<p>Huh, I’ve been wondering why I know so many freshmen here from the Bay Area. I think I know at least 3 or 4 MIT freshmen from San Jose alone. Interesting…</p>
<p>HS selection a huge factor in admissions (since the college will consider what courses your kid took with regards to what courses the school offers) but of course, a better school means more opportunities to succeed, and you’ll probably be more prepared for college in the long run.</p>
<p>@HYPSMClessHY:</p>
<p>But you cannot base a HS solely on what colleges its students go to. That’s the wrong way to look at things.</p>
<p>Short answer: choose the school with the best track record in terms of student satisfaction and the least amount of administrative trouble.</p>
<p>I went to a private school. Unfortunately, they’re really petty about quite a few things. I’m on the verge of being expelled for ‘not fitting the mold’. It’s this sort of thing that you want to know and avoid.</p>
<p>On the other hand, there are drawbacks with going to a public school – typically with competition and special accomodations.</p>
<p>If you can afford private school relatively easily and it’s clearly superior, go and stick with it. Just be VERY wary about sending your student to such a school – they will hide the dark side during the presentations, and ask around about that. Every school has such a dark side.</p>
<p>@ngyhnr, thanks.</p>
<p>I am not really worried about public vs private. Money is a non-factor. I am just looking at the stats of which program sends the highest percentage of students to the tier-1 universities. At this point based on last year’s data, our best public HS in town beats the famous private HS Lakeside by a long shot. Heck, it beats any private feeder HS in the country. </p>
<p>Student experiences are up to the students IMO so it’s also a non-factor.</p>
<p>Not really understanding all the fuss, since I think OP has a right (and is absolutely correct) to start early, as long as OP is not intent on sending her kid to MIT and MIT only.</p>
<p>I’d go with whichever school your kid feels more comfortable in. Otherwise, go private. Do note, however, that acceptances vary year by year, and by a lot in many cases. This was certainly the case at my public HS, as we had a ~100% increase in just one year for kids going to top privates/publics. And your kid’s interests may change, in which case MIT/Cal-Tech are no longer the only options.</p>
<p>I’m a graduating high school senior, and my educational choices for high school were made by me, and me alone. I think you should present your child with their options and then have an open discussion with them about what they feel is their best fit. If you can, have your child visit each school for a day to get a feel for what each place is like. People from public schools get into top colleges every day–it is truly not about the quality of the school but the drive of the student. I personally think I benefitted the more from attending a regular public school rather than a good private school (!) due to the large amount of opportunities that were available wrt advanced classes and research options. </p>
<p>The quality of education is obviously important to any parent, but please remember that this is your child’s life, not your own. It’s wonderful that you care so much and are shooting for the best possible life for your kid, but they should also have a say in the things they want to pursue. I have met so many people who have are overworked and overstressed with no real direction upon entering college, partly because their parents’ expectations; the ones whom I’ve met who have been accepted to and thrived at top colleges are the ones who took control of their own educations and pursued the things they loved. </p>
<p>I guess what I’m trying to say is that it doesn’t actually matter what school they’re going to, just make sure they’re doing things outside of the classroom that they’re passionate about and they should be fine.</p>
<p>@keysmash, thanks.</p>
<p>You are absolutely correct that ultimately it’s the student’s own motivation that matters. I am totally fine with public HS and is leaning towards that.</p>
<p>@TheBanker, thanks.</p>
<p>You are right that MIT cannot be the only option. Michigan and Berkeley are great choices if one wants to become an engineer. I don’t want to steer my kids to any particular field or college yet. Just want them in a good situation with many options when they go in the HS senior year.</p>