How NEGATIVE are college admissions from a top private versus public

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems bizarre the college AOs want to incentivize families to send their kids to bad public schools and/or ones in podunk nowhere.

Or maybe they are realizing a kid with some grit who earned their grades and other honors without help from the resources money buys would be excellent additions to their schools. Think about it, would you hire Carl and Brook’s daughter from the country club who has had every door automatically open for her and thousands of dollars invested in her to make her the perfect being or a person with just about equal accomplishments who did it all on her own?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College matriculation at our private is still much better than our local public schools. This may not be the case if your local public is a “W” school but probably that parity has existed for a long time. Colleges are less interested in umc white or Asian kids generally, it is not specific to private schools.

That must be why selective schools are majority Black, Latino, and poor.

Oh. Wait.

Our son was accepted at Duke and Brown. Currently at a public school many of you wouldn’t let your kids near. He did not get financial aid (190k) and we didn’t get merit so he is going to UMD with significant merit. Want to point out that there aren’t a lot of black and brown kids at selective schools because we can’t afford it. It’s unfortunate because we thought that being black and first gen college combo would be favorable but it wasn’t for those 2 schools. They didn’t care but UMD is giving him a chance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Test optional has changed things dramatically. The DEI initiatives have also changed things. To suggest that all is how it used to be before these changes is inaccurate.

Yes, schools are (belatedly) realizing that automatically preferring rich white kids from private schools isn't what they want to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We sent our kids to DCPS through 8th grade (Deal). My kid's friends who were decent but not fabulous students went on to JR and got high 4.0+ GPAs and are now got into better schools than my kid who went on to a Big3 and worked really, really hard for a 3.8.

The JR kids were missing teachers for semesters at a time. but it doesn't matter for GPAs as then the whole class is given an A when this happens. last year this was in physics C. meanwhile my kids killed himself for an A.


It is what it is.

but yes, it is happening. Please go into private with your eyes WIDE open. You are doing this as an investment in learning which is invaluable your kid will very, very likely get into an inferior college.

The biggest problem with your post is the word "inferior." You all put way too much credit in name prestige and USNWR. They need to stop publishing that rag because it is killing kids' mental health.

[Anonymous]

Just keep in mind as you read that there is a very, very dedicated troll who hates private schools and makes stuff up all the time. Jeff removes posts and threads from that person all the time but he can’t catch all of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems bizarre the college AOs want to incentivize families to send their kids to bad public schools and/or ones in podunk nowhere.

Or maybe they are realizing a kid with some grit who earned their grades and other honors without help from the resources money buys would be excellent additions to their schools. Think about it, would you hire Carl and Brook’s daughter from the country club who has had every door automatically open for her and thousands of dollars invested in her to make her the perfect being or a person with just about equal accomplishments who did it all on her own?

Carl and Brook's daughter is a figment of your imagination.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems bizarre the college AOs want to incentivize families to send their kids to bad public schools and/or ones in podunk nowhere.

Or maybe they are realizing a kid with some grit who earned their grades and other honors without help from the resources money buys would be excellent additions to their schools. Think about it, would you hire Carl and Brook’s daughter from the country club who has had every door automatically open for her and thousands of dollars invested in her to make her the perfect being or a person with just about equal accomplishments who did it all on her own?

Laughing at the idea that a kid from MCPS gets grit. Get a grip. And I’m saying this as a parent whose kid went to a public school system with metal detectors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not new; it just feels new every year to the people going through it for the first time [cue the annual "no, it's really different this time" posters].

Part of the reason is that the handful of people who choose a school believing it would change their child's college application outcomes look at the matriculations and only see the colleges on the list that they want to see, and knowing nothing about the students or why those chose the schools they chose or why they got into the schools they got into, naively assume this means their kid will get into the school of their choice. Also, they probably don't appreciate how great the other schools on the list actually are and how much fit matters to individual kids. It is completely naive to assume all students choose a college based on where it lands on the USNWR list. Once you dig in, if you are really doing your homework, that list goes out the window.

I have one kid who graduated pre-covid and one post...it is new and very different for a variety of reasons that have been beaten to death.

[Anonymous]

I beg to disagree about the grit and Montgomery county public schools. It’s not an easy road and the kids do need grit there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I beg to disagree about the grit and Montgomery county public schools. It’s not an easy road and the kids do need grit there.

Delusional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here’s a little story for you. My son and his best friend went to Janney. They were like two peas in a pod- very similar in athletics and academics. Fun loving outgoing kids very charming. In sixth grade we pulled out and went to GDS. The other kid went through Deal and Jackson Reed. Parents did not “love” DCPS , whatever we talked schools they said “it’s fine. He’s doing OK he has nice friends he likes some of his teachers.” Jackson Reid kid just got accepted to Brown and UVA. My son got into a fine school which I can’t say now because our small class-size but you get the point. It was not a top school. And he had a high GPA and scores. And yes he learned a lot at GDS and yes he had a lot of homework also. And yes I am thinking about our decision and money spent. This friend cohort at JR also had great results. All unhooked and no athlete.

I have a sixth grader and have same dilemma. We are at a strong public with many smart students. The top 10% at our school seem to do equal or better than most privates. I am so torn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s a little story for you. My son and his best friend went to Janney. They were like two peas in a pod- very similar in athletics and academics. Fun loving outgoing kids very charming. In sixth grade we pulled out and went to GDS. The other kid went through Deal and Jackson Reed. Parents did not “love” DCPS , whatever we talked schools they said “it’s fine. He’s doing OK he has nice friends he likes some of his teachers.” Jackson Reid kid just got accepted to Brown and UVA. My son got into a fine school which I can’t say now because our small class-size but you get the point. It was not a top school. And he had a high GPA and scores. And yes he learned a lot at GDS and yes he had a lot of homework also. And yes I am thinking about our decision and money spent. This friend cohort at JR also had great results. All unhooked and no athlete.

I have a sixth grader and have same dilemma. We are at a strong public with many smart students. The top 10% at our school seem to do equal or better than most privates. I am so torn.

Don't pick a private school because you think there will be better college outcomes. Do pick a private school if you feel the environment and curriculum will positively impact your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We sent our kids to DCPS through 8th grade (Deal). My kid's friends who were decent but not fabulous students went on to JR and got high 4.0+ GPAs and are now got into better schools than my kid who went on to a Big3 and worked really, really hard for a 3.8.

The JR kids were missing teachers for semesters at a time. but it doesn't matter for GPAs as then the whole class is given an A when this happens. last year this was in physics C. meanwhile my kids killed himself for an A.


It is what it is.

but yes, it is happening. Please go into private with your eyes WIDE open. You are doing this as an investment in learning which is invaluable your kid will very, very likely get into an inferior college.

The biggest problem with your post is the word "inferior." You all put way too much credit in name prestige and USNWR. They need to stop publishing that rag because it is killing kids' mental health.

DP here. Some schools are inferior in prestige, quality and outcomes.

I would be pissed if I spent all that money and my kids got into worse schools (not T50) from private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We sent our kids to DCPS through 8th grade (Deal). My kid's friends who were decent but not fabulous students went on to JR and got high 4.0+ GPAs and are now got into better schools than my kid who went on to a Big3 and worked really, really hard for a 3.8.

The JR kids were missing teachers for semesters at a time. but it doesn't matter for GPAs as then the whole class is given an A when this happens. last year this was in physics C. meanwhile my kids killed himself for an A.


It is what it is.

but yes, it is happening. Please go into private with your eyes WIDE open. You are doing this as an investment in learning which is invaluable your kid will very, very likely get into an inferior college.

The biggest problem with your post is the word "inferior." You all put way too much credit in name prestige and USNWR. They need to stop publishing that rag because it is killing kids' mental health.

DP here. Some schools are inferior in prestige, quality and outcomes.

I would be pissed if I spent all that money and my kids got into worse schools (not T50) from private.

I will be thrilled if my child in private school goes to a not top 50 school. If he had gone to public, he likely wouldn't be able to go to college at all. Have some perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s a little story for you. My son and his best friend went to Janney. They were like two peas in a pod- very similar in athletics and academics. Fun loving outgoing kids very charming. In sixth grade we pulled out and went to GDS. The other kid went through Deal and Jackson Reed. Parents did not “love” DCPS , whatever we talked schools they said “it’s fine. He’s doing OK he has nice friends he likes some of his teachers.” Jackson Reid kid just got accepted to Brown and UVA. My son got into a fine school which I can’t say now because our small class-size but you get the point. It was not a top school. And he had a high GPA and scores. And yes he learned a lot at GDS and yes he had a lot of homework also. And yes I am thinking about our decision and money spent. This friend cohort at JR also had great results. All unhooked and no athlete.

I have a sixth grader and have same dilemma. We are at a strong public with many smart students. The top 10% at our school seem to do equal or better than most privates. I am so torn.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1122932.page

There's a lot to contemplate at parents but it seems that noone is completely happy.