Anonymous wrote:I went to a competitive high school in CT that had a large percentage of their kids go to ivy leagues. I went to a HYPS after I graduted from there. I think that as an immigrant kid from a poor school district- I needed to go to this school to have a chance at an ivy. It would have been hard to have that level of support. But now as an alum of this ivy married to another alum and having an understanding of the U.S. school system, I'd say go with public. A lot of my friends in college went to public and they did great probably even better than me. In fact, I think because I work my butt off in high school due to the intensity of my high school, I came to college tired, with an eating disorder and mental health issues from the competition of it all. They all seemed to have made the decision to work hard in high school and didn't have to deal with the crazy level of competition and culture of having to get into any ivy because mom and dad are paying 50k and need a return on investment. As a result they came to college refreshed and ready to work. So pick a great public unless child has a true need for private and don't get hung up on ivy leagues!

Thanks for a genuinely valuable contribution. I wish more people like you would weigh in on DCUM.

I don't think National Merit Finalist means much of anything in college admissions - except at schools that offer special scholarships for them (like U. of Alabama).

It just means you're a good standardized test taker, which is already going to show up in your SAT/ACT scores.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine got into an Ivy from Holton. And, her Ivy had plenty of public school kids. So, I don't think it really matters on the question of private vs. public. Just make sure the kid has top grades, top scores and top ECs.

What are several examples of top ECs (besides sports)

Intel STS Award finalist
Patent
National debate champion
Science fair State winner
Made State orchestra or band, by Junior year
NMF
Eagle Scout with Silver Palm
Saved the world

This can't be. My DCs had the same list of ECs!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine got into an Ivy from Holton. And, her Ivy had plenty of public school kids. So, I don't think it really matters on the question of private vs. public. Just make sure the kid has top grades, top scores and top ECs.

What are several examples of top ECs (besides sports)

Intel STS Award finalist
Patent
National debate champion
Science fair State winner
Made State orchestra or band, by Junior year
NMF
Eagle Scout with Silver Palm
Saved the world

I went to a competitive high school in CT that had a large percentage of their kids go to ivy leagues. I went to a HYPS after I graduted from there. I think that as an immigrant kid from a poor school district- I needed to go to this school to have a chance at an ivy. It would have been hard to have that level of support. But now as an alum of this ivy married to another alum and having an understanding of the U.S. school system, I'd say go with public. A lot of my friends in college went to public and they did great probably even better than me. In fact, I think because I work my butt off in high school due to the intensity of my high school, I came to college tired, with an eating disorder and mental health issues from the competition of it all. They all seemed to have made the decision to work hard in high school and didn't have to deal with the crazy level of competition and culture of having to get into any ivy because mom and dad are paying 50k and need a return on investment. As a result they came to college refreshed and ready to work. So pick a great public unless child has a true need for private and don't get hung up on ivy leagues!

Anonymous wrote:Mine got into an Ivy from Holton. And, her Ivy had plenty of public school kids. So, I don't think it really matters on the question of private vs. public. Just make sure the kid has top grades, top scores and top ECs.

What are several examples of top ECs (besides sports)

OP, I would add a third option -- a high school, whether public or private, that allows your child to develop both academically and personally, so that by senior year he/she is not a stressed out striver whose cookie-cutter profile suggests crazed helicopter parents. I overstate to make a point...but just as you are flyspecking the high school process, treating it as a means to an end, so too do elite colleges look beyond a kid's academic potential to what they might contribute 10, 20 years into the future (financially and otherwise). The public school applicants they love are independent-minded students who have risen above chaotic, generally unsupportive environments. Conversely, private school kids with top grades and legacy parents possess an admissions advantage because they were raised in a culture of success. Both sets of kids are good bets. But in either case, authenticity is key.
FWIW my advice is to identify the school that's the best overall fit, especially based on peer group, assuming all things are equal academically. There are so, so many forks in the road in high school. Not having the right friends and not clicking with a school's culture can throw a kid off track. All you need is a couple months of a slump to do permanent damage to your GPA! And then it's good bye Ivy Dream, hello adolescent reality.

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.

It is easier to have "better" exmissions when you cherry pick.

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.

This isn't true if you look at comparable, high ability kids. There is a broader range of ability in public schools.

OP -- definitely public. When admissions comes down to the margins (as it does for most everyone at an ivy) and they're deciding between accepted their 8th candidate from NCS or the 1st from a public school, the spot will go to the public school candidate with a deferral to the NCS student simply to "diversify" the incoming class.

What grade is DC in - I'm guessing 8th or younger? If this is what your DC wants to try for, I say go for it. It gets scoffed on on this board with lots of "oh it doesn't matter where you go," but Ivy admission is possible and just requires a plan. I'd sit down and figure out what APs are available to your DC in what grades with a plan of how many he/she will take (as many as possible realistically) in each grade so as to maximize. The aim should be for a #1 or #2 ranking. There are lots on here and on collegeconfidential.com that'll say the "top" kids in their HS didn't get into an ivy but when they get into it, they say those kids were ranked no 10 or no 20. That won't cut it -- DC should be aiming for the #1 rank or at least the top 0.5% or top 1% of the class. I'd say if you don't have those things with an SAT at the top of the range for each ivy, don't even bother. Too many kids think they have a hook that is SO special but really -- unless your kid is an olympian, a hook isn't enough and is a non starter if the grades aren't the very top. But if you do have those things -- an ivy is a possibility; and even if it doesn't work out -- there's a very very good shot that another top school like MIT does work out once the stats are sky high.

Good luck!

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.

Here is what I've been told by a couple of college admissions staff that they do about class rank when the high school doesn't rank. First, they look at the school profile to see how rigorous and competitive the school is, and they are already very familiar with the stats of the most competitive schools. For instance, they are aware that a student whose GPA falls below 3.0 at TJ is asked to leave, so they are aware that even the "bottom half" of the class is high achieving in a rigorous environment.

For those at the very competitive schools that don't rank, they then look at SAT/ACT. Kids who have scores over certain points get credit for top 10%, 5%, or whatever depending on the school. It's a way of adjusting for and taking into account the type of school kids are coming from.

So really, the best advice is to do your best, wherever you are. Parents could make decisions about high schools for their kids by taking into account where their own child will do best.

Mine got into an Ivy from Holton. And, her Ivy had plenty of public school kids. So, I don't think it really matters on the question of private vs. public. Just make sure the kid has top grades, top scores and top ECs.

GDS, by far.

I don't think admission to An Ivy is impossible -- just saying that spending about 120K even to double your DC's odds of admission seems like a poor investment -- and that's assuming private actually DOES increase the odds of admission...

But yeah, if you believe/know that public increases the odds of Ivy admission, and that's what you're looking to maximize as you select a HS, then it's not a hard decision.

Easiest way to get into an Ivy is to go to a school with a good crew team, have decent grades, have decent SAT scores, and a kick ass 2K.