What happens with the Big3 kids who have sub 3.0 GPAs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At most “good” public and private schools, the top 10% gets into the very competitive, elite colleges. By “good” meaning the schools like the W high schools and private schools like Sidwell. The only private and public schools that send a greater percentage to kids that are not top 10%, are magnets like TJ, usually the top 20%, and top private schools like Andover, top 20%. DC private schools including the Big3 are nowhere on par.

So kids with sub 3.0 gpas from the Big 3 go to the same colleges that the other 90% go including the 90% from public.

Correct. And for a fraction of the cost. Sounds like a value proposition at play here. Why do folks buy privates, hook line and sinker. Tip students will get into top schools regardless. Middle of the road is just that…

A large percentage of the families at the DC privates don't think twice about the tuition dollars. Tuition is almost a rounding error of their yearly expenditures. You are looking at it from the perspective of a middle class income. They are making many times this amount. I have a kid at one of the top DC privates and we're about the poorest people I know (outside of the financial aid families) with a HHI of $500K. Your argument of a "value proposition" is completely irrelevant to many people choosing to send their kids to these schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At most “good” public and private schools, the top 10% gets into the very competitive, elite colleges. By “good” meaning the schools like the W high schools and private schools like Sidwell. The only private and public schools that send a greater percentage to kids that are not top 10%, are magnets like TJ, usually the top 20%, and top private schools like Andover, top 20%. DC private schools including the Big3 are nowhere on par.

So kids with sub 3.0 gpas from the Big 3 go to the same colleges that the other 90% go including the 90% from public.

Correct. And for a fraction of the cost. Sounds like a value proposition at play here. Why do folks buy privates, hook line and sinker. Tip students will get into top schools regardless. Middle of the road is just that…

A large percentage of the families at the DC privates don't think twice about the tuition dollars. Tuition is almost a rounding error of their yearly expenditures. You are looking at it from the perspective of a middle class income. They are making many times this amount. I have a kid at one of the top DC privates and we're about the poorest people I know (outside of the financial aid families) with a HHI of $500K. Your argument of a "value proposition" is completely irrelevant to many people choosing to send their kids to these schools.

The value proposition may not be relevant but the fact that 90% from both private and public schools end up at the same colleges and universities still stands.

[Anonymous]

This topic isn’t genuine. Posters want you to turn down spots so their kid can take them. If you are content with public, what would you be doing here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My favorite:

“ Religion aside, why are parents spending so much money to send their kids to private schools?

CAL: That’s a great question, and some economists that have looked at these types of conclusions are really confused by that. Why would somebody pay money for a service that is apparently inferior to one they could get for free? It flies in the face of economic logic.”

This!

Depends on the private. IMO, the NE boarding schools, the "big 3" locally and places like Harvard-Westlake, Lab School in Chicago, Lakeside in Seattle - a handful of others, are worth it. After that, depends on the kid and the fit with public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why has this discussion become focused on private vs. public? Is it really so hard to talk about the bottom 20% that you have to resort to criticizing kids at other schools?

Probably because private always take shots…cracks me up, but I get the justification for choices and costs associated with that.

It is a private school forum. if you want to talk about where kids with these grade points at the local public go to college, then that is a different discussion for a different forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At most “good” public and private schools, the top 10% gets into the very competitive, elite colleges. By “good” meaning the schools like the W high schools and private schools like Sidwell. The only private and public schools that send a greater percentage to kids that are not top 10%, are magnets like TJ, usually the top 20%, and top private schools like Andover, top 20%. DC private schools including the Big3 are nowhere on par.

So kids with sub 3.0 gpas from the Big 3 go to the same colleges that the other 90% go including the 90% from public.

My older was in a big 3 and graduated a few years ago. More than half the kids in the grade went to IVY/NESCAC/Stanford/Northwestern/Chicago/topSLAC.

The rest went to places like NYU, Tulane and that tier. There were a handful that went to schools that some here would scoff at, smaller PA/OH SLACs but they were full ride athletes. There literally wasn't a school on the grade-wide list that I would shake my head and say "why go to 'big3' and end up there" - not a single one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you are definitely not alone! My 11th grade DC has more than one C, mostly Bs and a few As. GPA is right around a 3.0. My DC tells me many friends have similar grades. I am secretly concerned as well. I really have no idea where my DC will get into college or even where to apply. We haven’t had our meeting with the college counselor yet. Also at a Big3. I get why you might think my kid is a “duffer,” but DC actually has a really high IQ and fairly high ACT scores (34 on first try). My DC finds it almost impossible to earn an A despite a lot of effort. Maybe we did pick the wrong school, but at this point it is a little late to consider a change. Plus, DC loves the school and friends.

If he got a 34 and is a sub 3 student than likely smart but loves the friends a bit too much to focus on school…underachieving maybe or just distracted? Or private school he is in is failing him.

I disagree. Not everyone can get straight As at any school. There is always a curve. And if all the kids are screened for good testing skills before admissions, then you will always have good testers with B averages. They aren't slacking, but someone else did better on the test. According to our Naviance, those kids still get into top 30-50 schools and top 15-20 SLACs.

[Anonymous]

Kids who get Bs and Cs at Big 3 high schools end up at places like Indiana U, SMU, Miami Ohio, Lafayette, Gettysburg, Connecticut College. All fine schools.

[Anonymous]

Why have the public school parents taken over this thread? I get that you don’t understand our choice, but stop going on about the money we are wasting. Seriously, spending $200k a year for our 4 kids to attend private is a non-issue for us. Before you start in, we can still afford private college for all the kids, vacations, extracurriculars, retirement. This discussion is about private school GPA and college admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many of these students usually attend smaller SLACs such as Dickinson and Grinnell.

IDK Dickinson stats, but with Grinnell having an admit rate of ~19%, I can't imagine that many of their applicants have sub 3.0 GPAs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:2.9. 26 act. Conn college with merit college Charleston with merit, tulane, Bama, Emory (Oxford), auburn, providence, Richmond - obviously helped to be male

Was that this cycle? If not this cycle, grateful to know when? TY.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you are definitely not alone! My 11th grade DC has more than one C, mostly Bs and a few As. GPA is right around a 3.0. My DC tells me many friends have similar grades. I am secretly concerned as well. I really have no idea where my DC will get into college or even where to apply. We haven’t had our meeting with the college counselor yet. Also at a Big3. I get why you might think my kid is a “duffer,” but DC actually has a really high IQ and fairly high ACT scores (34 on first try). My DC finds it almost impossible to earn an A despite a lot of effort. Maybe we did pick the wrong school, but at this point it is a little late to consider a change. Plus, DC loves the school and friends.

If he got a 34 and is a sub 3 student than likely smart but loves the friends a bit too much to focus on school…underachieving maybe or just distracted? Or private school he is in is failing him.

I disagree. Not everyone can get straight As at any school. There is always a curve. And if all the kids are screened for good testing skills before admissions, then you will always have good testers with B averages. They aren't slacking, but someone else did better on the test. According to our Naviance, those kids still get into top 30-50 schools and top 15-20 SLACs.

I am the first poster here. My kid with a 34 ACT is a good test taker. Stop the judgment. Does not “love friends a bit too much.” Works hard and gets Bs. That’s it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This topic isn’t genuine. Posters want you to turn down spots so their kid can take them. If you are content with public, what would you be doing here?

The public parents posting here are projecting their insecurities.

[Anonymous]

DS graduated from a Big 3 several years ago. Had good test scores but was basically a 3.0 student and found the school very challenging, but is glad he went there for a lot of reasons. He went to a top 50 school and was very happy there. TBH, most people he knew went to more prestigious schools, but on another cohort his school would have seemed great. Its all who you compare yourself to. The college counselors are very good and steering kids to the right schools for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why have the public school parents taken over this thread? I get that you don’t understand our choice, but stop going on about the money we are wasting. Seriously, spending $200k a year for our 4 kids to attend private is a non-issue for us. Before you start in, we can still afford private college for all the kids, vacations, extracurriculars, retirement. This discussion is about private school GPA and college admissions.

Why did a private school parent (20:33) bring public school kids into the discussion in the first place? Why did other private school parents pile on? Not relevant to where the bottom half f privates goes to college.