<p>Might it depend on the individual student? My 2 kids are very different people. My older one, currently in public high school, would have had to give up her nearly life long athletic pursuit, and a favorite unconventional EC which is generally not offered in private schools. She is very assertive and has no trouble participating even when class sizes are large. She has thrived in public high school. I believe she would have felt lost in boarding school, probably would not have been able to distinguish herself from boarding school classmates, and thus would not have done particularly well in landing admission into the type of colleges she desires. She is a junior in hs, so we’ll see how she does, but it looks to me that she is well poised to get in to an excellent LAC.</p>
<p>My younger one (8th grade), on the other hand loves team sports and obviously needs a greater academic challenge than even the honors and AP courses provide in our public school. She loves independent projects and would probably benefit tremendously from a mentoring relationship, something that would be easier to come upon in a private school. She is quieter and does not participate much when class size is large, but excels in small groups. I believe it is quite possible she would disengage and become an underachiever in our public high school, thus achieving poorer college placement. For me, it’s a no brainer: this one has private school written all over her.</p>
<p>How do you know she would be a bottom dweller? This is a mere speculation. Good students can and will do well at any school; whereas a not so good student will do badly even at a **. The point about this thread is: “of all the top students recruited, 70% of them go to the lower tier schools.” Being the top students at their public high school, these 70% of the students are likely to get into better colleges from their home PS. No one here is debating one or two people like your D getting into good schools, what about the rest of the 70%? There could be any number of circumstances in your case, such as URM etc., which wont apply to other applicants. Any ways, its sad to think that getting into a LAC is a success. Have you not heard about HYPMS?</p>
<p>Yes - it turns out you are correct that students can make 10 alternate copies, albeit your manner of making the correction is a bit backhanded. But - okay, whatever floats your boat.</p>
<p>The recommendation issue has never been in question as it’s always been clear the common app is not “one size” fits all on that end or the individual supplements.</p>
<p>But I’ll mea culpa on the “version” question.</p>
<p>■■■■■ though he/she may be, JoshuaM has given me a well-deserved smack upside the head. This site is, indeed, a public forum and, in that context, some of my comments were insensitive. Of course many non-** students thrive at elite colleges. In our case, however, the step from our local schools to an elite college would have been harsh. I speak only for our situation. There are as many fitting educational paths as there are kids. The point I was really trying to make is that contrary to what some people have posted, under the right circumstances ** doesn’t put one at a competitive disadvantage. </p>
<p>@wcmom, so happy to hear your wonderful news!! It’s great to see another familiar name checking in. Is it difficult to decide on an ED school? The student is only allowed one, and then they must accept, right?</p>
<p>Thanks @2kids. There are lots of variations for ED and EA. In some cases, EA is not binding so you could apply to an ED school AND an EA school at the same time. The trick is determining which programs are binding. Like boarding schools, the key for us was visiting. It became pretty easy to determine where to ED/EA after visits. You really don’t want to do this unless you love the school. Also, it really limits FA options, so again, you had better love the school. I feel like there has been so much written about this, pro and con, on other sites and even in CC, that my entry here can’t do the subject justice. We feel very lucky with kid one, but it sure does raise the bar for kid two…</p>
<p>@wcmom1958: I realize I am a little late but congrats to you and Kid 1!!! I’m sure Kid 2 will fare just as well and you will be armed with all the knowledge you’ve accrued thus far from this experience.
I am also very happy to report that DS will attend his second choice university! He applied EA/non-binding and judging from his enthusiasm for this school, it makes me wonder why this wasn’t initially at the top of the heap. No worries though. We’ve will not wait for the RD notifications in the spring because although the remaining are all wonderful schools, I do not get a sense that he’s overly enthusiastic about the remaining 9. Fortunately, for our family, financial packages are not dealbreakers for college as they were for BS and to be honest, there’s no greater buyers remorse than dropping a reluctant kid off at a college campus in August while simultaneously writing five-figure checks. I am thoroughly excited for this wonderful opportunity and can’t wait to learn of his experiences as he continues on his journey. I am off to the spirit school website to purchase a hoodie or two for myself…and oh yes, for him as well
Congrats again. It is truly a weight off everyone’s shoulders when these decisions are finalized.</p>
<p>Congrats to you too, Nylecoj007!! I do know how wonderful it is to be done early. I was walking on air for a month, I think. The hoodie is perfect. I did the same Enjoy!!</p>
