to see that the same principle extends to private high schools, because elite colleges themselves are pay-to-play private schools too.

Plus, in most communities, there is no economic difference between the kids in public and private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the school is private, students will be expected to have higher test scores, more impressive ECs etc.

You are making this up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Based on the last admissions round, I would say it’s an advantage at all elite schools except for state flagships in states with public school guarantees.

I'd take it a step further and suggest that private school students have the most success with SLACS, followed by USNWR National privates, then state flagships.

[Anonymous]

Mine did an expensive research trip but got financial aid. My older kid gor aid for some summer music programs. Music is expensive with lessons, decent instrument and programs.

[Anonymous]

Lots of this talk in the private school forum. One of my private school kids has West Point dreams, and I worry his parents' choice of school will derail them.

[Anonymous]

I’d rather send my kid to a $hitty college then put them in DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our public school college and career admissions counselor has lectured parents several times about “equity” and how college admissions committees are trained to screen out students who had “pay to play” opportunities. She gave the example of high test scores due to tutoring, a non-profit, international service trips and expensive enrichment opportunities.

But here’s the thing. What I spend on my child to prep for the SAT is a tiny tiny fraction of what some parents spend for a private high school.

Curious as to others thoughts.

This post is quite amusing because it only proves that the college counseling at public schools is subpar.

Pay to play does not include tutoring because there is no way for an admissions officer to know if a high score is due to tutoring.

Private high schools actually have an advantage because the counseling is much better and students are known to be better prepared for college and they don't have the level of grade inflation of public schools.

[Anonymous]

I think so. Going to a top prep school or even a top public magnet school is a disadvantage now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think so. Going to a top prep school or even a top public magnet school is a disadvantage now.

Let me know when Dunbar or Anascotia HS starts sending droves of students to T20s

[Anonymous]

Not really. Look at the disproportionately high percentages of independent school students enrolled in 4-year colleges. Even at the most selective colleges that could presumably fill an entire incoming class with only high achieving public school kids, you still see far more independent schools represented compared to the overall high school population.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps the lesson was supposed to be: when applying from a public you want to make a play for equity, look like a diamond in the rough, and pay-to-play activities detract from that.

But reality is privilege begets privilege and there aren’t many checks on that, sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on the last admissions round, I would say it’s an advantage at all elite schools except for state flagships in states with public school guarantees.

I'd take it a step further and suggest that private school students have the most success with SLACS, followed by USNWR National privates, then state flagships.

I mostly agree but will say private school students seem to place better at OOS state flagships - UVA, Michigan, UCLA, Cal, etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on the last admissions round, I would say it’s an advantage at all elite schools except for state flagships in states with public school guarantees.

I'd take it a step further and suggest that private school students have the most success with SLACS, followed by USNWR National privates, then state flagships.

I mostly agree but will say private school students seem to place better at OOS state flagships - UVA, Michigan, UCLA, Cal, etc

Some of that also is because of who applies where - self-selection. Not a lot of kids in public can afford no merit aid SLACs and not a lot of kids in private apply to giant state flagships. Some do of course, but on average there is a tilt.