Sad to see DD prep high school didn't make the Forbes top 20 prep school!

<p>OP said: “Certainly, I’ll second that it is not possible for everyone to understand principals of logic So it’s not worth my time.” </p>

<p>The point was that you are twisting logic to fit your preconceived idea of what is true. Many people do that, but it’s just intellectually flaccid and - worse - boring - to misuse logic to serve your preconceptions. </p>

<p>It’s your misuse of cause/effect that’s the worst - there are plenty of ASSOCIATIONS between factors. For example, I recall a study that said that the best way to predict higher incomes was to count the number of vacuum cleaners in a household. Number of vacuums - for whatever reasdon - was a better predictor of higher income than education, particular college attended, types of vehicles, etc.</p>

<p>But that doesn’t mean that having vacuum CAUSES higher income; it’s just a good predictor.</p>

<p>And that 's the same with some studies I’ve seen about private prep schools: they are ASSOCIATED with higher matriculation into HYPed colleges. Relation does not equal causation. Truly establishing causation is difficult to do . . . and it’s your casual claiming of it that is intellectually dishonest. </p>

<p>On the other hand, if I spent $30k or so per year on school I’d want to believe that it was “worth” it, too, so I’m not surprised that folks who desperately need the HYPed branded schools are adamant in pretending that such causation exists.</p>

<p>P.S. And I say this as parent who unexpectedly went from 2 kids in public schools to 2 kids in private schools . . not becasue I thouht that going to those schools would CAUSE my kids to get inbo HYPed colleges but because I made 2 different decisions abotu what was best for my kids. I don’t regret it for a second . … </p>

<p>and we thought that paying 2 HS tuition bills at once as good practice for college :-)</p>

<p><<number of=“” vacuums=“” -=“” for=“” whatever=“” reasdon=“” was=“” a=“” better=“” predictor=“” higher=“” income=“” than=“” education,=“” particular=“” college=“” attended,=“” types=“” vehicles,=“” etc.=“”>></number></p>

<p>Cool! We have 4! What does that mean??? ;)</p>

<p>Oh wait…if you include the Shop-Vac - that’s 5!!!</p>

<p>hahahahaha</p>

<p>it means that you are rich rich RICH!!!</p>

<p>or that your life sucks :-)</p>

<p>Kei-o-lei - I’ll take answer #1!!!</p>

<p>Uh-oh, we only own one vacuum! My poor kids!</p>

<p>However, it does relate by association with my income level. :D</p>

<p>With that name vacuums, thats a lot of sucking :)</p>

<p>We have 2 hand vacs (one I think actually holds a charge) and 2 vacuum cleaners. I think its possible I might still have the old Hoover cannister vac I used in college. I may have given it away, but I recall seeing it a year or so ago. That would make 5 for me too!</p>

<p>Kei-o-lei:#361
I’m sure you at least understand whether or not a “prep HS education” is a relevant contributor cause to the effect (matriculating to top colleges).
If you think analogy is to the study of “vaccums” as a cause to the effect “being rich” then all bets are off.
Maybe that is the reason college board has changed SAT1 reading section to remove analogies. They seem to believe that these are too hard for everyone to understand.</p>

<p>Still here is simple input that shows “prep HS education” is a contributory cause.
Pricenton Class of 2014 consists of
Independent day schools (like DD’s HS): 21.1% - Total Student population: 0.5%
Independent boarding schools (like Philips Exter): 9.7% - Total Student population: 0.4%
Religiously Affiliated (Parochial): 10.2% - Total Student population: 9%
Public Schools: 58.5% - Total Student population: 88%</p>

<p>If fewer than 1% schools send > 30% of the matriculants at top schools and you indicate it’s a coincident then all bets are off.</p>

<p>[University-preparatory</a> school - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_preparatory]University-preparatory”>College-preparatory school - Wikipedia)

</p>

<p>correcting typo above-- meant to say with that *many vacuums…</p>

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<p>Nobody said or implied that attending private prep school is coincidental with elite college admissions. It has been explained many ways, but again, the private prep school already has a selected group of highly qualified students in the student body from the day they walk in the door of the prep school. I would expect such secondary schools to have a higher percentage get into elite colleges than a public school with a smaller percentage or highly qualified type students. It is not a coincidence. But you can’t say that the prep school experience is what qualified them or caused them to get into top colleges.</p>

<p>I bet if your very qualified D had gone to her public school, she still would have gotten into top colleges.</p>

<p>POIH, I can’t figure out why you can’t figure out if Independent day schools skim off the wealthiest and the kids with the best educated parents (many of whom attended Ivy League colleges so their kids are legacies), and the kids with the highest IQs of the population that of course they are over-represented at college. The question is whether (or to what extent) there is value added in terms of admissions. I think there is some, but much less than you think. I’m pretty sure both my oldest and youngest sons would have had similar admissions results wherever they’d gone to school. My nephew (very similar in interests and abilities) who attended a highly regarded prep school in DC had almost identical admissions results as my son. (He didn’t get into Harvard, but he wasn’t a legacy either.) In fact, my sil felt her son might well have had better results attending a public school where he would have had a better chance to shine.</p>

<p>Re post #167:</p>

<p>No, that’s not a “cause”, that’s just a correlation. </p>

<p>Kei-o-lei, thank you for your post and your attempt to explain the difference; unfortunately I think that POIH is simply unable to make the distinction. You wrote, * if I spent $30k or so per year on school I’d want to believe that it was “worth” it, too,* – that’s called confirmation bias and it’s hard for some people to shake it. If a person is convinced that the sun rotates around the earth and watches the sun rise in the east each day and set in the west, they may be incapable of viewing the evidence from any other perspective.</p>

<p>I feel confident that my kids’ college admissions results would have been the same had they attended a private prep school, compared to their results coming out of their no name public. They (along with their qualifications) stood up in comparison to very qualified candidates at the prep schools.</p>

<p>

POIH, what’s your source for this data?</p>

<p>Jews comprise roughly 2% of the US population but 30% of the Harvard student body. According to POIH’s reasoning, the best way that a parent could help their kid get into Harvard would be to convert to Judaism. Day school, shmay school – get the kid a Bat Mitzvah and you’re in.</p>

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<p>Four year of high school is a correlation which is the required minimum criteria for admissions to colleges. (LOL)</p>

<p>Dang, wrong religion, wrong boarding school…Is my son doomed to failure?</p>

<p>^^^^^^^^^^^^^</p>

<p>quick . . . convert now and “cause” your kid to get into Princeton :-)</p>

<p>POIH or maybe someone else (since no one questioned POIH"s stats), where did you get the stats on total population rates of private day and boarding school students?</p>

<p>Too late Kei-o-lei his fate is sealed at an inferior institution! Poor kid, thank god for those Country Club connections, or am I in the wrong era?</p>

<p>Benley said: “POIH or maybe someone else (since no one questioned POIH"s stats) . . .”</p>

<p>Question POIH away if you must . . it won’t matter . . . stats and facts don’t matter a whit to POIH . . . the OP has an attitude that needs confirmation, so the OP writes things down here so that she can look them up later and say “look, these posts on CC prove that going to an elite Boarding School causes increased acceptances into HYPed schools.”</p>

<p>And she got them stats from wikipedia :-)</p>