Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The same could be said for the "Big 3" in DC. Not the only way but the easiest to get to a top college of any kind.The numbers and odds are just in those kids favors. They do not have to be #1-5 in a class of 1000s to get the nod, just top 1/3 out of anywhere from 70-125.

That is a pretty silly observation. It's as hard to get in to a highly selective college from the Big 3 as it is from a public school. But, as someone who went to an Ivy as valedictorian with perfect scores from one of the better suburban DC area public schools, the elite prep school students were so much better prepared than I was. The typical student at a Big 3 is just not the same as a student at Whitman or BCC or Langley or HD Woodlawn. At the best area public high schools average SAT scores are in the 1200-1300 range (critical reading and math) with a pretty wide spread. The average at the Big 3 is well over 1400. TJ is a tad higher, but their students are 95% STEM while the Big 3 are less than 50% STEM.

As someone who went to an Ivy, students from 'Big 3 schools' were over represented and were generally not valedictorians. The group was composed of Big 3 grads that were solid students. But, the group ran circles around public school kids academically and socially for the first half of college. The group was familiar with the material, format, expectations and unwritten rules. The same is true today.

Your info is outdated given the low number of admits to Ivies today. Also, some public school kids are already taking college courses prior to HS graduation.

2016 information is not outdated! Look at the ex-missions from the top DC schools. There are tons of Ivy admits. You may be looking at a more expansive list or a suburban list.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMHO, no amount of money makes up for this https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/06/08/teacher-my-son-broke-my-heart-when-he-said-nobody-in-his-class-notices-him-then-he-asked-if-i-ignore-my-students/

What this article talks about is exactly why I believe in private school for my kids. They are not smartest and not trouble makers, but they receive so much attention and support from their teachers. Each year, I see them grow exponentially as people. The academic outcome is irrelevant to me. PS-12 is what really forms you and what you carry with through your life. I want these years to be happy and giving them this gift to them is a joy. They are so happy to go to school every day.

This article pointedly does NOT say whether her child was in a private or public school. You really have no way of knowing whether your child would be ignored more or less in a public school, or whether he or she would be happier or less happy in public school. Many people do leave private school for public. It is always possible that your perceptions of your school's superiority are influenced by its marketing.

++10000! This idea that there are no bad experiences in private school is totally off. This year, my kid's teacher was
Pregnant for most of the year, and very obviously having a rough time of it. She was disorganized and Absent a lot. Life happens, teachers have babies, leave mid year and leave the class in charge
Of a first year assistant teacher. None of that was "planned" and j do t begrudge the teacher her time off, but nothing is ever 100% perfect all the time, even if you pay A LOT of mo wh for it.

We pay tuition out of our annual bonuses. Each year, we reevaluate whether it is smart to continue to do private school, even though we're happy with our kids' school.

If I were you, I would not spend $7000 per month out of $13,000 per month take-home. You said your home is in a good location, but is small and not great. Maybe your family would derive more happiness from putting on an addition or buying a larger house, rather than just pouring your income into tuition.

BTW, I think you're fine with having saved $200,000 per kid for college, if college is still 5 years away for your oldest. You could always pay out of earned income to supplement, if necessary. Also, have you told your kids about the money? Maybe it will motivate them to get a scholarship if they don't know college is paid for.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The same could be said for the "Big 3" in DC. Not the only way but the easiest to get to a top college of any kind.The numbers and odds are just in those kids favors. They do not have to be #1-5 in a class of 1000s to get the nod, just top 1/3 out of anywhere from 70-125.

That is a pretty silly observation. It's as hard to get in to a highly selective college from the Big 3 as it is from a public school. But, as someone who went to an Ivy as valedictorian with perfect scores from one of the better suburban DC area public schools, the elite prep school students were so much better prepared than I was. The typical student at a Big 3 is just not the same as a student at Whitman or BCC or Langley or HD Woodlawn. At the best area public high schools average SAT scores are in the 1200-1300 range (critical reading and math) with a pretty wide spread. The average at the Big 3 is well over 1400. TJ is a tad higher, but their students are 95% STEM while the Big 3 are less than 50% STEM.

As someone who went to an Ivy, students from 'Big 3 schools' were over represented and were generally not valedictorians. The group was composed of Big 3 grads that were solid students. But, the group ran circles around public school kids academically and socially for the first half of college. The group was familiar with the material, format, expectations and unwritten rules. The same is true today.

Your info is outdated given the low number of admits to Ivies today. Also, some public school kids are already taking college courses prior to HS graduation.

Anonymous wrote:PP was did he have a stem major? Did he focus on Latin, Art History, Classics and a host of other liberal arts majors that are only covered in certain high schools?

PP here (re Stanford in the 1990s). My DH was an English major, but many of his friends did Engineering, Computer Science, etc.

PP was did he have a stem major? Did he focus on Latin, Art History, Classics and a host of other liberal arts majors that are only covered in certain high schools?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The same could be said for the "Big 3" in DC. Not the only way but the easiest to get to a top college of any kind.The numbers and odds are just in those kids favors. They do not have to be #1-5 in a class of 1000s to get the nod, just top 1/3 out of anywhere from 70-125.

That is a pretty silly observation. It's as hard to get in to a highly selective college from the Big 3 as it is from a public school. But, as someone who went to an Ivy as valedictorian with perfect scores from one of the better suburban DC area public schools, the elite prep school students were so much better prepared than I was. The typical student at a Big 3 is just not the same as a student at Whitman or BCC or Langley or HD Woodlawn. At the best area public high schools average SAT scores are in the 1200-1300 range (critical reading and math) with a pretty wide spread. The average at the Big 3 is well over 1400. TJ is a tad higher, but their students are 95% STEM while the Big 3 are less than 50% STEM.

Here's a slight counter-point. My DH went to Stanford in the mid-90s from a well-regarded suburban high school (not in DC). Before starting his freshman year, he was worried he wouldn't be as prepared as the private school kids. It turned out that he did just fine, as did his classmates, the majority of whom went to public K-12. He said all of his college classmates (public or private grads) were pretty uniformly smart, motivated, and organized.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The same could be said for the "Big 3" in DC. Not the only way but the easiest to get to a top college of any kind.The numbers and odds are just in those kids favors. They do not have to be #1-5 in a class of 1000s to get the nod, just top 1/3 out of anywhere from 70-125.

That is a pretty silly observation. It's as hard to get in to a highly selective college from the Big 3 as it is from a public school. But, as someone who went to an Ivy as valedictorian with perfect scores from one of the better suburban DC area public schools, the elite prep school students were so much better prepared than I was. The typical student at a Big 3 is just not the same as a student at Whitman or BCC or Langley or HD Woodlawn. At the best area public high schools average SAT scores are in the 1200-1300 range (critical reading and math) with a pretty wide spread. The average at the Big 3 is well over 1400. TJ is a tad higher, but their students are 95% STEM while the Big 3 are less than 50% STEM.

As someone who went to an Ivy, students from 'Big 3 schools' were over represented and were generally not valedictorians. The group was composed of Big 3 grads that were solid students. But, the group ran circles around public school kids academically and socially for the first half of college. The group was familiar with the material, format, expectations and unwritten rules. The same is true today.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMHO, no amount of money makes up for this https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/06/08/teacher-my-son-broke-my-heart-when-he-said-nobody-in-his-class-notices-him-then-he-asked-if-i-ignore-my-students/

What this article talks about is exactly why I believe in private school for my kids. They are not smartest and not trouble makers, but they receive so much attention and support from their teachers. Each year, I see them grow exponentially as people. The academic outcome is irrelevant to me. PS-12 is what really forms you and what you carry with through your life. I want these years to be happy and giving them this gift to them is a joy. They are so happy to go to school every day.

You dont have to pay $34k a year for that, you just need a better school. There is a weirdness in your post, Somehow implying that public school is a place where happiness is not a possibility. We are in a very highly rated neighborhood school (public) and my kids are happy, engaged, surrounded by friends who are also neighbors, and run down the street to school every day. Also, the idea that private school teacher never ignore a kid or have favorites or zone out at the end of the school year, is ridiculous. You can't buy a perfect teacher. If you could, they would probably be in public because they are paid better there.

Anonymous wrote:The same could be said for the "Big 3" in DC. Not the only way but the easiest to get to a top college of any kind.The numbers and odds are just in those kids favors. They do not have to be #1-5 in a class of 1000s to get the nod, just top 1/3 out of anywhere from 70-125.

That is a pretty silly observation. It's as hard to get in to a highly selective college from the Big 3 as it is from a public school. But, as someone who went to an Ivy as valedictorian with perfect scores from one of the better suburban DC area public schools, the elite prep school students were so much better prepared than I was. The typical student at a Big 3 is just not the same as a student at Whitman or BCC or Langley or HD Woodlawn. At the best area public high schools average SAT scores are in the 1200-1300 range (critical reading and math) with a pretty wide spread. The average at the Big 3 is well over 1400. TJ is a tad higher, but their students are 95% STEM while the Big 3 are less than 50% STEM.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMHO, no amount of money makes up for this https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/06/08/teacher-my-son-broke-my-heart-when-he-said-nobody-in-his-class-notices-him-then-he-asked-if-i-ignore-my-students/

What this article talks about is exactly why I believe in private school for my kids. They are not smartest and not trouble makers, but they receive so much attention and support from their teachers. Each year, I see them grow exponentially as people. The academic outcome is irrelevant to me. PS-12 is what really forms you and what you carry with through your life. I want these years to be happy and giving them this gift to them is a joy. They are so happy to go to school every day.

This article pointedly does NOT say whether her child was in a private or public school. You really have no way of knowing whether your child would be ignored more or less in a public school, or whether he or she would be happier or less happy in public school. Many people do leave private school for public. It is always possible that your perceptions of your school's superiority are influenced by its marketing.