Private vs Public

<p>I was accepted at Miss Porter's School, and was wondering if anyone who goes or used to go there could tell me about the benefits of going there. I am comparing it to a public high school that was in the top 200 in US News.</p>

<p>I am surprised anyone would go to the considerable time/cost/headache to apply to a another school, if he/she hasn’t already rationalized that that other school offers advantages over the present school situation</p>

<p>OP, did you evaluate the choice beforehand? If so, why the worry now… are you on the receiving end of questioning from the “home crowd”? If that is the case, follow your heart… do what YOU want to do for YOU. Obviously both schools are good. Maybe take a bit of time to remind yourself why you applied to prep school… see if those reasons still apply?</p>

<p>I believe that hs kids should continue to learn how to express themselves in writing. On that account, I would compare the teacher-student ratios at the two schools in an effort to determine if the ps had a chance of really delivering this sort of instruction. Even at “top 200” schools, I can imagine teachers reluctant to assign papers/essays that they don’t think they’ll have the time to grade. </p>

<p>MPS is small. How big is the ps? Does it have any chance of feeling like the close community that Porters will? (Is that feeling of belonging and being counted on important to you?) I could keep writing, but encourage chocolatelover to take over, thinking about what you value, and generating points of comparison that are apt. I’ve taken the tour at MPS (non-school day, though) and believe it is a very good school. Oops, here I go again – did you want single-sex, or co-ed? Does that big difference matter to you?</p>

<p>OP - is MP providing financial aid? Going to a private school is a $200K plus proposition and if you’re at a good PS it’s really hard to justify that kind of investment unless money is no object to your parents or MP is giving you a free or nearly free ride.</p>