Son's Prep School Limiting His Applications to Top Colleges. Is This Standard Practice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why pubic school is better. One, your child won't be a douche. Two, your child can apply wherever he wants.

A public high school student will also be less prepared for a top school, so there’s that.

Signed,

A college professor

What evidence can you cite for that, Professor?

More than 80% of American students are public school students, and if you look at the list of students in the DMV who excel in national competitions and NMSF, those lists are dominated by public school students--particularly the public magnets with competitive admission by merit (not wealth like private schools).

+1 Perhaps the professor is tenured at Trump University, where facts are not required. There are some good private schools in this area, and plenty of mediocre ones. Most of the public HS in this area teach math that is far more advanced than what the average private school offers--they're much bigger and can offer more options to the top students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why pubic school is better. One, your child won't be a douche. Two, your child can apply wherever he wants.

I know plenty of douches who are products of public school.

There are definitely douches at pubic school given the proximity to the location. But most know how to spell public correctly.

[Anonymous]

Maret had at least 6-7 kids admitted to Northwestern last year between ED and RD. Another year 4 went to Penn so I don’t know if only 4 got in. I will say that the advising the students received was consistent and similar to what other independent schools recommended which was to apply to a range of schools BUT to schools you can really see yourself at because of what it offers and it’s fit for the student not just isit an Ivy, a top 10 or 20 school.

These schools all have different academic and social cultures, different geographic locations, academic requirements, etc. MIT is very different from Stanford which is very different from Harvard who is very different from Princeton which is very different from Northwestern which is very different from Duke, etc. Help your kid narrow their choices for the right reasons.

Learning to pick what right for you based on your own self knowledge and awareness will pay off in life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why pubic school is better. One, your child won't be a douche. Two, your child can apply wherever he wants.

A public high school student will also be less prepared for a top school, so there’s that.

Signed,

A college professor

Umm, ok. My non-W MoCo school kid who went to a T-20 for undergrad and grad is now headed off to Berkeley for their PhD. I'd say they were plenty prepared.

[Anonymous]

More schools should do this!

[Anonymous]

I attended a top boarding school and they did this. It makes sense to prevent a small cohort of kids getting all the coveted spots. It also serves a signaling function-- schools know that the student has selected them and only a handful of other schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is normal at a top prep school. They have to control this so that everyone has a reasonable shot at top colleges, rather than one person getting that school's "spot" at all of them, and the rest of the deserving kids getting left behind.

Don't colleges track yield? If they only offer one spot and it isn't taken then perhaps the next year they should offer 2? Conversely if the school is limiting kids the yield data will show that if they offer, then the kid will take the spot so the college should offer fewer spots than they did prior to the school's tactics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is normal at a top prep school. They have to control this so that everyone has a reasonable shot at top colleges, rather than one person getting that school's "spot" at all of them, and the rest of the deserving kids getting left behind.

Don't colleges track yield? If they only offer one spot and it isn't taken then perhaps the next year they should offer 2? Conversely if the school is limiting kids the yield data will show that if they offer, then the kid will take the spot so the college should offer fewer spots than they did prior to the school's tactics.

Uh yield management works the opposite way. Universities want to only make offers to kids who will accept if they can. So if your school sends 20 applicants and 10 get in, but only 2 accept, the next year they may only give 2, whereas if your school only presents 2 and says these are your kids from our school and they both are qualified and the school gives them offers and they both accept, the next year, when the school more kids for that school, they are more likely to offer to all that the school sends and will trust the school that they are qualified.

[Anonymous]

+1 this is normal. It leads to greater outcomes for the school overall, even if it limits individuals in their options. It's what you signed up for back when you enrolled your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:+1 this is normal. It leads to greater outcomes for the school overall, even if it limits individuals in their options. It's what you signed up for back when you enrolled your kid.

I dont recall this in the contract.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He’s going to have to choose among Stanford Princeton mit no matter what if he’s EDing/REAing.

This. And then if he gets in they are saying he can’t apply to others after that, since he could potentially take away acceptance from another classmate, seems reasonable since you would assume he in that scenario got into his top pick from EA! Don’t be greedy!