Do you think it is easier to get into a top college from public or private?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, if your kids are on top of their class, then it may be worthwhile to enroll them in privates that have excellent track records in T20 placements. Certain tippy top private schools are feeder schools and have the counselor - AO connections that practically guaranteed placement for the top 5-10% of the class. For lower ranked student in private schools, the result could be less certain. Private schools also tend to provide all the ECs needed for a T20 placement, unless a niche EC not offered. In contrast, some top public schools provide relatively quality education (and likely more AP courses) at no cost. The counselors in public schools typically are dedicated and excellent, but could be inundated with the sheer number of students they served. The EC offerings in public are extensive and diverse, but could be ultra competitive for the officers positions due to large membership. Often the customized ECs are DIY projects outside of school.
If your kids are into science and want to pursue science-focused T20 such as MIT and Carnegie Mellon, then public magnet is the way, i.e. TJ or Blair Magnet. TJ has been a perennial feeder to these schools. Blair Magnet class of 2025 sent 11 (out of 105) to MIT, 4 to CM. No top private in the DC area could not provide the breadth and depth of STEM offerings at TJ and Blair Magnet.
Suggest starting with the end goal in mind. Then work backwards. Where do you want to send your kids to given their aptitudes and fit. The IG postings of college destination class of 2025 is a good starting point.
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/435/1244745.page

DP: Hard to support this approach. This means parents need to decide by 8th grade where their kids should attend college or the kid needs to have a short list by age 13. Fit is so important, it's not wise to narrow your search so early at that age

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems OP has her answer. Private schools are vastly superior and she should send her kids to Phillips Exeter Academy where they will be all but guaranteed a spot at Harvard. Go Big Red!

I would expect anything less considering the price tag.

For real. Spending $60,000 per year - per child - better get me HYPMS.

Maybe not MIT. That's for smart kids.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know how times have changed but all my friends who went to schools like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, etc all went to public and had no connections to these schools. They are just really smart people. The MIT friend now teaches at Harvard. My private school friends went to small private colleges.

[Anonymous]

If you are talking about HYPSM level, I don't think it matters because almost everyone nowadays has a hook and the hooked kids they take would be hooked kids regardless of whether they went to a good public or private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems OP has her answer. Private schools are vastly superior and she should send her kids to Phillips Exeter Academy where they will be all but guaranteed a spot at Harvard. Go Big Red!

I would expect anything less considering the price tag.

For real. Spending $60,000 per year - per child - better get me HYPMS.

Maybe not MIT. That's for smart kids.

Yeah, HYPMS isn't for smart kids...you public school parents are so pathetic with your insecurity. Hope your kid enjoys Ole Miss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if your kids are on top of their class, then it may be worthwhile to enroll them in privates that have excellent track records in T20 placements. Certain tippy top private schools are feeder schools and have the counselor - AO connections that practically guaranteed placement for the top 5-10% of the class. For lower ranked student in private schools, the result could be less certain. Private schools also tend to provide all the ECs needed for a T20 placement, unless a niche EC not offered. In contrast, some top public schools provide relatively quality education (and likely more AP courses) at no cost. The counselors in public schools typically are dedicated and excellent, but could be inundated with the sheer number of students they served. The EC offerings in public are extensive and diverse, but could be ultra competitive for the officers positions due to large membership. Often the customized ECs are DIY projects outside of school.
If your kids are into science and want to pursue science-focused T20 such as MIT and Carnegie Mellon, then public magnet is the way, i.e. TJ or Blair Magnet. TJ has been a perennial feeder to these schools. Blair Magnet class of 2025 sent 11 (out of 105) to MIT, 4 to CM. No top private in the DC area could not provide the breadth and depth of STEM offerings at TJ and Blair Magnet.
Suggest starting with the end goal in mind. Then work backwards. Where do you want to send your kids to given their aptitudes and fit. The IG postings of college destination class of 2025 is a good starting point.
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/435/1244745.page

DP: Hard to support this approach. This means parents need to decide by 8th grade where their kids should attend college or the kid needs to have a short list by age 13. Fit is so important, it's not wise to narrow your search so early at that age

On the contrary, it works very well for DC and their classmates - Blair Magnet class of '25. And 8th grade is way too late, most started in 3rd grade, when their aptitudes for STEM became obvious and they qualify for CES. The result speaks for itself. The Bethesda Magazine's listing for the T-20 bound Montgomery Blair grads is accurate as I have met the majority of them.
https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/09/10/mcps-students-college/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems OP has her answer. Private schools are vastly superior and she should send her kids to Phillips Exeter Academy where they will be all but guaranteed a spot at Harvard. Go Big Red!

I would expect anything less considering the price tag.

For real. Spending $60,000 per year - per child - better get me HYPMS.

Maybe not MIT. That's for smart kids.

Yeah, HYPMS isn't for smart kids...you public school parents are so pathetic with your insecurity. Hope your kid enjoys Ole Miss.

Oh honey. You ain't that special.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on the private school. I think private schools do place better for ivy/t20. However, public school kids likely have an advantage at flagship publics that like high gpa. Publics have more grade inflation and inflated gpa due to weighted gpa and heavy AP curriculum. Lots of pressure for perfection at public hs whereas private kids dont have that expectation. At our private, we have zero AP courses and few kids have perfect gpa's and all place very well, even the kids that aren't very strong. Our private has rigor, a strong curriculum that colleges know and a solid track record of kids doing well. Lots of opportunities for kids to distinguish themselves academically. Yes, school has legacy, urm, and wealthy donors. But we are neither (we got financial aid from the hs), and my smart, interesting kid is now at an Ivy and I don't think they would be there now if they went to public. Also, small classes mean teachers really know kids, kids are expected to lead discussions, etc. I think the exception might be for math/stem where public magnet school kids do very well in admission to top stem programs (mit, engineering, etc). I think public kids can distinguish themselves but they have to put in the effort to find opportunities where they can showcase their strengths. .

Same with my college freshman who is also at an Ivy after attending a top private for high school. She is very smart but she did not have perfect grades and she did not have an extensive resume. There was no way if she had attended Langley or similar that she would have taken 16 APs and done research and had 2 internships etc. By attending private she was able to get into an Ivy with pretty regular extracurriculars and even a few Bs.

DP. As a Langley parent, I have to ask where you're getting your information that this is what top students do to get into top colleges? "16 APs, research, and internships" - what on earth are you talking about? It's pretty unheard of for most high schoolers to get internships or "do research" (presumably with professors??), and I don't even think it's possible to take 16 APs. Please at least get your facts straight before making these outlandish claims.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can we have a new rule that since we’re talking about a specific high school in a specific region that only posters whose kids attend a DMV private available to OP and who actually know something about Langley can comment?

EVERY OTHER POST IS IRRELEVANT

I agree, but would add - only actual parents of kids at Langley can comment. Anything else is clearly conjecture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another non-DMV poster here (not west coast). I like the Bay Area posters.

DP I'm another one (also not west coast). I too like the geographically diverse posters. Always good to have larger sample size and wider perspectives. I understand why you may only want to hear from Virginia posters for in-state UVA admissions, but no reason to only think locally when you're applying to a college that accepts from everywhere.

Same. I like seeing how other private schools across the country do things. Sometimes vastly different than ours. And sometimes not.
Maybe there needs to be a college forum just for ALL private school parents. Bc ultimately, the people complaining here are DMV public school parents.

Gosh, could that perhaps be because the OP specifically is talking about a certain public school??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[twitter]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another non-DMV poster here (not west coast). I like the Bay Area posters.

DP I'm another one (also not west coast). I too like the geographically diverse posters. Always good to have larger sample size and wider perspectives. I understand why you may only want to hear from Virginia posters for in-state UVA admissions, but no reason to only think locally when you're applying to a college that accepts from everywhere.

But OP is asking about private versus LANGLEY HIGH and these posters are in no position to comment. It’s just odd AF that they are.

+1
Report them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another non-DMV poster here (not west coast). I like the Bay Area posters.

We don’t need them—or you—on a Langley thread. Find another hobby.

Pretty sure these people yelling "get off my lawn" are trolls. Ignore.

- Signed a local DCUM user who started on this board in 2008, when this was just an email listserv, and appreciates the wide variety of opinions.

Not a troll at all. And you’re missing the point. Sure, a “wide variety of opinions” makes sense and can be helpful on some topics, but when a poster from Langley high school is asking whether to keep her kids there or put them in a local private, how exactly is someone from SF talking about California public and private schools that no one knows anything about and have no relevance to OP being helpful?

+100
These people are clueless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if your kids are on top of their class, then it may be worthwhile to enroll them in privates that have excellent track records in T20 placements. Certain tippy top private schools are feeder schools and have the counselor - AO connections that practically guaranteed placement for the top 5-10% of the class. For lower ranked student in private schools, the result could be less certain. Private schools also tend to provide all the ECs needed for a T20 placement, unless a niche EC not offered. In contrast, some top public schools provide relatively quality education (and likely more AP courses) at no cost. The counselors in public schools typically are dedicated and excellent, but could be inundated with the sheer number of students they served. The EC offerings in public are extensive and diverse, but could be ultra competitive for the officers positions due to large membership. Often the customized ECs are DIY projects outside of school.
If your kids are into science and want to pursue science-focused T20 such as MIT and Carnegie Mellon, then public magnet is the way, i.e. TJ or Blair Magnet. TJ has been a perennial feeder to these schools. Blair Magnet class of 2025 sent 11 (out of 105) to MIT, 4 to CM. No top private in the DC area could not provide the breadth and depth of STEM offerings at TJ and Blair Magnet.
Suggest starting with the end goal in mind. Then work backwards. Where do you want to send your kids to given their aptitudes and fit. The IG postings of college destination class of 2025 is a good starting point.
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/435/1244745.page

DP: Hard to support this approach. This means parents need to decide by 8th grade where their kids should attend college or the kid needs to have a short list by age 13. Fit is so important, it's not wise to narrow your search so early at that age

On the contrary, it works very well for DC and their classmates - Blair Magnet class of '25. And 8th grade is way too late, most started in 3rd grade, when their aptitudes for STEM became obvious and they qualify for CES. The result speaks for itself. The Bethesda Magazine's listing for the T-20 bound Montgomery Blair grads is accurate as I have met the majority of them.
https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/09/10/mcps-students-college/

We're not talking about MCPS on this thread.

[Anonymous]

Why all the policing?

What’s wrong with all of you?

[Anonymous]

It's not easy from any school.