<p>“Will her private school help her write better admissions essays?”</p>
<p>“The Catholic Prep schools are generally much better at college applications guidance than the regular Catholic Diocesan schools. The Catholic Prep schools in some cases tend to challenge the students a bit more than the Diocesan ones. IMHO”</p>
<p>I agree with this 100%. My son was at a Catholic Prep, not at a Diocesan school. </p>
<p>Starting his junior year of HS all kids at his school took a “getting into college class” which ran from Jan-Dec 1st of Sr yr. They met in small groups once a week. They worked on their lists, their essays, their apps, getting LOR, their brag sheets. As a parent I did not have to do anything but take him to look at schools. They also all submitted their apps from the guidance office after a once over from the GC. All apps had to be in by Dec. 1st, too - so no nagging your kid to get them done over Xmas vacation. </p>
<p>This alone was worth the price of tuition. </p>
<p>Completely agree that private Catholic prep high schools, especially the single-gender prep schools, can be much more academically rigorous than the diocesan schools.</p>
<p>Although some of the newer diocesan schools in growing communities, (some have been built within the past 5 to 10 years) are just as rigorous as the preps and offer new science labs and other facilities. </p>
<p>BusyKids all went to a private Catholic Prep, not a Diocesan. They also had the same kind of “getting into college class” as @emilybee 's s son. There were one or two classes at the end of sophomore year as an intro to college apps. In junior year, they had strict deadlines for draft essays, draft apps and requests to teaches for LORs. </p>
<p>The College guidance department was worth its weight in platinum! Overall a great college app experience.</p>
<p>Son’s school was all boys and it also had mandatory JROTC (it’s a tradition in my area - all the private boys school have this whether they are religious or not.) </p>
<p>Our only regret is that we didn’t send S in 7th grade to avoid the horror that was Middle School. </p>
<p>Why Catholic school? In the NE, Independent Schools are the most rigorous. There are some good Catholic schools,b but their funding is no where close to good public schools. Top Independent Schools cost 30-50,000/year. Top private schools’ facilities and programs are usually better than public schools, but that’s not the case with most Catholic schools. If your niece is not taking most rigorous courses then that’s what she should be doing. When she is in those classes she maybe mingling with students who take academic more seriously. I would compare Catholic school’s curriculum with her current high school’s and also look at their college placement. </p>
<p>Please note that, just as not all public schools are equal, same with Catholic Diocesan schools. </p>
<p>It is not right to just dismiss the Diocesan ones. </p>
<p>BusyKids all went to a Catholic Prep, which is what they selected.</p>
<p>It is important to say that some of the Diocesan schools are equal in rigor and offering to the Catholic preps. I know of several different families, very close friends, in several different geographic areas than where we are, who all went to Diocesan schools in their region and they have received super top-notch college prep educations.</p>
<p>It is important to look at the particular Catholic school and its features and offerings. </p>
<p>Other than religious reasons, many Catholic high schools…including the preps I named are often less expensive than the independent schools you cited. </p>
<p>In Regis’ case, it’s free for all who qualify for admission. BC High’s tuition is 18k for the entire academic year according to:</p>
<p>I went to two private schools growing up. One was just mentioned recently in an OP’s thread in Parent Forum. I get a lot of alum info on both my schools and am well aware of the rigor. The education my son got at his Catholic Prep school was just as rigorous and no less rigorous than the two indy prep schools in my area. I am in the Northeast, too. </p>
<p>Not all private schools are better than public schools, same with Catholic schools. A lot of parents think just because a school is private than it must be better. Where my kids grew up, there were many private schools, except for a handful of them, most public schools were better (funded with more course offerings and ECs).</p>
<p>The question is, would the student, if transferred to a private school, continue to choose the least rigorous options available, or could actually be motivated to choose the more rigorous options? Of, if she remained at the current public school, could she be motivated to choose the more rigorous options?</p>
<p>As the parent of a student who started at diocesan Catholic high school and transferred to public high school, I have developed a pretty healthy dose of skepticism regarding Catholic high schools. In our area, there are no independent schools, and diocesan high schools are the only non-public choices. Many families enroll their students in the diocesan schools because the assume the schools are more rigorous and have a better sort of crowd of students. Of course, your mileage will vary, but I have concluded that drugs, alcohols and sex are found in all the high schools (even as a freshman at Catholic high school, my son knew which bathroom was the “drug” bathroom where deals took place and knew enough to stay away). The education at his Catholic school was poor, and the grading scale hurt --an 86 was a B-. He transferred to public, found an intellectual group of kids who cared about ideas, not just grade grubbing, and flourished. </p>
<p>An illustration simply to suggest that rarely is a single institution – at least when comparing public and Catholic – the answer. Rather it is the courses and ECs, which leads to a different friend group, more demanding teachers, better study skills etc. Catholic high school available to you may well be different than in our experience, but I would not assume it is a better education just because it is tuition-based. </p>
<p>Good luck, you sound like a caring adult in this student’s life, and all kids need that. </p>
<p>I would also recommend requesting information about college admissions and placement from both public and Catholic, if possible. Again, in our experience, and your school may vary, the Catholic school did very well with in-state and local schools, but abysmally at schools outside our immediate area. Public school has much better record, every year, at getting kids admitted to top programs (Ivies, top 20 universities, and LACS). As a parent, I know the scuttlebut (sp) about how well kids are prepared for their schools – the public kids are doing very well, even at the Ivies. </p>
<p>Another long way of saying, do your research – public vs. tuition based is not end of the inquiry here. </p>
<p>About the GPA - college admissions offices will know how the gpas of that public school compare to that private school. They have the data. Class rank is more significant than GPA usually.</p>
<p>@oldfort: Not all of us are benighted enough to live in New England. And in some other parts of the country, independent schools are far more a purchase of a certain homogeneity of demographics than they are about quality, though some folks tend to think that the former automatically leads to the latter. </p>
<p>SomeOldGuy - I don’t like to opine on things I have no experience or knowledge of, hence I bothered to mention NE. I very much understand this is a big country and my personal experience in the NE can’t be applied to all. For what’s worth, the independent school my kids went to was more diverse than our public school and that was the main reason we put our kids there in the first place. The fact it was one of the best schools in our state was a bonus.</p>
<p>1.) I think she’s in less demanding courses because a) lack of parental oversight; b) she’s not equipped with the habits to tackle more demanding courses; c) nobody at the school encourages her to do so. She has not developed the skill set required to be a strong student, yet the public has still rewarded her with a high GPA.</p>
<p>2.) Perhaps if she lived with me, but she’s not my child and with all due respect, I don’t have faith in her parents to turn her around on their own. I honestly think a big change like a new school could (no guarantee) spark changes. I just see more of the same at the public and her possibly in a lot of academic trouble in 12-18 months.</p>
<p>I don’t think a possible GPA dip would be that bad in future college apps if it corresponds with moving to a more demanding school AND taking a more rigorous curriculum. GPA scales vary widely across the country and admissions officers are aware of gpa inflation.
I think moving to a different school might make a big difference in her motivation. Make sure though that she is excited about the prospect; in fact, if it’s possible, you might want to approach it as if it’s just a possibility and let her convince you that she should go there.</p>
<p>Perhaps you can discuss with her how willing she is to put in the extra effort to keep the GPA up. Perhaps also speak to some current parents at the Catholic School to get a better handle on the rigor of the curriculum.</p>