<p>I went to a private school instead of public school.</p>
<p>Pros</p>
<hr>
<ul>
<li>Learned to be more independent</li>
<li>Had far greater challenges in class room materials</li>
<li>Gain far more leadership experiences (became presidents of 5 clubs)</li>
<li>Higher % Ivy League acceptance rate</li>
</ul>
<p>Cons</p>
<hr>
<p>-Lower GPA
-Limited AP classes one can take each year (and no AP/Honors English exist in our school)
-Not top 10% of class (even though we do not rank)
-Paying about ~8% of the tuition... merit+Financial aid</p>
<p>These are some of the biggest concerns I have right now....Since college apps is approaching, I just want to hear some thoughts</p>
<p>Public schools are private here :D</p>
<p>Why are you asking?</p>
<p>You just stated the pros and cons of your private education.</p>
<p>Private schooler here:
Pros: Religious studies, very small classes, honors level curriculum (privately accredited, no Regent’s exams), close-knit and fun (everyone knows everyone).
Cons: $$$ (though merit and fin aid help), lower GPA due to honors curriculum, weird times (I’m out of the house from 6:30 to 5:30 every day, leaving limited homework and chill time), fewer club opportunities because the school’s so small, limited APs.</p>
<p>There are all different kinds of public and private schools. For example, in 8th grade I went to a religious private school with around 11 students. (It was affiliated with a larger school in the next town.) There were no extracurriculars or honors classes or even classes at all - you basically sat at a table and worked in workbooks all day. </p>
<p>Pros:
It was easy
Lots of field trips
Very quiet/peaceful
You could work at your own pace/independently
Fewer people, more attention
An hour for lunch </p>
<p>Cons:
I was an atheist at a religious school
Creationism
Heating system didn’t work half the time
It wasn’t accredited, so it was considered a type of homeschooling and transferring to a public high school was difficult. I wasn’t able to take honors classes freshman year because I didn’t have prerequisites like Algebra I in eighth grade.</p>
<p>Eyyyy public school in a small rural town
Pros:
Co-Ed
Fairly small, we all know each other
Safe environment (probably 'cause I live in a cowtown lol)
No religious affiliation
Okay amount of APs
Good GPA
Lotsa random fun things (Christmas caroling in the halls for the holidays,etc.)</p>
<p>Cons:
Decent amount of white trash
No diversity
Ugly campus
Few get into/apply to top tier schools</p>
<p>
Major typo. I meant “What are you asking?”</p>
<p>Hmm for me, switching into a private school for middle/high school was probably one of the best decisions I made. I was bored out of my mind in elementary school.</p>
<p>Pros:
- Super tight-knit community
- Wide variety of ECs
- Challenging and interesting curriculum
- Being surrounded by overachievers pushed me to acheive more
- Great teachers overall
- Nicer facilities
- Gorgeous (in my opinion) historic building (with ivy and stuff)</p>
<p>Cons
- Price
- Commute is really long
- Super competitive = bad class rank, which looks like grade inflation to universities, when grades are actually deflated compared to public schools in the area</p>
<p>Just my experience.</p>
<p>Previous Private Schooler:</p>
<p>Pros
Better education in general I think
Religious Education (a pro for me)
More motivated students
Higher graduation rate
Higher number of students who go to college rate
Smaller so more personal interaction with students and teachers
More Field Trips
Mine had a senior graduation trip to Israel for second semester senior year
Better lunches
At my school: Less drugs</p>
<p>Cons
$$$
Smaller so if some scandal happens, EVERYONE knows though you could get along with everyone
Mine had no APs/IBs but that’s not always a con
Less diversity
A lot less ECs
Longer day (could be a pro)</p>