Is ‘networking’ really a factor in private school decisions?

[Anonymous]

Back to some substance.

I was on the outside of the "network" and didn't have much of one growing up. What I did have access to turned out to be invaluable. My parents friends who helped mentor me and introduce me to their worlds helped me launch.

Now I've come to really value the network I've built and when its mattered most, it's come in handy to have a village.

When we were thinking about moving from public to private, we absolutely considered the "network". We really just wanted to raise the floor and so far they've met people, had conversations and have been introduced to new perspectives that they wouldn't have otherwise had access to. I'm specifically talking about spending time at friends houses, learning from their parents, helping them realize lifestyle goals etc.

When they graduate, this will help them find a similar network in college/career. And in the far future, they'll always have alumni events to turn to.

It's a direct and intentional way to network long-term.

If we were moving from private to private, I don't think we would have thought about it this deeply. The jump from public to private made it more top of mind for consideration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, outside of the 100M+ crowd, I would say yes this is still a thing. There are great opportunities to work at many DC private schools. Maybe not if you’re trying to get into the jet set crowd, but if you want a better chance at a good job after college, private school networking can help.

We never thought of our kids education as a place to network but I can tell certain families are really leaning into this networking thing and it is really disingenuous. I think certain schools attract this sort of networking seeking family more than others so pay attention to the crowd at certain schools if you are trying to avoid this behavior, OP. It can actually affect your kid and family we are finding because if the "in crowd" of parents writes off you or your family as not belonging to the right club or being in the right business to help their family or help their kid then your kid will suffer the consequences. Kids feel it and quickly pick up on why xxx is always invited to xxx but your kid is not (despite that being their best friend) etc.... It is not once in a while, it becomes engrained in the social fabric of the school and there after....

The plus side is it is a great way to avoid disingenuous people who make the wrong assumptions about you based on things such as your home value etc.. We actually have quite a large trust in our family under a different name and our family (both my spouses and my side) own and are involved in many things that the networking crowd I think would be very interested in but we purposely hide it very well. Avoid networkers if you want nice genuine people in your life - we do.

This! Such great advice. Can you write a book please? I would love to gift it to a future graduate.