Is it worth it???

Prep School Admissions
1

Hello Everyone,

The question I have isn’t about admission to prep schools, but about prep schools in general. However, there isn’t a forum for that, so I posted this hear. Does going to a prep school affect how your college application is perceived? If so, how much?

I live in San Diego, and thus have friends that go to expensive prep schools such as Francis Parker or La Jolla Country Day. I know not whether this is arrogance or truth, but the above mentioned friends claim that it is much more difficult to succeed in these schools, and that courses are much more rigorous. Therefore, they conclude that they are better suited to gain entrance into the colleges of their choice (Great friends, right?).

However, as I understand it, the teachers at both prep and public generally have the same credentials, and there are good and bad teachers at both. Also, for AP classes and tests, there is a rigid curriculum, so how much better of an education can my friends be getting, since now we almost solely take AP classes? I have also heard that having a high GPA and class rank at a public school that has low overall test scores and a low average GPA looks good. Something about how you “succeeded despite the circumstances.”

I would like to hear from everyone, but don’t want too much bias. I know that any parent who sends their kid to prep school firmly believes they are putting their kid in a much better institution, but are they really? Thoughts and feedback are appreciated. Thanks.

2

Our son chose a boarding/prep school partly to avoid taking APs which IMHO are a waste of time:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1805601-boarding-schools-and-ap-classes-p1.html

The purpose of a good high school education is just that – a solid foundation for college, any college; it is not about the college result. Get the best high school education you can consume. The rest will take care of itself.

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Your college application is going to be much more a reflection of you than of your school. Consider that the overwhelming majority of college freshmen are from public schools because there are so many more public than private school students; how can private school students matriculating at the top 50 colleges prove that the prep school made the difference for their acceptances? They can’t. You can compare the college acceptance lists of two high schools and conclude that you prefer one to the other, but such a list doesn’t guarantee an outcome for an individual years later.

Some prep schools offer AP and others do not, usually in favor of their own “advanced” offerings, or possibly IB. Colleges are fine with non-AP schools once they have established a track record with their students. Evaluate the faculty of two schools that you might attend by sitting in on classes and talking to students, particularly if you can target a department or discipline you have a special interest in.

Value, or “worth”, is established only when a buyer agrees to a seller’s price. La Jolla Country Day (or any independent) can only begin to be worth it if, from the outset, a family can afford to matriculate. Even then, a leap of faith has to be made, and only well into the experience, or at the end of it, is one likely to determine that the private school was “worth it”. I agree with ChoatieMom’s last sentences about the college consideration.

4

I think you should choose a prep school to maximize your experience for those four years. There are far too many variables to predict how it will impact what you may chose to pursue once you graduate.

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I do think that a independent day school may help in college admissions. With fewer students (average class size of 16 for example at La Jolla) the college counselors will know the students more, and have a stronger understanding of schools that may be a good match for that particular student. The school counselors may have more time to develop relationships with colleges admission officers, and more colleges admission officers may choose to visit the independent school.

is a prep school worth it? If your only goal is elite college admission, I don’t think it is.

If your goals are broader (La Jolla states their goal is to develop innovators, thinkers, explorers and humanitarians) and your family can make it work financially, then it might be!

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It depends, really. Prep Schools do tend to be more rigorous and maintain much higher expectations for their students. With their admissions process, it can be simply put that Prep School students do tend to be more academically achieving. My oldest son is a senior at a private military boarding school and it was the best possible choice for him. He has had dreams of attending USNA since he was young, and I personally believe that because of the education he got, this dream is well on its way to becoming his reality. My oldest daughter did fine at her public high school. It depends on your student, where you go, and what you want. Prep School students do have a greater chance of attending top colleges, but that’s in part because of their academic caliber and their school’s reputation.

So, it’s worth it for some.

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The worth in a proper elite boarding school experience and education does not come from a college admission.

The hard truth which most families not intimately involved in the workaday world of expensive private secondary education do not understand about prep schools: your kid’s only gettin’ into Harvard from Hotchkiss if he or she was gettin’ into Harvard from any other high school. Maybe 1 or 2 times in a thousand kids is the particular elite prep school the thing that gets you into Princeton when that kid would not otherwise have been admitted.

(And there’s always the belief from some folks that competition from soooo many jacked-in legacy type kids at Exeter kept their mundane Exeter graduate outa Yale…)

Beyond that, for the right kids, the experience of an elite boarding school is beyond amazing. The opportunities in the classroom and in athletics and beyond are unique in all the world for kids that age. Work hard, play hard, and learn in ways most other kids could not even imagine.

After all that, the elite boarding schools are pros at finding fantastic colleges for their kids, with relationships and influence with some colleges that many families may not have considered. Or not even heard of. St. Paul’s knows they ain’t sending every qualified kid to the Big 3 or Little 3, but they will help get you into a fantastic college for premed or engineering or international relations or whatever. That’s what they do. There’s the “worth it” for many families.

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If your parents have to beggar themselves to pay for prep school, even before u start college, then NO.

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@ChoatieMom My public high school daughter turned her multiple APs (almost a full year of college credit) into college freedom: Freedom from introductory classes, freedom to choose her sophomore classes a lot earlier than the other freshman (giving her a premier schedule and teachers), and the freedom to tack on a semester abroad without affecting graduation date. Of course, she had to get mostly 5s on the tests to get that freedom. The better schools do not take 4s or 3s (which NO ONE should accept!).

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Thanks for your input, you make a good point! Although I do agree that AP classrooms can be boring, it depends entirely on the teacher and the student’s opinion of the material. Yes, the teachers are teaching to a test, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring. In my AP European History class last year we had art days once every chapter, where we would critique and analyze the art of the period we were studying. We also had three day “salons”, where the class was split into three groups. The groups took turns pretending to be historical figures we were assigned while we discussed current and historical events, baking traditional European dishes, and having a “free” day. I ended up getting a 5 on the test. They also allow for college credit, which as mexusa said above, is huge.

Thanks for all the input everyone! Its great to know that so many people have an interest in topics like these.

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Admission to a college, prestigious or not so, does not promise a successful life or career. Ivy schools obviously provides more opportunities than 2nd tier schools. But you won’t be able to take them if you are not personally prepared with determination, creativity, academic training, and so forth that come with quality education that prep schools can clearly provide with much more resource than a public school, or in our specific case, homeschooling with community college classes.

I am not sure if going to a boarding school will increase my daughter’s chance for prestigious college admission. It might decrease it a bit. But I feel confident that it will better prepare her with those quality that she will be successful at any college, and career thereafter. God forbid if she doesn’t get into any of her top choice colleges, 2nd tier schools also provide, less but still great opportunities for those who are prepared.

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@mexusa: Sit for the tests if you are applying to colleges that accept them and actually give credit for them, but don’t waste time on the AP classes at BS. Your Choatie will be able to get 5s on those tests from the much more stimulating regular Choate curriculum. FormerCK took several AP tests but chose a college that didn’t even look at them.

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I have a different opinion about whether a good prep school helps in college admission. Having been following college admission in multiple private schools, both day and boarding, for quite a few years. I think prep schools that are “well-established” with solid reputation locally or nationally do help. What helps? 1. Academic training, which most top colleges do still consider as their top priority. They have the safest bet in choosing vetted students from schools known for great academics, particularly the ones that are highly competitive, which to them reads if you are a top student there then you should be a top student almost anywhere else, and if you are an above average student in your rigorous prep school, then you should still be able to handle the academics in their college just fine. 2. EC opportunities. Prep schools invest heavily in sports, art and other ECs because they are an integrated part of their program. These opportunities help you stand out and become attractive to top colleges. 3. Great college counseling and long standing trust and understanding with top colleges.

If you are getting all of the above in your local school, then you don’t need to go to a prep school. Or if you have a major “hook” such as high achieving URM, majorly recruit able athlete, faculty/celebrity kid etc., then it probably won’t make any difference where you go. But if you are a “well-rounded” student with a mediocre local public high school, yes, a great prep school will help.

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ive been to both, its the same thing. Just get a high gpa and a high test score and you can go wherever

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@RoundGenius – I’d like to weigh in here since we recently moved from San Diego County to a bit further North and I know the educational landscape well that you are referring to (e.g., La Jolla Country Day, Parker, etc).

My son is at Choate; we are one of about 15 Southern California families that I know of at the school. He attended a very well-regarded public school district in North County while we lived there. When we made the move further north, I looked for a small, K-8 middle school environment (also public) that is known as a “School of Choice” here in our new district. Definitely not as well-regarded; LPS high schools had much lower scores, but did have the IB diploma programme.

I can tell you the biggest difference that I see, and quite possibly the biggest advantage (and not coincidentally my DS’ biggest struggle) is that kids who attend BS are charged with managing their own destiny. E.g., you will not see what you see in the private school environment of San Diego: the plethora of well-manicured, very fit moms driving their kids from point A to point B for this extra-curricular and that EC, while simultaneously monitoring their online grade accounts 1-2 times a day and then driving them to their private tutors. Instead, these kids need to learn to navigate it on their own. I cannot emphasize the value in this! I have realized how much we were enabling our son, and believe me I was NOT the worst offender in “Svorski Land.” Almost three months into school, my son now:

-Gets to class and other EC obligations ON HIS OWN;
-Picks times when to speak to his teachers ON HIS OWN;
-Gets himself to practices and for various sports and competitive clubs ON HIS OWN
-Has made many blunders? Yes! including earning himself a little “Thursday D” for missing (forgetting?) Community Lunch, lol (he later told us he didn’t like the food served. True).

-But most importantly, he is concerned, on HIS OWN, about his upcoming homework, his grades, his tests, his projects!

To me, this is golden! A 15 YO boy who manages his own schedule? Amazing.

Has it been easy for our family? Honestly, no. It is very, very hard to break my previous “Reminder/Hoverer” ways. In fact, I’ve posted about how much we miss him and how we struggle with communication. However, in the end, we know that the above are exceptional life learning experiences that well-regarded colleges will take into consideration, as they will know that he has already been handling rigor AND has proven to be able to manage his life independently.

Has it been easy on him? Absolutely not. However, slowly but surely, things are coming together for him. And in spite of my worries about his diet (and now skin!), he appears to be getting along, doing well academically, making friends, and enjoying his new-found brand of “Responsible Independence.”

Can your friends with kids at Bishop’s, CC Academy, Parker, etc. claim this for their children? The answer is categorically No. And I do believe the best colleges know this.

I hope that this helps you! Feel free to pm me anytime.

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Well said @itcannotbetrue !