<p>Do colleges, Ivy Leagues in particular, prefer private schools to public schools? I have the option right now as a freshman in a public high school to transfer into a private school for next year. In my public school, we have the IB program but almost no one gets into an Ivy league school. I think this year only one kid got into upenn. Do colleges tend to favor private schools or look at them any differently?</p>
<p>Anyone have an answer?</p>
<p>It’s not about what the Ivy schools prefer, it’s about what school will help you thrive more. That’s what Ivy schools prefer, a strong applicant. So it’s all up to you; you decide which school will guide you better in becoming a strong applicant.</p>
<p>Sure, colleges find it impressive if you can succeed at a top prep school, but unless this private school is up to that caliber, it won’t make a difference.</p>
<p>Yea and the private school I got accepted to isn’t a very elite school either. But what really hooked me and made me originally want to go was it being a “college prepatory school”. I would assume that ivy schools prefer kids from these schools since they are already prepared for college.</p>
<p>AllDay28, colleges like to increase their diversity - so that means they like kids from public AND private, all geographic regions, different cultures, unusual skills. In some cases, then, coming from a public school (and doing well) can be an advantage. So I would not worry about this, and try to be the best student you can be. Develop your own uniqueness.</p>
<p>Yes, generally applicants applying from private schools tend to fare better than kids applying from public schools (but of course public and private school quality varies so it is clearly not true in all cases).Make sure the private school is reputable and has a history of sending its grads to top colleges otherwise it may not be worth the cost. A lot of the private school admissions boost is counseling. Not only do you get more individual attention for planning, but many of them have direct connections with members of the admissions committee at top colleges leading to preferential treatment of private school students.</p>
<p>You can be just as prepared at a public school as the other private school by taking advanced classes. Don’t worry about it.</p>
<p>thanks guys, so do you think I should transfer or not? you can find more information about my current situation in this thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1316831-should-i-transfer-private-school.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1316831-should-i-transfer-private-school.html</a></p>
<p>It sounds like the private school you’re thinking about isn’t significantly better than your public school. If it’s going to be a significant cost burden, you may be better served tot ake advantage of the opportunities you have and even create new ones within your school.</p>