advice needed regarding private vs public school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
As the parent of a high school senior I have a little balloon to burst for all of you planning to send your children to "top" schools from Whitman. Every student at Whitman wants to attend those same schools and the colleges are only going to take so many kids from the same school! Unless there is something special going on with your kid, going to Whitman will put them in the midst of a huge crowd of upper middle class or wealthy overachievers (see the book by same name) from which it is difficult to stand out. Last year, according to Bethesda magazine, 20 kids from Whitman applied to Harvard and 3 were accepted. 19 from Churchill, one accepted. As for Yale, 18 applied and one was accepted from Whitman. Princeton, 13 applied and 3 were accepted. Cornell was somewhat better with 16 of 31 applicants. To get into an Ivy these days, you either have to be a legacy, have a "hook" that has to do with some exclusive skill, or be an underrepresented minority. Even a perfect 2400 on the SAT won't do it. If you don't believe me, start looking through the college chat boards and you will find many disappointed students and parents. I will say it is better for the schools a tier under the Ivies. Amherst for example took 4 of 14 applicants from Whitman.



Move to Wyoming or South Dakota for high school to avoid this.

This is totally true!

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately I'm not sure going to an unknown school in Wyoming or SD would really help, either. Unless you're national rodeo champion or something.

I went to a relatively unknown school in Pennsylvania, and although we had five national merit scholarship semifinalists my year, and some in other years as well, nobody ever went to a big-name college.

[Anonymous]

PA is mid-Atlantic. Not Wyoming, SD, throw in Nebraska...you get the point. Geographic diversity. PA is just like MD, VA, DC as far as this goes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To get into an Ivy these days, you either have to be a legacy, have a "hook" that has to do with some exclusive skill, or be an underrepresented minority.

BS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To get into an Ivy these days, you either have to be a legacy, have a "hook" that has to do with some exclusive skill, or be an underrepresented minority.

BS.

Actually, that's almost right! Recruited athletes also have a route in, as do kids with parents who are extremely wealthy or who have global access, and kids who have world-class talent or achievement. A few other "regular" kids without these hooks will also get in, but they will have top-notch SATs and class standing. And remember that there are 27,000 valedictorians every year, and the Ivies routinely turn down kids with perfect SATs. Can the "pull" of a private school occasionally get a kid like this plucked from the crowd? Maybe. But that very slim chance is no reason to go to a private school. Nor is the dream that a private school will somehow take an average student and turn him or her into a merit scholar.

[Anonymous]

Plus, these smart "regular" kids, if not under parental pressure, just aren't seeking out the Ivies like they used to.

[Anonymous]

We live in the Whitman district and are currently in private in DC but are considering moving to Whitman for high school. We have found that the relatively small size of many (but not all) of the private schools means that kids are much more likely to be on the same track. This is fine in the lower grades but is a bit more challenging in the middle school years when kids are more differentiated in their skills. I have noticed that the Pyle kids we know are actually ahead in math (e.g., Algebra 1 in 7th grade) relative to a lot of the private school kids (e.g., Algebra 1 in 8th grade). On the flip side we have very small class sizes, lots of personal attention, and a great focus on writing. While I think it is totally kid dependent, I am glad we spent the money on the younger years and now I think we don't have to for the high school years.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately I'm not sure going to an unknown school in Wyoming or SD would really help, either. Unless you're national rodeo champion or something.

Rodeo is good, yes. But it really is true that a Sioux Falls, SD valedictorian with near-perfect/perfect SATs who presents well and is "Interesting" (rodeo, national 4H champ, + apprentice equine vet) is much more likely to get a fat envelope than the more common counterpart from Fairfax. Ask your local admissions committee staffer at the Ivies, near Ivies and Middleburies.

[Anonymous]

I agree with this statement - and quite frankly, it would make complete sense from an admissions perspective.