Public vs Private re: College outcomes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's been a lot of talk in other threads about the college application process in private schools.

One of the advantages is that smaller private schools allow the teachers to know students on a more intimate level than a typical public. The counselors work with a smaller group of students. For example, at my daughter's school, the counselors work with about 30 girls each. This allows for much more in depth letters of recommendation from both teachers and the counselor. The counselor also has relationships with some of the universities and will actually have conversations about your student with the AO's about them. We are going through this right now with my daughter. She is deferred from her #1 school, and the AO is really going to bat. She shared with us her conversations with the AO, who mainly wants to know if my DD will enroll if admitted. I don't think these sort of conversations are happening at the public school level.

And for what it's worth, DD was accepted at every other school to which she applied so far.

That said, if money is an issue, you should think twice. If you live in a strong school district, you could consider staying public and spending some money on a private counselor who can help you navigate the process. A lot cheaper than private school. Also be sure to start prepping for the SAT/ACT in summer before junior year.

No offense but you are really naive if you think conversations that your college counselor is having with the admissions rep from their deferred school are going to get them into the school. These conversations happen every year and very few to none of them actually result in a RD admission. I've been at Big3 privates through 3 kids and it's all just a game that is played.

Maybe, but this is a specific feeder school, so I am feeling pretty confident with DD's stats. Of course, it's not a guarantee, but she probably wouldn't even have had a deferral if she were at public, which hardly ever admits to this school. And the reason for the deferral was that they had two athletic recruits this year. Of course she has a T25 under her belt if it doesn't work out. She will be fine!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's been a lot of talk in other threads about the college application process in private schools.

One of the advantages is that smaller private schools allow the teachers to know students on a more intimate level than a typical public. The counselors work with a smaller group of students. For example, at my daughter's school, the counselors work with about 30 girls each. This allows for much more in depth letters of recommendation from both teachers and the counselor. The counselor also has relationships with some of the universities and will actually have conversations about your student with the AO's about them. We are going through this right now with my daughter. She is deferred from her #1 school, and the AO is really going to bat. She shared with us her conversations with the AO, who mainly wants to know if my DD will enroll if admitted. I don't think these sort of conversations are happening at the public school level.

And for what it's worth, DD was accepted at every other school to which she applied so far.

That said, if money is an issue, you should think twice. If you live in a strong school district, you could consider staying public and spending some money on a private counselor who can help you navigate the process. A lot cheaper than private school. Also be sure to start prepping for the SAT/ACT in summer before junior year.

LOL colleges know that public school guidance counselors are overwhelmed and can't provide the same service and take that into account. Plenty of public school kids get into excellent colleges without "private counselors." And if yours was so great your kid wouldn't have been deferred.

The public school kids that get into excellent colleges are all over the top high performing students who are cutthroat and competitive. I know the type. They live in my neighborhood. In our private, you don't have to play that game, and while at good publics you see about 5% of students going to T20 schools, that number is more like 20-25% at privates.

That's only because they and their parents played cut throat to get them into the privates in the first place. The percentage of kids who get into top colleges from many privates is higher primarily because the high schools have competitive admissions and the public's don't. Just look at the public magnets; they often do just as well as the privates.

OP asked how a lower GPA in a private will be viewed when compared to a public. She didn't ask whether private schools are generally better than publics. Spare us your bullshit about privates being better, and do let us know if your counselor works enough magic to get your kid off the deferred list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's been a lot of talk in other threads about the college application process in private schools.

One of the advantages is that smaller private schools allow the teachers to know students on a more intimate level than a typical public. The counselors work with a smaller group of students. For example, at my daughter's school, the counselors work with about 30 girls each. This allows for much more in depth letters of recommendation from both teachers and the counselor. The counselor also has relationships with some of the universities and will actually have conversations about your student with the AO's about them. We are going through this right now with my daughter. She is deferred from her #1 school, and the AO is really going to bat. She shared with us her conversations with the AO, who mainly wants to know if my DD will enroll if admitted. I don't think these sort of conversations are happening at the public school level.

And for what it's worth, DD was accepted at every other school to which she applied so far.

That said, if money is an issue, you should think twice. If you live in a strong school district, you could consider staying public and spending some money on a private counselor who can help you navigate the process. A lot cheaper than private school. Also be sure to start prepping for the SAT/ACT in summer before junior year.

No offense but you are really naive if you think conversations that your college counselor is having with the admissions rep from their deferred school are going to get them into the school. These conversations happen every year and very few to none of them actually result in a RD admission. I've been at Big3 privates through 3 kids and it's all just a game that is played.

Maybe, but this is a specific feeder school, so I am feeling pretty confident with DD's stats. Of course, it's not a guarantee, but she probably wouldn't even have had a deferral if she were at public, which hardly ever admits to this school. And the reason for the deferral was that they had two athletic recruits this year. Of course she has a T25 under her belt if it doesn't work out. She will be fine!!

So funny that you're arguing that your private is so great because your kid got deferred from the college she wanted to go to.

[Anonymous]

Harsh reality post here:
OP, as previous posters have stated, your child will be compared first and foremost to their classmates. I would suspect that a 3.6 is probably middle of the pack at your school. Therefore, your kid will likely get middle-of-the-pack college results. If considering public these are places like Wisconsin and if private schools like Tulane.

If you're going to attend private school, you have to do well relative to your classmate or yes, your college results will be worse than if coming from a public with a very high GPA. This is both in regard to getting in and to getting merit aid at places that offer it.

[Anonymous]

Previous poster again.
The good news (and this is very good news) is that you're realizing this all when you're only one quarter in. Many parents figure this out in junior year at which point it's too late to do anything. And by "do something" i mean: (here are your options)

1)continue along as is and come to peace with the fact that attending a private is about the education, not the college destination and be ok with a school somewhere further down the rankings.
2)pull the child out and put them back in public or in an easier private
3)put things in place to support the child and get their grades up (heavy parent involvement, tutors, etc)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's been a lot of talk in other threads about the college application process in private schools.

One of the advantages is that smaller private schools allow the teachers to know students on a more intimate level than a typical public. The counselors work with a smaller group of students. For example, at my daughter's school, the counselors work with about 30 girls each. This allows for much more in depth letters of recommendation from both teachers and the counselor. The counselor also has relationships with some of the universities and will actually have conversations about your student with the AO's about them. We are going through this right now with my daughter. She is deferred from her #1 school, and the AO is really going to bat. She shared with us her conversations with the AO, who mainly wants to know if my DD will enroll if admitted. I don't think these sort of conversations are happening at the public school level.

And for what it's worth, DD was accepted at every other school to which she applied so far.

That said, if money is an issue, you should think twice. If you live in a strong school district, you could consider staying public and spending some money on a private counselor who can help you navigate the process. A lot cheaper than private school. Also be sure to start prepping for the SAT/ACT in summer before junior year.

No offense but you are really naive if you think conversations that your college counselor is having with the admissions rep from their deferred school are going to get them into the school. These conversations happen every year and very few to none of them actually result in a RD admission. I've been at Big3 privates through 3 kids and it's all just a game that is played.

Maybe, but this is a specific feeder school, so I am feeling pretty confident with DD's stats. Of course, it's not a guarantee, but she probably wouldn't even have had a deferral if she were at public, which hardly ever admits to this school. And the reason for the deferral was that they had two athletic recruits this year. Of course she has a T25 under her belt if it doesn't work out. She will be fine!!

How does she have a top25 school admit already and is deferred from an ED/SCEA? This makes no sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's been a lot of talk in other threads about the college application process in private schools.

One of the advantages is that smaller private schools allow the teachers to know students on a more intimate level than a typical public. The counselors work with a smaller group of students. For example, at my daughter's school, the counselors work with about 30 girls each. This allows for much more in depth letters of recommendation from both teachers and the counselor. The counselor also has relationships with some of the universities and will actually have conversations about your student with the AO's about them. We are going through this right now with my daughter. She is deferred from her #1 school, and the AO is really going to bat. She shared with us her conversations with the AO, who mainly wants to know if my DD will enroll if admitted. I don't think these sort of conversations are happening at the public school level.

And for what it's worth, DD was accepted at every other school to which she applied so far.

That said, if money is an issue, you should think twice. If you live in a strong school district, you could consider staying public and spending some money on a private counselor who can help you navigate the process. A lot cheaper than private school. Also be sure to start prepping for the SAT/ACT in summer before junior year.

No offense but you are really naive if you think conversations that your college counselor is having with the admissions rep from their deferred school are going to get them into the school. These conversations happen every year and very few to none of them actually result in a RD admission. I've been at Big3 privates through 3 kids and it's all just a game that is played.

Maybe, but this is a specific feeder school, so I am feeling pretty confident with DD's stats. Of course, it's not a guarantee, but she probably wouldn't even have had a deferral if she were at public, which hardly ever admits to this school. And the reason for the deferral was that they had two athletic recruits this year. Of course she has a T25 under her belt if it doesn't work out. She will be fine!!

How does she have a top25 school admit already and is deferred from an ED/SCEA? This makes no sense.

DP, but where did this poster say it was an ED/SCEA? They said it was #1 choice, but also said the AO wants to be sure the kid will enroll if admitted — that wouldn’t be a question if it was an ED app.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s less about absolute GPA and more about how that GPA stacks up against the kid’s peers at the school. Basically think rank instead of GPA. You also don’t know the extent to which kids are hooked.

It’s for these reasons that it’s not a good idea to try to compare outcomes with your local public (or any other school, to be honest).

There are plenty of lower-ranked schools that offer decent merit aid to good students. Stay open to those schools and your in-state options. That can be difficult in a private school setting depending on the school.

I didn’t think private schools in the DC area ranked kids or even reported average GPAs to colleges… Are there any that do? I’ve heard of some that have reported who’s a big donor though…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s less about absolute GPA and more about how that GPA stacks up against the kid’s peers at the school. Basically think rank instead of GPA. You also don’t know the extent to which kids are hooked.

It’s for these reasons that it’s not a good idea to try to compare outcomes with your local public (or any other school, to be honest).

There are plenty of lower-ranked schools that offer decent merit aid to good students. Stay open to those schools and your in-state options. That can be difficult in a private school setting depending on the school.

I didn’t think private schools in the DC area ranked kids or even reported average GPAs to colleges… Are there any that do? I’ve heard of some that have reported who’s a big donor though…

They don’t need an official rank, exactly. They know how you stack up against your classmates and also get an indication from the counselors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter attended public school for middle school and truly thrived there. She is now at a private high school, and the academic rigor is significantly higher, more homework, much more challenging coursework, and far greater expectations overall.

Many of her friends who remained at our local public high school earned unweighted 4.0 GPAs their first quarter. My daughter earned a 3.6 unweighted. While I know that is still a strong GPA, I can’t help but feel anxious when I think about how competitive college admissions have become and where she’ll be 3.5 years from now.

I’m confident that had she stayed at our local school, she very likely would have earned a 4.0 as well. She took six HS classes in middle school and earned straight A’s throughout. That comparison has led me to worry that we may have made the wrong decision by moving her to private school for high school.

At the same time, I can clearly see the value of where she is now. The school is doing an excellent job preparing her for college. The rigor is intentional. They are teaching her how to learn, developing study skills, strategies, and academic independence that will serve her well longterm. Some of her classes already feel college-level, and I can see how much she is growing because of it.

That said, we will likely need to rely on some merit-based aid to help close the financial gap for college, and she has already expressed interest in honors programs and more competitive academic tracks. That reality adds another layer of pressure and uncertainty.

I’m trying to balance what I know is good for long-term development with very real concerns about GPA, merit aid, and college admissions and I find myself wondering what the right path forward really is.

Anyone else going through internal angst? Parents of older private HS kids, how did you feel about your child’s college results in context of their public school peers?

Thank you!!

Admissions offices know the difference. Carry on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's been a lot of talk in other threads about the college application process in private schools.

One of the advantages is that smaller private schools allow the teachers to know students on a more intimate level than a typical public. The counselors work with a smaller group of students. For example, at my daughter's school, the counselors work with about 30 girls each. This allows for much more in depth letters of recommendation from both teachers and the counselor. The counselor also has relationships with some of the universities and will actually have conversations about your student with the AO's about them. We are going through this right now with my daughter. She is deferred from her #1 school, and the AO is really going to bat. She shared with us her conversations with the AO, who mainly wants to know if my DD will enroll if admitted. I don't think these sort of conversations are happening at the public school level.

And for what it's worth, DD was accepted at every other school to which she applied so far.

That said, if money is an issue, you should think twice. If you live in a strong school district, you could consider staying public and spending some money on a private counselor who can help you navigate the process. A lot cheaper than private school. Also be sure to start prepping for the SAT/ACT in summer before junior year.

LOL colleges know that public school guidance counselors are overwhelmed and can't provide the same service and take that into account. Plenty of public school kids get into excellent colleges without "private counselors." And if yours was so great your kid wouldn't have been deferred.

The public school kids that get into excellent colleges are all over the top high performing students who are cutthroat and competitive. I know the type. They live in my neighborhood. In our private, you don't have to play that game, and while at good publics you see about 5% of students going to T20 schools, that number is more like 20-25% at privates.

That's only because they and their parents played cut throat to get them into the privates in the first place. The percentage of kids who get into top colleges from many privates is higher primarily because the high schools have competitive admissions and the public's don't. Just look at the public magnets; they often do just as well as the privates.

OP asked how a lower GPA in a private will be viewed when compared to a public. She didn't ask whether private schools are generally better than publics. Spare us your bullshit about privates being better, and do let us know if your counselor works enough magic to get your kid off the deferred list.

They are tremendously better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harsh reality post here:
OP, as previous posters have stated, your child will be compared first and foremost to their classmates. I would suspect that a 3.6 is probably middle of the pack at your school. Therefore, your kid will likely get middle-of-the-pack college results. If considering public these are places like Wisconsin and if private schools like Tulane.

If you're going to attend private school, you have to do well relative to your classmate or yes, your college results will be worse than if coming from a public with a very high GPA. This is both in regard to getting in and to getting merit aid at places that offer it.

Both of your examples are great colleges, so I'm not seeing a problem here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I said this in another thread: my kid went to a public HS and graduated with a 4.0/4.8 without doing a lot of work. She’s now at a top ten college. If I could do it over again, I would have sent her to a private school where she would have gotten a much better education but likely would have ended up at a lower ranked college.
A good education is the point and college name is not the end all be all.

Is she not getting a good education where she is?

[Anonymous]

I have two kids in public high school and applying to private for my youngest now.

You can’t assume that because your kid got straight As in public middle school, that same child could easily get straight As in all APs. Both my teens got straight As in middle school with no effort. I have a straight A junior and he studies a ton for his As. He is taking AP Physics and AP Chemistry and these are very difficult courses.

My very smart freshmen has to study for the first time in his life. He started the year with a few B pluses and now studying to move those grades up. He has some friends who were coasting in middle school and not doing well in high school because they actually need to study now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I said this in another thread: my kid went to a public HS and graduated with a 4.0/4.8 without doing a lot of work. She’s now at a top ten college. If I could do it over again, I would have sent her to a private school where she would have gotten a much better education but likely would have ended up at a lower ranked college.
A good education is the point and college name is not the end all be all.

Very absurd post.
Your DC is at top 10 college (assume ivy similar) and your parallel universe tell you that she would have gotten a much better education if she were at “privates” and “lower ranks college “. You absolutely don’t know that and what you have now could possibly the best ever happen to your child, or not. But what is done is done.