Any Parents Privately Disappointed with College Placement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I couldn't agree with 13:37 more. My goal for my kids was to send them to a school where they would learn how to *learn,* to learn how to study; to think critically and to be exposed to great teaching in a stimulating environment. From the list of college acceptances at our school, I assume my kids will do just fine. I think there's a better shot of getting into a very good school from private when you're not necessarily at the top of your class then if you're in the middle at a big public. I could care less about the Ivy League - there are so many first-rate colleges and universities in this country and great grad schools also. In addition, I assume that my kids will be very well prepared for college as a result of their education in high school, unlike their dear old mom.

But a kid who is in the middle of his class at an academically competitive private perhaps would have been at the top of the class at a public.

Not necessarily, I was the kind of kid who got very distracted at a larger public high school and worked no where near my potential, mostly because I was too easily swayed in the direction of every other than studying. had I been in a private I would have been around kids who were focused on doing the best they can, for the most part, so I would have studied too. It would have been part of the culture in private, and it was not in my public in many circles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I couldn't agree with 13:37 more. My goal for my kids was to send them to a school where they would learn how to *learn,* to learn how to study; to think critically and to be exposed to great teaching in a stimulating environment. From the list of college acceptances at our school, I assume my kids will do just fine. I think there's a better shot of getting into a very good school from private when you're not necessarily at the top of your class then if you're in the middle at a big public. I could care less about the Ivy League - there are so many first-rate colleges and universities in this country and great grad schools also. In addition, I assume that my kids will be very well prepared for college as a result of their education in high school, unlike their dear old mom.

But a kid who is in the middle of his class at an academically competitive private perhaps would have been at the top of the class at a public.

Not necessarily, I was the kind of kid who got very distracted at a larger public high school and worked no where near my potential, mostly because I was too easily swayed in the direction of every other than studying. had I been in a private I would have been around kids who were focused on doing the best they can, for the most part, so I would have studied too. It would have been part of the culture in private, and it was not in my public in many circles.

Not necessarily true that you will be studying with focused kids who are doing their best at a private high school. Roughly 40% of your peers will be focused and doing their best. STA parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I couldn't agree with 13:37 more. My goal for my kids was to send them to a school where they would learn how to *learn,* to learn how to study; to think critically and to be exposed to great teaching in a stimulating environment. From the list of college acceptances at our school, I assume my kids will do just fine. I think there's a better shot of getting into a very good school from private when you're not necessarily at the top of your class then if you're in the middle at a big public. I could care less about the Ivy League - there are so many first-rate colleges and universities in this country and great grad schools also. In addition, I assume that my kids will be very well prepared for college as a result of their education in high school, unlike their dear old mom.

But a kid who is in the middle of his class at an academically competitive private perhaps would have been at the top of the class at a public.

Not necessarily, I was the kind of kid who got very distracted at a larger public high school and worked no where near my potential, mostly because I was too easily swayed in the direction of every other than studying. had I been in a private I would have been around kids who were focused on doing the best they can, for the most part, so I would have studied too. It would have been part of the culture in private, and it was not in my public in many circles.

Not necessarily true that you will be studying with focused kids who are doing their best at a private high school. Roughly 40% of your peers will be focused and doing their best. STA parent

What's the other 60% doing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I couldn't agree with 13:37 more. My goal for my kids was to send them to a school where they would learn how to *learn,* to learn how to study; to think critically and to be exposed to great teaching in a stimulating environment. From the list of college acceptances at our school, I assume my kids will do just fine. I think there's a better shot of getting into a very good school from private when you're not necessarily at the top of your class then if you're in the middle at a big public. I could care less about the Ivy League - there are so many first-rate colleges and universities in this country and great grad schools also. In addition, I assume that my kids will be very well prepared for college as a result of their education in high school, unlike their dear old mom.

But a kid who is in the middle of his class at an academically competitive private perhaps would have been at the top of the class at a public.

Not necessarily, I was the kind of kid who got very distracted at a larger public high school and worked no where near my potential, mostly because I was too easily swayed in the direction of every other than studying. had I been in a private I would have been around kids who were focused on doing the best they can, for the most part, so I would have studied too. It would have been part of the culture in private, and it was not in my public in many circles.

Not necessarily true that you will be studying with focused kids who are doing their best at a private high school. Roughly 40% of your peers will be focused and doing their best. STA parent

What's the other 60% doing?

Barely passing their classes and waiting to graduate.

[Anonymous]

USC.

Should I be privately disappointed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I couldn't agree with 13:37 more. My goal for my kids was to send them to a school where they would learn how to *learn,* to learn how to study; to think critically and to be exposed to great teaching in a stimulating environment. From the list of college acceptances at our school, I assume my kids will do just fine. I think there's a better shot of getting into a very good school from private when you're not necessarily at the top of your class then if you're in the middle at a big public. I could care less about the Ivy League - there are so many first-rate colleges and universities in this country and great grad schools also. In addition, I assume that my kids will be very well prepared for college as a result of their education in high school, unlike their dear old mom.

But a kid who is in the middle of his class at an academically competitive private perhaps would have been at the top of the class at a public.

Not necessarily, I was the kind of kid who got very distracted at a larger public high school and worked no where near my potential, mostly because I was too easily swayed in the direction of every other than studying. had I been in a private I would have been around kids who were focused on doing the best they can, for the most part, so I would have studied too. It would have been part of the culture in private, and it was not in my public in many circles.

Not necessarily true that you will be studying with focused kids who are doing their best at a private high school. Roughly 40% of your peers will be focused and doing their best. STA parent

What's the other 60% doing?

Barely passing their classes and waiting to graduate.

But still going to great colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I couldn't agree with 13:37 more. My goal for my kids was to send them to a school where they would learn how to *learn,* to learn how to study; to think critically and to be exposed to great teaching in a stimulating environment. From the list of college acceptances at our school, I assume my kids will do just fine. I think there's a better shot of getting into a very good school from private when you're not necessarily at the top of your class then if you're in the middle at a big public. I could care less about the Ivy League - there are so many first-rate colleges and universities in this country and great grad schools also. In addition, I assume that my kids will be very well prepared for college as a result of their education in high school, unlike their dear old mom.

But a kid who is in the middle of his class at an academically competitive private perhaps would have been at the top of the class at a public.

Not necessarily, I was the kind of kid who got very distracted at a larger public high school and worked no where near my potential, mostly because I was too easily swayed in the direction of every other than studying. had I been in a private I would have been around kids who were focused on doing the best they can, for the most part, so I would have studied too. It would have been part of the culture in private, and it was not in my public in many circles.

Not necessarily true that you will be studying with focused kids who are doing their best at a private high school. Roughly 40% of your peers will be focused and doing their best. STA parent

What's the other 60% doing?

Barely passing their classes and waiting to graduate.

Well, no, obviously not accurate. My breakdown:

40% -- very focused and hard working throughout high school
20% -- not terribly focused or hard working but very bright and good crammers and still do well
20% -- not too hard working to start out but get more focused and disciplined about school work by junior/senior year
10% -- will work hard in a few subjects they like but won't do any work if they don't like the class/subject
10% -- just not very interested in schoolwork or academics, period

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:USC.

Should I be privately disappointed?

It is rare to find anyone disappointed with placement at USC. Like Notre Dame, Texas and even Penn State, USC is one of those schools that has intense (some would say irrational) loyalty among those associated with the school. The "Trojan Family" is sincerely convinced that there is no better school in the universe regardless of all evidence to the contrary. If a newly admitted student doesn't feel that way immediately, they will soon enough. That said, I'm surprised that USC would appeal to many from this area because it is very much a California school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:USC.

Should I be privately disappointed?

If you are, you are letting your 1980s (or so) estimation of USC govern your reaction. USC is often mentioned by college counselors as a school that has gotten much more academically prestigious (and difficult to get into) from one generation to the next. It's got an acceptance rate of around 20%, which is lower than many of the Ivies in the 1980s. We're pretty East Coast-centric around here (obviously) but people more wired into the California scene will tell you that this is a great school and your child should be very pleased with his/her admission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I couldn't agree with 13:37 more. My goal for my kids was to send them to a school where they would learn how to *learn,* to learn how to study; to think critically and to be exposed to great teaching in a stimulating environment. From the list of college acceptances at our school, I assume my kids will do just fine. I think there's a better shot of getting into a very good school from private when you're not necessarily at the top of your class then if you're in the middle at a big public. I could care less about the Ivy League - there are so many first-rate colleges and universities in this country and great grad schools also. In addition, I assume that my kids will be very well prepared for college as a result of their education in high school, unlike their dear old mom.

But a kid who is in the middle of his class at an academically competitive private perhaps would have been at the top of the class at a public.

At the best public schools, I think it's vice versa. A middling student at Langley would probably be top of the class at a private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I couldn't agree with 13:37 more. My goal for my kids was to send them to a school where they would learn how to *learn,* to learn how to study; to think critically and to be exposed to great teaching in a stimulating environment. From the list of college acceptances at our school, I assume my kids will do just fine. I think there's a better shot of getting into a very good school from private when you're not necessarily at the top of your class then if you're in the middle at a big public. I could care less about the Ivy League - there are so many first-rate colleges and universities in this country and great grad schools also. In addition, I assume that my kids will be very well prepared for college as a result of their education in high school, unlike their dear old mom.

But a kid who is in the middle of his class at an academically competitive private perhaps would have been at the top of the class at a public.

At the best public schools, I think it's vice versa. A middling student at Langley would probably be top of the class at a private.

You can't generalize about the private schools any more than you can generalize about the public schools.

[Anonymous]

My grandson goes to Sidwell and says he loves high school. He is excited about something he has learned everyday and tells me about his classes with obvious enthusiasm. He has had some amazing opportunities that I do not believe exist in public school. Obviously, I am not paying the bills, but frankly I don't care where he goes to college. He will get into a good school, but I am more impressed by his love of learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:USC.

Should I be privately disappointed?

Lucky

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I couldn't agree with 13:37 more. My goal for my kids was to send them to a school where they would learn how to *learn,* to learn how to study; to think critically and to be exposed to great teaching in a stimulating environment. From the list of college acceptances at our school, I assume my kids will do just fine. I think there's a better shot of getting into a very good school from private when you're not necessarily at the top of your class then if you're in the middle at a big public. I could care less about the Ivy League - there are so many first-rate colleges and universities in this country and great grad schools also. In addition, I assume that my kids will be very well prepared for college as a result of their education in high school, unlike their dear old mom.

But a kid who is in the middle of his class at an academically competitive private perhaps would have been at the top of the class at a public.

At the best public schools, I think it's vice versa. A middling student at Langley would probably be top of the class at a private.

You can't generalize about the private schools any more than you can generalize about the public schools.

This. Framing it as "Langley vs private schools" is as dumb as framing it as "Sidwell vs public schools". If you want to talk about the merits of Langley vs Sidwell, then that might actually be an interesting/useful conversation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:USC.

Should I be privately disappointed?

If you are, you are letting your 1980s (or so) estimation of USC govern your reaction. USC is often mentioned by college counselors as a school that has gotten much more academically prestigious (and difficult to get into) from one generation to the next. It's got an acceptance rate of around 20%, which is lower than many of the Ivies in the 1980s. We're pretty East Coast-centric around here (obviously) but people more wired into the California scene will tell you that this is a great school and your child should be very pleased with his/her admission.

I grew up in SoCal in the 1970s and thought of USC as a relatively mediocre rich kids' school that was football-obsessed. Flash forward to 2012 and I visited campus to talk to a scientist and I was just blown away by the money/resources/ambition currently being poured into the school -- and at a time when the UCs are struggling with cutbacks. It looked like a really interesting place to be right now -- and quality of life looked pretty damn good as well.