That includes Stanford and MIT
You’re right
Just do the numbers. How many Valedictorians across the nation get admitted to Ivies. The reality is most don’t. I don’t think anecdotal accounts from parents whose kids didn’t is really an accurate account of the reality.
Proving my earlier point. None of those 3 send 40% to Ivy League schools. Ivy League being an athletic conference of 8 colleges, not a synonym for top colleges.
And I would posit that for many, mommy and/or daddy is an alum of the college
I think this is an unfair comparison, as it is arguably harder to get into those NYC prep schools than to get into an Ivy League University.
As a parent of a student at a highly competitive prep school (not one of the ones mentioned) I have noticed that, after athletes, legacy/donors and highly qualified URM are accounted for - typically in that order - there are very few slots left even for the most exceptional student applicants. And there are A LOT of students at the prep schools that fit one or more of those criteria.
So if a child has one of those hooks then yes, I would agree a student may have a higher chance to get admitted to an Ivy from a prep school than a valedictorian at a public school. If not…
I said that includes Stanford and MIT. I’m sure if you post the numbers it’s closer to 40% than 30%. I posted 40% because I’m not able to post if it’s 37% for example.
I agree with your assessment and for that reason why it wouldn’t makes sense to think leaving that environment, for a public school in one’s senior year, would increase the likelihood of admittance to an Ivy.
Mommy and daddy are alums. Grandpa and/or grandma are alums (or at least alums of Barnard/Radcliffe/Pembroke). Grandpa has a named chair in neuroscience named for HIS dad.
You cannot tease out the selection effect vs. treatment effect of these three schools. Unless it’s YOUR kid whose uncle is a US Senator and four generations of the family have gone to Harvard- in which case, the hooks mean NOTHING and it’s just that your kid is so brilliant and talented!
I don’t deny there’s that. But, there are also unhooked students that get admitted. I happen to have first hand accounts.
True. And I was one of them. But the colleges admitted me, not my HS. True, the HS helped develop me into a better applicant, but my local school might have as well.
Bottom line, don’t choose a HS thinking it’s the Golden Ticket to the Ivy League, MIT, etc
I agree. It most certainly isn’t. I think students like you would do well no matter which HS attended.
ShanFerg3 also listed Brearley, Trinity and Collegiate, as examples of these prep schools.
I did not believe the 40% figure at first, but was astounded to learn that it is indeed true. On Brearley’s composite (2016-2020) matriculation list (found on their website), I counted 108 out of 265 (40.75%) matriculations were to an Ivy, and 116/265 (43.77%) with Stanford and MIT included. The actual number of attendees to these schools might be slightly lower, as some students received acceptances at multiple schools.
Thank you for pointing out I wasn’t making this up.
@daddycaddy What is a “qualified” URM? Does that refer to academics (eg high GPA and SAT), or something else?
These high schools cater to the exact same population as do the Ivy League universities. Kids are admitted to these high schools using very similar rules that the Ivies use. Many of them are legacies for both the high school and any Ivy or two, a certain percent of high achieving URMs, kids who are good at the “right” sports (crew, lacrosse, etc), kids of the rich and powerful, and the non-hooked, very bright kids, mostly from upper middle class families.
Add to that the high number of dedicated GCs who have long experience in helping students craft the “right” type of application, as well as the GCs and teachers knowing how the write the “right” type of LoRs, access to resources for good ECs, etc. Basically, they have perfected the process of applying to “elite” colleges.
While these high school are pretty rigorous, the chances of a student at any level of skill, talent, and drive from one of these high schools to be admitted to an “elite” college are substantially higher than a student with the same skills, talents, and drive who attended a high school without the resources and connections that these high schools have.
With all of those factors in play, it is not surprising that such a high percent of students from these high schools matriculate to Ivy+ colleges.
In the past, many Ivies even reserved a percent of acceptances for graduates of these type of high schools, but I do not think that this is the case anymore.
In general I would agree with you, but the number of Brearley girls going to Harvard each year makes one wonder.
Brearley’s list is of matriculations, not acceptances.