Regretting private high school investment because of colleges want more public school graduates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. Both kids in private and yes, we mostly did it because it was the best fit for them. I just don’t understand why the best fit reason AND the best college admissions prospect reason for going private have to be mutually exclusive!
By the time both kids graduate, we would have spent over $500k in tuition per child. Way more if you consider that the money could’ve been invested in a fund that earned interest over the years. So yes, for that price, I want to have my cake and eat it too.
I’d be upset if, after all that investment , colleges put my kid at a disadvantage purely because they are at a private.

Nope, nope, nope. Colleges aren't putting your child at a disadvantage because they are at a private, there are merely recognizing (as they should) that private educations are actually NOT better than public ones. That your child really has nothing more to offer than a child who has a public school education. They are correct, PP. Just because you paid for your child's K-12 education does not mean that colleges owe you anything. If your child is outstanding, s/he will get into the college of their choice. Sounds like your children are not outstanding. Too bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“When you are accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.”

I’ve sent my kids to both public and private. Educate your children at the best school fit for them that does not place undue financial burden on the family.

Everything has a price. The cost of a guaranteed admission to the T20 schools is not $500k for K-12. It’s $20m for a building wing. Or athletic genetics and countless hours. Not sure why you thought your $500k entitled you to more. Cake and eat it too? Get in line.

Harsh? Sure. But accurate. This should not be news to you. I hope your child got an excellent education. They will likely be well prepared for the next step. And if they are worth their salt, they will take that T1-100 opportunity and light it up. The only thing stopping them from being as successful as the kid at MIT? Their parent’s bad attitude. Don’t let your kid the drivel coming out of your mouth. It doesn’t help them.

YES - this is what I was getting at in my prev post. Exactly the quote above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pay for private or go to public and pay for therapy.

Therapy??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, our local public school just had a kid stabbed in the hallway. So there is that aspect to think of also.

Oh please, you know your child would not have been part of that argument. Those kids probably weren't college bound. You are comparing apples and oranges. The smartest and most accomplished kids from West Potomac are comparable to the best kids from your elite private. They're all competing for the same colleges and you know it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe this to be true for UMD, absolutely. The public HS closest to me has such grade inflation and kids taking a full load of AP’s as freshmen. I’ve had two sons at different private HS’s and both are very particular about AP and honors placement and I haven’t seen grade inflation. There aren’t re-takes on tests and of course they have exams. Lol

You're jealous? Wow.

[Anonymous]

Good god this is pointless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t waste my money. My kid got a MUCH better education in private school. I know because I teach at the public HS he is zoned for. The difference in academic and behavioral expectations is night and day.

I will never understand people like you. Why aren't you teaching at private schools???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t waste my money. My kid got a MUCH better education in private school. I know because I teach at the public HS he is zoned for. The difference in academic and behavioral expectations is night and day.

I will never understand people like you. Why aren't you teaching at private schools???

Not PP but Public schools often pay better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Been told by our college counselor that this year colleges are turning away from selecting most private high school kids because of their privileged education. That you now have a better chance coming from a public high school with good grades and top scores and activities. There’s no advantage anymore paying more money for private. None at all.

So for those of you looking to go private, don’t waste your money. Your private school kid, despite top gpa and test scores, will probably will be bumped in favor of someone from a good public school.

Regrets, regrets, regrets…

I mean, do you have any sense that your college counselor actually understands the dynamics at play. Every single year, folks come on this very board to talk about "this year, HYPSM is prioritizing public school kids" and every year, when the dust settles, it turns out those schools have a pretty consistent number of private school admits year-over-year.

I know you want to think that your child is being oppressed due to their wealth, but it just isn't true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a genuine question: why do people act like public school is for disadvantaged kids and minorities when the vast majority goes to public schools? Even Ivy League schools have a majority of public school students getting admission. So why are colleges doing this pandering.

Because they have to find a way to justify spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on their children's private education. Isn't this obvious?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a genuine question: why do people act like public school is for disadvantaged kids and minorities when the vast majority goes to public schools? Even Ivy League schools have a majority of public school students getting admission. So why are colleges doing this pandering.

It's a weird DC/major city thing. Everywhere else, kids are sent to private mainly when they are expelled from public.

This is absolutely not true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to an Ivy. Half of my class came from private school.

Consider the number of students from private schools vs the number of students from public schools. Consider the number of high schools of both types and calculate the odds of admission to any given college.

Even if they take 20% fewer private students, your odds are still much improved.

I fed this to ChatGPT:

At 50%
Odds of Admission for Private School Students: Approximately 1 in 3,000.
Odds of Admission for Public School Students: Approximately 1 in 27,000.

At 30%

Odds of Admission for Private School Students: Approximately 1 in 5,000.
Odds of Admission for Public School Students: Approximately 1 in 19,286.


Granted there are probably more college bound students from a private school than a random public school, if we assume only 30% of public students apply, and they admit 30% of any given class from private schools, then the odds are about even.

But I don’t think there is any realistic scenario where going private has worse odds.

It doesn't work like this. Admission is not random. The odds you are stating are meaningless.

The quality of the application matters. This is why the same kid gets into multiple top schools while another kid gets zero.

Looks like the Ivy education PP received didn’t teach him the basics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a genuine question: why do people act like public school is for disadvantaged kids and minorities when the vast majority goes to public schools? Even Ivy League schools have a majority of public school students getting admission. So why are colleges doing this pandering.

It's a weird DC/major city thing. Everywhere else, kids are sent to private mainly when they are expelled from public.

Well yeah, in the sticks that tracks. I grew up in middle America and only private schools were crazy religious ones.

I grew up in middle America too, sweetheart, and there were at least two elite private schools in my mid-size midwestern city. DC parents and DC private students are not special.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pay for private or go to public and pay for therapy.

Therapy??

That is a privileged parent who thinks public schools are "scary", LOL!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Been told by our college counselor that this year colleges are turning away from selecting most private high school kids because of their privileged education. That you now have a better chance coming from a public high school with good grades and top scores and activities. There’s no advantage anymore paying more money for private. None at all.

So for those of you looking to go private, don’t waste your money. Your private school kid, despite top gpa and test scores, will probably will be bumped in favor of someone from a good public school.

Regrets, regrets, regrets…

I mean, do you have any sense that your college counselor actually understands the dynamics at play. Every single year, folks come on this very board to talk about "this year, HYPSM is prioritizing public school kids" and every year, when the dust settles, it turns out those schools have a pretty consistent number of private school admits year-over-year.

I know you want to think that your child is being oppressed due to their wealth, but it just isn't true.

People can’t handle the truth. Didn’t you watch a Few Good Men?