Is it easier getting into top colleges from public vs. private schools?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
I apologize as I'm sure this has been discussed ad nauseum. However, anytime I mention that we had several Ivy admits from my kid's mediocre public, my private school parent friends always nod knowingly and say that this just goes to show how it is easier to get into top colleges from public and the public school kids get an unfair advantage. Is it too much to just say that is great, and good for the kids who got in? Given how the top 5 private school parents in the area brag (with good reason) that 1/3 of their senior class usually goes to an Ivy and equivalent, I don't see how it is easier to get into an Ivy from public.
Usually public school classes are 3-4 times as big as private graduating classes so even though a smaller % of kids might be applying to Ivys, it is still a large number of kids. I'm just frustrated at the condescending attitude. I know our public school does not compare in quality to the top privates, I am not delusional and try to be realistic. But there are some really great kids at our public and they have earned their spot at top universities and colleges. Any thoughts? |
Anonymous
|
I would avoid or change the subject. Or get new friends.
|
Anonymous
|
“Public” if you ask private parents
“Private” if you ask public parents |
Anonymous
| It isn't easier one way or the other. Colleges look at individuals. It happens that private schools attract the same kinds of individuals, so you many find a concentration of them in private schools (or in particular schools), but whether the child chooses public or private, the Ivy school will still be interested in THAT child. |
Anonymous
| Private school parent here who calls BS on whoever is telling you that your public school child has some unfair advantage. Every Ivy uses a regional admissions officer who knows all of the public and private schools in the area. So they know that a public school student with straight As who takes every AP offered may have a 4.8 GPA and that no local private school student does because privates don't weight for honors/AP classes. They will look closely at your child's course selection in the context of what's available at his/her school, not comparing them to the courses available at a magnet like TJHSST or a Big 3. And they'll know if the starting a club/EC is a big deal that requires lots of leadership and hoop-jumping or a whim. As PP said, they are focusing on the individual and how they excelled in context. |
Anonymous
|
same slices from each. Top 10% similar set of Ivies, top 10-25% similar set of competitive colleges, middle section same again, bottom of privates still go to college but bottom of publics might not go to a 4 yr.
No college acceptance advantage from top public HS versus top private HS. There are other advantages to privates, and some only to publics. Best thing would be to move to N Dakota or something. |
Anonymous
Big 3 have more like 20-25% going to Ivies+ and the entire top half of every class goes to one of most selective colleges on Barron's list. But that's because of the completely different financial profile of their students. Very few Big 3 families will turn down a top tier school to go to UMD or UVA but that is a common decision for many families at public schools. |
Anonymous
|
For non-hooked students,
HYPSM--public>private Columbia, Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth, UPenn, UChicago WAS-- private>public JH, GT,ND,Emory,Vandy,NW --private>>> public |
Anonymous
| Think about where your kid will thrive. That is the type of setting that leads to the best outcomes - the place where your kid is best able to punch above their weight. |
Anonymous
They also have a much higher proportion of legacies. That's who actually has an "unfair advantage." |
Anonymous
|
"Best thing would be to move to N Dakota or something."
This is not a short cut. All it does is move a large chunk of the work from HS to while you are at the Ivy. Part of the reason to go to a solid HS and take the rigorous classes is to build a solid education. You might get into and get though an Ivy from a school that offers no AP/IB classes but getting through an Ivy is easier if you learn more in HS. |
Anonymous
Only true for URMs. Not so for Asian/white kids |
Anonymous
This is so true! Unfortunately, if your public school kid has a 4.5 GPA, it means very little in terms of admission to an Vvy because a high proportion of his classmates are doing the same thing. A kid with a 4.5 GPA in my son's private, however, will most certainly have a VERY strong chance of admission to an Ivy because he took every possible opportunity for an AP course and excelled at them. He is probably in the to 5% of the class. And his A grade honors classes were not given the same weighting as the pubic school (4.5 vs. 5). The regional admissions officer knows all of this. I chuckle all the time when my public school friend brags about her kid with the 4.5 GPA (mine only has a 4.2, but he worked just as hard, if not harder than the public school kid). |
Anonymous
How is it unfair? A good friend of mine attended Harvard as did both her parents (where they met). Each of her parents demonstrated the intellect and fortitude to get in, take part and graduate successfully from that college. The chance that their child would be as successful, are extremely high. Its a good bet for the college to take the bright minded off spring of ex students. It makes perfect sense. I am not a legacy anywhere in this country nor will my kids benefit from where their parents attended college -only in the traditional sense of what we have achieved directly as a result of our educations. |
Anonymous
Nope, I am talking about Asian/ White non hooked kids. |