Do colleges take private school curriculum into consideration with grades?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD is at top private school. She is an average student and works hard. Her grades (and those of many of her friends) are lower than their public school counterparts. I hear anecdotes from parents at our public school talk about how kids have no homework now and they don't even have to turn in assignments in a timely manner. These kids are getting straight As. Will college admissions people recognize this?

OP: The question in your topic is totally reasonable. And the answer is affirmative: AOs at elite private schools will be aware of your top private school's curriculum and will assess applicants accordingly.

As for the boldfaced portion above, it's hyperbolic nonsense and it's kind of embarrassing that you'd entertain it.

It's not nonsense. Some public schools truly are like this.

Can confirm. Many high schools have little to no homework and have retakes on the same test. It is supposedly for “mental health “. It does not usually apply to AP classes though. 93% of the local public high school that sends 60%at to 4yr college has A-B honor roll. 40% have straight As. 40%. Let that sink in. Less than 5% get into UVA every yr: this is not a top public high school. Yet. So many the A’s. The local top private has 21-23% of the graduating class get accepted to UVa, yet less than 15% of the class has all As(inclusive of A-), though some of the all A kids have no advanced or AP so are not near the top15% when weighted/rigor is accounted for in relative rank.
The median SAT is 200 points different at these schools. The colleges know all of this.

It really depends on the public high school. There is enormous variation. I can assure you that students at schools like Whitman and Langley are grinding. No student is floating through Multivariable Calculus and AP Physics and AP Lit while working at the school paper and practicing their sport. And schools like that have hundreds of very driven, very smart students. As a parent of a couple of them, from my perspective it's the private school kids that are coasting. Their math and science classes are at a much lower level. They receive a lot more individual attention. They are more coddled. And less is expected of them. I don't think there's any comparison between the AP level students at the top public high schools and the more pampered private school students. It's no wonder selective colleges tend to favor public school students these days. They work harder. They're more self-driven. And they're more prepared for college.

My private schools are definitely not coasting. They might get more individual attention and their teachers know them very well. I am paying for that level of care after all. They work their butt off. They work hard and they are self-driven. They are extremely well prepared for college.
You have no clue.