<p>Is it true that going to a prep school hurts your chances of going to an ivy league school? What about non-ivies?</p>
<p>Only if the student changes their performance in a negative manner because of his/her attendance there (thinking they've got it made because they go to St. Grottlesex).</p>
<p>If anything, prep schools statistically speaking should provide better services (guidance counseling, knowledgable teachers writing letters of rec, etc.) that should keep your child's application from going off into the gutter for the most obvious reasons. Hopefully that is part of the package you are paying the big bucks for.</p>
<p>Of course there are some corner cases where it may hurt - a kid who is very one-dimensional and doesn't have the time to specialize at a school that wants to create well-rounded students and structures their day accordingly.</p>
<p>I think it depends on yourself more than on where you go to school. I mean that you can see many comprehensive applicants got rejected by Yale, Harvard this year ( I remember reading that somewhere on CC a guy got rejected from Yale with 2400 or 2370 SAT, presidents of clubs and sports teams captains, National merit finalist, bunch of national prizes,...)</p>
<p>Hmm, please do not think going to a BS is your ticket to the "Ivy League". I'm amazed how both students and Parents think this way. There are plenty of schools where one can get an education beyond the Ivies.</p>
<p>Goaliedad,
I have had long talks with several friends who are deans of admission (Stanford, etc). It can make a differance. The days of Exeter grads automatically getting into Yale are gone. Now if you excell at school A your chances are equal as if you excell at school B. (that includes EC as well as grades and tests, etc).</p>
<p>However, where a BS can hurt is if your child would excell at school A and only do ok at BS B. Then her chances are better at school A.</p>
<p>But as Prepparent stated, a top liberal arts school may provide a better education than an ivy.</p>
<p>Not at St. Paul's School or Andover. Deerfield Academy also has done well with an extraordinary high number of placements in the recent past at Penn. This may change due to the longtime head of admissions at Penn leaving. Groton also does well, but last year over 10% of the graduating class of 2007 at Groton matriculated at The University of Edinborough in Scotland. SPS, Andover & Roxbury Latin have repeatedly been the best bets for Ivy League acceptances.</p>
<p>On the particular subject of which colleges/unis will kids get into from what schools, my theory is that your child is just going to be the same child no matter which high school A, B or C you choose. You are choosing your child's peers, however. (No small thing.) The average SAT at school A is 1500, the average at school B is 2000. Your kids SAT doesn't change though.</p>
<p>Your child may be a straight A public school kid and might get straight Bs in private school, but the colleges that your child is looking may take the grade deflation at private school into account and reach further down into the class rank.</p>
<p>Isn't it the journey, not the destination that counts? My D could get into her 1st choice school from her public school because she would be the likely Val, editor-in-chief, award winner etc. She will likely get into her 1st choice school from BS too, even though the competition will be tougher. </p>
<p>But in the meantime, she has 4 years to spend, and I don't want them to be wasted in boring classes with unmotivated/disruptive students in an atmosphere that is antagonistic to the kids who are trying. She wants to be in an academically rich environment because of the benefits of that environment, not because she is trying to game the college admission system.</p>
<p>The other thing to consider is that my son would not be the Val, editor-in-chief, award winner at the public school...in fact, he would probably not even be close. He needs to be challanged and engaged in order to do well. We don't feel the local publci school would do that - he would end up being a middle of the road - B-C student. At boarding school (much like the jr prep he is at now) will keep him challanged and interested and will offer him opportunities that the public school does not. He will likely be an A-B student. From which school is he more likely to get in? I'd say the Boarding School. </p>
<p>That said, our motivation in sending him is not the goal of a better college but rather exactly what Grejuni said.</p>
<p>As goaliedad said, the individualized attention you receive at a boarding school will help get you into the right college for you, which may be an Ivy, a top LAC or a Parsons. It is all about FIT and the college counselors, the teachers that write your recommendations, and your own input, will help ensure that you are admitted to the schools that are perfect for you. </p>
<p>There are threads which debate whether a top BS helps or hinders your chances at an Ivy. No matter which side of the fence you're on, most people are in agreement that the benefits you receive from attending boarding school will help get you into a good college and hold you in good stead for many years to come.</p>
<p>Princess' Dad,</p>
<p>Actually I don't think our views are that much off of each other...</p>
<p>You can make poor BS choices for your child where they would be better off in public school. Some kids don't adjust well to the more structured environments (study hours, dress codes, etc.) typical of boarding school and as a result don't perform as well.</p>
<p>My initial reply was speaking more in generalities (a mistake) about the level of services available at most boarding schools compared with all but the best public schools.</p>
<p>Of course, the best way to improve your odds of Ivy (or better said most best fit) college admissions is to pick the high school environment best suited for YOUR particular child, because 95% of college admissions is about what the student achieves in high school. And pretty much the rest is beyond our control, once a school is selected.</p>
<p>Goalie,
I agree with you. The best HS environment for the particular child.
I have one child who thrives in a public HS. She is in all honor classes and her 15 - 20 peers could compete at any BS in the country.
I have another child who like Linda's would do best with a more competitive school.
I am not sure of jennycraig's comments. The honors teachers write great recommendations. The P HS counselors are overworked so the burden is more on the student/parent than at a P/BS.
However, I will reiteriate what the Dean at Stanford said, it is most important for the child to stand out wherever she/he is at.</p>
<p>We beleive that our son will stand out more in the BS we chose - which is as you all know, NOT a "top" one - yet they have a nice record of placement to a variety of colleges. He would be one of the "boys" at the public high school.<br>
My daughter...now I don't know. I think I'll have to post on the parent thread about that.</p>
<p>it's supposed to be hardest to get into princeton if you're a white nj girl</p>
<p>last year 5 students in the senior class went to Princeton alone. that is 1/12</p>
<p>it depends on the person. but i'm guessing most boarding schools would have more of a positive effect than a negative effect</p>
<p>PrincessDad, I was agreeing with Goaliedad's comments ("guidance counseling, knowledgable teachers writing letters of rec, etc"). At a smaller school, day or boarding, you will benefit from the teachers really knowing you. You are one in a class of 11 or 12, compared to the local public high school, where you're one of 38 or 40. The guidance counselor at our high school is responsible for 400 seniors. He does the best job he can and is knowledgeable about the state schools, but doesn't have a lot of knowledge about top LACs located outside of the midwest.</p>
<p>I think we're all on the same page. I also agree that kids need to stand out whatever school they attend. As I have said before, perhaps if my daughters were more like some of the posters here, they would thrive at our local high school. Cream rises to the top, and it appears that many of the kids on this board are cr</p>
<p>jenny,
which is why we are doing this. :( and missing 4 years of their lifes</p>
<p>Is it good to think ahead? Yes.
Should you think ahead? Yes.</p>
<p>BUT. Most people go to BS for the experience. The friendships, the fun, the work, the teachers, the dorm life, the memories, etc. That's what i would have gone for.</p>
<p>BUT. If you go to one of the elite schools, most of the time, you have to be top 10% of class. All of us know how hard that is at Andover, Exeter, etc.</p>
<p>Tradeoffs. Make the right decision for you.</p>
<p>You all are absolutely right about choosing for the 4 years of high school--not just as a means to the ivy end. And the pot at the end of the rainbow might not ivy colored for you kid, true enough.</p>
<p>I sent my s to BS specifically to increase his chances to attend a top(Ivy) school. So far so good. He now has his pick of Stanford, Harvard,UPenn .</p>
<p>s.m
My PHS (which is 4 times the size of most BS) has an equal # of students that get into top Ivys. I had long talk with the Dean of Stanford Admissions and he said that BS do not increase your odds - but may decrease them. The number one factor for admission is standing out.
On the other hand, I think that the education, the growth, etc is much better at an BS.</p>