Class Rank at Public vs. Private

Applying to College
1

<p>For someone who attends a public school, that offers classes not such much of an intellectual rigor and work, has a higher GPA and class rank. However, a private school who has a pretty good reputation, offers challenging classes and A LOT of work, and the person has a worse GPA and class rank. but not too bad. </p>

<p>i mean, most private schools (okay-good) have a much more demanding curriculum than a public school, even a pretty decent public. let's also say the private school student has the same SAT scores and great extracurrics.</p>

<p>would the colleges take this into consideration? ex. a person in the top 10% of public=a person in the top 15-20% of a private.</p>

2

<p>Based on your writing, I’m assuming you attend the inferior public school which you disparage.</p>

<p>Yes, the lower ranked student at a rigorous private school will have an admissions advantage.</p>

3

<p>hahah no, actually i attend the private school. but thanks for the feedback</p>

4

<p>Bump please! I would really like to know, thanks!</p>

5

<p>You are assuming that it is easier to rise to the top at a public school when many times this isn’t true. Public schools generally have a larger student body and hence the competion near the top is fierce. The advantage of private schools is the quality of education that you get. This is why the SATs/ACTs are so important as they are a tool that helps put the GPAs in perspective. I would say that really who has more opportunities depends on the specific school as there are many public schools that are similar in quality to some of the best privates.</p>

6

<p>It’s based on the rigor of your school. Adcoms will base their judgment of your school from counselor’s reports and data from past students. </p>

<p>Anyways, if they deem your school rigorous, of course your lower rank and GPA will be competitive with higher rank/GPA from a school deemed not-rigorous. But, public vs private is not a part of the equation. Every school is different… there aren’t just two giant categories of private and public. Some publics are more prestigious academically than privates, some privates are more prestigious than publics. </p>

<p>Paying for school doesn’t automatically make the students better than publics. In fact, research shows public schools and privates to be practically equal, and that’s with public statistics being weighed down by many really awful schools (therefore there are many publics that are significantly better than privates).</p>