<p>I would love, love, love to go to Princeton, but I'm afraid that going to a Florida public school would hurt my chances. My courseload is pretty handsome and I get good grades and test scores, but I'm afraid that won't be enough.</p>
<p>Do any of you know someone in a public school that got in, and if anything helped them do so?</p>
<p>I will have taken 9 AP classes by the time I graduate, and here's my senior schedule:</p>
<p>AP Literature
AP Calculus BC
AP Physics (B or C)
Spanish IV
College Level Psychology
Photo I
College Level Gov/Econ</p>
<p>If there were anything better I could replace Photo with, I would do it, but it seems like I've exhausted my upper-level class options.</p>
<p>60 some-odd percent of the Princeton undergrad body is from public schools... if anything, they enjoy taking students who have acheived academically from the "lower" public schools (IMO, anyway...)</p>
<p>good luck!</p>
<p>oh. and sometimes courses like photo are actually beneficial to show that you are multi dimensional academically. it shows an artsy side. no worries.</p>
<p>Of course you have a chance! I come from a pretty inadequate public school that is inches from getting on the warning list for inadequate state standardized test scores. We are ranked extremely low in the state (and in our county) and have had about 2 ivy leaguers in the past 2 decades. I got into Princeton ED...it's really about your ability to make the most of what you have and your self-motivation to overcome the limits of your surroundings. From the looks of your courseload, it seems you have that motivation, so keep it up and good luck!:)</p>
<p>I go to a public school and we have kids get into Princeton. 17 applied last year and 5 got in. I have a theory that one day my school will have more nobel laureates than most colleges. That would be very cool.</p>
<p>Not certain of Princeton but Yale welcomed public school students...especially those schools of a lower socio-economic status. Taking the most rigorous courseload possible, even if it doesn't quite meet the standardsof prep schools. Called diversity!</p>
<p>The available data indicates that about 60% of the student body receives financial aid. A significant chunk of that group receives full tuition, nothing paid out of pocket. Clearly, most if not all those kids attended a public high school. Ergo, public school applicants have at least as good a chance of acceptance as any other applicant.</p>
<p>^ Joe, not "clearly." I think just as many private school students as public school students get financial aid, especially since the finaid office takes into consideration how much your parents spend on the private education. A lot of private schools have grants, too, for especially gifted students with need (who happen to be the ones to come to these places, anyhow.) On the other hand, having paid nothing for high school doesn't help the finaid situation much...</p>
<p>But in any case, having gone to a public school probably doesn't hurt you.</p>
<p>I’m assuming that you’re a junior in high school. It sounds as though you’re on the right track, taking challenging courses. Keep it up and good luck!</p>
<p>The statistics cited are not telling the whole story. The question should be--what percentage of public school applicants are accepted compared to the percentage of private school applicants?</p>
<p>Nimby, even those statistics wouldn't tell the whole story -- in fact, I doubt any statistics can. Consider, for example, that some private secondary schools (like the Phillips Academy) require students to attend the schools to which they apply early action -- that is, EA becomes binding. Other private school college counselors might "strongly advise" a student not to apply to a school that they don't think would accept the student, and be reluctant to write the counselor recommendation. The result is fewer private school applicants with more acceptees among them.</p>
<p>Nimby, you are correct but I’m afraid that I’m not able to find those figures for Princeton or for any of its peers. (I would be interested to see them if you can find sources.) My guess would be, however, that the acceptance rate for public school graduates is approximately the same as it is for private school graduates so that these figures for the Class of 2010 reflect the percentages in the applicant pool. It would certainly be the case that the acceptance rate is higher for students from schools with high academic standards, but this tells us nothing about whether those schools are public or private. There are many public schools with very high standards and competitive applicants, just as there are many private schools with weak programs and relatively uncompetitive applicants. In addition, of course, there are many very competitive applicants from weak schools both public and private! In those cases, the applicants have probably shown particularly strong determination in overcoming obstacles to their educations.</p>
<p>That brings up another point--you need to know, in raw numbers, how many students from each category applied. If it's 50% from each you couldn't put that in context until you knew if there were 3,000 private school students applying or 10,000. To go back to the question from the OP--if you knew the raw numbers applying from each category and the percentages that were accepted from each, you would get a general idea as to whether students froom private schools have an advantage.</p>
<p>And I said a "general idea". There are a lot of factors in play. I agree that there are many excellent public programs and many average private schools. I think that the real "advantage" comes from being from a school that has developed an ongoing relationship with the adcoms--where they know that the program, public or private, is high quality and the students stellar. It's like buying a name brand product instead of a generic.</p>
<p>The majority of accepted applicants at Ivy colleges = from public schools. That's something to keep in mind. But also remember that your chances, as a public schooler, may still be "lower" than those of a private schooler. Who knows, though.</p>
<p>In that case, it would take someone working at a public school level 40 years to graduate from Princeton. Imagine - you could make a career out of college!</p>
<p>I too attend a super large, super crappy FL public school (please don't send your kids to a public school in Florida). I think it actually helps to graduate on top there, because you have taken full advantage of what has been offered to you. Plus you get leadership positions super easy and can fill up apps fast.</p>
<p>Hey. Current Princeton freshman here. I went to a public school in suburban Long Island and I got in (and not just at Princeton, but a few other Ivies as well). Actually, my hometown isn't exactly the quintessential suburb... it's technically considered a "hamlet." Fun fact. There's hope for all you public school kids hailing from the cities, suburbs, and yes... even our nation's hamlets. Good luck everyone! PM me if you have any questions about Pton!</p>
<p>I go to a public school and while not very many kids from my school apply to Ivies, at least a couple go each year. I agree with erhswimming because it's probably a bit easier to make yourself stand-out at a public school. I am taking the hardest possible courseload offered at my school and I know that that will help me out.</p>