Regretting private high school investment because of colleges want more public school graduates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, our local public school just had a kid stabbed in the hallway. So there is that aspect to think of also.

I get it, you live in a crappy area and have to go private.

[Anonymous]

We didn’t choose HS for the college outcome. Nonetheless, our school did quite well with admissions this year and our kids have received a superior education, so I’m not concerned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our college counseling offices across 2 Big 3 schools say the complete opposite, so there you go.

They say that colleges are more likely to admit kids from schools who 1) have a track record of students who perform well at their school; and 2) spend time reaching out to the admissions people about applicants; 3) have teachers and administrators who know how to write recommendations.

These are all qualities of top privates.

Not all privates are at the same level. I suppose weaker privates can have weaker admissions. All I can tell you is our schools have had superlative admissions years.

Same. Our college counselor has encouraged us to apply to certain schools we thought would be a reach and has assured us those schools love our students so we have a good shot.

[Anonymous]

I think it’s foolish to privately educate with the goal of getting into a top college. We went the private school route because we believe it is a better education. Private school grads will go to a great college if they are bright and driven, maybe not Ivy League, but someone that will give them a great education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, our local public school just had a kid stabbed in the hallway. So there is that aspect to think of also.

I get it, you live in a crappy area and have to go private.

That happened in Fairfax, dumb@ss

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, our local public school just had a kid stabbed in the hallway. So there is that aspect to think of also.

I get it, you live in a crappy area and have to go private.

That happened in Fairfax, dumb@ss

DP. Sadly Fairfax schools have plummeted in quality over the last 20 years.

[Anonymous]

I’m not sending my kids to private for college admissions. I’m sending them for personal reasons, and if at any point it becomes apparent that our public school would be a better fit for any of my kids education, I would send them there. In fact, I’m touring our local elementary school in a few weeks because I think it’s possible that might be the case for one of my children.

Admissions to elite colleges is a total crapshoot from any school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think more public school kids who go to HYP are not legacy where you do see more legacy at private.

Not on our street.

[Anonymous]

Pay for private or go to public and pay for therapy.

[Anonymous]

OP's point and entire focus is wrong headed.

[Anonymous]

All these people who say they pay for private for reasons other than college outcome, can you please explain more? When I saw the OP’s post I knew that would be the standard reply (I’ve been reading this board for years and there are two consistent themes: quitting your job to stay home because that’s “the best decision for our family” and claiming that you pay for private not because of college “we are not paying to get into ivy”), so I’m curious why. I’m an immigrant so that might explain why this is confusing to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All these people who say they pay for private for reasons other than college outcome, can you please explain more? When I saw the OP’s post I knew that would be the standard reply (I’ve been reading this board for years and there are two consistent themes: quitting your job to stay home because that’s “the best decision for our family” and claiming that you pay for private not because of college “we are not paying to get into ivy”), so I’m curious why. I’m an immigrant so that might explain why this is confusing to me.

I send my daughter to private so she can get a well-rounded education and be well prepared and successful in college. She doesn’t have to go to an Ivy to be successful. There are many great colleges outside of the Ivy.

Privates have smaller class sizes, better facilities, more academically focused students, greater family engagement, and more attention on Humanities and Arts. It is generally also safer than public because there are less fights and violent incidents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Been told by our college counselor that this year colleges are turning away from selecting most private high school kids because of their privileged education. That you now have a better chance coming from a public high school with good grades and top scores and activities. There’s no advantage anymore paying more money for private. None at all.

So for those of you looking to go private, don’t waste your money. Your private school kid, despite top gpa and test scores, will probably will be bumped in favor of someone from a good public school.

Regrets, regrets, regrets…

You sound like an idiot. Private school is not and has never been the path to prestigious college. It's the path to a great, well-rounded, comprehensive education. You got what you paid for. If you wanted colleges, then you send your kid to the most impoverished gang ridden school in the city, but have all the test prep and extras money could buy.

That advice usually comes for $400/hr. You're welcome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All these people who say they pay for private for reasons other than college outcome, can you please explain more? When I saw the OP’s post I knew that would be the standard reply (I’ve been reading this board for years and there are two consistent themes: quitting your job to stay home because that’s “the best decision for our family” and claiming that you pay for private not because of college “we are not paying to get into ivy”), so I’m curious why. I’m an immigrant so that might explain why this is confusing to me.

No one needs to justify any decision to you or explain it. Visit the schools, decide if it is worth it. Look at the matriculation stats with a grain of salt - know those with ivy are probably legacy. Unhooked kids go to the same schools as public school kids. Decide if it's worth it to you. As an immigrant, if that's true, you will see the difference. Plenty of first gen immigrants at my kid's private. Also lots of non-immigrants don't think it's worth it either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All these people who say they pay for private for reasons other than college outcome, can you please explain more? When I saw the OP’s post I knew that would be the standard reply (I’ve been reading this board for years and there are two consistent themes: quitting your job to stay home because that’s “the best decision for our family” and claiming that you pay for private not because of college “we are not paying to get into ivy”), so I’m curious why. I’m an immigrant so that might explain why this is confusing to me.

No one needs to justify any decision to you or explain it. Visit the schools, decide if it is worth it. Look at the matriculation stats with a grain of salt - know those with ivy are probably legacy. Unhooked kids go to the same schools as public school kids. Decide if it's worth it to you. As an immigrant, if that's true, you will see the difference. Plenty of first gen immigrants at my kid's private. Also lots of non-immigrants don't think it's worth it either.

Why would I care for a random internet user to justify their decisions to me? This is a discussion board and I’m just curious. So many users on this forum give the same answer to this topic so I thought I’d ask for the reasoning.