Big 3 Nightmare

[Anonymous]

Long story short:

A few (not all!) private school parents chose Big 3s for the bragging rights and/or because they thought Larlo would be a shoe-in to, nay almost entitled to, a top college. They didn't count on Larlo's classmates outcompeting him.

These parents certainly don't want to take responsibility for their own decisions. So they come out guns blazing against public school kids. It's not a good look.

[Anonymous]

Seriously, how can you not consider this an advantage?
- Private school parent

I think it is an advantage in life, but not in college admissions. And not every parent thinks that a private school education is necessarily better for their kid, which is why I qualified it.

[Anonymous]

Well, 30 years ago I went to a top boarding school after many years at a small-town public. When I graduated I noticed that mediocre students from the boarding school were going to better colleges than top students at my local public. It seemed ridiculous and unfair. Maybe that loophole has finally been corrected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow- I went to a TT SLAC in the 90s from NCS with a similar GPA and a 1480 SAT.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“You may have more data at NCS but there are plenty of unhappy parents and students regarding college outcomes at NCS. Yes, the education is outstanding but it is hard for students not to question why they worked so hard in HS to end up at a school like Bates or Wisconsin. “

I am an NCS parent of a senior. We would be dancing on the rooftops if our DD got into Wisconsin. It was a rejection. We are looking at options much, much lower on the USNWR list. Think 75-120.

what is your child's approx. GPA? NCS parent here.

GPA is 3.4. ACT is 33

That truly sucks. All the grade inflation at public schools and test optional is so frustrating.

This is so tone deaf. You realize that “back in the day,” elite colleges only let in certain types of people (originally WASP-Y men from certain families and high schools). Broadening access to a wider swath of kids is a GOOD thing for the colleges and for the country vs having something more like an oligarchy of access. Private school kids do not need MORE protection and benefits. They are going to be fine.

-parent of private school kid who didn’t have a great college outcome

I don’t need a lesson from you about “back in the day”, but thanks private school parent. I was first gen to go to college from LM family. No one said anything about protections or benefits. A meritocracy should be the goal. Not for public schools to inflate grades so that a 4.0 has no more meaning.

So in other words, you want to pull down the ladder behind you.

Not at all. I don’t think my kid should be up against MCPS kids who get Bs and then “show improvement” and all of a sudden it’s an A. Give me a break.

What does this even mean? I have no idea what you are trying to say.
I imagine your implication is that public schools hand out As like candy. While there is grade inflation, a lot of it is at the lower end so that kids who are failing actually end up graduating. Some easy electives like Tech, Forensics or a class like PE\Health do give out easy As but generally Honors and AP classes are very teacher dependent. Some of the teachers are very tough even in public school. College admissions officers are not completely dumb by the way. They look at a 3.8 GPA from Sidwell very differently than a 3.8 GPA from public school

https://rockvillerampage.com/13421/opinion/mcps-needs-to-address-grade-inflation-head-on

Uh, yes, they do, in comparison.

DP. Did you read the rest of the post? Most of the inflation is to help kids at the bottom graduate. That was our experience, too. College-bound kids took a different set of classes with little inflation.

Did you read the article? They give out A's like pez candies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow- I went to a TT SLAC in the 90s from NCS with a similar GPA and a 1480 SAT.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“You may have more data at NCS but there are plenty of unhappy parents and students regarding college outcomes at NCS. Yes, the education is outstanding but it is hard for students not to question why they worked so hard in HS to end up at a school like Bates or Wisconsin. “

I am an NCS parent of a senior. We would be dancing on the rooftops if our DD got into Wisconsin. It was a rejection. We are looking at options much, much lower on the USNWR list. Think 75-120.

what is your child's approx. GPA? NCS parent here.

GPA is 3.4. ACT is 33

That truly sucks. All the grade inflation at public schools and test optional is so frustrating.

This is so tone deaf. You realize that “back in the day,” elite colleges only let in certain types of people (originally WASP-Y men from certain families and high schools). Broadening access to a wider swath of kids is a GOOD thing for the colleges and for the country vs having something more like an oligarchy of access. Private school kids do not need MORE protection and benefits. They are going to be fine.

-parent of private school kid who didn’t have a great college outcome

I don’t need a lesson from you about “back in the day”, but thanks private school parent. I was first gen to go to college from LM family. No one said anything about protections or benefits. A meritocracy should be the goal. Not for public schools to inflate grades so that a 4.0 has no more meaning.

So in other words, you want to pull down the ladder behind you.

Not at all. I don’t think my kid should be up against MCPS kids who get Bs and then “show improvement” and all of a sudden it’s an A. Give me a break.

What does this even mean? I have no idea what you are trying to say.
I imagine your implication is that public schools hand out As like candy. While there is grade inflation, a lot of it is at the lower end so that kids who are failing actually end up graduating. Some easy electives like Tech, Forensics or a class like PE\Health do give out easy As but generally Honors and AP classes are very teacher dependent. Some of the teachers are very tough even in public school. College admissions officers are not completely dumb by the way. They look at a 3.8 GPA from Sidwell very differently than a 3.8 GPA from public school

https://rockvillerampage.com/13421/opinion/mcps-needs-to-address-grade-inflation-head-on

Uh, yes, they do, in comparison.

DP. Did you read the rest of the post? Most of the inflation is to help kids at the bottom graduate. That was our experience, too. College-bound kids took a different set of classes with little inflation.

Did you read the article? They give out A's like pez candies.

It wasn't an article, it was an opinion piece in the "Opinion" section. That makes a huge difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow- I went to a TT SLAC in the 90s from NCS with a similar GPA and a 1480 SAT.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“You may have more data at NCS but there are plenty of unhappy parents and students regarding college outcomes at NCS. Yes, the education is outstanding but it is hard for students not to question why they worked so hard in HS to end up at a school like Bates or Wisconsin. “

I am an NCS parent of a senior. We would be dancing on the rooftops if our DD got into Wisconsin. It was a rejection. We are looking at options much, much lower on the USNWR list. Think 75-120.

what is your child's approx. GPA? NCS parent here.

GPA is 3.4. ACT is 33

That truly sucks. All the grade inflation at public schools and test optional is so frustrating.

This is so tone deaf. You realize that “back in the day,” elite colleges only let in certain types of people (originally WASP-Y men from certain families and high schools). Broadening access to a wider swath of kids is a GOOD thing for the colleges and for the country vs having something more like an oligarchy of access. Private school kids do not need MORE protection and benefits. They are going to be fine.

-parent of private school kid who didn’t have a great college outcome

I don’t need a lesson from you about “back in the day”, but thanks private school parent. I was first gen to go to college from LM family. No one said anything about protections or benefits. A meritocracy should be the goal. Not for public schools to inflate grades so that a 4.0 has no more meaning.

So in other words, you want to pull down the ladder behind you.

Not at all. I don’t think my kid should be up against MCPS kids who get Bs and then “show improvement” and all of a sudden it’s an A. Give me a break.

What does this even mean? I have no idea what you are trying to say.
I imagine your implication is that public schools hand out As like candy. While there is grade inflation, a lot of it is at the lower end so that kids who are failing actually end up graduating. Some easy electives like Tech, Forensics or a class like PE\Health do give out easy As but generally Honors and AP classes are very teacher dependent. Some of the teachers are very tough even in public school. College admissions officers are not completely dumb by the way. They look at a 3.8 GPA from Sidwell very differently than a 3.8 GPA from public school

https://rockvillerampage.com/13421/opinion/mcps-needs-to-address-grade-inflation-head-on

Uh, yes, they do, in comparison.

DP. Did you read the rest of the post? Most of the inflation is to help kids at the bottom graduate. That was our experience, too. College-bound kids took a different set of classes with little inflation.

Did you read the article? They give out A's like pez candies.

It wasn't an article, it was an opinion piece in the "Opinion" section. That makes a huge difference.

Some people think opinions are "facts", didn't you know?

[Anonymous]

If you're unhappy with grading at a private school, then you should move your child (or your younger children) to a different school. We moved from private to public and we are really liking how straightforward the grading is.. we found private school grading to be very subjective and unclear. And having been at both private and public, I don't believe public is "easier" than private. We are very pleased with the rigor, and happy to have left all the private school drama behind. According to my high schooler, he thinks the kids are nicer too! But this is just one experience, and it's working for us

I am now much more impressed with a public school kid who gets straight As in rigorous classes, has a job, and navigates the college apps on their own.

It is well known that kids compete with kids at their own high school for spots at these top colleges. So no surprise that it might be harder to compete from a top private or a school like TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, 30 years ago I went to a top boarding school after many years at a small-town public. When I graduated I noticed that mediocre students from the boarding school were going to better colleges than top students at my local public. It seemed ridiculous and unfair. Maybe that loophole has finally been corrected.

Probably more a factor that those who can afford and would think of sending their kid to boarding school in HS are more aware and concerned with "rankings" and would actually apply to the "top schools". Where as in a small town public school it was probably just assumed most were going to the flagship state U or another smaller state U.
Really it's just a factor of $$$ and parental knowledge driving it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow- I went to a TT SLAC in the 90s from NCS with a similar GPA and a 1480 SAT.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“You may have more data at NCS but there are plenty of unhappy parents and students regarding college outcomes at NCS. Yes, the education is outstanding but it is hard for students not to question why they worked so hard in HS to end up at a school like Bates or Wisconsin. “

I am an NCS parent of a senior. We would be dancing on the rooftops if our DD got into Wisconsin. It was a rejection. We are looking at options much, much lower on the USNWR list. Think 75-120.

what is your child's approx. GPA? NCS parent here.

GPA is 3.4. ACT is 33

That truly sucks. All the grade inflation at public schools and test optional is so frustrating.

This is so tone deaf. You realize that “back in the day,” elite colleges only let in certain types of people (originally WASP-Y men from certain families and high schools). Broadening access to a wider swath of kids is a GOOD thing for the colleges and for the country vs having something more like an oligarchy of access. Private school kids do not need MORE protection and benefits. They are going to be fine.

-parent of private school kid who didn’t have a great college outcome

I don’t need a lesson from you about “back in the day”, but thanks private school parent. I was first gen to go to college from LM family. No one said anything about protections or benefits. A meritocracy should be the goal. Not for public schools to inflate grades so that a 4.0 has no more meaning.

So in other words, you want to pull down the ladder behind you.

Not at all. I don’t think my kid should be up against MCPS kids who get Bs and then “show improvement” and all of a sudden it’s an A. Give me a break.

What does this even mean? I have no idea what you are trying to say.
I imagine your implication is that public schools hand out As like candy. While there is grade inflation, a lot of it is at the lower end so that kids who are failing actually end up graduating. Some easy electives like Tech, Forensics or a class like PE\Health do give out easy As but generally Honors and AP classes are very teacher dependent. Some of the teachers are very tough even in public school. College admissions officers are not completely dumb by the way. They look at a 3.8 GPA from Sidwell very differently than a 3.8 GPA from public school

https://rockvillerampage.com/13421/opinion/mcps-needs-to-address-grade-inflation-head-on

Uh, yes, they do, in comparison.

DP. Did you read the rest of the post? Most of the inflation is to help kids at the bottom graduate. That was our experience, too. College-bound kids took a different set of classes with little inflation.

Did you read the article? They give out A's like pez candies.

It wasn't an article, it was an opinion piece in the "Opinion" section. That makes a huge difference.

In the Rockville High School Rampage, no less, written by someone who appears to be a senior there. LOL. Thanks, private school parent, for these decisive facts!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe SLACs still love private school kids.
Perhaps state universities don’t take into account the private school transcripts and higher quality essays and teacher recommendations but SLACs spend more time reading applications. I would be thrilled to have my kid go to a school like Bowdoin, Grinnell, Colby, Hamilton, etc.

LOL. Read, "essays that have been heavily edited by the school's college counseling office or consultants." Admissions officers at SLACs and everywhere else know this happens at private schools.

Also, why would teacher recommendations have a heavier weight coming from private than public?

They may be better/more personal because the teachers have fewer students and get to know them in smaller classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe SLACs still love private school kids.
Perhaps state universities don’t take into account the private school transcripts and higher quality essays and teacher recommendations but SLACs spend more time reading applications. I would be thrilled to have my kid go to a school like Bowdoin, Grinnell, Colby, Hamilton, etc.

LOL. Read, "essays that have been heavily edited by the school's college counseling office or consultants." Admissions officers at SLACs and everywhere else know this happens at private schools.

Also, why would teacher recommendations have a heavier weight coming from private than public?

They may be better/more personal because the teachers have fewer students and get to know them in smaller classes.

In public high schools the teachers know the stand-out kids very well. They may not know the middle-of-the-pack and wallflower kids as well, but these kids generally aren't applying to the most competitive colleges anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting state of affairs. Looks like HYPS and the like are still mainlining kids from certain privates - Phillips Exeter, Andover, Dalton, Harvard-Westlake etc. Maybe ten schools. And everywhere else, an "elite" expensive private high school is a significant disadvantage in admissions unless the kid is an URM or recruited athlete in crew, lacrosse or something obscure like squash or fencing.

The college world is asunder. Plan accordingly.

Why would the sports need to be obscure? Basketball and football players tend to get more admissions help than others at top colleges (both D1 and D3).

Oh Ok. That's awesome that you have a kid that can play basketball at Duke, football at Northwestern, and hockey at Harvard. Very impressive.

Generally though, those kids go into a very different admissions basket. They're not competing against your kid for a spot. There are millions of kids that play high level basketball, football, and hockey. To score a spot at a D1 school is an incredible athletic achievement in those sports. And every kid worked damned hard to get that spot. I watched some of the Caps game last night. They needed a back-up back-up goalie. It was the Harvard goalie on a short term contract. The commentators noted that he's going to do his 10 days and go back to school to finish his degree in economics.

If that's your kid, super. The kind of students that can do high level big time sports - basketball, football, and hockey in NE and the upper midwest - AND manage high level academics are unicorns. Stanford, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Harvard. That's it. Schools such as Duke and Georgetown don't even bother. The athletes in those sports at those schools are effectively employees, like Alabama, LSU etc No different.

But for squash, fencing, sailing, and I'd throw in lacrosse, you can buy your way in. Unlike basketball or soccer, the numbers of teen participants are minuscule. Vaguely coordinated kid? Pay the trainer. To equate a squash kid with a basketball kid is nonsense.

[Anonymous]

I think everyone is on edge because the college admissions process is in flux these days.
No one knows what college admissions offices are looking for. It sucks for the kids applying right now but in a couple years, I bet there will be less angst as people will know what to expect. I actually feel bad for the GDS CCO. They probably didn’t present data because there is not much to go on. Even data from 2 years ago is not particularly relevant now.

The good news is that besides the ivys, there are a large number of most excellent colleges and universities.
Life is not linear and there is no reason to believe it is a zero sum game

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting state of affairs. Looks like HYPS and the like are still mainlining kids from certain privates - Phillips Exeter, Andover, Dalton, Harvard-Westlake etc. Maybe ten schools. And everywhere else, an "elite" expensive private high school is a significant disadvantage in admissions unless the kid is an URM or recruited athlete in crew, lacrosse or something obscure like squash or fencing.

The college world is asunder. Plan accordingly.

Why would the sports need to be obscure? Basketball and football players tend to get more admissions help than others at top colleges (both D1 and D3).

Oh Ok. That's awesome that you have a kid that can play basketball at Duke, football at Northwestern, and hockey at Harvard. Very impressive.

Generally though, those kids go into a very different admissions basket. They're not competing against your kid for a spot. There are millions of kids that play high level basketball, football, and hockey. To score a spot at a D1 school is an incredible athletic achievement in those sports. And every kid worked damned hard to get that spot. I watched some of the Caps game last night. They needed a back-up back-up goalie. It was the Harvard goalie on a short term contract. The commentators noted that he's going to do his 10 days and go back to school to finish his degree in economics.

If that's your kid, super. The kind of students that can do high level big time sports - basketball, football, and hockey in NE and the upper midwest - AND manage high level academics are unicorns. Stanford, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Harvard. That's it. Schools such as Duke and Georgetown don't even bother. The athletes in those sports at those schools are effectively employees, like Alabama, LSU etc No different.

But for squash, fencing, sailing, and I'd throw in lacrosse, you can buy your way in. Unlike basketball or soccer, the numbers of teen participants are minuscule. Vaguely coordinated kid? Pay the trainer. To equate a squash kid with a basketball kid is nonsense.

Go check out the Ivy League squash teams…majority are international students where squash is very popular.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think everyone is on edge because the college admissions process is in flux these days.
No one knows what college admissions offices are looking for. It sucks for the kids applying right now but in a couple years, I bet there will be less angst as people will know what to expect. I actually feel bad for the GDS CCO. They probably didn’t present data because there is not much to go on. Even data from 2 years ago is not particularly relevant now.

The good news is that besides the ivys, there are a large number of most excellent colleges and universities.
Life is not linear and there is no reason to believe it is a zero sum game

+1

5 years ago, roughly 30-50 percent of the kids in the top privates were going to Ivy.