Any Parents Privately Disappointed with College Placement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DCs public school typically has 25-30 going to Ivy League schools and many many more going to top colleges. My public school DC is applying to much more competitive colleges than I did as a big 3 grad. The counseling is pretty hands off compared to private schools yet the kids still do extremely well in admissions.

Urban myth. Not even top preps have that many.

NP here. Actually, not urban myth. Public schools have larger classes, so it stands to reason that more kids go to top colleges. Columbia alone accepted 12 from DC's MoCo public this year, although maybe half will matriculate there. I don't know if my kid is at the same MoCo public as PP's, or how kids at other MoCo publics are doing.

Many students from MoCo public schools do really well in college admissions.

High School -- # going to Ivy League colleges in 2013
Winston Churchill -- 16
Richard Montgomery -- 14
Walter Johnson -- 8
Wootton (2012) -- 9

These schools are all excellent schools, but it's important to bear in mind that they are all roughly 4x the size of the largest coed independent schools and close to 5X the size of the single-sex independents. This means that the numbers of students going to Ivies (which PP is using as a somewhat inaccurate and incomplete proxy of selectivity) are not in the same proportion as the the numbers going from the independent schools. For example, in recent years Sidwell, with a graduating class size of approximately 125 has had 15-20 students going to Ivies. Compare this outcome to the numbers cited by PP above for graduating classes of 500 from Churchill, 490 from RM (including approx 140 in the IB program), 520 from WJ, and 575 from Wooton.

I'm the PP who posted about Columbia above. I basically agree with you about the percent that go to ivies being smaller in publics. I do think it's worth pointing out that there's a difference between acceptances and matriculation. Without going into personal details, I know 6-7 cases from DC's class this year where kids turned down ivies because the kids got merit or better FA money elsewhere (the ivies don't offer merit money). These are just the kids I know of. Many other kids don't even apply to ivies because they think (maybe incorrectly) they can't afford it and won't get aid. After all, these aren't families who are already accustomed to paying $35K+ per year for school. It's a different population. My only purpose in entering this thread was to respond to some PP's notion above that public school students aren't as motivated or something, not to start an ivy matriculation war.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP 19:51 here – I forgot the best fact about IU – the sororities are all divided into the white girl sororities, AA sororities, Jewish (from Chicago burbs), and Asian sororities. I’ve mentioned to my nieces and their friends that this was odd and their responses are always that AAs, Jewish girls and the Asians want their own sororities. They think nothing wrong or odd about this. The girls don’t even rush together. I think it’s sad.

Sounds like the townies (Hoosiers) are in the majority. So if this level and attitude of segregation is still in place, it's a redneck school.

Sounds horrible.... take a look at the reviiews http://www.studentsreview.com/IN/IUB_u.html

Yes it does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DCs public school typically has 25-30 going to Ivy League schools and many many more going to top colleges. My public school DC is applying to much more competitive colleges than I did as a big 3 grad. The counseling is pretty hands off compared to private schools yet the kids still do extremely well in admissions.

Urban myth. Not even top preps have that many.

NP here. Actually, not urban myth. Public schools have larger classes, so it stands to reason that more kids go to top colleges. Columbia alone accepted 12 from DC's MoCo public this year, although maybe half will matriculate there. I don't know if my kid is at the same MoCo public as PP's, or how kids at other MoCo publics are doing.

Many students from MoCo public schools do really well in college admissions.

High School -- # going to Ivy League colleges in 2013
Winston Churchill -- 16
Richard Montgomery -- 14
Walter Johnson -- 8
Wootton (2012) -- 9

These schools are all excellent schools, but it's important to bear in mind that they are all roughly 4x the size of the largest coed independent schools and close to 5X the size of the single-sex independents. This means that the numbers of students going to Ivies (which PP is using as a somewhat inaccurate and incomplete proxy of selectivity) are not in the same proportion as the the numbers going from the independent schools. For example, in recent years Sidwell, with a graduating class size of approximately 125 has had 15-20 students going to Ivies. Compare this outcome to the numbers cited by PP above for graduating classes of 500 from Churchill, 490 from RM (including approx 140 in the IB program), 520 from WJ, and 575 from Wooton.

I'm the PP who posted about Columbia above. I basically agree with you about the percent that go to ivies being smaller in publics. I do think it's worth pointing out that there's a difference between acceptances and matriculation. Without going into personal details, I know 6-7 cases from DC's class this year where kids turned down ivies because the kids got merit or better FA money elsewhere (the ivies don't offer merit money). These are just the kids I know of. Many other kids don't even apply to ivies because they think (maybe incorrectly) they can't afford it and won't get aid. After all, these aren't families who are already accustomed to paying $35K+ per year for school. It's a different population. My only purpose in entering this thread was to respond to some PP's notion above that public school students aren't as motivated or something, not to start an ivy matriculation war.

I'm comparing matriculation numbers to matriculation numbers, not matriculations to acceptances. There are also kids at Sidwell and the other independent schools who turn down Ivy schools for financial and other reasons. And, yes, I think you were trying to start an Ivy matriculation war.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm comparing matriculation numbers to matriculation numbers, not matriculations to acceptances. There are also kids at Sidwell and the other independent schools who turn down Ivy schools for financial and other reasons. And, yes, I think you were trying to start an Ivy matriculation war.

you're welcome to think whatever you want, sweetie, and I'm sure logic won't stop you. Including the obvious logic that most private school kids face very different college financial pictures than most public school kids. I take it you're either the PP who said public school kids are unmotivated, or the PP with the classes sizes for MoCo publics. You want to post this stuff and go unchallenged. Have at it, because you don't seem reasonable enough to waste my time on, and you're the one looking for a fight, not me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Would you be disappointed if your child did not go to a Top 25 liberal arts college or university after spending $$$$$$ on private school education?

This is the question posed by the original poster back in 2010. It tends to be a narrow view of private school education. If my child's passion for a career was sparked or cultivated at private school and he/she chose not to go to a top liberal arts school I would not be disappointed. Private school graduates go to schools like MIT for engineering, Julliard or Peabody for music, Johnson & Wales for culinary arts, Scripps for oceanography, Oklahoma and Penn State for meteorology, Missouri for journalism, schools with a teaching hospital for pre-med. They seek out the schools that will best prepare them for their career. If a child has a passion for history or writing or law or isn't yet sure what career path he/she wants to follow, then a liberal arts school may be best for them.

In the past, Big Three school graduates have gone to UVA, Maryland, Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado, Penn State, Ohio State, etc. What's the big deal about two St. Albans grads going to Indiana University?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I'm comparing matriculation numbers to matriculation numbers, not matriculations to acceptances. There are also kids at Sidwell and the other independent schools who turn down Ivy schools for financial and other reasons. And, yes, I think you were trying to start an Ivy matriculation war.

you're welcome to think whatever you want, sweetie, and I'm sure logic won't stop you. Including the obvious logic that most private school kids face very different college financial pictures than most public school kids. I take it you're either the PP who said public school kids are unmotivated, or the PP with the classes sizes for MoCo publics. You want to post this stuff and go unchallenged. Have at it, because you don't seem reasonable enough to waste my time on, and you're the one looking for a fight, not me.

I don't think I'm the one looking for a fight. For one thing, I'm not calling you "sweetie". I did post the class sizes at the schools you cited -- because your logic was flawed when you stated the matriculation numbers for those schools without noting that the public schools are much larger than the independents. If you'd like to challenge that, go ahead.

I did not, however, claim that public school kids are unmotivated; that's ridiculous. But it's equally ridiculous to characterize the student body at Churchill -- the model for the high school in Beverly Hills 90210 -- as needy. That's the second of your arguments that should not go unchallenged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I'm comparing matriculation numbers to matriculation numbers, not matriculations to acceptances. There are also kids at Sidwell and the other independent schools who turn down Ivy schools for financial and other reasons. And, yes, I think you were trying to start an Ivy matriculation war.

you're welcome to think whatever you want, sweetie, and I'm sure logic won't stop you. Including the obvious logic that most private school kids face very different college financial pictures than most public school kids. I take it you're either the PP who said public school kids are unmotivated, or the PP with the classes sizes for MoCo publics. You want to post this stuff and go unchallenged. Have at it, because you don't seem reasonable enough to waste my time on, and you're the one looking for a fight, not me.

I don't think I'm the one looking for a fight. For one thing, I'm not calling you "sweetie". I did post the class sizes at the schools you cited -- because your logic was flawed when you stated the matriculation numbers for those schools without noting that the public schools are much larger than the independents. If you'd like to challenge that, go ahead.

I did not, however, claim that public school kids are unmotivated; that's ridiculous. But it's equally ridiculous to characterize the student body at Churchill -- the model for the high school in Beverly Hills 90210 -- as needy. That's the second of your arguments that should not go unchallenged.

Those weren't my matriculation numbers - you're picking fights with a few different posters here.

That is all. Even though several of your new arguments are also ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Hello. I'm posting to clear the air.

I am neither 13:08 ("sweetie") nor 16:30 ("Beverly Hills"). I posted the specific matriculation numbers for the specific MoCo schools. I looked them up because I got curious about the claim of some MoCo high school that "typically has 25-30 going to Ivy League schools." Having looked at the numbers, I suspect that 25-30 estimate was exaggerated, but I'm open to being proven wrong.

I don't have a dog in your fight. I'm interested in the underlying data and in different ways to parse it, but I'm not really interested in the name-calling that too often goes with it.

Sam2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I'm comparing matriculation numbers to matriculation numbers, not matriculations to acceptances. There are also kids at Sidwell and the other independent schools who turn down Ivy schools for financial and other reasons. And, yes, I think you were trying to start an Ivy matriculation war.

you're welcome to think whatever you want, sweetie, and I'm sure logic won't stop you. Including the obvious logic that most private school kids face very different college financial pictures than most public school kids. I take it you're either the PP who said public school kids are unmotivated, or the PP with the classes sizes for MoCo publics. You want to post this stuff and go unchallenged. Have at it, because you don't seem reasonable enough to waste my time on, and you're the one looking for a fight, not me.

I don't think I'm the one looking for a fight. For one thing, I'm not calling you "sweetie". I did post the class sizes at the schools you cited -- because your logic was flawed when you stated the matriculation numbers for those schools without noting that the public schools are much larger than the independents. If you'd like to challenge that, go ahead.

I did not, however, claim that public school kids are unmotivated; that's ridiculous. But it's equally ridiculous to characterize the student body at Churchill -- the model for the high school in Beverly Hills 90210 -- as needy. That's the second of your arguments that should not go unchallenged.

Those weren't my matriculation numbers - you're picking fights with a few different posters here.

That is all. Even though several of your new arguments are also ridiculous.

OK, you're not the PP with the matriculation numbers -- my mistake, though my point nonetheless applies to your claim that 12 kids from your DC's public high school got into Columbia. Neither post takes into account the size difference between public and independent schools, so the logic behind both posts is still flawed. And, you're still not responding to my point disputing your claim that all MoCo high schools are filled needy kids -- which is certainly not true of the schools cited by the other PP and to which I was referring in my post. By noting that, I'm not "picking a fight"; rather, I'm responding to a statement. That's called discussion. In that vein, if you find my arguments ridiculous, then go ahead and rebut them -- with facts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Would you be disappointed if your child did not go to a Top 25 liberal arts college or university after spending $$$$$$ on private school education?

This is the question posed by the original poster back in 2010. It tends to be a narrow view of private school education. If my child's passion for a career was sparked or cultivated at private school and he/she chose not to go to a top liberal arts school I would not be disappointed. Private school graduates go to schools like MIT for engineering, Julliard or Peabody for music, Johnson & Wales for culinary arts, Scripps for oceanography, Oklahoma and Penn State for meteorology, Missouri for journalism, schools with a teaching hospital for pre-med. They seek out the schools that will best prepare them for their career. If a child has a passion for history or writing or law or isn't yet sure what career path he/she wants to follow, then a liberal arts school may be best for them.

In the past, Big Three school graduates have gone to UVA, Maryland, Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado, Penn State, Ohio State, etc. What's the big deal about two St. Albans grads going to Indiana University?

This:

SAT Critical Reading: 510 / 620
SAT Math: 540 / 660
SAT Writing: 510 / 610

And, its 50% graduation rate.

[Anonymous]

"This:

SAT Critical Reading: 510 / 620
SAT Math: 540 / 660
SAT Writing: 510 / 610

And, its 50% graduation rate."

Oh my, the sky is falling. STA grads eschew liberal elitist East Coast schools to go to the heartland and (gasp) mingle with people who don't judge you by the name of your undergraduate school. Oh, the shame. Get a life!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"This:

SAT Critical Reading: 510 / 620
SAT Math: 540 / 660
SAT Writing: 510 / 610

And, its 50% graduation rate."

Oh my, the sky is falling. STA grads eschew liberal elitist East Coast schools to go to the heartland and (gasp) mingle with people who don't judge you by the name of your undergraduate school. Oh, the shame. Get a life!

Get a life, ha-ha, mingling with rednecks...Oy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OK, you're not the PP with the matriculation numbers -- my mistake, though my point nonetheless applies to your claim that 12 kids from your DC's public high school got into Columbia. Neither post takes into account the size difference between public and independent schools, so the logic behind both posts is still flawed. And, you're still not responding to my point disputing your claim that all MoCo high schools are filled needy kids -- which is certainly not true of the schools cited by the other PP and to which I was referring in my post. By noting that, I'm not "picking a fight"; rather, I'm responding to a statement. That's called discussion. In that vein, if you find my arguments ridiculous, then go ahead and rebut them -- with facts.

OMG, get a life. Let me make you happy: yes, private school kids are uniformly smarter, more motivated, and even better looking than public school kids. The fact that many public school kids can't afford ivies has absolutely nothing to do with their lower matriculation rates to ivies. In fact most public school kids live in-bounds for Churchill and are just as rich as private school kids -- so feel free to ignore that key point about the affordability of ivies, as you've been doing all along.

Feel better about yourself now?

[Anonymous]

18:32 again. Also, I'm really glad we no longer do private school, or I might have become a private school parent who acts like you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OK, you're not the PP with the matriculation numbers -- my mistake, though my point nonetheless applies to your claim that 12 kids from your DC's public high school got into Columbia. Neither post takes into account the size difference between public and independent schools, so the logic behind both posts is still flawed. And, you're still not responding to my point disputing your claim that all MoCo high schools are filled needy kids -- which is certainly not true of the schools cited by the other PP and to which I was referring in my post. By noting that, I'm not "picking a fight"; rather, I'm responding to a statement. That's called discussion. In that vein, if you find my arguments ridiculous, then go ahead and rebut them -- with facts.

OMG, get a life. Let me make you happy: yes, private school kids are uniformly smarter, more motivated, and even better looking than public school kids. The fact that many public school kids can't afford ivies has absolutely nothing to do with their lower matriculation rates to ivies. In fact most public school kids live in-bounds for Churchill and are just as rich as private school kids -- so feel free to ignore that key point about the affordability of ivies, as you've been doing all along.

Feel better about yourself now?

You forgot the ones who fly into MoCo by private jet from Beverly Hills.

Too many a$$holes on DCUM today. This applies to the people slamming Indiana, too. Is there a full moon? It could be the same poster though.