I find it especially interesting when public school parents living in areas with <20% FARMs students think they’re doing something noble by sending their kid to public v. private.

The decision to send your kid to private is naturally going to elicit defensive reactions from public school parents, because for whatever reason you made that decision, you are implicitly saying that you don’t think the local public is good enough for your child. And, they are right! I do not think the local public is good enough for my DC. For many reasons. I’m not sure if they would rather me say that outright? Since DC is currently in a single-sex private, we tell people who prod that we prefer a single-sex educational environment.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I’ll add that the being able to “succeed in any major” ideal requires time management. I have said this before, but there are certain things that most day & boarding prep schools expect out of ALL their students that public schools do not. Mandatory 3 seasons of sports, mandatory public speaking, table manners, uniforms, showing up on time, no snacking or drinking in class, eating what’s served and learning how interact with adults (especially wealthy/successful/old ones) in the community are just some examples.

Eating what's served?

My kids are in private, and I teach public. The array of choices that my kids have at lunch is mind boggling compared to what my students have.

I also had no idea that schools taught special skills needed for interacting with wealthy adults. My kids must have been sick that day because they treat all adults with equal respect.

I laughed at that, too. My SIL teaches at a New England boarding school, and the options those kids have in the dining hall are crazy.

Often the posts about using private school for college admissions are posted by people who didn't choose private school, but are claiming/believing everyone who goes to private school did so for that reason. Often the person has a ROI mind-set.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will never forget the people who went to crappy high schools and ended up washing out of college. One of my freshman year roommates got her parents to write her papers. That worked until the in class essays for tests and then the cat was out of the bag.

I’ll never forget my freshman year roommate at a T10 who went to a NE boarding school and smoked so much weed that she had to leave jr year and doesn’t even remember soph year.

LOL! That was the boarding school kids at my top SLAC as well. Stoned all the time.

You do you. Plenty of kids are as well prepared coming out of publics especially in STEM and especially in this area.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just think it's funny to compare how many people insist that they are sending their kids to private school for reasons that have nothing to do with college admissions, that they don't care about college admissions, etc., with how many people freak out when their private school's college admissions stats for the year are not up to snuff. Like, maybe these are two completely distinct groups, but I think that's pretty unlikely. There are a lot of people who talk a good game, but when the rubber hits the road, they absolutely expect that spending all that money means their kid will get into the elite colleges they want.

So? Yes there are some parents like that but, not all.

My point is that the OP wants to act like it's only public school parents complaining or even caring about private school college admissions, but the people I actually hear freaking out about them, or worrying that private school will somehow put their kids at a disadvantage in admissions, or the like are private school parents who *did* put their kids in private because they were obsessed with college admissions, or at least who think that all that money was supposed to buy them better chances, and get upset if there's any suggestion that it won't.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I’ll add that the being able to “succeed in any major” ideal requires time management. I have said this before, but there are certain things that most day & boarding prep schools expect out of ALL their students that public schools do not. Mandatory 3 seasons of sports, mandatory public speaking, table manners, uniforms, showing up on time, no snacking or drinking in class, eating what’s served and learning how interact with adults (especially wealthy/successful/old ones) in the community are just some examples.

Eating what's served?

My kids are in private, and I teach public. The array of choices that my kids have at lunch is mind boggling compared to what my students have.

I also had no idea that schools taught special skills needed for interacting with wealthy adults. My kids must have been sick that day because they treat all adults with equal respect.

I've read more posts that list non-college-admissions reasons to send your kid to private than I've read posts that say private is for college admissions, OP.

Please stop perpetuating this silly, made-up, debate.

- public school parent.

Anonymous wrote:I just think it's funny to compare how many people insist that they are sending their kids to private school for reasons that have nothing to do with college admissions, that they don't care about college admissions, etc., with how many people freak out when their private school's college admissions stats for the year are not up to snuff. Like, maybe these are two completely distinct groups, but I think that's pretty unlikely. There are a lot of people who talk a good game, but when the rubber hits the road, they absolutely expect that spending all that money means their kid will get into the elite colleges they want.

So? Yes there are some parents like that but, not all.

I just think it's funny to compare how many people insist that they are sending their kids to private school for reasons that have nothing to do with college admissions, that they don't care about college admissions, etc., with how many people freak out when their private school's college admissions stats for the year are not up to snuff. Like, maybe these are two completely distinct groups, but I think that's pretty unlikely. There are a lot of people who talk a good game, but when the rubber hits the road, they absolutely expect that spending all that money means their kid will get into the elite colleges they want.

OP here. I’ll add that the being able to “succeed in any major” ideal requires time management. I have said this before, but there are certain things that most day & boarding prep schools expect out of ALL their students that public schools do not. Mandatory 3 seasons of sports, mandatory public speaking, table manners, uniforms, showing up on time, no snacking or drinking in class, eating what’s served and learning how interact with adults (especially wealthy/successful/old ones) in the community are just some examples.

Anonymous wrote:I will never forget the people who went to crappy high schools and ended up washing out of college. One of my freshman year roommates got her parents to write her papers. That worked until the in class essays for tests and then the cat was out of the bag.

I’ll never forget my freshman year roommate at a T10 who went to a NE boarding school and smoked so much weed that she had to leave jr year and doesn’t even remember soph year.

I will never forget the people who went to crappy high schools and ended up washing out of college. One of my freshman year roommates got her parents to write her papers. That worked until the in class essays for tests and then the cat was out of the bag.

You don't need to justify your choices to people on these anonymous boards. There are some people, overrepresented here, who only care about one thing. HYP. Do you really care what such a person thinks?

into a top college”—I am NOT sending my kids to private so that they get into a particular college. I am sending them to private so they are extremely well-prepared for college. The last thing I would want is for them to feel that they aren’t prepared enough to complete the major they’re interested in when they get to college, which might be, say, chemical engineering or neuroscience. I want them to feel ready to excel in any major, at any school. I hope that high school feels harder than college for them.