<p>The local public school district I attend is pretty good (not great, but pretty good), but I remember when I was in 8th grade, my mom wanted to send me to the local polytechnic private school instead (fairly exclusive). Since I had been in the same school district since kindergarten, I told my mom that I didn't want to go, since I didn't want to leave behind my friends.</p>
<p>Now that it's my senior year, I wonder if I should've gone to the polytechnic institute or any of those NE prep schools, and I'm also wondering if I should persuade my mom to make my younger sister attend a school like that. The school I attend is pretty good, but in retrospect, I think I would've enjoyed a more challenging environment.</p>
<p>How do all you prep school kids like it? Is there a sense of elitism? Quality of life? Lack of parental control? Educational quality? Overall experience?</p>
<p>You shouldn't worry too much about "what might have happened if I'd just done this" scenarios. Unless you attended a poor local school with no APs, and you got a terrible SAT score, it's fine.</p>
<p>Prep schools: elitism? yes. quality of life? "high." I haven't attended a prep school but I've met some of the people here that have gone to prep school. I don't think its for me. When I think prep school I think one's parents are rich, divorced or marriage is in shambles, kid is a burden. Of course, this isn't always the case.</p>
<p>No, it is not always the case. My S's prep school has kids whose parents are very interested in their welfare and extremely active with the school. Rich, some are very rich, richer that anyone I know in our public school district. But there are also kids who come from some disadvantage backgrounds that are poorer than any in our predominately middle/upper middle classs neighborhood. Many of the kids come from modest homes, where the family budgets carefully so they can go to a private school. Many are faculty kids and the family income in that case is often very low. </p>
<p>I agree with emsibdn about not worrying about the "mighta beens". Can't predict. And the parents with the sister are the ones to make a decision as to which schoolis a better match for the girl. It is not all roses at a prep school either, and I do know a number of kids who found the public venue much better for them.</p>
<p>When you say prep school, do you mean only boarding schools, or any private college prep school? It was over ten years ago that I graduated from highschool, but I went to a private prep school pretty much my whole childhood, but it wasn't a boarding school. I loved it and am very glad I was able to attend. I take a bit of offense at emsibdn's comment, "elite? yes" when he/she never has attended one. My school was definitely not elite or full of super-rich kids. They had quite a few scholarship and financial aid programs, one of which I used to attend. However, my sister hated it, and ended up going back to public school in high school.
I certainly don't think your mom should "make" your sister go anywhere. I think it really depends on the the kid and for some, prep school fits, for others, it doesn't. I also think the fact that I started in first grade, but my sister was in fifth made a difference. She was being taken away from all her established friends and relationships with teachers etc. I hadn't really formed any yet.</p>
<p>Gwammy, I assumed he was referring to private, move-away-from-home prep schools. If not, then certainly not too elite. I highly doubt, in any instance, that 50% or higher of the kids come from low income families. Of course, in my previous post, I was being VERY general, basing my opinions mostly on what I've observed.
ndbisme</p>
<p>Public School is better in every way. It's just more real, whereas in private school you're stuck in your own little world. At public school, you can get a great education as long as you make sure to take the most difficult classes. You can also still get into great colleges, and sometimes even have an advantage over those that colleges see as "privileged". Private school kids tend to have that "poor me, I'm disillusioned with the world" attitude. Public school kids are just more FUN, and you can reall enjoy being a kid.</p>