Reply to Where do private schools really get you in life?

Forum Index » Private & Independent Schools

Reply to "Where do private schools really get you in life?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have struggled with this.  My kid was waitlisted this year at several privates.  Got into their first choice, but out (the parents) second. We had our hearts set on one if the more elite schools were they were waitlisted.

My question is the elite privates are supposed to give you a  to the Ivies and best colleges.  But does where your kid goes to school really matter?? And why?  Seems to me that if you have a bright innovative kid that they will succeed in life regardless of where they go to college?

Why the stress?  Why the expense?  Looking for real world examples. [/quote]

Connections. Networking. My husband went to one of the privates in the area and he keeps in touch with a group of guys he went to school with. He goes to some of the alumni events which feature people like Supreme Court justices, corporate leaders, etc. One of those guys gave me a job sight unseen when we moved to the area years ago and I was job-hunting. It wasn't a forever job, but I had a paycheck.

Husband is happy at his current job, but will likely leverage those connections in a few years to make a move into a different field.

Also, he has those friendships. The guys get together for a trip every year or so.

[/quote]

This is insane. I get together with my friends from high school for a trip every year or so too. What does this have to do with anything?
[b]
What you are describing seems to boil down to the idea that people who could afford private school growing up (and their spouses) are a superior caste and deserve preferential treatment from one another in adult life. Ick.

Other terms that come to mind are clannishness and opportunity hoarding. 
[/b]
If you don't see what's wrong with this, I highly, highly recommend taking a look at this book, which is great.

https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Hoarders-American-Leaving-Everyone/dp/081572912X

[/quote] And you’re now describing the entire Greek system, certain college sports teams, church affiliation and/or religious views and the countless numbers of communities that hoard opportunities and resources for their own idea of the chosen few.[/quote]

Greek system, yes, insofar as it excludes people who can't pay a certain amount of money--ie part of its purpose is to keep affluent people with other affluence people. (A great book about this is Paying for the Party by Jennifer Hirsch, a fascinating multi-year sociological study of [b]women in the Greek system and their parents' motives for encouraging that choice[/b].)

Networking based on the other categories you mention seems less problematic insofar as they are at least ostensibly motivated by mutual affinities and interests other than simply "keep the poors out." I'm not anti-networking. But I do think that the winners in our current system need to think critically about their own role in widening socio-economic inequality. The road we are headed down is not good for anyone.

t  that are composed of people [/quote]

Whose parents tell you which sorority to join? Maybe it's because I'm from CA, but that's not how it worked for me or my Ivy friends. Maybe it's because I didn't go to a southern school?[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics