<p>My stepdad is in the Air Force and was stationed in Italy. Subsequently, I had to attend an extremely small DOD school in Pisa. Even though it's a DOD school it is still strangely classed as public. There were only two AP classes available, so I decided to graduate early. </p>
<p>I recently moved to North Carolina and my sister attends a very competitive high school here. What annoys me is that we worked more arduously in regular classes in Pisa then she has to in Honors and AP classes.</p>
<p>You're failing to realise that kids in poor public schools (I refuse to believe ALL public schools MUST be worse than private, as you implied) also don't have the same chances as you. While you can take any AP you want and daddy pays for a tutor and karate lessons, kids at lesser schools are forced to take the only AP available with a poor teacher and an after-school job. It all balances out in the end.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, if we're to be honest, it doesn't all balance out. Only 7% of American kids go to private schools but they are about 35% of every class at ivies and top colleges. Truth is, in this Country the rich and getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. The middle class are also hosed, with less buying power than ever. Especially at colleges where they can't afford their EFCs, forcing their kids into state schools or schools a tier or two below their ability where they can get merit $.</p>
<p>Other than ivies and a handful of colleges, top schools are mostly not need blind and are still serving the rich.</p>
<p>That is very true.</p>
<p>LOL~! you have to consider that public school kid occasionally might not have as good environment as private school students do</p>
<p>I find this a very offensive thread. If you got a problem with private schools being too competitive, go to a public school and get your top 5% ranking! You got a choice! You have wealthy parents who buy your education, pays for all sorts of private lessons/extracurriculars, and you dare to sit here and complain about it??? and blame students who happened to be born into a family not as wealthy as yours, who have to get a job to support their family? Remember, unlike you, these people don't have the CHOICE to go to a private school. I think Suze's statistics is very revealing in itself. The percent of kids from private school in top colleges is FIVE times the percent of students who actually go to private school in the country. Complaining because of all the opportunities you have for being rich, that's the most RIDICULOUS thing i have ever heard.</p>
<p>As a reply to the statement, "at a public school ... they probably sell the exam questions to them"</p>
<p>In my country, this actually describes the private schools. I'm not saying there is any form of cheating by the way of selling exam questions, but at private schools is significant grade inflation. Parents who pay 30K a year want to see their children getting high marks, and schools comply to that. In fact, at universities in my country, private school kids actually often fall behind. The 95% they got in high school means nothing, because such grades are given out like candy. (Note: I got this from another source, therefore i'm not asserting this is a fact. I'm sure there are exceptions)</p>
<p>At Cranbrook, Ladywood, Catholic Central, DCDS and the other local privates, standards are actually worse than at my 6000+ student public educational park, excepting DCDS, which actually has much higher standards. Even IA, which is the neighboring county's school for the smart people (he he) there is MASSIVE grade inflation. The people, I admit, do work harder, but still, people there don't want Little Suzy crying to her daddy about her D. Of course, that isn't true of many people who go there, and I have numerous friends who go there, but it's hard to ignore those the prescence of those types. There are tons on overly concerned parents at my school too, which is why we have grade inflation, but it's much bigger at the private schools, because parents want to see if they're getting their money's worth and don't want to believe that the other way to get grades raised, grade inflation, can be the reason. Basically, Hotchkiss is not your average private school.</p>
<p>i know tons of people who have come from some pretty competitive private schools to my public school and they can barely keep up with some of the AP classes. the OP maakes a generalization that is much too broad</p>