<p>Momwaiting- the geographic diversity thing doesn't help a boarding school student. For admissions diversity purposes, you are considered to be a resident of the state where you go to school. The exception is your state university- you are still a resident of that state for those purposes, NOT the state where you attended boarding school.</p>
<p>I go to TJHSST.</p>
<p>Yes, it is an advantage. UVA, for instance, will take most kids from TJ with a 3.7 or better, while it might take a 3.9 from any other school in the same region.</p>
<p>It's true, though, that TJ kids are ranked against other TJ kids when applying to the top-tier schools. So I, for instance, will be at a significant disadvantage when applying to Stanford with a 4.0 W, since so many kids are applying with over that GPA.</p>
<p>An truly elite school is one that send over 25% to ivies plus SMCD IMO. This does include some public magnets I would think, they have so many brilliant kids. But the magnets often lack many of the well rounding factors: strong athletic programs that produce a lot of recruited athletes, study abroad, the incredible number of electives that help show passion. They are also less likely to have lots of legacies. at a school like mine, an incredible number are legacies at one or more top colleges. All of these factors weigh in.</p>
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[QUOTE]
Im guessing were talking about magnet schools also, right?
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<p>When referring to elite schools, I was not only referring to the elite private schools. I was also referring to Jefferson, Stuyvesant, Hunter, Bronx Science, etc... so, yes.</p>
<p>That's helpful, thank you.</p>
<p>What about public (non-magnet) high schools in, for example, Long Island, like Vandermullen, Great Neck North, Great Neck South, Jericho and Half Hollow Hills West, to name a few? These schools send an enormous number of graduates to top 20 schools (though certainly not 25%, as one person suggested). I'm sure there are similar public schools in many other places.</p>
<p>I don't know the schools you mention, but there are non magnet publics that send numbers more like 15-20% to the top schools. Some that I know are Scarsdale, Chappaqua, Bronxville, New trier, Winnetka, Boston R & L, . Then their are several NY and LA privates at about the 25% level. For thr 30-40% level it's the very top NY private days and the 5 or so top boarding.</p>
<p>Ok. About these elite schools. I am a senior at Phillips Academy Andover, and I must say, the competition for these schools are tough. Almost 100 kids apply to every Ivy, but this year, about 15-20 kids got into each school (Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Princeton, etc.). I"m lucky to have gotten into Yale, STanford, Princeton, Penn, and Brown, because many of my peers got rejected from every school. It was extremely interesting to see, because by going to Andover, it does seem that you are more prepared for the elite education that you will be recieiving at these similar colleges. Yes, the APs, and the SATs are compararble, but at Andover and places simlar (Exeter, St. Pauls, Choate, etc.), it's morea bout the person you are, because they know that if you can handle it there with top grades, then you can handle academics ANYWHERE.</p>
<p>While it is true that many of the "elite" schools send more students to Ivys and other top colleges, this does not mean that public school students are inherently at a disadvantage. I go to a 2000 student public high school. This year, 29 seniors were accepted to Ivys. Yes, this is a much lower number than Andover/Exeter, but think about it. When you go to a large public high school, the majority of the students are not aiming for top colleges. There is more opportunity to distinguish oneself academically. While it is competitive when many people apply to the same college, it probably does not compare to the atmosphere at these other schools.</p>
<p>In terms of actual admissions, colleges are looking to fill their classes with students who come from different backgrounds and may have different viewpoints. My GC always says that my school's diversity (50% minority) actually helps everyone in the admissions process because graduates of my school are perceived as coming from a very different place from the average Exeter grad.</p>
<p>
[quote]
So I, for instance, will be at a significant disadvantage when applying to Stanford with a 4.0 W, since so many kids are applying with over that GPA.
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</p>
<p>A disadvantage compared to what? Stanford would be a stretch for someone with a 4.0 W from any Fairfax school.</p>
<p>I go to Bronx Science and here are averages for accepted students at the selective schools for the past 3 years. </p>
<p>Brown Univ 93.32
Columbia Univ 94.08
Cornell Univ 92.44
Dartmouth Coll 92.83<br>
Harvard Univ 95.89
MA Inst of Tech 94.59
Princeton Univ 95.10
Stanford Univ 94.55
U of Pennsylvania 93.77
Yale Univ 95.38 </p>
<p>They sound just about average for those schools, so make of it what you will.</p>
<p>I go to a private high school perhaps not the best one in the nation or anything like that but i believe honestly it is a great experience. I am from a lower middle class family and with work plus a partial scholarship I am able to go. One thing that private school provide most of all are opprunities I would have gone to a public school with over 1,000 people in each grade and not had a chance to particpate in some of the EC's i do now or not even know my classmates. I was elected class represantive this year and gained a leadership position in MUN-it could have never happened in a school with over a thousand kids in my grade. Also another factor is my teachers are always there to help me and care about me.</p>
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[quote]
Keep in mind that to get into Andover or Exeter (or St. Paul's which sent 40% to ivies S & M last year!!!) you have already gone through an ivy-like admissions process. To get into a top boarding prep you prepare an application no less comprehensive than ones for ivies, get an equal number of recs, get interviewed, must have great ECs, have an SSAT score on par with an ivy SAT score......You're alreaqdy ivy league material. At public magnets, you've usually only been through the standardized test part of the process.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Only the standardized test part? Well geez, I wonder if those three essays, two teacher recs, transcripts, and listed ECs were all a part of my imagination when applying to TJHSST. :confused: And hey, if we're talking about similarity to college admissions, we even have our own AA controversy. :p</p>
<p>I'm a Senior at Andover this year, and I do believe that such schools as mine do help in the college admission process only because once here, elite college realize that my peers and I can handle the transitional work load. This year 21 kids are going to Harvard, 17 to Yale, 12 to Princeton, a whole lot to the rest of the ivies, stanford, duke, etc.</p>
<p>I'm going to be in the Duke Class of 2010!!</p>
<p>I go to one of the best priavate schools California has to offer...just graduated, it gives you points in the way schools determine your eligibility. It shows that your schedule might have been more rigorous than a public.</p>
<p>The advantage of going to an elite private school might be as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>During the initial screening process: It is easier to make it to the "read thoroughly' bin if you go to an elite private school as you will make it just being in the top 30 - 40% itself. While you need to be in top 10% at a public magnet, ranked 1-5 at a good public and only ranked 1-2 at an unknown public.</p></li>
<li><p>The subsequent step is reading the application at individual basis and your curriculum and the preparation can give you a big boost if you are from an elite private school.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>When you heard of students with perfect SATI and high GPAs are rejected then these are students from unknown schools that get rejected against a less stellar SAT1 and GPA from a rigorous private or public school.</p>
<p>So an elite private school does helps during the admission process.</p>
<p>When perfect SATs from unknown schools are rejected in favor of perfect SATs from private schools, I can't help but feel the process is elitist. All other things being equal, the student is accepted b/c they're "our kind of people." </p>
<p>I have heard a casual comment from an Ivy admissions officer that bears this out. Looking at the perfect stats of a prospective student she gushed over him, saying he would be perfect "if only he were from a private school." Hmph.
(I heard this from the kid's mother. He got into the Ivy, but it displays a certain bias on the admin officer's part, I think.) My own reaction would have been outrage. </p>
<p>Not to hijack the thread but we get so caught up in "how can we get into HYPS" we lose sight of what's important.</p>
<p>It helps when colleges know how tough your school's programme is. My top choice is very familiar with my school, and adds a weight to our applications because they are familiar with our program.</p>
<p>Quote:
Keep in mind that to get into Andover or Exeter (or St. Paul's which sent 40% to ivies S & M last year!!!) you have already gone through an ivy-like admissions process. To get into a top boarding prep you prepare an application no less comprehensive than ones for ivies, get an equal number of recs, get interviewed, must have great ECs, have an SSAT score on par with an ivy SAT score......You're alreaqdy ivy league material. At public magnets, you've usually only been through the standardized test part of the process. </p>
<h2>Only the standardized test part? Well geez, I wonder if those three essays, two teacher recs, transcripts, and listed ECs were all a part of my imagination when applying to TJHSST. </h2>
<p>yeah, we had that at imsa too.</p>
<p>There are some very odd ideas re. public v. private schools. To determine the overall quality of any school, colleges consider the course offerings, i.e. number of AP courses offered and the scores achieved on those tests. A public school offering 23 APs will be on the list of top 5% of public schools in the nation (about 1200 schools), and is most likely a wealthy, bedroom community. These schools have applicants very able to compete with schools like Exeter. Don't assume because you are attend a private school that you will have an edge on the competition. However, that said, some colleges like to recruit at mediocre private schools (less than 10APs) due to their need for full tuition paying students. Finally, don't worry about the competition -- there at least 22,000 students with Harvard grades. Think about how you will sell yourself, package yourself.</p>
<p>Odd ideas re. public v. private
There are some very odd ideas re. public v. private schools. To determine the overall quality of any school, colleges consider the course offerings, i.e. number of AP courses offered and the scores achieved on those tests. A public school offering 23 APs will be on the list of top 5% of public schools in the nation (about 1200 schools), and is most likely a wealthy, bedroom community. These schools have applicants very able to compete with schools like Exeter. Don't assume because you are attend a private school that you will have an edge on the competition. However, that said, some colleges like to recruit at mediocre private schools (less than 10APs) due to their need for full tuition paying students. Finally, don't worry about the competition -- there at least 22,000 students with Harvard grades. Think about how you will sell yourself, package yourself.</p>