The advantages of a Private High School in Selective College Admissions

Parents Forum
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<p>This also corresponds to our experience, and to conversations with families from both public & private environments.</p>

<p>The best, most “prestigious” h.s., does not substitute for individual family effort. We did virtually all of the research, planning, strategy, legwork ourselves. But I would say a striking difference (indicating status, at least after-the-fact) was that after matriculation, one of the Ivy Deans of Admission who had accepted my D came to visit the counselor at our private h.s., and during that visit discussed this D in detail with the college counselor, and agreed that her alternate choice (different Ivy) was the right one for her, and why. I have not heard of that happening in publics, but that could just be a reflection of experience, not fact. It was also an indication to me of perhaps the kind of effort put into describing my D to colleges, on the part of the private h.s. There’s no way to tell from my vantage point how that compares with descriptions of students on the part of public h.s. counselors, but I just put that out there as a possibility.</p>

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<p>The moneyed elite already have the security to send their kids wherever they want to, be it a top school or not, and know that the kid will do fine regardless. They don’t need the brand name.</p>

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<p>The idea here is right, but for my community the numbers are way off. In my son’s class, the #7 ranked student was accepted at Harvard (EA) and Stanford, the only colleges to which he applied, the #8 student is at Brown, and the #5 student is at Yale (and was in fact accepted at every school to which she applied). There were 20 kids accepted at Penn, so that went considerably deeper than the top 3, too. His sister’s class was similar – practically every Ivy accepted students outside the top 3. And the other, REALLY elite public magnet school in this city has an admission pattern like a top private – the top 30-40 kids are competitive for ultraselective colleges.</p>

144

<p>“One thing I have noticed, however, is that the top private schools do not have large numbers of kids going to the state school. A state like VA would be an exception because of how outstanding that flagship state school is. In our private school, there are years where NO kids go into the state system. That is not the case for top magnet schools which do send a number of kids to the state schools every year.”</p>

<p>This might be a regional thing, but if you think there is no hand-holding in public high schools, there is really no hand holding at the state Universities here in California. A child who was guided through rigorous courses, having their counselors help with course selection and college choices, would likely be flummoxed by the sink or swim attitude of UC Berkeley or UCLA. I’m fairly sure the private school counselors know which students would be able to chart these kind of waters on their own, making those schools a good fit. But I’m also betting there is a large number of private school students who do well because it’s a private school, and require the hand holding of private university to be successful. By definition, those students who do well in a magnet school not only are bright, but know how to play the bureaucracy. A good public may well be an excellent fit.</p>

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<p>WOW, just wow. That is a pretty blatant and IMO incorrect generalization. Please tell me you don’t seriously consider small class sizes to hand holding? Please tell me you don’t seriously consider college counselors who only have to work with 30 to 40 students and do a great job at what they are supposed to do hand holding? What about the rigor of the course? Expectations? Grading? i could go on but you are way off base here.</p>

<p>I know we have first year college students come back to our independent school every year and without fail, they note how well prepared they are compared to others, how the work ethic they learned allowed them to make the transition more easily than most others at their college and most say their first year of college is actually eaiser than their last year of high school was</p>

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<p>ParentofIvyHope - this very much meshes with the stats we have seen at our private school and the top publics around us - and actually ties in very well with the specific data I presented earlier in this thread.</p>

<p>Just want to make sure people read that word “competitive”. Obviously every area is different but I would say of the 50+ public districts in my area, only half a dozen or so would fall into this category. The others it would be a crapshoot even if you were in the top 5</p>

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<p>UCDalum: Do you have statistics to show that private school students perform less well at public universities than students from public magnet schools? If so, I’d like to see them.</p>

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<p>As many parents on this thread have pointed out, kids often receive superior attention by the staff at their private school. It’s important to receive quality attention during these very important years, so this is not a negative.</p>

<p>I have kids in both tiny and huge schools, so I see a range of types of education and guidance departments. Mentioning that public kids often do not having any hand-holding through the process was simply repeating what had been said by an admissions person. (and I’m sure there are as many different opinions from admissions people as there are from different parents.) In some ways, there might be some similar things said about colleges, comparing small LACs with large universities. Some kids will get lost in a huge, impersonal environment - others will thrive.</p>

<p>It just seems that many people in this thread are making negative judgments about public schools, as though they are inferior, and the kids go to college less prepared. Not always true. (maybe in some regions, but mine has many rigorous tippy-top publics as well as privates, and we value our public education system.) </p>

<p>Many top publics produce amazingly well-educated kids that have navigated the public system. If they don’t have the funds for private school or choose not to go private, how great that they have still been able to get their education work to their advantage! I was just sending kudos to those kids who are top achievers under those circumstances.</p>

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<p>This thread simply illustrates that there are huge regional variations in the quality of public schools. Some people seem unable or unwilling to accept that there can be such a thing as a great public school and that such a school could actually provide education that is superior to what many or most private schools provide. Or that a really good public school could have college acceptance results that are equal to or in some cases much better than really good private schools.</p>

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<p>“UCDalum: Do you have statistics to show that private school students perform less well at public universities than students from public magnet schools? If so, I’d like to see them.”</p>

<p>I don’t. I’m not even suggesting they perform less well, if less well is defined by grades. I am suggesting their are many private high schools students that are sent to private schools to sure they will take rigorous classes and be shown opportunities that those in public schools, both high school and university levels, have to search out. I do have a ton of anecdotal evidence that private school students are not as well prepared for the overwhelming bureaucracy that permeates universities that are straining with their budgets. I strongly suspect private school counselors are well aware of which of their students are willing and able to hack that. And I also suspect more of their students fall into the “not willing” versus the “not able”. </p>

<p>If you can easily afford the extra $25K a year, why deal with the professors that take a full quarter to fix an error they made in posting your grade. Or the health center that doesn’t make appointments in advance, if you aren’t feeling well you need to show up at 8 am and sit amongst the other sick kids until they can see you. Or wheedling your way into full classes because you are just not high enough on the priority scale to sign up for classes before the ones you want are full.</p>

<p>Just as in public high schools, you can get a great education at a public university, but it takes more effort, not school work effort, but effort none the less.</p>

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<p>I forgot where I read it
either
Privledge (Douthat)
or
The Gatekeepers
or The Admissions Mystique</p>

<p>but the prep schools with an overwhelming foot in the door into the top schools are like less than 20 nationally and they have overwhelming admissions into the ivies…very much a feeder school kind of relationship.</p>

<p>If I track down the source–will post…I recall the author citing the source…</p>

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<p>Privledge
pg 49-52</p>

<p>cites Worth Septmeber 202</p>

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<p>100 High Schools to Improve Your Children’s chances of getting into an Ivy League University
There is no such thing as random chance. Worth Magazine profiled in their September 2002 issue that the skills acquired from these 100 high schools greatly improved an applicant’s chances of acceptance at a top univerisity. While the list is somewhat outdated, the theme has not changed. 94 of the schools were private, only 6 were public. (M) stands for male students only, (F) stands for female students only. </p>

<p>1) Roxbury Latin School, West Roxbury, MA, (M), [Roxbury</a> Latin](<a href=“http://www.roxburylatin.org/]Roxbury”>http://www.roxburylatin.org/)
2) Brearley School, New York City, NY, (F), [The</a> Brearley School](<a href=“http://www.brearley.org%5DThe”>http://www.brearley.org)
3) Collegiate Schoo,l New York City, NY, (M), [Browser</a> Not Supported](<a href=“http://www.collegiateschool.org%5DBrowser”>http://www.collegiateschool.org)
4) Groton School, Groton, MA, [Groton</a> School](<a href=“http://www.groton.org%5DGroton”>http://www.groton.org)
5) Dalton School, New York City, NY, [Please</a> wait…](<a href=“http://www.dalton.org%5DPlease”>http://www.dalton.org)
6) Spence School, New York City, NY, (F), [The</a> Spence School](<a href=“http://www.spenceschool.org%5DThe”>http://www.spenceschool.org)
7) Horace Mann School, Bronx, NY, [Welcome</a> to The Horace Mann School](<a href=“http://www.horacemann.org%5DWelcome”>http://www.horacemann.org)
Winsor School, Boston, MA, (F), [The</a> Winsor School](<a href=“http://www.winsor.edu%5DThe”>http://www.winsor.edu)
9) Milton Academy, Milton, MA, [Milton</a> Academy : Homepage](<a href=“http://www.milton.edu%5DMilton”>http://www.milton.edu)
10) Phillips Academy, Andover, MA, [Phillips</a> Academy - An Independent Boarding High School](<a href=“http://www.andover.edu%5DPhillips”>http://www.andover.edu)
11) Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH, [Phillips</a> Exeter Academy | Home](<a href=“http://www.exeter.edu%5DPhillips”>http://www.exeter.edu)
12) Trinity School, New York City, NY, [Trinity</a> School, a coeducational day school in Manhattan, NYC](<a href=“http://www.trinityschoolnyc.org%5DTrinity”>http://www.trinityschoolnyc.org)
13) St. Albans School, Washington, DC, [Untitled</a> Document](<a href=“http://www.sta.cathedral.org%5DUntitled”>http://www.sta.cathedral.org)
14) Chapin School, New York City, NY, (F), [The</a> Chapin School](<a href=“http://www.chapin.edu%5DThe”>http://www.chapin.edu)
15) St. Paul School, Concord, NH, [Please</a> wait…](<a href=“http://www.sps.edu%5DPlease”>http://www.sps.edu)
16) Saint Ann School, Brooklyn, NY, [Saint</a> Ann’s School Home Page](<a href=“http://www.saintanns.k12.ny.us/]Saint”>http://www.saintanns.k12.ny.us/)
17) National Cathedral School, Washington, DC, (F), [Browser</a> Not Supported](<a href=“http://www.ncs.cathedral.org%5DBrowser”>http://www.ncs.cathedral.org)
1 Polytechnic School, Pasadena, CA, [Browser</a> Not Supported](<a href=“http://www.polytechnic.org%5DBrowser”>http://www.polytechnic.org)
19) Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, CT, [The</a> Hotchkiss School](<a href=“http://www.hotchkiss.org%5DThe”>http://www.hotchkiss.org)
20) Brunswick School, Greenwich, CT, (M), [Brunswick</a> School, Greenwich CT](<a href=“http://www.brunswickschool.org%5DBrunswick”>http://www.brunswickschool.org)
21) Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, MA, [Deerfield</a> Academy :: an independent, coeducational boarding high school](<a href=“http://www.deerfield.edu%5DDeerfield”>http://www.deerfield.edu)
22) Potomac School, McLean, VA, [Potomac</a> School: Home](<a href=“http://www.potomacschool.org%5DPotomac”>http://www.potomacschool.org)
23) Belmont Hill School, Belmont, MA, (M) [Browser</a> Not Supported](<a href=“http://www.belmont-hill.org%5DBrowser”>http://www.belmont-hill.org)
24) Baldwin School, Bryn Mawr, PA, (F), [Baldwin</a> School -> Home](<a href=“http://www.baldwinschool.org%5DBaldwin”>http://www.baldwinschool.org)
25) Maimonides School, Brookline, MA, [Maimonides</a> School: Jewish Day School for Grades K-12 serving Newton and Brookline, Massachusetts and the Greater Boston Area](<a href=“http://www.maimonides.org%5DMaimonides”>http://www.maimonides.org)
26) Hunter College High School, New York City, NY, [Welcome</a> to Hunter College High School<a href=“Public”>/url</a>
27) Gilman School, Baltimore, MD, (M), [url=<a href=“http://www.gilman.edu%5DGilman”>http://www.gilman.edu]Gilman</a> School - Home - Home](<a href=“http://www.hchs.hunter.cuny.edu/]Welcome”>http://www.hchs.hunter.cuny.edu/)
2 Sidwell Friends School, Washington, DC, [Sidwell</a> Friends School: Home](<a href=“http://www.sidwell.edu%5DSidwell”>http://www.sidwell.edu)
29) Hopkins School, New Haven, CT, [Please</a> wait…](<a href=“http://www.hopkins.edu%5DPlease”>http://www.hopkins.edu)
30) Pingry School, Martinsville, NJ, [Pingry</a> School](<a href=“http://www.pingry.k12.nj.us%5DPingry”>http://www.pingry.k12.nj.us)
31) St. John School, Houston, TX, [Browser</a> Not Supported](<a href=“http://www.sjs.org%5DBrowser”>http://www.sjs.org)
32) Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, Cambridge, MA, [Buckingham</a> Browne & Nichols - Knightline](<a href=“http://www.bbn-school.org%5DBuckingham”>http://www.bbn-school.org)
33) Lakeside School, Seattle, WA, [Browser</a> Not Supported](<a href=“http://www.lakesideschool.org%5DBrowser”>http://www.lakesideschool.org)
34) Harvard-Westlake School, North Hollywood, CA, [Harvard-Westlake</a> School<a href=“Beware,%20I’ve%20heard%20some%20negative%20rumors%20in%202007%20that%20the%20quality%20is%20not%20up%20to%20what%20it%20was%20in%202002”>/url</a>.
35) San Francisco University High School, San Francisco, CA, [url=<a href=“http://www.sfuhs.org%5DSan”>http://www.sfuhs.org]San</a> Francisco University HS](<a href=“http://www.harvardwestlake.com/]Harvard-Westlake”>http://www.harvardwestlake.com/)
36) Episcopal Academy, Merion, PA, [OpenDNS[/url</a>]
37) Greenhill School, Addison, TX, [url=<a href=“http://www.greenhill.org%5DBrowser”>http://www.greenhill.org]Browser</a> Not Supported](<a href=“http://www.ea.pvt.k12.pa.us%5DOpenDNS%5B/url”>http://www.ea.pvt.k12.pa.us)
3 Haverford School, Haverford, PA, [Browser</a> Not Supported](<a href=“http://www.haverford.org%5DBrowser”>http://www.haverford.org)
39) Lawrenceville School, Lawrenceville, NJ, [The</a> Lawrenceville School - Home](<a href=“http://www.lawrenceville.org%5DThe”>http://www.lawrenceville.org)
40) Regis High School, New York City, NY, (M), [Regis</a> High School](<a href=“http://www.regis-nyc.org%5DRegis”>http://www.regis-nyc.org)
41) Ransom Everglades School, Miami, FL, [Ransom</a> Everglades School](<a href=“http://www.ransomeverglades.org%5DRansom”>http://www.ransomeverglades.org)
42) Holton-Arms School, Bethesda, MD, (F), [Holton-Arms[/url</a>]
43) Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC, [url=<a href=“http://www.gds.org%5DGeorgetown”>http://www.gds.org]Georgetown</a> Day School, a coeducational independent day school for grades PK-12 in Washington, DC.](<a href=“http://www.holton-arms.edu%5DHolton-Arms%5B/url”>http://www.holton-arms.edu)
44) Greenwich Academy, Greenwich, CT, (F), [Browser</a> Not Supported](<a href=“http://www.greenwichacademy.org%5DBrowser”>http://www.greenwichacademy.org)
45) St. Andrew School, Middletown, DE, [St</a>. Andrew’s School: Home](<a href=“http://www.standrews-de.org%5DSt”>http://www.standrews-de.org)
46) Fieldston School (Ethical Culture Fieldston School), Bronx, NY, [Ethical</a> Culture Fieldston School](<a href=“http://www.ecfs.org%5DEthical”>http://www.ecfs.org)
47) Germantown Friends School, Philadelphia, PA, [Mac</a> OS X Server](<a href=“http://www.gfsnet.org%5DMac”>http://www.gfsnet.org)
4 Delbarton School, Morristown, NJ, (M), [Delbarton</a> School](<a href=“http://www.delbarton.org%5DDelbarton”>http://www.delbarton.org)
49) Landon School, Bethesda, MD, (M), [Landon</a> School](<a href=“http://www.landon.net%5DLandon”>http://www.landon.net)
50) Professional Children School, New York City, NY, <a href=“http://www.pcs-nyc.org%5B/url%5D”>www.pcs-nyc.org</a>
51) Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CT, [Choate</a> Rosemary Hall: Home](<a href=“http://www.choate.edu%5DChoate”>http://www.choate.edu)
52) Tower Hill School, Wilmington, DE, [Browser</a> Not Supported](<a href=“http://www.towerhill.org%5DBrowser”>http://www.towerhill.org)
53) Crystal Springs Uplands School, Hillsborough, CA, [Please</a> wait…](<a href=“http://www.csus.com%5DPlease”>http://www.csus.com)
54) Hackley School, Tarrytown, NY, [Browser</a> Not Supported](<a href=“http://www.hackleyschool.org%5DBrowser”>http://www.hackleyschool.org)
55) Bryn Mawr School, Baltimore, MD, (F), [The</a> Bryn Mawr School](<a href=“http://www.brynmawrschool.org%5DThe”>http://www.brynmawrschool.org)
56) Hathaway Brown School, Shaker Heights, OH, (F) [Hathaway</a> Brown](<a href=“http://www.hb.edu%5DHathaway”>http://www.hb.edu)
57) College Preparatory School, Oakland, CA, [The</a> College Preparatory School: Home](<a href=“http://www.college-prep.org%5DThe”>http://www.college-prep.org)
5 Taft School, Watertown, CT, [The</a> Taft School](<a href=“http://www.taftschool.org%5DThe”>http://www.taftschool.org)
59) Princeton High School, Princeton, NJ, [Welcome</a> to Princeton Regional Schools<a href=“Public”>/url</a>
60) Greens Farms Academy, Greens Farms, CT, [url=<a href=“http://www.gfacademy.org%5DGreens”>http://www.gfacademy.org]Greens</a> Farms Academy :: a private K-12 school in Fairfield County, Connecticut](<a href=“http://www.prs.k12.nj.us/]Welcome”>http://www.prs.k12.nj.us/)
61) Maret School, Washington, DC, [Maret[/url</a>]
62) Head-Royce School, Oakland, CA, [url=<a href=“http://www.headroyce.org%5DHead-Royce%5B/url”>http://www.headroyce.org]Head-Royce[/url</a>]
63) John Burroughs School, St. Louis, MO, [url=<a href=“http://www.jburroughs.org%5DHome”>http://www.jburroughs.org]Home</a> — John Burroughs School](<a href=“http://www.maret.org%5DMaret%5B/url”>http://www.maret.org)
64) Menlo School, Atherton, CA, [Menlo</a> School](<a href=“http://www.menloschool.org%5DMenlo”>http://www.menloschool.org)
65) Agnes Irwin School, Rosemont, PA, (F), [Please</a> wait…](<a href=“http://www.agnesirwin.org%5DPlease”>http://www.agnesirwin.org)
66) Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, Princeton, NJ, <a href=“http://www.stuart.k12.nj.us%5B/url%5D”>www.stuart.k12.nj.us</a>
67) Westminster Schools, Atlanta, GA, [The</a> Westminster Schools](<a href=“http://www.westminster.net%5DThe”>http://www.westminster.net)
6 Pembroke Hill School, Kansas City, MO, [Pembroke</a> Hill](<a href=“http://www.pembrokehill.org%5DPembroke”>http://www.pembrokehill.org)
69) Marlborough School, Los Angeles, CA, (F), [Please</a> wait…<a href=“Might%20have%20a%20negative%20rating%20recently%20in%202007”>/url</a>
70) Bishop School, La Jolla, CA, [url=<a href=“http://www.bishops.com%5DThe”>http://www.bishops.com]The</a> Bishop’s School - 100 Years and Beyond](<a href=“http://www.marlboroughschool.org/]Please”>http://www.marlboroughschool.org/)
71) Thomas Jefferson H.S. for Science and Tech., Alexandria, VA, [TJHSST</a> Splash Page<a href=“Public”>/url</a>
72) Seven Hills School, Cincinnati, OH, [url=<a href=“http://www.7hills.org%5DPlease”>http://www.7hills.org]Please</a> wait…](<a href=“http://www.tjhsst.edu%5DTJHSST”>http://www.tjhsst.edu)
73) Noble and Greenough School, Dedham, MA, [Welcome</a> to the Noble and Greenough School](<a href=“http://www.nobles.edu%5DWelcome”>http://www.nobles.edu)
74) Community School of Naples, Naples, FL, <a href=“http://www.csn.naples.fl.us%5B/url%5D”>www.csn.naples.fl.us</a>
75) Castilleja School, Palo Alto, CA, (F), [Castilleja[/url</a>]
76) Nightingale-Bamford School, New York City, NY, (F), [url=<a href=“http://www.nightingale.org%5DBrowser”>http://www.nightingale.org]Browser</a> Not Supported](<a href=“http://www.castilleja.org%5DCastilleja%5B/url”>http://www.castilleja.org)
77) Convent of the Sacred Heart, New York City, NY, (F), [Convent</a> of the Sacred Heart](<a href=“http://www.cshnyc.org%5DConvent”>http://www.cshnyc.org)
7 Packer Collegiate Institute, Brooklyn, NY, [The</a> Packer Collegiate Institute](<a href=“http://www.packer.edu%5DThe”>http://www.packer.edu)
79) Chadwick School, Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA, [Chadwick</a> School’s Website has Moved!](<a href=“http://www.chadwick-k12.com%5DChadwick”>http://www.chadwick-k12.com)
80) William Penn Charter School, Philadelphia, PA, [William</a> Penn Charter School](<a href=“http://www.penncharter.com%5DWilliam”>http://www.penncharter.com)
81) Scarsdale High School, Scarsdale, NY, [Scarsdale</a> Public Schools<a href=“Public”>/url</a>
82) Princeton Day School, Princeton, NJ, [url=<a href=“http://www.pds.org%5DPrinceton”>http://www.pds.org]Princeton</a> Day School, a coeducational day school for Pre-kindergarten through Grade 12](<a href=“http://www.scarsdaleschools.k12.ny.us/]Scarsdale”>http://www.scarsdaleschools.k12.ny.us/)
83) Ramaz School, New York City, NY, [Ramaz</a> Home](<a href=“http://www.ramaz.org%5DRamaz”>http://www.ramaz.org)
84) Kent Place School, Summit, NJ, [Kent</a> Place School : We Believe in the Concept of Excellence Individually Defined](<a href=“http://www.kentplace.org%5DKent”>http://www.kentplace.org)
85) Peddie School, Hightstown, NJ, [Please</a> wait…](<a href=“http://www.peddie.org%5DPlease”>http://www.peddie.org)
86) Indian Springs School, Indian Springs, AL, [Please</a> wait…](<a href=“http://www.indiansprings.org%5DPlease”>http://www.indiansprings.org)
87) Bronxville High School, Bronxville, NY, [Bronxville</a> School Home Page<a href=“Public”>/url</a>
8 Canterbury School, Fort Myers, FL, <a href=“http://www.canterbury.pvt.k12.fl.us%5B/url%5D”>www.canterbury.pvt.k12.fl.us](<a href=“http://www.bronxville.k12.ny.us/]Bronxville”>http://www.bronxville.k12.ny.us/)</a>
89) Riverdale Country School, Bronx, NY, [Browser</a> Not Supported](<a href=“http://www.riverdale.edu%5DBrowser”>http://www.riverdale.edu)
90) Millburn High School, Millburn, NJ, [Millburn</a> Township Public Schools<a href=“Public”>/url</a>
91) University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, Chicago, IL, [url=<a href=“http://www.ucls.uchicago.edu%5DUniversity”>http://www.ucls.uchicago.edu]University</a> of Chicago Laboratory Schools: Home](<a href=“http://www.millburn.org/]Millburn”>http://www.millburn.org/)
92) Allendale Columbia School, Rochester, NY, [Allendale</a> Columbia](<a href=“http://www.allendalecolumbia.org/]Allendale”>http://www.allendalecolumbia.org/)
93) Altamont School, Birmingham, AL, [The</a> Altamont School](<a href=“http://www.altamontschool.org%5DThe”>http://www.altamontschool.org)
94) St. Andrew Episcopal School, Ridgeland, MS, [Welcome</a> to St. Andrew’s Episcopal School](<a href=“http://www.gosaints.org%5DWelcome”>http://www.gosaints.org)
95) Shady Side Academy, Pittsburgh, PA, [Shady</a> Side Academy](<a href=“http://www.shadysideacademy.org%5DShady”>http://www.shadysideacademy.org)
96) Hawken School, Gates Mills, OH, <a href=“http://www.hawken.edu%5B/url%5D”>www.hawken.edu</a>
97) University School, Hunting Valley, OH, (M), [Please</a> wait…](<a href=“http://www.us.edu%5DPlease”>http://www.us.edu)
9 Bancroft School, Worcester, MA, [Bancroft</a> School](<a href=“http://www.bancroftschool.org%5DBancroft”>http://www.bancroftschool.org)
99) Pine Crest School, Fort Lauderdale, FL, [Please</a> wait…](<a href=“http://www.pinecrest.edu%5DPlease”>http://www.pinecrest.edu)
100) St. Mark School of Texas, Dallas, TX, [Please</a> wait…](<a href=“http://www.smtexas.org%5DPlease”>http://www.smtexas.org)</p>

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<p>I expect that to some extent, top students from public and private schools are self-selecting in the types of colleges they apply to or later on consider attending, even when the rigor in the top tracks is comparable.</p>

<p>In my area, many top public school students are delighted to attend the honors colleges at Penn State, Pitt, and increasingly, Temple, often with hefty merit scholarships and other perks. Some do not even bother to apply to T20 schools and others pass on their acceptances once they see the perks than can come with admission to “lesser” private schools and state schools.</p>

<p>In contrast, similar students at local prep schools tend to completely bypass state schools, and parents who enroll their children in these prep schools expect that the schools will do whatever it takes to exploit every possible advantage to game the system and gain admittance to a top school. I have met parents of private school students who were appalled that I “let” my children with near perfect grades and SAT scores even apply to UPitt and Penn State, whereas other public school parents thought it was terrific for them to be offered the full tuition merit scholarship at Pitt and Schreyer admission at Penn State.</p>

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</p>

<p>First I’ve heard of it. I know many kids and families at both schools, both current and alums stretching back decades.</p>

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<p>Our DS will apply to both some private and state schools…because he is looking for the best program not the biggest name. Great fin aid would be a blessing too so depending on what merit aid he if offered, that too will add into the equation. Interestingly --most of the kids in his school (FL) apply to schools mostly in the southern region, few head to he NE or west. alot of apps to Duke, Vanderbuilt, Wake Forest, UF Honors and in this climate many families will turn to in-state schools instead of the privates </p>

<p>I thought it interesting that the author of privledge noted how few schools and states send the vast majority of kids to ivies… Even if your student isn’t interested in Harvard–the book is a fun read. </p>

<p>I found the list googling Worth and Sept 2002 so cut/pasted from the thread on another site. The list is old and far more extensive than what the author described–mostly because he was talking about econ privledge, blue vs red states, wealthy suburbs etc and how although HYP etc say they are diverse–in reality the overwhelming % of entering freshmen come from the same schools and same backgrounds year after year…so very much alike even if they are from different states.</p>

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<ol>
<li><p>Just to be clear, that Worth list was based on dividing the number of HYP freshmen by the number of graduating seniors at those schools over a four-year period (I think 1998-2001). So . . . interesting, but highly weighted to the Northeast Corridor, and favoring smaller schools.</p></li>
<li><p>The last kid I knew at Harvard-Westlake graduated in 2004, but she did pretty well – ran the table at HYPSM. She got counted as one of those presumed underqualified legacies at Harvard (where her mother was an alum), notwithstanding that she had no connection to any of the other schools that accepted her. I don’t think she was first in her class or generally considered extraordinarily special at H-W, either, though obviously a very strong student.</p></li>
</ol>

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<p>Not everyone at a prep school is wealthy they are about as diverse as any college.
so your public school kid is up against someone sometimes who have been granted financial aid for prep school but isn’t wee to do.</p>

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<p>way outdated.</p>

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<p>Have not read the thread.</p>

<p>Back in 2006 when son was filling out UG applications I was surprised to actually see the question on Princeton’s application: Did you attend any of these High Schools with a box to check if you did. There were 6 or 8 top private schools listed starting with Andover. I wonder if it is still like that?</p>