The Disadvantages of Public School Against Private School

Applying to College
1

<p>Hello. I'm a rising senior living in a small town in New Mexico. My public high school is nothing compared to the schools other CC's attend. The graduation rate is 65%. Prestige is considered to be attending Baylor or UT-Austin, like an Ivy for a CC. Hardly anyone takes the SAT; just the ACT, if that! Subject Tests are unheard of. Most students who even choose to do post secondary education just go to the local junior college. </p>

<p>AP Scores are absolutely terrible, despite offering so many AP courses. AP Human had 1/60 pass my year, and I was the one who passed. On WHAP, over 200 took the exam. Two passed, I having the higher score. I made a 4 on both exams. The highest pass rate is probably for APUSH and AP English Lang: 5-7%, about 10-15 individuals out of over 200.</p>

<p>Then, there's, well... Me. I do not mean to sound pretentious AT ALL, but I am beyond my high school's expectations of a student. 34 ACT, 2120 SAT (620CR, 700M, 800W (11E)). I've taken six Subject Tests, including 720's on Math Level 1 and Biology E and a 700 on U.S. History. When I tell my teachers and counselors these scores, they are in shock, absolute amazement. And these scores are relatively low on CC, especially my Subject Tests and my SAT!</p>

<p>I'm currently on a day off from my summer job, working at a church camp on volunteer hours for all of June away from home. Most of the rest of the crew staff attend private schools. Their academics floor me. They make SAT scores like 2180 and 2190 with minimal studying on their own. Why? Their school prepares them for it. My school doesn't offer any kind of test prep program!</p>

<p>I studied very hard for my ACT, I even missed a day of school for it! I also read, highlighted, and annotated the whole Blue Book's review section. I only got a 2120. Yeah, ONLY. At my school, that's unrealistically high. However, I'm aiming for Ivies, and that score isn't high enough! I literally get frustrated that I got such a relatively lower score with so much studying compared to these students who receive preparation through private school. </p>

<p>Moreover, their environment is better! Education and hard work effort are championed, nothing like at my school. At my high school it feels like nobody understands my ambition, and my goals, and my desires, and my standards, and my plight. </p>

<p>How am I supposed to even compete? Private schools give their students integrated and additional test preparation and a good name for a large boost in college admissions. But what about me? What about the students who don't have the option of private school? What about those who live in a small town with only one poor, public high school? What about those of us who have big dreams, but are trapped in a lower public high school, fighting hopelessly against a sea of private school applicants?</p>

<p>I just don't think it's fair. I understand that it is an individual responsibility to study and make yourself competitive in college admissions, but it just seems like private school students have such large advantages over students like me at public schools. Perhaps it all just boils down to the ol' "Life isn't fair."</p>

<p>I commend private schools for what they do for their students--but why must those of us who have no ability to attend one suffer?</p>

<p>I'm sorry. This quickly turned into a venting thread. Reply and let me know what you think, your stories and opinions on this matter, and whatever else. </p>

<p>I'm not dogging on private schools, not at all. Rather, I'm upset about how unfairly underprivileged and disadvantaged those students like me are, condemned to a poor, public high school with big Ivy dreams.</p>

2

<p>Sorry, but that’s simply one of the advantages that the wealthy enjoy - both in the admissions process and life in general. Yes, it’s well-known that the wealthy have a massive leg up compared to their lower-class competitors, but if it makes you feel any better, most admission officers are usually rather sympathetic to the disasvantaged. Not as much to make up for all the tutors, better schools, expensive summer programs, etc. but colleges DO understand.</p>

3

<p>I agree that the inequality in our education system is appalling. If you feel passionately about this, maybe you should consider working in a public service capacity. Get involved politically. Work for your schools and your community. Learn why some school districts have a lot of money, and others are barely able to afford books. You’ll see that the inequality is not just private vs public, but public vs public, as well.</p>

<p>There is a lot of injustice in America, but many people are only interested in getting ahead themselves, and once they have, they take the attitude that if they could do it, so can everyone else. It takes a lot of dedication and some self-sacrifice to be a part of the changes this country needs to be a more fair society. But you may be someone who is up to the challenge. Good luck!</p>

4

<p>There is, no doubt, that there is great inequality in education and wealth has a great deal to do with it (also the stupid burdens politicians place on public schools that privates can ignore). I think there are wonderful public schools that do as good or even a better job of preparing students for college than most private schools. If you keep working and studying I bet you can improve your scores and work your way into the college of your choice. While hard work cannot make up for wealth and the opportunity to attend a prep school it can give you the chance you desire. Good Luck!!</p>

5

<p>Let me tell you, as an employer I would much rather hire you, than a kid who got the same scores because his school offered lots of prep and hand-holding to him. ONe of the things that frustrates me most on CC is the focus on numbers and prestige. But in real life and the working world, the person who shows initiative and potential and ambition is the one who will go the furthest. </p>

<p>I would think a school would be very interested in someone like you who managed to “rise above” the average at your school. That shows that you did all that work on your own.</p>

6

<p>You’re right, it is unfair. There are over twice as many public as private high schools, and most public high schools have many times more students than private ones do. Ivy League and Ivy-caliber schools’ entering freshman classes are usually roughly half from private schools and half from public schools.</p>

7

<p>I was in the same boat a few years ago, I went to the kind of school where someone getting into an ivy was something that happened maybe once in a decade. I knew that I really wanted to go to a top caliber college, but whenever I brought it up to my guidance counselor or teachers I just got a lot of blank stares. What I had to do was simply ignore it, look past what everyone else was doing and make a decision for myself. I remember being extremely frustrated when all of my wealthy private school friends got a private SAT tutor to get the scores they needed, and all of my parents could afford was a test prep book from Barnes and Noble. Nevertheless, I worked my butt off, got into the ivy I now attend, and honestly I never looked back once.</p>

<p>With that being said, I always have had a huge amount of respect for “diamond in the rough” stories. I think it says sooo much about your character when you come from a crappy high school, extreme poverty, or something similar and you still manage to get straight A’s, stellar test scores, and did a ton of ECs. It shows a huge amount of drive and that you were willing to do whatever it takes to transcend your circumstances. </p>

<p>Think about it. Lets say you were an admissions officer. You have two applications in front of you. One of them was born with a silver spoon, went to a wealthy private school, did everything their guidance counselor told them to, and marched down the already paved path that many of his/her classmates did before them. The other dug his own path. He had to work part-time to help his parents pay the bills, had to babysit his younger siblings constantly, went to a noncompetitive high school, yet still managed to graduate first in his class and wrote in his essays how he dreamed to go on to do amazing things if only he had the opportunities. In my opinion, I think the second applicant has a much more interesting story.</p>

<p>You are completely right. It isn’t fair that the wealthier have it easier. However, my point is you can spin this to work to YOUR advantage. Besides, being wealthy isn’t so glamorous. My private school friends complained constantly how hard it was to be in the top 10% of their class, even the top 25%, simply because how competitive their high school is. At your school, you are in a league of your own and I imagine your class rank is very high. You also have the choice to write an essay about all of the hardships you faced, whereas private school students may not have a powerful topic to write about. </p>

<p>Admission officers take circumstances into consideration when they are making decisions. So in a way, it all balances out in the big scheme of things. Just keep working as hard as you can, and in the end it might all work out.</p>

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<p>

The fact is that you haven’t tried applying to those ivies and other top schools yet. You have a 34 ACT and good grades. You are competitive. You’re not out of the running. Colleges will know that your hs is no Exeter. </p>

<p>So, yes, life isn’t fair, but you have it better than many. Vent and get it out of your system and then get in there and scrap with the rest of them, or we’ll have to post some sappy speech about “getting into the arena”. :)</p>

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<p>I actually think you are overrating the expensive prep schools. There’s a certain amount of “parents get what they pay for” - academic support, test prep, empasis on service, long, golden LoRs, etc. That’s not always as impressive as the self-starter kid who overcomes the limits of a lesser public school. Good chance your ACT and SAT scores will serve you well, considering the context in which you achieved them. </p>

<p>But, I hope you are focusing on “the rest of the story.” The Ivies review holistically- the substance of your activities in- and outside- the hs, what you accomplish, your impact and more. </p>

<p>One of the other issues that can crop up in a hs that doesn’t often send kids to top tier, is the LoRs. Of course, you want teachers whose comments will have some relevance to the major you indicate (eg, a science or math teacher, if you will be STEM.) But, you want to discreetly encourage them to write about your maturity, contributions, intellect, growth- not just a few lines about how you do your homework, smile, and are in some clubs.</p>

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<ol>
<li><p>Life isn’t fair. The expensive prep schools have always had an advantage and 50 years from now I suspect they still will.</p></li>
<li><p>The Ivies are an infinitesimally small subset of the available openings at strong colleges. The obsession that people have with the Ivies (especially here on CC) seems to assume that there is some sort of secret education you get at those 8 schools that you can’t get anywhere else. That is patently false. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>2a. The Ivy obsession is invariably about prestige and little else. I actually heard a parent say “Oh he got into Cornell. It’s Ivy, not one of the top ones but still Ivy League”. If you are obsessed with prestige you’ll always be looking up at who’s in first.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Personally I think the private school advantage helps most for those kids who are between top 10%-20% in their graduating class. The top kids from any school will get considered at the best colleges. I think the kids at the next rung down get a bigger boost from the prep school name with the assumption being that 15th%tile at LottaBux Academy has to be a stronger candidate than 15% at middle of nowhere public.</p></li>
<li><p>It’s not about the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog. If you’re a top tier student and you continue to put in the work in college you’re still going to succeed regardless of where you go to school.</p></li>
</ol>

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<p>Inequality sucks, but frankly, you’ve beaten it.</p>

<p>Assuming you’re the valedictorian in your class, you’re almost guaranteed to get into one of the best schools in the country with a 34 ACT. You stand a chance even at the Ivies, and if you apply to a wide range of schools, you have incredibly good odds of getting into a top school that even most private school kids don’t stand a chance at.</p>

<p>If money is the problem, you’re in luck, because the top schools almost always have the best financial aid as well. Apply to like ten schools, including a few Ivies and at least one safety, and you’re probably set for college. If you do your research on what colleges give the best financial aid and your family’s income matches the description of the town you gave, you can probably go to college for next to nothing. You have it made, man. You put in the effort and now it’s time for you to reap the rewards. You ask how you’re supposed to compete, but trust me, you’re extremely competitive at any school in the country. Stop focusing on that SAT; your ACT is way better and the whole “colleges prefer the SAT” idea is about twenty years out of date. A 34 ACT is good enough to get you into any college in the country if you have the grades to match (which it sounds like you do, though you don’t say).</p>

12

<p>My D was in much the same boat, although she never felt she was at a disadvantage & neither did we, her parents. She attended a small rural high school where the top ten in each class typically went to in-state “good” schools. However, if she had attended a larger, more competitive high school, I doubt that she would have been class president, captain of a varsity sport as a Soph., had major parts in theater productions, etc. This definitely allowed her to stand out more, build confidence and develop into a leader. She was accepted at her college of choice (Cornell) which many thought was a real reach.</p>

13

<p>What vinceh said… </p>

<p>Your future does not depend on what college you go to. Period. </p>

<p>It does depend on what you do when you get to whatever college you wind up at. There are people, I suspect more than you might realize, who go to an Ivy or other high-prestige school and essentially squander the opportunity. They graduate with an impressive degree, which may get them a good first job. But because of what they didn’t do while in college, they are essentially crippled for life. And once you get beyond your first job, nobody cares what the name is on your diploma. What will carry you is what you know and what you have accomplished. </p>

<p>And there are countless cases of people who have gone to less-prestigious colleges, applied themselves, and gone on to very successful lives. </p>

<p>Your achievements so far show that you are a serious student. Keep that up through college, and you will do well in life, regardless of where you get your degree.</p>

14

<p>I just want to reiterate some of the other posters’ sentiments. </p>

<p>Though I went to a public high school, it was very competitive, one of the top in the nation, and in fact technically more expensive than the local private schools (it would have been cheaper to live in another neighborhood and pay private school tuition than it was to buy a house in my neighborhood). Just goes to show how messed up our education system can be, when there are private schools that are more affordable than public schools. </p>

<p>While my school had a high number of people accepted into top schools, a lot of people applied and got rejected. Simply having a 2300+, 4.0, being president of multiple clubs, and doing research at a local university wasn’t enough, since those types of kids were a dime a dozen at my school. </p>

<p>Colleges look at you in the context of your school. While applicants from my school looked good on paper, many of them were unsuccessful due to the heavy competition. You have excelled despite the odds against you, and that will certainly help you. I know plenty of people who got into top schools with scores similar to yours, and I even know of somebody who goes to a HYPS school with an SAT score somewhere in the range of 1750-1850 (and no, he wasn’t a recruited athlete, just from an underprivileged background. He was URM though.) My point is that your scores are already pretty high, and then given the context of your school, they’re amazing. </p>

<p>And even if you don’t get into an ivy, you clearly have a strong work ethic and a desire to succeed, which I think will help you more than anything else. Good luck!</p>

15

<p>I’m in the EXACT position you are in. I’m so glad that there is someone else like me on here.</p>