If your private high school child was accepted at an elite college

[Anonymous]

From the college's perspective, it's all about the individual and what they made of their high school experience. Not what the high school made of the student.

My DC is still in (private) middle school but I interview a lot of college applicants for my Ivy alma mater. There are many tremendously accomplished students in public schools. In fact, a large majority of Ivy students are from public schools. In the Washington area, extremely well qualified applicants from public schools vastly outnumber the entire student bodies of the independent college preparatory high schools. Frankly, high SATs and 4.0+ GPAs are pretty common and you can't really differentiate kids based on numbers alone. Once they cross the general threshold they're in the pool and their whole file is read carefully. A smart bright kid is likely to be in the pool regardless of their high school but most of the kids in the pool are going to get rejected. What sets an applicant apart is a passion for something that drives their achievement. And a high schooler can find that anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No other top private school would have done THAT?

I will not speculate for the original poster. But she would have to speculate about the school she did not go to.

I think there are schools that DO NOT do that at all. It is a sink or swim environment and they are proud to tell you that.

Really? Which s hooks proudly tell you that?

For boys Gonzaga and STA.

They expect you to have good study skill and apply yourself and you have not exactly figured that out yet, your parents will need to get you help. STA culls about 30% in the lower grades before HS.

As for extracurriculars you better have had years of outside training to make the team for Gonzaga. (not so much for STA)

Gonzaga expects you to understand you won't make Varsity unless you are nationally recognized already as a Fresh/Soph, they offer other activities and you should find them yourself and you parents don't have involvement.

I am not saying that I disagree with this philosophy, but if that is not what you are looking for you should know. To their credit they are clear about it.

That is why there are so many different successful privates, because they all offer a different atmosphere.

There are many positives to these two schools, but words like supportive/encouraging many not exactly describe them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your child was accepted at an elite college, I’d be interested in your honest opinion as to whether your child would have been accepted at that school if they had attended a private school other than the one they attended? If not, what was it about the private school they attended that made a difference and is unique to their school (i.e., not available at other area private schools)?

I ask because I think that most children accepted at an elite college could have made it into that same college from any of the top private high schools in this area. I say this because most students that get into elite colleges get in either because they are smart and a good student and/or because they have some hook (legacy, diversity, athletics) separate from the high school they attended.

Please identify the school and use whatever definition of "elite" you'd like.

This is such a bizarre question. Why does the OP think people who send their kids to private school care if their kids would have gotten into an elite college even if they had gone to public school? If the OP is trying to decide whether or not to send her kid to private school based on the answers she receives, she really doesn't understand private school and she should send her kid to public school. Your kid will do just fine in public school, and have plenty of opportunity to do the kinds of things that will help her get into an elite college. Of course, if she wants to save money on high school, she should also consider saving money on college and bias the elite colleges. Her kid can also do just fine in life, in making money, in getting a fantastic job, from a public college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your child was accepted at an elite college, I’d be interested in your honest opinion as to whether your child would have been accepted at that school if they had attended a private school other than the one they attended? If not, what was it about the private school they attended that made a difference and is unique to their school (i.e., not available at other area private schools)?

I ask because I think that most children accepted at an elite college could have made it into that same college from any of the top private high schools in this area. I say this because most students that get into elite colleges get in either because they are smart and a good student and/or because they have some hook (legacy, diversity, athletics) separate from the high school they attended.

Please identify the school and use whatever definition of "elite" you'd like.

This is such a bizarre question. Why does the OP think people who send their kids to private school care if their kids would have gotten into an elite college even if they had gone to public school? If the OP is trying to decide whether or not to send her kid to private school based on the answers she receives, she really doesn't understand private school and she should send her kid to public school. Your kid will do just fine in public school, and have plenty of opportunity to do the kinds of things that will help her get into an elite college. Of course, if she wants to save money on high school, she should also consider saving money on college and bias the elite colleges. Her kid can also do just fine in life, in making money, in getting a fantastic job, from a public college.

Not OP, but it's obvious that you and others don't understand the question. First, no one knows "what if" with certainty, so there's little point in stating the obvious. Second, the question isn't whether someone cares or not - just whether the person is willing to share an honest assessment.

IMHO the reason so many have attacked the question is that it gets at the obvious truth that while the student's fit in a school is important to the student reaching their potential, students either have the potential to get into an Ivy League school or not long before thet set foot in a school. Parents want to support their school, but no parent is going to admit that DC would not have made it into an IVY league school from another top private school (except in the rare case of the Landon lacrosse program).

[Anonymous]

My senior at an "elite" private will be attending an excellent college, but not an Ivy (despite legacy status). Our honest assessment is that DC might have done better in college admissions coming from public, as DC's scores were outstanding, grades were great but not perfect. Previously, in public, DC earned straight A's. But we sent DC to private to learn to work, think, and write, and all of that was achieved. We are very satisfied.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My senior at an "elite" private will be attending an excellent college, but not an Ivy (despite legacy status). Our honest assessment is that DC might have done better in college admissions coming from public, as DC's scores were outstanding, grades were great but not perfect. Previously, in public, DC earned straight A's. But we sent DC to private to learn to work, think, and write, and all of that was achieved. We are very satisfied.

I wouldn't assume that a kid who is in the middle of the pack in an "elite" private school would necessarily be a standout in a public school. It's a fact that both private and public schools get much harder as you go up the grades, so the kid who got As in elementary or even middle school may not do as well in AP Calc BC -- this is true whether in public or private school. Also, there are some very bright, motivated kids in the best public schools around here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your child was accepted at an elite college, I’d be interested in your honest opinion as to whether your child would have been accepted at that school if they had attended a private school other than the one they attended? If not, what was it about the private school they attended that made a difference and is unique to their school (i.e., not available at other area private schools)?

I ask because I think that most children accepted at an elite college could have made it into that same college from any of the top private high schools in this area. I say this because most students that get into elite colleges get in either because they are smart and a good student and/or because they have some hook (legacy, diversity, athletics) separate from the high school they attended.

Please identify the school and use whatever definition of "elite" you'd like.

This is such a bizarre question. Why does the OP think people who send their kids to private school care if their kids would have gotten into an elite college even if they had gone to public school? If the OP is trying to decide whether or not to send her kid to private school based on the answers she receives, she really doesn't understand private school and she should send her kid to public school. Your kid will do just fine in public school, and have plenty of opportunity to do the kinds of things that will help her get into an elite college. Of course, if she wants to save money on high school, she should also consider saving money on college and bias the elite colleges. Her kid can also do just fine in life, in making money, in getting a fantastic job, from a public college.

Not OP, but it's obvious that you and others don't understand the question. First, no one knows "what if" with certainty, so there's little point in stating the obvious. Second, the question isn't whether someone cares or not - just whether the person is willing to share an honest assessment.

IMHO the reason so many have attacked the question is that it gets at the obvious truth that while the student's fit in a school is important to the student reaching their potential, students either have the potential to get into an Ivy League school or not long before thet set foot in a school. Parents want to support their school, but no parent is going to admit that DC would not have made it into an IVY league school from another top private school (except in the rare case of the Landon lacrosse program).

No, I think the "bizarre question" poster hit it pretty well. Private school is about much more than a leg up on college admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No other top private school would have done THAT?

I will not speculate for the original poster. But she would have to speculate about the school she did not go to.

I think there are schools that DO NOT do that at all. It is a sink or swim environment and they are proud to tell you that.

Really? Which s hooks proudly tell you that?

For boys Gonzaga and STA.

They expect you to have good study skill and apply yourself and you have not exactly figured that out yet, your parents will need to get you help. STA culls about 30% in the lower grades before HS.

As for extracurriculars you better have had years of outside training to make the team for Gonzaga. (not so much for STA)

Gonzaga expects you to understand you won't make Varsity unless you are nationally recognized already as a Fresh/Soph, they offer other activities and you should find them yourself and you parents don't have involvement.

I am not saying that I disagree with this philosophy, but if that is not what you are looking for you should know. To their credit they are clear about it.

That is why there are so many different successful privates, because they all offer a different atmosphere.

There are many positives to these two schools, but words like supportive/encouraging many not exactly describe them.

Way off for St. Albans. There is nowhere near 30% attrition in grades 4-8, and even less involuntary attritition -- a good percentage of the small number who do not go on to the upper (high school) level make the decision because they want a co-Ed high school. Once you're there it is actually quite supportive, too.

[Anonymous]

Yes my kid went to a top three and went to and Ivy. Yes, got there on her own speed. Would have had the same result anywhere.

[Anonymous]

My son went to Landon and was accepted at several Ivies without any hooks. He could have made it from other schools, but would not have had the same experience.

[Anonymous]

Way off for St. Albans. There is nowhere near 30% attrition in grades 4-8, and even less involuntary attritition -- a good percentage of the small number who do not go on to the upper (high school) level make the decision because they want a co-Ed high school. Once you're there it is actually quite supportive, too.

30% leave - you agree with that, 3 a year, that number is even low for 8th grade. tThe reason is not way off. When my left my school I said something similar. But it was for reasons I did not need to share with other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My eldest son attended an Ivy League school where he played lacrosse. If my son had not attended Landon School I doubt he would've been noticed.

Did he redshirt. I ask because my son has not and we are being told we should.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My eldest son attended an Ivy League school where he played lacrosse. If my son had not attended Landon School I doubt he would've been noticed.

Did he redshirt. I ask because my son has not and we are being told we should.

To clarify, Landon is not telling us to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes my kid went to a top three and went to and Ivy. Yes, got there on her own speed. Would have had the same result anywhere.

No doubt. Did she ever mention that she valued her many writing-intensive classes at her private school? That's what I hear most often -- it's about the preparation and that boils down to lots of writing because of small class sizes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Way off for St. Albans. There is nowhere near 30% attrition in grades 4-8, and even less involuntary attritition -- a good percentage of the small number who do not go on to the upper (high school) level make the decision because they want a co-Ed high school. Once you're there it is actually quite supportive, too.

30% leave - you agree with that, 3 a year, that number is even low for 8th grade. tThe reason is not way off. When my left my school I said something similar. But it was for reasons I did not need to share with other.

I don't get the math on this. There are 40 kids in the fourth grade, and 60 kids by the end of 8th grade. There is not attrition of 18 students (30% of 60) between the time a class starts in 4th grade and gets to high school -- not even close. And even 12 total (30% of the original 40 in the class) is very high -- most of those original 40 C Formers go on to the high school. If you're familiar with the schools around here, St. Albans might be one of the LEAST aggressive about "counseling out," particularly compared to the Pre-K through 12 schools (and that is not to criticize, it makes more sense that student fit would change more between ages 4 and 14).