Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 11:39     Subject: Re:Harvard, MIT and Yale favors private school kids in this area. Brown/Dartmouth/Yale better odds.
I have an ‘n’ of 2 - from RM magnet at MCPS / 2 girls admitted to Brown ED -one had a hook, the other one might have had a hook.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 11:38     Subject: Harvard, MIT and Yale favors private school kids in this area. Brown/Dartmouth/Yale better odds.
These things depend in part on who the regional admissions rep is (and who they choose to move through to committee) and also who else is on the committee. I don't now if committees are regional or what. I can't imagine that every member of the admissions office sits in on every discussion during an admissions season. They must break this up as well.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 11:33     Subject: Re:Harvard, MIT and Yale favors private school kids in this area. Brown/Dartmouth/Yale better odds.
Anonymous wrote:I actually think MIT and Princeton currently favor private schools the least, looking at cds for percent from private schools and percent full pay. It may be, however, that many of these schools have a preference for lower income or rural public schools, and there are less of those in this area.


This is what I've thought too. I don't see multiple Princeton/MIT admits on the elite boarding school instagrams (from the early round). Usually 1, but multiple from Harvard and others. Also, there is no Princeton and just 1 MIT on the harvard westlake instagram but 3+ harvard, penn, etc. (early round). Princeton took a couple from our public this year, which means less from the privates in our area. Colleges tend to lump al the schools in our region together, private and public.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 11:21     Subject: Re:Harvard, MIT and Yale favors private school kids in this area. Brown/Dartmouth/Yale better odds.
I actually think MIT and Princeton currently favor private schools the least, looking at cds for percent from private schools and percent full pay. It may be, however, that many of these schools have a preference for lower income or rural public schools, and there are less of those in this area.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 11:06     Subject: Harvard, MIT and Yale favors private school kids in this area. Brown/Dartmouth/Yale better odds.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DP, from my observations, Yale belongs in the “public school students have a shot” category. On the other hand Chicago takes almost exclusively private school kids (they’ll stoop to Catholic schools for recruited athletes).

Chicago is, relatively speaking, an easy admit for public and private school kids alike — if you apply ED. Easiest admit in the top 25 (RD and EA do not count.)
How would anyone know? They don’t release the data.


For the love of everything holy, do not turn this into yet another "is the University of Chicago prestigious" post.


You're the only one talking about it.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 11:05     Subject: Harvard, MIT and Yale favors private school kids in this area. Brown/Dartmouth/Yale better odds.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DP, from my observations, Yale belongs in the “public school students have a shot” category. On the other hand Chicago takes almost exclusively private school kids (they’ll stoop to Catholic schools for recruited athletes).

Chicago is, relatively speaking, an easy admit for public and private school kids alike — if you apply ED. Easiest admit in the top 25 (RD and EA do not count.)
How would anyone know? They don’t release the data.


For the love of everything holy, do not turn this into yet another "is the University of Chicago prestigious" post.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 11:03     Subject: Harvard, MIT and Yale favors private school kids in this area. Brown/Dartmouth/Yale better odds.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DP, from my observations, Yale belongs in the “public school students have a shot” category. On the other hand Chicago takes almost exclusively private school kids (they’ll stoop to Catholic schools for recruited athletes).

Chicago is, relatively speaking, an easy admit for public and private school kids alike — if you apply ED. Easiest admit in the top 25 (RD and EA do not count.)
How would anyone know? They don’t release the data.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 10:57     Subject: Harvard, MIT and Yale favors private school kids in this area. Brown/Dartmouth/Yale better odds.
Anonymous wrote:DP, from my observations, Yale belongs in the “public school students have a shot” category. On the other hand Chicago takes almost exclusively private school kids (they’ll stoop to Catholic schools for recruited athletes).

Chicago is, relatively speaking, an easy admit for public and private school kids alike — if you apply ED. Easiest admit in the top 25 (RD and EA do not count.)
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 10:54     Subject: Harvard, MIT and Yale favors private school kids in this area. Brown/Dartmouth/Yale better odds.
Anonymous wrote:
We're in MCPS. I have anecdotal info only, but of the handful of kids I know from MCPS who were accepted at Yale, Cornell, Dartmouth, Swarthmore or Duke, they were all STEM or engineering majors, and one accepted at Yale had spent years participating in science competitions: not the most prestigious ones, but he showed commitment and a few wins. The other kid who was admitted to Yale, had a Yale parent and attended the MCPS STEM magnet at Blair.

It's hardly useful for me to write these things, considering it's not statistically valid data. Take it for what it's worth.


The 2 Dartmouth ED kids I know at MCPS are legacies, one a double legacy. I'm sure there are more who are not but that is my small circle.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 10:54     Subject: Harvard, MIT and Yale favors private school kids in this area. Brown/Dartmouth/Yale better odds.
For the top HYPS, it's harder to stand out in MCPS, and when a student does stand out, they get in. And by stand out, it doesn't mean creating a non profit or making millions of dollars, etc. The private school kids are hooked too or they stand out in another way.

HYPS are looking for students from all over the country. Plenty of public schools kids are getting in from elsewhere.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 10:53     Subject: Harvard, MIT and Yale favors private school kids in this area. Brown/Dartmouth/Yale better odds.

We're in MCPS. I have anecdotal info only, but of the handful of kids I know from MCPS who were accepted at Yale, Cornell, Dartmouth, Swarthmore or Duke, they were all STEM or engineering majors, and one accepted at Yale had spent years participating in science competitions: not the most prestigious ones, but he showed commitment and a few wins. The other kid who was admitted to Yale, had a Yale parent and attended the MCPS STEM magnet at Blair.

It's hardly useful for me to write these things, considering it's not statistically valid data. Take it for what it's worth.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 10:52     Subject: Harvard, MIT and Yale favors private school kids in this area. Brown/Dartmouth/Yale better odds.
DP, from my observations, Yale belongs in the “public school students have a shot” category. On the other hand Chicago takes almost exclusively private school kids (they’ll stoop to Catholic schools for recruited athletes).
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 10:50     Subject: Harvard, MIT and Yale favors private school kids in this area. Brown/Dartmouth/Yale better odds.
I think it changes year over year. Dartmouth even 2 years ago drastically favored private school kids. The last 2 years have been a bit different. I'm sure it will switch again and/or the results look like a pattern but are actually just random based on the kids themselves.

Bigger question: WHY does this matter? Is your kid going to choose an SCEA/ED school based on fit or based on admissions odds? The whole "ivy or bust" thing is so obnoxious.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 10:49     Subject: Harvard, MIT and Yale favors private school kids in this area. Brown/Dartmouth/Yale better odds.
You sure you know what’s going on with Yale?
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 10:46     Subject: Harvard, MIT and Yale favors private school kids in this area. Brown/Dartmouth/Yale better odds.
From what I’ve seen, the only public-school students from MCPS who get into Princeton tend to have a clear hook. It’s a different story at many area private schools. Princeton and Harvard appear far less receptive to MCPS applicants—around a 2.5% admit rate—while Yale and Brown admit a noticeably higher share. Why bother applying. Would love to hear if anyone knows the history of this or have ever talked to admissions.