all the top kids in our school are pretty much also going to state schools, heavily UVA (in state). Our valedictorian will be attending UVA and the salutatorian will be attending a SLAC on a full ride.

It is rough. Families need to shift expectations moving forward.

Anonymous wrote:Not my DC's experience. Lots of disappointment throughout MCPS though.

What was you DC's experience? Please share!

17:12 again. Thankfully, the top publics are just as good, if not better, than the top Privates. Of course, this POV is not popular with the Private school DCUM crowd that will jump on you (as you may have seen on multiple threads) for saying that their kids' 200K+, 4-year HS experience results in the same outcome as your free public HS.

Anonymous wrote:Can you imagine having to attend Michigan or UCLA. Horrible.

OP here. I am not saying those aren't great schools, but if you are interested in a private and paying the same $$$$...

Not my DC's experience. Lots of disappointment throughout MCPS though.

I have a high stats kid from a public school who is choosing to attend a public university (Alabama) not because he lacked other options but because he fell in love with the campus and felt the Honors College offered many of the same benefits of the higher-ranked schools to which he was admitted while providing the resources of a large, academically reputable state school. Granted, he didn't apply to any T20s, but he got into multiple T50s (UNC-CH, UGA) as well as several highly ranked SLACs. But none of those schools offered him nearly a full ride scholarship, and Alabama did. And none came close to the amenities of the Honors College in terms of things like housing, food and priority class registration. There are some squares on DCUM who aren't impressed with his choice, but he's thrilled and can't wait to get on campus. Roll Tide!

I don't think it's just the school. It's the "parental awareness" of how to get into a top private - the right counselor, the right EC, etc. - which a public school DIY family, however educated or smart, just does not have.

Top schools are a lottery now. Many kids won't win. The secondary education system in this country is as broken as health care.

Can you imagine having to attend Michigan or UCLA. Horrible.

And they will be fine.

Anonymous wrote:I just had a stroke reading this.

Why a stroke?

Yes, I agree. Definitely true for my son and all of his friends.

I just had a stroke reading this.

WITHOUT A HOOK, landed at public schools (UVA, UMich, California schools) and could not really break through to the T-20 coming from MCPS....is there just too much competition at these public schools and do privates have better placement? This is just my observation--have you seen the same?