<p>Do you guys think private schools get an unfair boost to admissions? </p>
<p>I think so. I know tons of unqualified kids who go to private schools (whose education is not necessarily rigorous) and just walk into top schools because they pay 30k a year at a private institution that has connections to top colleges. These private schools that claim to have "rigorous education" don't even have AP classes. It's a shame that these are the feeder schools of america; it's like an AA boost for the wealthy. These kids can get into Yale or Harvard without much effort while kids like Silverturtle get rejected from Yale because they don't go to feeder private schools. </p>
<p>Not really. Schools like Andover, and Exeter and schools of that league are truly rigorous. And many who go there are ready for a rigorous environment of a top school. The reason why they don’t take AP classes is because most of their classes are harder than many APs. And APs are not rigorous when compared to the work of schools in other countries. Sorry to say, the American school system isn’t that hard, and these schools can compete with top international schools.</p>
<p>And many of these schools are not only for the wealthy, anyone who meets the requirements can get in. I think (not sure) but all of those schools will meet full need if you can’t afford it. They have deep pockets.</p>
<p>Private schools like the ones you listed, sure maybe they do get an advantage because of their rigor. But private schools, like religious affiliated ones (such as the Catholic school I go to, ■■■), are probably at a disadvantage. No clue why, but the Catholic schools in my area are considered to be ‘better’ than all but one of the public schools here, and from even the really ‘bad’ ones we see better admission successes. I think top schools hate us catholic schools haha</p>
<p>I feel like public school is so much more rewarding in the long run, though. In private schools, you’re living in a sort of “bubble” of privileged people. You take SO much for granted. In public schools, it’s so diverse (socio-economically AND racially), so you really learn about a lot of people, and in a lot of cases, you really learn to appreciate how much you have. It’s character-building, for sure. And in such a big and diverse environment, you have to work twice as hard to get noticed, and that is infinitely more rewarding and fulfilling. Colleges love bright kids from tough environments. Public school is some character-building stuff.</p>
<p>Religious schools are generally not as rigorous, because the sacred literature is such a part of the curriculum, they cannot teach evolution, or many topics that are against their respected religion. Private day schools are probably as rigorous as most top public schools. </p>
<p>I can tell you firsthand Exeter/Andover are rigorous schools. Although they do not offer many APs or honors, toxic93 is right. They do not teach to the test but expect you to apply your knowledge to the test if you choose to take the AP or SAT subject test. The caliber of kid is already so high in many boarding schools, offering honors would be frankly rather pointless.</p>
<p>Are you sure. Because in NYC, the most diverse place in the US. Happens to have an issue with diversity. The best public schools are over 85% Asian or white. And the majority of the worst public schools have a majority of minorities. That is not rewarding at all. Stuyvesant and Brooklyn Tech are called Asian central by some people. They are one of the top public schools in the country. And I can tell you, not all of the public schools at the level of the top private schools have diversity. </p>
<p>And PLEASE don’t start a thread war about diversity.</p>
<p>EDIT: ^The Catholic church accepts Evolution as a possible theory, and evolution is taught in Roman Catholic schools. The Catholic church accepts science to better understand humans. I go to a Catholic school that teaches science, it happens to have a string science program. Religion doesn’t get in the way of the education at all. So don’t label all religious schools as the same.</p>
<p>Those schools are clearly deserving of their feeder status. But I mean your average private school, even the religiously affiliated ones. You basically pay 30k a year to go there for a lackluster education and walk into a top school. >_> no one knows what I’m talking about?</p>
<p>^Not all private schools cost 30k, some really good ones happen to cost 8k a year. The reason these schools are feeder is because many top colleges have had a great experience with these students over the years. And you don’t just walk into a top school, you have to be qualified. And the majority of people going to top colleges go to a public school, even some from the worst.</p>
<p>I’m obviously limited from what I know from my area. If you look at statistics, about 50% of the students from each ivy league are from private schools. That statistic is in itself rather sickening to me. </p>
<p>How do you know that colleges have had a great experience with these kids? I can assure you that their education (generalizing for the private schools in my area) is subpar and the students are not competitive. These private schools have grade sizes of 40-50 kids, and roughly half go to ivies. They don’t take APs until junior year and don’t even compete in ANY of the academic competitions (sci o, math bowl, anything). Their SAT scores are correspondingly high for their insane ivy acceptance rates (I checked their PSAT score profiles). </p>
<p>That may have been true 50-60 years ago; it certainly isn’t today. The majority of Ivy League students now come from public schools, i.e.:</p>
<p>admissions.yale.edu/node/2040/attachment</p>
<p>Many top private/boarding schools also offer substantial financial aid and/or scholarships. In terms of educational quality, like toxic93 said, they don’t need AP classes. Their normal classes are just as challenging as AP classes, if not more so. Such is the case at TJHSST – a public school.</p>
<p>I go to a Prep School in NY. Let me tell you, the place has abosolutely zero pull in college admissions. I don’t think we’ve sent more than 5 kids to HYP in the 100 years it has been around. Heck, I’m the first kid to go to UVA from it… My public school, on the other hand, is outstanding. I believe they are sending 6 kids to HYP this year alone.</p>
<p>I think its the quality of the school and not what type of school it is. I go to a private, and each year more than 10 kids go to an ivy, Brown and Columbia being the top feeder.</p>
<p>Many kids from my school go to top schools, and my school is a great school. Brown and Columbia usually accepts many students from my school, I don’t think we had a Harvard kid recently though. </p>
<p>But its not like they walk in those schools, they truly deserve it. Top grades, great ECs and awards, and all that other stuff.</p>
<p>Yeah that’s what I mean… private schools around my area have a lot of students going to one or two ivies but an abysmally small number going to another ivy. Why do you think that is? Brown and Columbia aren’t the easiest ivys to get into. I know a private school student with mediocre stats (for the school he got into) and he was not ambitious. He knew he would go to cornell because all the students at his private school go there. and he did. i can’t help but think that many private schools have connections to top schools…</p>
<p>That’s why I said they deserve it, they have great stats. Its not just ivy leagues, but other top schools, that many go to, and a small number to 2 year schools. And the school you describing I would like to go if I can get to a top school without even trying.</p>
<p>They don’t have an advantage. Stop complaining about these private school kids, and complain about legacy’s, affluent, and celebrities getting into top schools. They have it easier then a private school student.</p>
<p>I don’t know <em>that</em> much about private high schools, but a local one (Harvard-Westlake) produces around 20 Stanford admits each year, among others. Upon looking at the school’s performance in competitions (SciOly, AcaDeca, etc.) and their newspaper (obviously their funding allows them to produce a really nice one) seems (to me, at least) demonstrate their capabilities.</p>
<p>In that way, private schools mold HYPMSC-bound students, partly as a result of their resources. As for college admissions, I would guess that private colleges (i.e. Stanford) will accept below-average students if their parents are generous benefactors, but not necessarily on high school feeders. This probably varies from school to school though. Just a thought.</p>