Anonymous wrote:I think the theory that your odds are better in public is unproven, at least in DC. Maybe if you were in public in Wyoming or somewhere like that, maybe. But all you have to do is look at the college admission results from the local privates versus the local publics, and the results are striking. While big W schools like Whitman may do well, per student, the privates do way better. Just look at Sidwell and GDS admissions this year. Even privates like Landon and Maret do very well.

No. Look at Wilson results for top students. Those kids are coveted by great schools (Yale, Princeton, Brown, Duke off the top of my head. And they deserve it!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If my goal were simply to maximize the chance of Ivy admission, I'd go public (in DC -- in MD and VA, it might depend on HS). We chose private for educational reasons. I suspect DC would have had a better shot at HYPS coming from Wilson or Walls (as a legacy) vs. a Big 3. Big 3 might give DC more of an edge at lesser Ivies (not a legacy). From an admissions standpoint, private HS is wagering a substantial amount of $$ on an under entry very uncertain outcome with no guarantee that, to the extent that you've changed the odds, it's been in your DC's favor rather than to your DC's detriment. Much depends on the specific class and who is applying where. It may also be difficult to correctly anticipate comparative class rank and GPA in public vs. private.

This is a good post. I hope OP reads this and gets a freaking grip.

+1 million. Kids succeeding at Wilson, BCC, Blair, Whitman & elsewhere. These kids are smart plus grounded - they know the real world. Private school bubble is a bubble.

I think the theory that your odds are better in public is unproven, at least in DC. Maybe if you were in public in Wyoming or somewhere like that, maybe. But all you have to do is look at the college admission results from the local privates versus the local publics, and the results are striking. While big W schools like Whitman may do well, per student, the privates do way better. Just look at Sidwell and GDS admissions this year. Even privates like Landon and Maret do very well.

Anonymous wrote:Neither a top 20% kid in an elite private nor a top 5% in a solid public is headed to the Ivies, but you're likely to get a better college placement from the private where you'll get better college counseling, and more help "packaging" your kid to be what they want.

DC has been told that even assuming DC continues to excel at sports through HS, has great HS grades and test scores, and even being a legacy at two different Ivies, that the Ivy admission odds are going to be tough, and that there are lots of great colleges out there. Both of DC's parents are public HS products and we are simply trying to figure out whether the selective private HS option that is available to DC is generally viewed as likely to increase the odds of DC achieving DC's college goals. And yes, we know what private HS and college will cost.

Neither a top 20% kid in an elite private nor a top 5% in a solid public is headed to the Ivies, but you're likely to get a better college placement from the private where you'll get better college counseling, and more help "packaging" your kid to be what they want.

Anonymous wrote: Do those schools look more favorably on admitting kids from the very top of the schools they don't usually see in their incoming class, or do they look more favorably at kids coming from schools that have proven to be good pipelines even if the kid is not ranked at the very top of the class of the selective school.

OP here, I posted the above question because my very goal-oriented DC asked me this question (in a less specific and less rigorous way) and I did not know what the answer was. As I suspected, there does not seem to be any consensus, which is another reason we are leaning towards public rather than a prestigous private. One PP said in MD and VA it might depend on the HS. Curious what is meant by that? Thanks.

Move away from any big city and apply.

Anonymous wrote:If my goal were simply to maximize the chance of Ivy admission, I'd go public (in DC -- in MD and VA, it might depend on HS). We chose private for educational reasons. I suspect DC would have had a better shot at HYPS coming from Wilson or Walls (as a legacy) vs. a Big 3. Big 3 might give DC more of an edge at lesser Ivies (not a legacy). From an admissions standpoint, private HS is wagering a substantial amount of $$ on an under entry very uncertain outcome with no guarantee that, to the extent that you've changed the odds, it's been in your DC's favor rather than to your DC's detriment. Much depends on the specific class and who is applying where. It may also be difficult to correctly anticipate comparative class rank and GPA in public vs. private.

This is a good post. I hope OP reads this and gets a freaking grip.

Oh, OP, I wish you would get some perspective. I've seen the damage done by parents who put college admissions above all else.

If this is a real post.

If my goal were simply to maximize the chance of Ivy admission, I'd go public (in DC -- in MD and VA, it might depend on HS). We chose private for educational reasons. I suspect DC would have had a better shot at HYPS coming from Wilson or Walls (as a legacy) vs. a Big 3. Big 3 might give DC more of an edge at lesser Ivies (not a legacy). From an admissions standpoint, private HS is wagering a substantial amount of $$ on an under entry very uncertain outcome with no guarantee that, to the extent that you've changed the odds, it's been in your DC's favor rather than to your DC's detriment. Much depends on the specific class and who is applying where. It may also be difficult to correctly anticipate comparative class rank and GPA in public vs. private.

Anonymous wrote:Your kid is best off where they can take challenging classes and get excellent grades and a 2300+ SAT score.

And have one kick ass EC.

If your DC has no real hooks, it is a crapshoot regardless of HS. THe more eleite priate school in DC send more because they have more students with hooks (prominent alumni parents/family). Just being an alumni doesn't get your child is, even if they have the academic chops.

Your kid is best off where they can take challenging classes and get excellent grades and a 2300+ SAT score.

This assumes you have approx $400,000 per child for those 8 years, just sayin....

Parody post, right? Please say yes....

Looking for some informed views on current college admissions. If your child wants to go to an Ivy League school is he/she better off (1) going to a large decent area public HS, where he/she will graduate in the top 5 percent of the class, versus (2) going to a highly selective private HS where he/she will graduate somewhat lower in the class ranking (say top 20 percent of the class). For comparison purposes, the private school typically sends 5-6 kids to Ivy league schools each year while the much larger public school usually sends 1-3 kids to Ivies annually. Assume he/she will be happy at either school, his/her AP and standardized test scores will be the same at either school, he/she will excel at a varsity sport at either school, and her parents are both Ivy league alums. Is one high school scenario more favorable than the other for Ivy League admissions? Do those schools look more favorably on admitting kids from the very top of the schools they don't usually see in their incoming class, or do they look more favorably at kids coming from schools that have proven to be good pipelines even if the kid is not ranked at the very top of the class of the selective school. I know this is a tough hypothetical, but I'm interested in whether there is any consensus.