College admission: Public vs. private

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:went to MoCo public school - and graduated summa from an Ivy. More kids at my Ivy from my public that year than from the Big 3 combined. And None of the Big 3 kids were magna, or summa.

Number less important than percentage

That is such a myth on this site. You aren't competing with the kids who drop out of public school.

What does that even mean? Of course numbers don't matter nearly as much as percentage when you are comparing college admissions--especially when you are looking at the tiny anecdata coming from one PP's college.

And, by the way, you prove my point, I think. Big 3s are college prep schools, and they tend to be much smaller in size than their public counterparts. It is expected that close to 100% of graduates of the Big-3 will go onto college. Public high schools are not prep schools. Although it is true that may of them, esp in affluent neighborhoods, send a large majority (90%?) onto college, the percentage is not as high as Big 3.

+1. And of the public school kids who go to college, many aren't looking any further than the in-state school. Not everybody can afford $60k/year for an Ivy and federal aid tops out at household income of about $50k barring unusual circumstances. Many public school kids will apply in-state or to a second- or third-tier college with generous merit aid. (Please, don't let that idiot come on to point out that Harvard gives aid to households with income up to $150k. As if everybody should just get accepted to Harvard. No, Harvard isn't going to admit all qualified Northwood grads, and most of the other Ivies are much less generous.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For example, I know kids who graduated from Wilson H.S. and SWW in DC who did well for college acceptance. They would have been 'run of the mill' kids in private.

Parent of a "Big 3" student with lots of friends at Wilson and Walls. I know you were trying to be complimentary, but it comes off as patronizing. The students who do well at Walls and Wilson would do equally well at any of the selective private schools. They certainly wouldn't be run of the mill. Smart driven children are going to thrive anywhere that they are offered the opportunity to shine, regardless of their parents' ability to pay $40k/year.

+1 -- from another parent of grads/students at Big 3 with friends at Wilson and Walls and Ellington

Most students at Wilson, Walls, and Ellington could not get into the "Big 3" but I agree that two students with similar stats going into Sidwell and Walls (for example) would probably have similar success in college admissions since so much depends on the student. They would not, however, finish high school with the same class rank, which is what the previous poster was referring to. The rest of the argument depends on whether you believe that a student with a lower class rank might be crowded out of their college of choice because the college exercises some sort of quota for each school. That seems unlikely.

I can't speak to Wilson/Ellington, but you are full of s*** to assert that most students at SWW could not get into the Big 3. Our DC was admitted to GDS (the only private school she applied to) but turned it down for SWW. Several of her classmates are similarly situated. She had a number of middle school friends who went to a Big 3 after not getting back the admissions test phase at SWW. Get over yourself. These are the kinds of postings that confirm our DC's view that the private school families are spoiled, entitled, and insufferable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For example, I know kids who graduated from Wilson H.S. and SWW in DC who did well for college acceptance. They would have been 'run of the mill' kids in private.

Parent of a "Big 3" student with lots of friends at Wilson and Walls. I know you were trying to be complimentary, but it comes off as patronizing. The students who do well at Walls and Wilson would do equally well at any of the selective private schools. They certainly wouldn't be run of the mill. Smart driven children are going to thrive anywhere that they are offered the opportunity to shine, regardless of their parents' ability to pay $40k/year.

Exactly right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For example, I know kids who graduated from Wilson H.S. and SWW in DC who did well for college acceptance. They would have been 'run of the mill' kids in private.

Parent of a "Big 3" student with lots of friends at Wilson and Walls. I know you were trying to be complimentary, but it comes off as patronizing. The students who do well at Walls and Wilson would do equally well at any of the selective private schools. They certainly wouldn't be run of the mill. Smart driven children are going to thrive anywhere that they are offered the opportunity to shine, regardless of their parents' ability to pay $40k/year.

+1 -- from another parent of grads/students at Big 3 with friends at Wilson and Walls and Ellington

Most students at Wilson, Walls, and Ellington could not get into the "Big 3" but I agree that two students with similar stats going into Sidwell and Walls (for example) would probably have similar success in college admissions since so much depends on the student. They would not, however, finish high school with the same class rank, which is what the previous poster was referring to. The rest of the argument depends on whether you believe that a student with a lower class rank might be crowded out of their college of choice because the college exercises some sort of quota for each school. That seems unlikely.

I can't speak to Wilson/Ellington, but you are full of s*** to assert that most students at SWW could not get into the Big 3. Our DC was admitted to GDS (the only private school she applied to) but turned it down for SWW. Several of her classmates are similarly situated. She had a number of middle school friends who went to a Big 3 after not getting back the admissions test phase at SWW. Get over yourself. These are the kinds of postings that confirm our DC's view that the private school families are spoiled, entitled, and insufferable.

There's a 400 point variance between the average SAT scores at SWW (1706) and the elite DC privates (?2100). Are you implying that it's due entirely to a difference in the quality of the schools?

[Anonymous]

Wilson parent here -- there is plenty of competition among the smartest kids --even early acceptances to Harvard, Yale, Cambridge, Brown and other big name schools. Have experienced both private and public, these kids aforementioned will be at the top of their peers anywhere they go. And perhaps a bit more well rounded, owing to navigating a large, often chaotic, public high school in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Magazine/September-October-2014/College-Bound/
Actual numbers on MoCo public students being admitted to colleges.

So this would indicate that all of MCPS sends about as many students to the Ivies as SFS or NCS & StA or GDS alone. So PP who claimed his MCPS school sent more than all the DC privates combined might have been exaggerating just a little.

PP summa Ivy poster. I did not graduate in 2014! Seriously, there is a serious percentage of families at Wilson, SWW, all the MoCo Ws + BCC, and Arlington schools who are in very similar positions as your "Big 3" children. They are between the 1-5% income, they have top college legacy pedigrees, tons of connections, etc. Beware, your kids are still competing with them in the total pool of applicants. You are just paying to keep them in an overprivileged environment and where the parents are so insufferable about thinking that the fact they are paying tons for this experience means their kids are 'better'. It's more amazing that more kids from the Big 3 don't get into Ivies + other top tier than that 10 percent or whatever that do. You should get your money back for anything less!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Magazine/September-October-2014/College-Bound/
Actual numbers on MoCo public students being admitted to colleges.

So this would indicate that all of MCPS sends about as many students to the Ivies as SFS or NCS & StA or GDS alone. So PP who claimed his MCPS school sent more than all the DC privates combined might have been exaggerating just a little.

PP summa Ivy poster. I did not graduate in 2014! Seriously, there is a serious percentage of families at Wilson, SWW, all the MoCo Ws + BCC, and Arlington schools who are in very similar positions as your "Big 3" children. They are between the 1-5% income, they have top college legacy pedigrees, tons of connections, etc. Beware, your kids are still competing with them in the total pool of applicants. You are just paying to keep them in an overprivileged environment and where the parents are so insufferable about thinking that the fact they are paying tons for this experience means their kids are 'better'. It's more amazing that more kids from the Big 3 don't get into Ivies + other top tier than that 10 percent or whatever that do. You should get your money back for anything less!

and just to underscore -- NONE of the Big 3 kids my year were regular cum laude let alone magna or summa. ALL of the kids from my class were at least cum laude. ALL of them!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Magazine/September-October-2014/College-Bound/
Actual numbers on MoCo public students being admitted to colleges.

So this would indicate that all of MCPS sends about as many students to the Ivies as SFS or NCS & StA or GDS alone. So PP who claimed his MCPS school sent more than all the DC privates combined might have been exaggerating just a little.

PP summa Ivy poster. I did not graduate in 2014! Seriously, there is a serious percentage of families at Wilson, SWW, all the MoCo Ws + BCC, and Arlington schools who are in very similar positions as your "Big 3" children. They are between the 1-5% income, they have top college legacy pedigrees, tons of connections, etc. Beware, your kids are still competing with them in the total pool of applicants. You are just paying to keep them in an overprivileged environment and where the parents are so insufferable about thinking that the fact they are paying tons for this experience means their kids are 'better'. It's more amazing that more kids from the Big 3 don't get into Ivies + other top tier than that 10 percent or whatever that do. You should get your money back for anything less!

And just to underscore again -- NONE - NOT ONE of the Big 3 kids in my class were cum laude let alone magna or summa (or Phi Beta Kappa!). EVERY one of the kids from my high school class were cum laude, magna, or summa (and PBK). Ask for your money back now!

[Anonymous]

What an insufferable ass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Magazine/September-October-2014/College-Bound/
Actual numbers on MoCo public students being admitted to colleges.

So this would indicate that all of MCPS sends about as many students to the Ivies as SFS or NCS & StA or GDS alone. So PP who claimed his MCPS school sent more than all the DC privates combined might have been exaggerating just a little.

PP summa Ivy poster. I did not graduate in 2014! Seriously, there is a serious percentage of families at Wilson, SWW, all the MoCo Ws + BCC, and Arlington schools who are in very similar positions as your "Big 3" children. They are between the 1-5% income, they have top college legacy pedigrees, tons of connections, etc. Beware, your kids are still competing with them in the total pool of applicants. You are just paying to keep them in an overprivileged environment and where the parents are so insufferable about thinking that the fact they are paying tons for this experience means their kids are 'better'. It's more amazing that more kids from the Big 3 don't get into Ivies + other top tier than that 10 percent or whatever that do. You should get your money back for anything less!

If I had a nickel for every poorly written screed by someone pretending to be an ivy league grad on DCUM, I'd have a lot of nickels.

[Anonymous]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

I am so picturing the "summa-Ivy-grad" who is ranting about her brilliant public school contemporaries and all the spoiled and insufferable "Big 3" kids and families as a crazy lunatic with a throbbing vein in her forehead and a huge chip on her shoulder.

You just can't make this stuff up - pure comedy with a side of crazy! LOL

[Anonymous]

Dear Summa - Just name your high school, the college, and your grad year, so we can all look up the numbers ourselves. That may settle this.

[Anonymous]

Walt Whitman. Harvard. Late 80s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do local independent school graduates have a higher chance than public school graduates of gaining acceptance to second tier colleges like Notre Dame, Duke, or equivalent (not interested in the Ivies)?

It depends on the school. FCPS and MCPS have some great options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Walt Whitman. Harvard. Late 80s.

Hmm. Numbers from 30 years ago will be hard to come by. According to your recollection, how many Harvard students came from Whitman versus "all the other Big 3 combined"? A very quick look online indicated 7 to Harvard from Whitman in the mid-80s was a high water mark at the time, and it's certainly higher than what Whitman sees now.

Just to be clear, I'm not saying Whitman's not a good school, or that other public schools don't have good college records. I'm just quite skeptical of your claim that Whitman sent more kids to Harvard than all the Big 3 combined. From what I've seen, the Big 3 schools are collectively sending about 10-15 students to Harvard every year, while Whitman seems to average 3-5 at best.