I think all you need to do is look at the percentage of kids at a given top school who went to private and compare it to national averages to get a sense of what you are up against.
Every single day top schools take less qualified kids from private over kids from even the most prestigious publics (like the NYC specialized schools) let alone less heralded publics. Sometimes they do it bc the kid has hooks (money, legacy, etc) but often bc they are well-packaged by privates in every aspect from support on essays to elaborate recs. They make their candidates hard to say no to. Every bit you make the package more complicated (essays, recs, extra-currics, internships) you hand a small advantage to the middle class and a massive advantage to the wealthy and those in high-end privates who know how to spread out the leadership positions and get their kids hooked up with internships not to mention polishing the essays.
If you just went by scores (NMSF or SAT/ACT) which are supposed to be the thing the wealthy can game, these public school kids would absolutely dominate. But they have parents who don’t speak english. No money for tutors or summer experiences. During Covid they were basically prisoners of their apartments unable even to take public transport while wealthy kids’ parents found workarounds.
Truth kids from publics are relying on CC who might have 300 other kids on their plate. The GC writing their rec may barely know them. Their parents might not speak English well enough to advocate for them. About half are at poverty level. They are impressive as hell. I don’t know any admissions person who wouldn’t root for them, but they don’t get into the top schools at the rate objectively less qualified private school kids in the same city do.
And then when you come to the wait list…any seats that come up are horse-traded with privates long before colleges even whisper about going to the wait list.
Top colleges still have a symbiotic relationship w privates. I do believe admissions officers would love to be able to take more of the kind of kids you are describing but I think the system is stacked against it.
I believe maybe 10% of US Students attend private, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. And it is worth noting that public tax dollars fund go to private universities even as they also rely on generous individual donors.
Before coming to Harvard, 63 percent of respondents attended public school, most of them non-charter, while 35 percent attended private school—26 percent non-denominational and 10 percent parochial.
Hey guys, I just got notified of my Harvard interview today. Is this a good sign or should I not read into it? My thinking is that if most people got one they would have notified me earlier but maybe they have read my application and want to know more about me bc they like me. Any input or insight is appreciated!
Yes, the majority of students came from public schools - but you have to bear in mind that the vast majority of students in the US attend public school. I have a feeling that applicants from the top prep schools still have an admissions advantage. But your fin aid stats are compelling, if it says that 55% are truly coming from families with incomes under 150K, and 20% from families with incomes under 65K. I do wonder how many of those low-income students are coming out of prep schools, via programs like A Better Chance, or prep for prep, and hence, are being admitted from the top prep schools.
And Harvard’s public/private ratio is significantly better than some of the other Ivies.
I don’t doubt admissions counselors favor the the kid who made their own way and do their best to see past private schools’ glamours. But they are only people and they work for other people: as someone very smart once told me “admissions people usually do what they are told.”
@mitchellc16 please don’t read anything into the interview offer.
@parentologist I posted the actual numbers for public and private school admits because there was a lot of speculation in posts. I did not editorialize.
A lot of progress has been made and a lot of progress still needs to happen.
The financial aid at Harvard and other schools has made it possible for kids to apply who would not apply otherwise. They may or may not get in, but attending is a lot more possible if they are admitted.
Oxford and Cambridge managed to do away with legacies and are will not entertain pay-to-play with donations. They also cost about $11k a year for locals. We wandered pretty far down the wrong path over here. I’m not sure you ever get back.
As many have already pointed out, the interviews are optional, don’t make much difference (usually, unless a student doesn’t show up for interview or forgets to which school (s)he is applying to:, etc…), and are subject to availability of Alumni in the applicant’s area (even though they are all remote this year). Typically they (at least Penn) clusters applicants into regions and sends list of applicants with very basic information (high school, major/specific college (such as Wharton, SEAS, CAS) of interest, and Alumni pick and reach out to respective applicants. Penn Alumni interviewer program coordinators typically send follow-up emails to interviewers asking if they can meet those applicants who didn’t have interviews. With the significant increase in # of applications, relatively much smaller % of the applicants may get interviewed this year. In any case, the interviews may not really matter.