<p>What would be better for taking regular and few honors at a highly selective boarding school OR taking honors and AP courses at a good public school (with higher GPA) ?</p>
<p>Better for what? </p>
<p>If you mean better for college admissions, I would say that the best thing for college admissions is to go to a school where you will land among the percentage of top students that have top options. </p>
<p>So… if you want to go to a prestigious prep and you are aiming for a good lac, you may find that 1/3 of their class goes to ivy-level schools (ivies, MIT, Stanford, etc) and another 1/3 end up at top lacs and the bottom third end up at good unis, smaller lacs, good publics, etc. So if your goal is to go to a lac, you may be better off taking easier courses at the prep school as long as you still end up in the top half because that school may have a relationship with the lac and because that’s where those kids end up. If your goal is to go to an ivy or top u, and the top 10% of your public ends up at those places, you may decide that you will have an easier time making it into the top 10% of your public school than the top 1/3 of the selective boarding. </p>
<p>But really, there’s so much more about picking a high school than this. Picking a high school should be about becoming the person you want to be. It should be a place where your talents are nurtured, where you can explore interesting areas, where you will be exposed to wonderful ideas and friends-- and that could be either place. It’s a decision that’s much more than just a step along the way.</p>
<p>Thanks for your thoughts. I think you’re right. If top 20% in a selective boarding school go to Ivies, I might have to be in top 10% because of legacy, development case and athlete.
And being in top 10% will not be easy for me. Otherwise I will be end up going to a lac. Also even though it’s a selective boarding school, colleges still looking for the courses I take. I mean how many honors and AP courses.</p>
<p>There is a common misconception regarding the top private academic college prep schools regarding (1) that they have ‘easy’ courses and (for those who are so inclined) ‘hard’ courses, (2) that they have special relationships with selective colleges and that it is because of those relationships that students get in.</p>
<p>In practice there are no easy courses in the top prep schools. Students (who get accepted and survive the freshman year) work extremely hard. They are constantly challenged by their teachers, by their peers, and by themselves. Classes are small, and devoid of non-academic distractions. By second semester sophomore year most of the courses (whether they are so named or not) are honors/AP. And in some subjects (certainly by senior year) several courses are college level.</p>
<p>The relationships that private prep schools develop with selective colleges is earned. They have a history of sending students who become very successful in the selective college. And they have proven high standards. It’s a matter of success breeding success. Some public schools also develop strong relationships with selective colleges – and for the same reasons.</p>
<p>There is no easy answer to your question. Private college prep schools are not for everyone, and some very smart students do not thrive in the setting they provide. But if you’re someone who would thrive in that setting, and if you can afford to attend, and if you get accepted – your chances for a top college would most likely increase compared to a local public.</p>
<p>A highly regarded boarding school is excellent prep for top colleges. You don’t have to be in top 10% to get to great schools, I don’t think my daughter was, but theses schools often don’t rank, hers didn’t. Colleges do look for students who persue rigorous schedules. This is in context with what is offered at your school. They also look for deep and meaningful EC’s. At boarding school you will form close relationships with teachers, mentors and advisors which will give you great opportunities for EC’s and likely great LOR’s. But you will learn independence and study skills that will help you be uber successful in college.</p>
<p>Good public is also nice. AP’s are nice (although there is an anti-AP streak out there, currently it is one of the top ways to show rigour, along with IB program.)</p>
<p>You can’t really look at it like an either/or situation and you can’t predict your sucess ahead. All you can do is look for a great fit, great opportunity, and I think the way to go is to do the most challenging program that you can handle. </p>
<p>The colleges will usually know the schools and the relative difficulty and asses that.</p>
<p>^^Looking back with regard to our older children and our group of friends…some sent their kids away to school and some kept their kids in our area good publics. College applications included many of the same colleges and unis including the sacred Ivies. Some parents were legacy some were not. In general the acceptances fell pretty consistantly. There did not seem to be a over whelming “tip” to the prep school kids with the selective college applications. I think if you have strong publics then the reasons for going away to school may not necessarily be a tip into college acceptances and should be based on other reasons. If you have poor publics then it could be beneficial to go away to a stronger school.</p>
<p>If you are interested in academic scholarships for college at all, keep in mind that many scholarships have strict cutoffs for GPAs and class rank.</p>
<p>prep school</p>
<p>Thanks all. Then do the colleges give more consideration on students from top boarding school although he/she took less rigorous courses (regular class) than the one from
a good public school who took many honors and AP’s? Is it more beneficial to attend a top boarding school regardless the courses that I take?</p>
<p>As is the case for applicants from all schools, colleges receive the “school profile” that explains the rigor of the curriculum, required courses, and grade distributions. If you visit the college counseling portions of various prep school websites, I am sure that you will find that the curriculum is very rigorous. Depending on the school, it is unlikely that you will be able to receive top grades (and the definition of “top grades” will surely be different in a challenging prep school!!) by just floating. The reality is, much more will be expected of you, and while college admissions officers will be aware of this, you too should know that attending a prep school is not an easy route into a top college. </p>
<p>On the other hand, in thinking about the one “prep school” with which I am very, very familiar, I cannot laud the benefits of such an atmosphere enough. These schools provide the opportunities to develop powerful, deep, and lasting relationships with faculty members–both intellectually and emotionnally. While ideally, all teachers care deeply about their students, the relationships built between students and faculty at top prep schools are truly unsurpassed anywhere. Speaking from experience, it is not uncommon to go over to a teacher’s home for a review session beginning at 9:00 p.m., or turn to a teacher on a bad day for some support, or keep up with faculty advisors and teachers long after graduation. To me, this is the real strength of prep schools. Sure, the academic experience is supurb (on par with many top colleges, to tell the truth), but the dedication of the faculty members, from my perspective, has been more important towards the growth of the students than the fact that many of these faculty members were college professors at one point–until they decided to come to a school where they could get to know their students inside and outside the classroom!!</p>
<p>Once you set the curriculum/rigor/strength of your public/charter/day school vs. “away” school the decision is highly individual. People that send their kids away generally love, love the boarding school and people that keep their kids in public/charter/day school generally love, love, their school. It’s just that way and the decision is individualized especially if the cost of the boarding school is not a factor. I have friends who have sent one child but not another child and I certainly never asked why but I’m sure they had reasons that clearly did not have to do with the quality of the education available to them.</p>
<p>Here’s our experience, whatever its worth.</p>
<p>Our son spent 9th grade at a large, competitive suburban high school, 10th grade at a competitive magnet program within a large urban high school, and 11th and 12th grades at a public, residential, math-and-science boarding school.</p>
<p>His grades were significantly lower at the boarding school, but he learned significantly more. He made more friends, seemed happier, and became very independent. He was not admitted to the very top colleges he applied to, but is attending a state flagship university with a near-full ride. His transition to college has, thus far, been utterly smooth, both because he is accustomed to working at a high level academically and because he has learned to live away from home already.</p>
<p>My take is this: If you want your kid to have the highest stats, stick with a regular public school. If you want your kid to learn and grow as much as possible without regard to stats, pick a boarding school. Both are legitimate options depending on what your goals and values are.</p>
<p>“Then do the colleges give more consideration on students from top boarding school although he/she took less rigorous courses (regular class) than the one from
a good public school who took many honors and AP’s? Is it more beneficial to attend a top boarding school regardless the courses that I take?”</p>
<p>Again, I think your questions are a bit off. What do you mean “regular classes” at a prestigious prep? A lot of them don’t even list courses as honors and regular English often means the kids take the AP exam at the end-- but it’s not called AP English. In other words, the courses aren’t easier than in public school. The only issue is whether you can do the work successfully. </p>
<p>I’ve had kids at a top public, a top private and a boarding school. There are advantages to both. </p>
<p>For <em>my</em> kids, I would say the ones who attended private schools had the better preparation for college. I would also say that my kids who attended a top public school probably did better in college admissions. YMMV</p>
<p>Maybe it depends on the school but there are regular, honors and AP courses at the boarding school. Maybe it’s true that depends on the school the top 10, 20, 30% will go to Ivies and others will go to lac. But many will be legacy, development & athlete, too.
Then boarding school is more for experience and better preparation for college in terms of time management, social and study skills not necessarily for getting into the top colleges.</p>
<p>longtermplan, If your student is at the top of the class of a top boarding school, he will probably do very well in terms of college admissions. It depends on the student. </p>
<p>You also have to look at the opportunities each school offers the students. For example, one school may have better music/ theater offerings, sports teams, science research opportunities. You have to look into the areas that interest the student.</p>
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<p>In my opinion, the decision to attend a boarding school should be about the experience there itself and if you want that experience for its own sake and not related to odds in college admissions. </p>
<p>I do not think your odds are necessarily better at top college admissions if you attend a boarding school compared to the local public. I truly believe it is the student who gets admitted and not the school from where he/she came. </p>
<p>I have nothing against private prep schools and think if it is a really nice environment for a kid, that is reason enough to attend. I would not pick the high school based on college admissions odds. </p>
<p>And I don’t think if you have a “poor public” that you need to go away to a stronger school. </p>
<p>Where we live, there are no school choices but the public schools. Some do send their kids away to boarding schools out of state. We would never send our kids to boarding school because we wanted them to grow up at home (not against those who do send their kids away though) and in any case, could never have afforded it. So, it is not like we “picked” our kids’ high school. Our public school is the only game in town. Many on CC would probably refer to our public school as “poor public” I bet. Our kids got a good education. Our kids fared extremely well in college admissions getting into highly selective colleges and competitive programs. Our kids did as good as or better than local kids who went away to boarding school when it came to college admissions. Some may then argue if they were well prepared. They certainly were. To make a point, both excelled in college with excellent grades. One won a top scholarship to her school (the other attended an Ivy where there are no merit scholarships) and the one at the Ivy won the top award at college graduation from her department, got accepted to top grad schools, and also was a TA in two courses at her undergrad Ivy. The other kid achieved highly at her college in various capacities, won additional scholarships while there and upon graduation the college nominated her for a national scholarship award and she was the winner. She was hired by faculty during her college years in a professional capacity and since graduating. She has been out of college over a year, is 21, and was just hired in a faculty type position at her alma mater working with undergraduates in her field. I only mention these things because kids who attend public schools, even “poor ones” by CC standards 
can go onto top colleges and can be well prepared and excel there once they arrive. </p>
<p>If you want to attend boarding school for the experience it provides, do so. If you want to attend boarding school to get an edge in college admissions, it is not necessary. If you are an excellent candidate for competitive colleges, you will be excellent no matter where you went to high school.</p>
<p>If he/she at top boarding school :
- gets just average grades
- lost confidence because he/she used to be the top in middle school
- no hook (music/art/sports)
- not much chance to take rigorous courses</p>
<p>Then attending a good public school might be better to gain confidence and college
admissions.</p>
<p>i agree with what soozie said</p>
<p>How much Ivies/selective colleges weight 9th grade GPA?
If there’s big improvement over time, is it still possible to apply Ivies?</p>
<p>Do Ivies look at the top boarding school GPA differently?</p>
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<p>Generally speaking, most colleges do look at your grades from all the years of high school. The academic performance in tenth and eleventh grade are more important overall than in ninth grade. And an “upward trend” in grades from ninth to eleventh is surely looked upon positively. That said, when you are applying to elite and highly selective colleges, there will be students who performed very well ALL years of high school which looks better than someone who performed well in 11th grade but not so well in 9th. It isn’t like the person who improved doesn’t have a chance but the person who excelled all four years has a better chance and when you are considering colleges that are accepting around 9% of applicants, you need as many positive points on your file as possible. </p>
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<p>Colleges examine a student’s academic record in context of their own high school. So, if one school offers a lot of APs, a student would be expected to take a bunch of those and if a school doesn’t offer those, a student is not going to have that as a mark against him/her. They will look for students who challenged themselves with the most demanding curriculum offered. As far as GPA or class rank/percentile, a top college may be willing to go “deeper” into a senior class from an elite boarding school where there are many high achievers than say at a rural public school where there are fewer students of that type. Thus, an elite college may take a student who is in the second decile of his graduating class (not the top GPA) at an elite boarding school, whereas the highly selective college may only be willing to take a student from the top 3% with a perfect GPA (or close to it) from an unknown public school that doesn’t have a great reputation. This is all a generality but gives you a some idea.</p>
<p>Frankly your questions still imply that you are trying to pick a high school to attend based on a strategy as to which would get you into the best college. Again, it doesn’t matter where you go to high school if you are an excellent candidate. Be an excellent candidate and that will be what it takes. There is no gaming of the odds by picking a high school to attend. Pick a high school (if lucky enough to even have a choice) based on which high school would give you the best experience. Some of us had no choice of high school and fared real well with elite college admissions.</p>