<p>I go to Private school and I would have preferred to go to public school originally, if that explains my post.</p>
<p>I was forced to go to a Catholic school because my mom wanted to raise me that way.</p>
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<p>I actually agree that private schools have much better 50%iles. I did not think about that.</p>
<p>Oh how I wish i could afford one of these private schools, lol.</p>
<p>I’m not exactly offended, but I think your argument offers a somewhat limited perspective and contains several logical fallacies. The public school I’m zoned for is not, in your words, “an average suburban public school.” They offer maybe a few honors classes but no APs, and extracurriculars are limited to football and band. I think you might have a different definition of what is average. An hour away from my house there’s a great magnate school that offers a huge class selection. I consider it to be an above average school. I think public schools are very important, and if there was a good one in my area, I’d definitely consider the option. While some aspects of private schools can be fairly limited due to the size of the school, colleges love to see you make the most of your situation. You raise some interesting points, but your bit about students accepted to but failing out of Ivies being from private schools is pure speculation. You don’t back it up. Maybe you have friends who know people who do poorly in great schools, but as far as I can tell, your theory that they come from private schools is just that–a theory. The connections you speak of are a myth, but I’ll shed some light on the subject. Quite often, rich kids know people in high places, and mommy and daddy are willing to do what it takes to make sure their little angel goes to a really good school. Some people are willing to work the system through heinous–but none the less effective–methods. I have friends who unfairly get into schools by using a connection to the college, but it has nothing to do with their guidance counselors and everything to do with the dorms named after their family members. Having a good guidance counselor helps a lot because his job is to <em>guide</em> you; solid advice about how to write increasingly crucial essays and what school is actually a good fit for you…it doesn’t suck. Keep in mind that a lot of factors go into admissions decisions. Very few colleges care solely about your ECs and perfect scores these days; perhaps those kids at the school down the street just had that special something–a hook that made them irresistible. Perhaps they “broke that HYPS barrier” with something unique about themselves or even as you put it “for sports.” Also, private school kids don’t “suffer the academic rigor of a competitive public school students”? Such absurd generalizations make it really hard for me to support you. Between editing my yearbook, singing in the school choir, participating in school sponsored community service opportunities, and figure skating competitively, maybe I just didn’t notice the academic rigor of my 6 APs. I think I’ll be just fine at my dream school (Barnard) and our partner school (Columbia) too. Sure some kids in my school are slackers, but I’m sure plenty of public school kids are too. Whether or not the government pays for your education, you have the opportunity to excel in your environment; either way, colleges are watching and judging you for that. /rebuttal</p>
<p>^In my public school they taught us to use paragraphs.</p>
<p>Harry, really? There are enough sassy people on this website without you butting your sardonic head in most threads I visit.</p>
<p>Aps are outdated. That’s why most prestigious private schools don’t use them. Instead, they offer honors courses that’s covers more material in more depth than AP. I would know, my school helped to invent AP classes.</p>
<p>^^But I have to be sarcastic. How else would I disguise the fact that I have nothing original to say?</p>
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Modern diplomacy is outdated and can easily be replaced by a triumvirate of superpowers. I would know, my country helped to invent the UN before I was born.</p>
<p>Either way America has the worst education system in the developed world, besides our universities which are the best.</p>
<p>@Izzy Busy Bee, if you’re gonna start proclaiming about how smart private school kids are, next time at least make sure you spell ‘throw’ the right way.
other than that I completely agree with what you said, I went from a public school to a private school and yea the students are waaay smarter and more driven for the most part.</p>
<p>I strongly disagree with the OP. Top private schools (Andover, Exeter, SPS, etc) offer kids amazing educations, and prepare them extremely well for selective universities.</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter where you go as long as you try and challenge yourself and use all your resources. </p>
<p>What’s more impressive?
- A person attending a public school who gets accepted into Columbia.
or - A person attending a private school who gets in Columbia. </p>
<p>Exactly.</p>
<p>^That depends on the qualities of the public and private schools as well.</p>
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<p>Seriously? </p>
<p>PA’s acceptance rate is 14%, lower than some Ivies’ and top universities’. Most of its students were already high-achieving during middle school and would make use of the opportunities that PA offers. You have to be pretty brilliant to begin with to get into the top 20% at PA. </p>
<p>Schools like PA, PEA, and Hotchkiss are often called prep schools for some reasons too, you know. They prepare you for college. </p>
<p>In conclusion, check the Prep School Admissions threads first before you post anything stupid.</p>
<p>Here’s exeter’s profile they send to colleges:
<a href=“http://www.exeter.edu/documents/2011_Profile_for_Colleges(4).pdf[/url]”>http://www.exeter.edu/documents/2011_Profile_for_Colleges(4).pdf</a></p>
<p>The average AP test score is a 5 and there aren’t any designated AP classes (besides AP Bio, physics, and chemistry) so it is the students responsibility to make sure they know the material that will be on the exam. </p>
<p>In 2010 there were 28 National Merit semifinalists and 87 commended scholars in a class of 297. Every student in that class took SAT subject tests and over 100 students in the class of 2010 scored between 750 and 800 on the math section of the SAT.</p>
<p>The difference between a top prep school education and a public school is unbelievable.</p>
<p>@harryjones- I didn’t realize how long my post was until it was posted. I had a lot to say! haha. They teach us that too. I promise.</p>
<p>I go to a private school, so I am a tad bit biased but here is just some food for thought:</p>
<p>I went to a public high school before going to a private one and at the public one our history teacher was going through a ‘crisis’ and we ended up going through one chapter of our text and watching Happy Feat on a loop.</p>
<p>The classes are much smaller so I get more attention from teachers. The school is smaller. People are encouraged to look at the school as a sort of “family.”</p>
<p>Again, this was just my experience.</p>
<p>Also, we do not compete in anything because that requires funding that would much rather go to something else a little bit more useful like giving more students financial aid that need it. </p>
<ul>
<li>our food is better.</li>
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<p>Edit: I got to a college prep school.</p>
<p>***. My school’s profile is barely a page and only has the grading scale on it.</p>
<p>I think just looking at AP’s and competitions doesn’t tell the whole story about rigor. Many private schools don’t really follow the AP curriculum. Some of these schools are rigorous to the point that every class is hard and every A is impressive. There’s no game to see who can take the most AP’s. </p>
<p>The comparison between URMs and prep schoolers is absurd. Academically, prep school grads do very well in college because they have gotten great preparation. Many people on CC who have taken 10+ AP classes have never really tasted college-like rigor.</p>
<p>Also, places like Exeter/Andover are so good that 50% of the class gets massive financial aid, acceptance rates are around 10%…virtually indistinguishable from top liberal arts colleges in some ways.</p>