Why is everyone acting like an ivy is so impossible that it's laughable? I'm not getting the sense that OP and her child believe life will be over if DC isn't headed to Yale -- just that they want to maximize the shot.

OP -- having done quite a bit of admissions work for an Ivy - def public and a non magnet/charter. I mean make sure the school has a strong AP curriculum or IB. At a regular public school it is easier to stand out in terms of top grades, class rank and leadership positions - assuming DC is a likeable hard worker - bc not every kid or even half or a quarter of kids there are looking to go to the ivys.

Anonymous wrote:For HYP, I agree that the public school route may be more advantageous given supply and demand conditions. But beyond that, the top private schools do better. It makes sense. A mid-range student at one of the elite privates, would probably be getting close to straight As at a public, where the students are much less accomplished, and would have received a better education. The AVERAGE SAT at the very top privates is 2100+. That suggests the average student at those schools would have been a stellar student at even a good public. The colleges know this and act accordingly.

?? You are saying they would get a better education in public? Also disagree that private kids would get As in public. Private US includes breaks, advisors, sports, late starts, accessible teachers, nutritious meals....All things being equal with student profile, it is MUCH easier to succeed at a Big 3 than in a highly regarded public. And I haven't even gotten started on the negative vibe at publics, social elements, etc. Private sets kids up to succeed - it's hard to screw up. That's one key reason people pay to go to private.

Ivy League admissions are so individualized it depends way more on your kid than the school.

I don't think that the absence of a precise class rank calculated by a HS (public or private) prevents highly selective colleges from taking class rank into account. They know from experience (and/or data on the school's transcript) approximately where a student with a particular GPA stands vis a vis the rest of the class.

OP's framing of the issue was in terms of percentiles and her assumption was that her DC would end up in a higher percentile at a public (95th) than a private (80th). My point was that may not be a valid assumption wrt public magnets.

I agree that colleges don't treat all schools equally wrt class standing -- they recognize that selective admissions (public or private) affect cohort and that school size affects percentile. But they do care about how an applicant has done academically compared to his/her classmates and the answer to that question will differ depending on cohort. How and how much are tricky questions that can't be answered at the public vs. private level of generality. Depends on the specific schools and, arguably, the particular class.

For HYP, I agree that the public school route may be more advantageous given supply and demand conditions. But beyond that, the top private schools do better. It makes sense. A mid-range student at one of the elite privates, would probably be getting close to straight As at a public, where the students are much less accomplished, and would have received a better education. The AVERAGE SAT at the very top privates is 2100+. That suggests the average student at those schools would have been a stellar student at even a good public. The colleges know this and act accordingly.

Anonymous wrote:Re MD or VA depends on the HS.

What I meant was that TJ, for example, is a public school where many kids will end up with a lower class rank than they would have had at a top private. And in some of the most affluent MoCo schools, there may be even more Ivy legacy applicants per graduating class than at a top private. And, for any specific college, absolute number of kids in the cohort applying as legacies may matter more than what % of the class as a whole has legacy status.

High Schools in FCPS, including TJ do not have class rank.

Anonymous wrote:The best way to increase your child's chances would be to move to Guam, Hawaii, Alaska, or Mississippi.

Being able to see Russia from your front porch would be a great essay topic.

PPa here: typo "....may be overstating it."

Anonymous wrote:

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!

"Coveted" be overstating it! . The issue with Wilson, as several college admission officers have told me, is that even the most successful kids there really don't know how to write well.

Since privates don't have class rank, you can't make direct comparison. And since the privates are so much smaller, it becomes harder to generalize. In sheer numbers, even though TJ is much bigger than the privates, more alums from each of the Big 3 go to the Ivies every year. In part this is because they are wealthier and can afford it. In part this is because their parents may be better connected. It's one thing if you're legacy, it's another if you've friends with Larry Summers.

Re MD or VA depends on the HS.

What I meant was that TJ, for example, is a public school where many kids will end up with a lower class rank than they would have had at a top private. And in some of the most affluent MoCo schools, there may be even more Ivy legacy applicants per graduating class than at a top private. And, for any specific college, absolute number of kids in the cohort applying as legacies may matter more than what % of the class as a whole has legacy status.

Anonymous wrote:The best way to increase your child's chances would be to move to Guam, Hawaii, Alaska, or Mississippi.

Or West Virginia (it's a little closer)

Anonymous wrote:Remember, if you tell a selective private school that you want your child to attend to get into Harvard, your child will be rejected.

You have no idea what your child's college chances will be now. If she aspires to an elite college, she can be the top student in her class at any Washington area high school and have a chance. Even schools in area's least prestigious public schools do a better job preparing their top students than most schools in the country.

Your child has so much growing up and learning to do before even considering where to go to college that your job is to keep him focused on doing well now, not 4 years down the line. Nothing you do can assure his admission to a top school, besides giving a six figure donation.

7 figure donation

The best way to increase your child's chances would be to move to Guam, Hawaii, Alaska, or Mississippi.

Remember, if you tell a selective private school that you want your child to attend to get into Harvard, your child will be rejected.

You have no idea what your child's college chances will be now. If she aspires to an elite college, she can be the top student in her class at any Washington area high school and have a chance. Even schools in area's least prestigious public schools do a better job preparing their top students than most schools in the country.

Your child has so much growing up and learning to do before even considering where to go to college that your job is to keep him focused on doing well now, not 4 years down the line. Nothing you do can assure his admission to a top school, besides giving a six figure donation.