The perils of going to a hyper competitive HS. Unless your kid can seriously be in the top 1-5%, it

[Anonymous]

can work against you. Too many type A parents think if they buy a house in "the Best" district, their kid will be at an advantage. Same goes for Specializes HSs, the pool of kids is very hard to compete against, and you may or may not know, top colleges evaluate apps BY SCHOOL. So if 30 kids from the same HS apply to Harvard, they are all compared against each other. The same kid who did extremely well, but not tops, could have lived 10 miles away in a "mediocre" SD, and had much better odds.

[Anonymous]

Pretty sure everyone realizes this; its what makes our great choices so tough to make.

[Anonymous]

Remove Harvard from your post and maybe this makes sense. Otherwise, this looks really strange. If a kid doesn't get into a school that accepts 5% of applicants, they shouldn't be blaming their school or the other kids in their class. It's because only 5% of applicants were admitted.

[Anonymous]

This is posted on here every couple of weeks.

Going to a strong HS is not about getting into a selective college, it is about getting out of whatever college they go to with a high GPA.

[Anonymous]

Friend of mine lamented that his kid went to TJ and didn't get into Brown. Thought kid would have had a much better chance if they had just stayed in the neighborhood school. Was emblematic of the stupid decision making of some parents driving their kids through the TJ application and test prep process.

[Anonymous]

On the flip side, if your kid's pluses are not their grades but their test scores/extracurriculars/intangibles, then going to a very competitive HS is likely the right approach... At a mediocre public, not being in the top 5% of the class is going to rule you out at HYPS (except for folks with hooks); whereas being in the top 25% at a super-selective school won't.

[Anonymous]

My kid is at magnet high school with a very competitive pool of students. DS is a junior and looking at schools now. If you're gunning for any college with an admit rate below 20%, its really a crapshoot for most high-stats applicants. The good news is, there a ALOT of great colleges. Not just good, great places for our kids to go to. This environment has really prepared him well for college and beyond. And that is the point for going to a magnet like this. College is NOT the end-game. It's just another point on the journey.

My kid is all done with SAT/ACT testing, great grades and still may not be the top 10% of the school. But, we're really not worried. There will be a great college for my kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at magnet high school with a very competitive pool of students. DS is a junior and looking at schools now. If you're gunning for any college with an admit rate below 20%, its really a crapshoot for most high-stats applicants. The good news is, there a ALOT of great colleges. Not just good, great places for our kids to go to. This environment has really prepared him well for college and beyond. And that is the point for going to a magnet like this. College is NOT the end-game. It's just another point on the journey.

My kid is all done with SAT/ACT testing, great grades and still may not be the top 10% of the school. But, we're really not worried. There will be a great college for my kid.

+100

[Anonymous]

Yup it’s called special snowflake syndrome.

It also explains why people continue to go to law school and grad school for the humanities even though it’s been a long time since those paths led to material success for other than the top 1-5% of applicants.

Everyone thinks they’ll be the one.

However, going to a “bad” school with truly poor teachers isn’t a great alternative either unless you have the time and energy to teach your kid everything yourself. Most don’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at magnet high school with a very competitive pool of students. DS is a junior and looking at schools now. If you're gunning for any college with an admit rate below 20%, its really a crapshoot for most high-stats applicants. The good news is, there a ALOT of great colleges. Not just good, great places for our kids to go to. This environment has really prepared him well for college and beyond. And that is the point for going to a magnet like this. College is NOT the end-game. It's just another point on the journey.

My kid is all done with SAT/ACT testing, great grades and still may not be the top 10% of the school. But, we're really not worried. There will be a great college for my kid.

Great attitude!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:can work against you. Too many type A parents think if they buy a house in "the Best" district, their kid will be at an advantage. Same goes for Specializes HSs, the pool of kids is very hard to compete against, and you may or may not know, top colleges evaluate apps BY SCHOOL. So if 30 kids from the same HS apply to Harvard, they are all compared against each other. The same kid who did extremely well, but not tops, could have lived 10 miles away in a "mediocre" SD, and had much better odds.

Not really for regional diversity 10 miles is basically the same place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is posted on here every couple of weeks.

Going to a strong HS is not about getting into a selective college, it is about getting out of whatever college they go to with a high GPA.

No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yup it’s called special snowflake syndrome.

It also explains why people continue to go to law school and grad school for the humanities even though it’s been a long time since those paths led to material success for other than the top 1-5% of applicants.

Everyone thinks they’ll be the one.

However, going to a “bad” school with truly poor teachers isn’t a great alternative either unless you have the time and energy to teach your kid everything yourself. Most don’t.

I graduated from an Ivy League law school many years ago, and I do lots of hiring duties for my organization. When I meet young people considering law school, I tell them not to bother right now, unless they can get into a top school. Some think I am a snobbish ogre, but I am just being honest. They will graduate with a mound of debt, and dim employment prospects. It is just not worth it.

[Anonymous]

I feel these issues should not be generalized. Every child not the same and situations vary greatly. Have 2 kids who chose magnet school route. Would likely stand out more in local school but the higher level expectations and peers are impactful to their learning. There is no one size fits all path to success. Even success is subjective and defined differently by people. If a kid wants top college and is not likely to standout against the really high achieving kids, I do think it is worth considering to stay away from the highly competitive magnets. Pretty clear that geographic diversity is an issue considered by college admissions. It is even considered in magnet ms and hs selection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel these issues should not be generalized. Every child not the same and situations vary greatly. Have 2 kids who chose magnet school route. Would likely stand out more in local school but the higher level expectations and peers are impactful to their learning. There is no one size fits all path to success. Even success is subjective and defined differently by people. If a kid wants top college and is not likely to standout against the really high achieving kids, I do think it is worth considering to stay away from the highly competitive magnets. Pretty clear that geographic diversity is an issue considered by college admissions. It is even considered in magnet ms and hs selection.

I have a magnet kid as well - and I agree with this statement. Every kid is different, and generalizations aren't helpful. There are many "top colleges" however, and not everyone wants to go to Harvard. For my DD, she is looking at more science/math research focused universities, and we're pleasantly surprised at the selection of colleges for her that are not HYPS. She would not be the person/student/athlete without the experience she's had at her magnet.