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Moms who went to public schools
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Anonymous
Maybe I didn't choose the right words, but I thought I was just being simple and to the point. |
Anonymous
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Me:
- Normal / average / nothing special high school - Mid-range (but great for me) college - Top tier graduate schools - Excellent career Husband: - Top tier high school - Ivy College - Mid Range graduate school - Not so great career (yet, but he is working on it!) |
Anonymous
| I went to Langley High School in McLean, a very good public school. I did not finish college and spent some time in and out of community college. I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I am an independent consultant to IT companies and charge $130/hr and work 30hrs/wk. I consider myself a success. I have a stellar reputation, am at the top of my game, and have created a wonderful home/work balance while still earning a great income. I don't even have to traditionally "sell" myself or "interview", my industry wide reputation speaks for itself. The college degree never comes up. I expect my children to go to college, but the wonderful thing about America is that creativity, confidence, and ingenuity can take you where ever you want. |
Anonymous
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i went to a "ghetto" high school in montgomery county and then to an ivy league college without legacy or connections or money. guess what? it happens! not all ivy leaguers or top tier college students are from the nation's top private schools! though those students do tend to be overrepresented.
and i agree with the others about people who do go to non-elite colleges... they make up the majority of people who are doing rather decently, don't they? the world doesn't only turn for the highly educated. |
Anonymous
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Went to West Potomac H.S., Ivy college, top three law school, great career.
But not too many people from my class went to "comparable" colleges. |
Anonymous
| I went to a good but regular public high school and did very well, went to a good but regular state university and did very well, went to the same good but regular state law school and did very well, and got exactly the job I wanted out of law school. Switched careers recently and we'll see how the career change pans out -- but in the meantime, I loved high school, loved college, loved law school, and have ended up exactly where I wanted to be so far. I have friends who went to okay public high schools, great public high schools, fancy private high schools, good state colleges, great state colleges, good private colleges, Ivy League colleges, top 20 law schools, and second tier law schools... and without actually knowing their personal resume, it would be impossible to tell who went where. |
Anonymous
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Silly question.
Yes. I have an elite college degree and a PhD from a top tier program in my field. My brother's best friend went to MIT. I have taught many individuals who attended elite private high schools when they were attending a public university. Please. Chill. Your child is young. A decent public education won't ruin their lives. Living a life you can't afford may very well ruin their young adult lives. |
Anonymous
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Went to public high school, went to the college I wanted to with an academic scholarship that provided 80% tuition and free room/board, got into my first choice medical school, first choice residency, and first choice fellowship.
I had plenty of med school and college friends who went to private prep schools/ boarding schools etc. who are no further in life than I am. |
Anonymous
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To answer OP's question -- I went to a top-ranked public high school in Montgomery Co., MD. Then went to an Ivy league college and graduate school. I consider my public school education to have been excellent, and plan to send my children to public school here as well.
I don't think you need to attend an elite high school to get in to a top college. A large number of students from my graduating class attended Ivy League and similar universities. In terms of equating college with success (professional or otherwise), agree that there's little, if any, correlation. |
Anonymous
meant to say name of college. Entrepreneurs aside, I think a college education does make it easier to get good jobs. |
Anonymous
Chill? You need to chill and read the rest of the thread...my children go to public school as did I, and I prefer it that way. I live a life I can afford, but you seem to insinuate a lot from a silly question. |
Anonymous
| OP here, funny how I made no mention if I went to a public school, or if my kids do, or what I think of public/private schools in my inital post. Just answer the question for what it is, it really isn't "loaded" with anything but curiosity. There's no need to be defensive and condescending, PhD. |
Anonymous
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I went to a run-of-the-mill public HS, then Ivy League university, eventually got a PhD. That fits your narrative, right? Here's an even better one: my husband emigrated here with nothing, put himself through a really third-rate state school (his description, but I think an accurate one), and eventually received graduate degrees from some really prestigious universities. We're in the same field and we both are happy and do well, but he is more successful than I am. So I am a profound believer that you make your own fortune in this world and as he always reminds me, fire in the belly is the most important thing for success.
But here's the irony: he would give his eyeteeth to send our son to one of the fancy private schools. He knows how hard it was to get to where he is today, how rare it is to find someone in DC (at least in certain fields) from his sort of background, and what an amazing leg up you get for each step of your professional future when you have a certain pedigree. Private school isn't an option for us, for financial reasons, and I'm fully OK with that, but I can't fully discard his arguments either. |
Anonymous
| i don't think there's anything wrong with wanting your kids to get into the best college possible. but it's when it goes overboard and trickles down to the preschool level, and perhaps even the high school level, that it becomes obnoxiously paranoid, in my opinion. i've benefited a lot from connections, though not all made by association with my college, but i do see how the name of the school has gotten me immediate 2nd looks when applying for internships and jobs. when the field is competitive, every extra edge does help... but that doesn't mean i want my kid to stress out to the point of devastation in an elite high school because they HAVE to go to the top college. i'd rather my kid do spectacularly and be well rounded and well grounded in a good public school... and then go to a good college. |
Anonymous
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Both my husband and I went to public school. We also both went on to great colleges and grad schools. We are happy and enjoy our lives.
I had a boyfriend in grad school who went to an elite private school and then to Yale. He has a great career here in DC, and much of that is attributable to connections made at his various schools. But as others have noted, people make connections everywhere. |