<p>I am a public school student through and through, and most of my friends went to top undergrads from public school. The private schools in my area are known as party schools. I’m pretty sure we send more to top undergrads.</p>
<p>Unless you’re a legacy or your parents donate money, I don’t think private school students have a leg up. Almost all the people I know who went to the highest ranked schools are “middle class” and went to public school.</p>
<p>The top private universities offer a lot of need based aid since they have larger endowments, so I’d definitely apply to those if you don’t make a lot of money. My friend received full rides to Ivies due to his family’s low income status and came out of college debt-free.</p>