Public School Son Has Far Better College Prospects Than Private School Daughter

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just started a thread about how often kids hang out after school with friends. I am wondering if sending my son to an inconvenient private is worth it.

My neighbor sent her kids to NCS and boarding. They both went on to ivy schools but not happy. Mom told me that she thinks her kids would have been happier at the local public. Her daughter did well at NCS but didn’t have the best social experience.

I don’t think you should assume an NCS experience is a typical private experience. I went to a different private but had lots of friends there, and they were all miserable. Now many years later, my children are at the private I went to, and their friends (primarily from a travel sport) who go to NCS all hate it.

PP here. We live in a close in suburb of DC. There are three girls on our street who went to NCS recently. One is a senior now and two graduated recently. One went to an ivy and other went to U Chicago I think. I don’t know if it is NCS but none of these girls look happy. The one mom of ivy girl said her friends who went to the local public seem happier overall and she questions her choice to send her daughter to a school where she didn’t have the best social environment.

I have heard other parents with older kids say that if they could do it all over again, they would just send their kids to the local public. One mom in particular sent her kids to 3 different privates. 1 is at an ivy. 1 is at a T20 and last is at a large state school. She said their college outcomes would probably have been identical if they went to public and it would have been better for all, meaning they could have had more quality family time together and closer friends.

so you are thinking that they are still unhappy because of where they went to high school even though they are now all in college? I’m confused. Wouldn’t they now be unhappy due to the college they are at?

+1. I don’t understand what this poster is saying. Was the high school a mistake or the college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NCS was back in the building when DCPS was 100% virtual.
The reason my 10th grader is in private is not for an easier path to college - I made the choice based on the chaos that they went through in MS.
I have a 12th grader in DCPS and I saw with my child and their friends extended periods without teachers. I don't care that they got an "A". They did not actually learn anything.

We also left DCPS because my kid had extended periods of time (6 months) in several middle school classes without teachers. Her friends have had subsequent blocks of time without teachers throughout 9th, 10th and 11th grades. I couldn't deal with this. I don't think people who have not experienced DCPS know that this happens on a yearly basis. It's the luck of the draw whether it happens to your kid. Kids are put in an AP course with no teacher. The entire class gets an A by default although they learn absolutely nothing. It happens every year in multiple courses and you just hope it's not your kid's.
We were not ok with it so we left. We should have moved to MCPS. That would have been easier and cheaper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seriously you people are such snobs. The Big 10 offers amazing educational opportunities. Having studied at both Michigan and Harvard, I’d pick Michigan any day of the week. People in the Midwest are a heck of a lot nicer than Ivy League snobs who are always competitive social climbers.

College admissions have just changed and not to the benefit of most private school kids, especially UMC, White or Asian. That is the unfortunate reality. The only good thing is that the top 50 colleges are getting stronger because now they are reaping the benefits of getting amazingly qualified students that they wouldn’t have pre-Covid.

It's also about cost. Kids and parents are a lot more knowledgeable about college finances. I know a few kids that were admitted to Ivies but would have had to pay significant amounts. Their parents had the money but they took the full rides offered elsewhere! There are so many other avenues to take now.

[Anonymous]

It seems the veil is lifting off the Ivy League.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems the veil is lifting off the Ivy League.

Huh? If that was the case then they would have fewer applications rather than increasing numbers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How were their HS experiences? Hope they both look back fondly.

FWIW, I am really surprised the college counselor is telling you Wisconsin is a reach based on what we heard at STA (and no shade at Wisconsin, would be happy to have a kid matriculate there). We did not have a private counselor though. Maybe ask the NCS counselor what they think.

STA has better college results for similar kids. I don't know why this is. College admissions are easier for boys in general, STA has more pull, their grading is easier (no A minuses and the numerical grading scale), etc.

I can tell you that the minimum admit for Wisconsin from NCS in 2023 was a 3.85 (from the Scoir data). The year before it was about a 3.75.

I just posted I just switched one of my 3 kids to private. I would be damn pissed if I sent my kid to a top private for him just to go to U Wisconsin.

Honestly you are probably at private for the wrong reasons. My kids will end up where they will for college, but they’ve gained a love of learning, amazing executive functioning and public speaking skills among other attributes that will serve them well in life. If you are primarily focused on college acceptances, stay at public.

I am not in it purely for college admissions. DH and I are both ivy educated. I would also be annoyed if my kid went to Wisconsin from public.

We live in a wealthy area with a well educated patient population. I am seeing many siblings with less than stellar college outcomes. If your parent went to Yale or Harvard and you end up at UVA, it is a step down, especially after they spend 500k in private school tuition.

I will only admit it on here since it is anonymous. I would be very annoyed if my kid ends up at a bad college after spending all this money on tuition. In real life, of course I will say we switched for the experience, smaller class sizes, etc.

Is this a joke? College admissions are not what they used to be. My "safety" school in 1990 was the University of Chicago. I went to Williams because they offered me more money than Yale. (My parents were working class poor, so I needed a lot of aid.)
And the cost of tuition now is exorbitant. Back then tuition plus room and board was about $20K/year (without aid). I fully expect that my middle schooler's college tuition, room, and board will run $100K/year. If you live in VA, even if your kid attends a Big-3 in DC, the $30K price tag for instate tuition, room, and board would be extremely attractive. This is a net savings of almost $300K after four years--enough to pay for graduate school or to get a toehold in the real estate market in an expensive city. Even if you make a lot of money and can afford to pay for college out of pocket, $300K, especially for someone in their 20s, is nothing to snub your nose at.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I'm ivy educated and given the rise in antisemitism at these institutions I don't want my kids to attend, though we have a few years before my oldest applies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will only admit it on here since it is anonymous. I would be very annoyed if my kid ends up at a bad college after spending all this money on tuition. In real life, of course I will say we switched for the experience, smaller class sizes, etc.

Wisconsin is a "bad college"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will only admit it on here since it is anonymous. I would be very annoyed if my kid ends up at a bad college after spending all this money on tuition. In real life, of course I will say we switched for the experience, smaller class sizes, etc.

Wisconsin is a "bad college"?

I just checked our Naviance and it appears no one applied there. I'm sure it is a good a school, but why would someone form here want to go to a giant state school in Wisconsin? If you want a giant school, there are other options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will only admit it on here since it is anonymous. I would be very annoyed if my kid ends up at a bad college after spending all this money on tuition. In real life, of course I will say we switched for the experience, smaller class sizes, etc.

Wisconsin is a "bad college"?

I just checked our Naviance and it appears no one applied there. I'm sure it is a good a school, but why would someone form here want to go to a giant state school in Wisconsin? If you want a giant school, there are other options.

dp.. you assume that a private school student can get into a better giant state school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How were their HS experiences? Hope they both look back fondly.

FWIW, I am really surprised the college counselor is telling you Wisconsin is a reach based on what we heard at STA (and no shade at Wisconsin, would be happy to have a kid matriculate there). We did not have a private counselor though. Maybe ask the NCS counselor what they think.

STA has better college results for similar kids. I don't know why this is. College admissions are easier for boys in general, STA has more pull, their grading is easier (no A minuses and the numerical grading scale), etc.

I can tell you that the minimum admit for Wisconsin from NCS in 2023 was a 3.85 (from the Scoir data). The year before it was about a 3.75.

I just posted I just switched one of my 3 kids to private. I would be damn pissed if I sent my kid to a top private for him just to go to U Wisconsin.

Looks like kids with 3.2 from our school get in. Its probably a quirk in the NCS data.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want a giant school, there are other options.

Name five.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How were their HS experiences? Hope they both look back fondly.

FWIW, I am really surprised the college counselor is telling you Wisconsin is a reach based on what we heard at STA (and no shade at Wisconsin, would be happy to have a kid matriculate there). We did not have a private counselor though. Maybe ask the NCS counselor what they think.

STA has better college results for similar kids. I don't know why this is. College admissions are easier for boys in general, STA has more pull, their grading is easier (no A minuses and the numerical grading scale), etc.

I can tell you that the minimum admit for Wisconsin from NCS in 2023 was a 3.85 (from the Scoir data). The year before it was about a 3.75.

I just posted I just switched one of my 3 kids to private. I would be damn pissed if I sent my kid to a top private for him just to go to U Wisconsin.

Looks like kids with 3.2 from our school get in. Its probably a quirk in the NCS data.

what do you mean by "quirk?" Cause the NCS data is from the past 2 years. Before that it was easier. The last two years saw all the 3.6 girls getting rejected outright.

[Anonymous]

I went to Wisconsin and am laughing at this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will only admit it on here since it is anonymous. I would be very annoyed if my kid ends up at a bad college after spending all this money on tuition. In real life, of course I will say we switched for the experience, smaller class sizes, etc.

Wisconsin is a "bad college"?

I just checked our Naviance and it appears no one applied there. I'm sure it is a good a school, but why would someone form here want to go to a giant state school in Wisconsin? If you want a giant school, there are other options.

dp.. you assume that a private school student can get into a better giant state school.

I don't get what you mean by 'better.' If you want a gib state school you can go to one closer or one with better weather.