Will a Private School name help?

Applying to College
41

<p>chioma -- have you taken high school math? A class in statistics might be in order. I am normally not so sarcastic -- but honestly, think about what you are saying. </p>

<p>independent schools only account for 2% of the students and yet those students make up 25 - 33% of the kids at top schools. You don't see the correlation?</p>

<p>no one said that the majority of kids in top schools came from privates -- just that schools well-known for producing excellent students (and most of the very top are private) send a greater number of kids to top schools.</p>

42

<p>From the counselor of D high school. Top colleges do know the reputation of top high schools(public+private). I know a high school that only one top student got into Cornell because the school send 15-25% kids go to 4-year college while other high school has 5-25% to top colleges because 99% of the kids go to 4-year college, so I think POIH and others are correct.</p>

43

<p>Exactly. I agree with hsmomstef. Also, think about it this way: many well-known public and private highschools send upwards of 30% of their students to top universities. However, some "unheard of" public schools only send about 1% of less to ivy league schools. So, with some basic math, attending a well known, private or public, high school most certaintly does increase your odds of going to a top university.</p>

<p>One of my friends scored a 680 on his bio SAT II and provided as part of his top 3 SAT IIs, did mediocre in school (B+'s in not the hardest courses). His EC's were pretty terrific, although not outstanding, and I'm sure his essays were good although I didn't read them. He goes to one of the top private schools in the countries (I believe that approx 40% of graduates attend Ivies) and was accepted UPenn.</p>

<p>If he had gone to a mediocre/poor public school I am almost positive he would not have gotten into Penn. So it certaintly does depend on what highschool you go to.</p>

44

<p>chioma999: Let me jump in here and see if I can help support your opinion.....and that is what most of these posts are people.....opinions so take a deep breath and relax. Please think twice about enrolling your child in a private school at an early age unless you are willing to re-evaluate this decision from time to time. If the major reason you have done so is because YOU have decided early on that they are Ivy League bound you are making a decision based on not knowing how your child is going to perform academically, socially, and psychologically which can backfire later on. Don't assume that because it is a private school that the teachers are highly trained and qualified and that the staff and headmaster are better than what most public schools hire. Some of these private schools have way to much freedom to do as they please and the way they make decisions at times has little to do with the well-being of your child and more to do with the well-being of their child.....which is the schools name and reputation to be exact. They require an awful lot of money to stay competitive and that money comes from school fundraisers and the parents which at times translates into the more some parents are involved time wise and money wise, the more their child excels which doesn't always mean they earned it. Make sure you ask questions and pay attention to how well YOUR child is doing in this environment and be open to making a change if you see issues that aren't being addressed by the staff, faculty, and administration. You may find out in the long run that you placed more value on the name of the school than it deserved and the public school down the street would have better prepared your child for college.</p>

45

<p>Yes, from what I have heard Private Schools really increase your chances of getting in a (good) college. </p>

<p>One of my friends told me that one of her friends was accepted in one of the UC schools just by looking at the name of her high school.</p>

<p>Especially if your school has a really good reputation, it will help you on your college applications.</p>

<p>Good luck =)</p>

46

<p>As a parent of students who have attended a rigorous public school, one of the top in the state, and a top 5 private boarding school, I can tell you that the academics at the private school are much, much, much more rigorous. The students who are graduating not only in the top 20%, but perhaps the top 50% of the private school, would be in the top 5% at the public school. Keep in mind that the private schools only accept 20-25% of their applicants. They have done a pre-screening process well in advance of college applications. </p>

<p>One college (U. of Michigan) told us that they rank high schools based on the GPA's AT MICHIGAN achieved by the graduates of that high school, and on that basis there is a distinct advantage for private schools, especially if backed up with high test scores and strong extracurriculars.</p>

47

<p>SharonD -- Chioma99 is a student -- here is her posting of her stats -- </p>

<p>"I am a Rising Senior living in Georgia and I am an African-American female.
I would like to go to a school ranked from the top 12 to 78 from U.S. News Rankings of National Colleges.</p>

<p>Keep in mind, i need a full academic scholarship to go out of state and I am not of "financial need"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>

<p>Here are my stats:</p>

<p>4.0 GPA
Have taken 3 APs (U.S.-4 ,BIO-waiting, Government-waiting)
Enrolled in 2-3 APs next year, I've taken advanced and honor classes
PSAT
CR- 650
M- 590
W-600
90% rank for national merit....hoping to get national acheivement
SAT
CR- 580
M-610
W- 650 ESSAY- 8 so W went down to 630</p>

<p>3 years varsity sports
lots of extracurricular clubs, tutoring, church volunteer, dance
paid summer internship every year in Science
Leadership- Local leadership teen group, V.P. and President positions in 3 clubs, also other offices</p>

<p>Just took June SAT, did some practice and hoping for a 2100- 700s in all 3 sections"</p>

<p>so she is speaking as a high school student applying for colleges. Whether she wants to admit it or not, the fact is that students from well regarded schools (public or private) have an edge when applying to top schools.</p>

<p>your post was excellent and right on target -- just not aimed at the right audience. Neither of my sons are currently in private schools. my younger son is looking for a change for next year and he is deliberately avoiding any schools where the majority of kids are planning on aiming for ivies -- just not the right "fit" for him. That said -- there are many reasons to attend a better school, public or private, and the fact that they provide a better educational experience is generally what leads to the increase in acceptances at top colleges.</p>

48

<p>Applicant will get the benefit of the doubt if they have a strong GPA from an elite private, which is not always the case with a comparable applicant coming from a lesser-known public.</p>

<p>That having been said, students at elite private schools are held to higher expectations as far as SAT2's, APs, etc. because they have more offered to them.</p>

49

<p>
[quote]
independent schools only account for 2% of the students and yet those students make up 25 - 33% of the kids at top schools. You don't see the correlation?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>If you took statistics, you would know that just because two things happen at the same time doesn't mean one cause the other. Chances are, the students that go to private schools are stronger to begin with and more wealthy, both strong indicators of admissions to top schools.</p>

<p>Anecdotal evidence hardly accounts for anything, and I doubt any college would publish evidence that they favor public or independent schools.</p>

<p>If framing whether the secondary school name helps, we should first answer the question: Should top colleges admit students from most prestigious secondary schools over nonprestigious ones. We have to assume colleges are rational beings trying to admit the best student class and would thus follow the most rational course of action. I think colleges should not give advantageous to students from "prestigious" secondary schools. With the exception of my counterargument, the arguments with private schools also apply to elite public schools.</p>

<p>Ignoring the ad hominem attacks and the use of argument unsupported by logic or statistics, like "you are dreaming if you think this," there are several arguments for the prestige of schools, which I will address.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>More prestigious schools offer a tougher curriculum, making them more qualified for college. There are so many qualified students from both public and private schools. Harvard claims 75% of its applicants are academically qualified. Colleges know if students are academically qualified without having to look at their schools. A public school student might have taken AP Calculus AB, the highest available, and a private school student might take Linear Algebra or Vector Calculus. It's not as though the former is not qualified for college. All colleges and universities claim they just want students to take the most rigorous coursework available to them. This is logical because colleges they shouldn't punish students who do not have the money or the opportunity to attend an independent school or move to a better public school. If a public schools offers 5 APs and the student took all of them, this looks better than a private school offers 15 AP and the student only took 5.</p></li>
<li><p>Higher acceptance rates to top schools from private school graduates. Look at my argument at the top of the post. Correlation does not equal causation.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>My arguments for the name doesn't help are</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Socioeconomic diversity. Most schools claim they are trying to achieve this. Given that only half the students at top universities receive financial aid, this means the other half are in the top 5% of people in this country with respect to family income. Since students that go to private and even elite public institutions are generally more wealthy, colleges and universities don't need more people from the top of American society.</p></li>
<li><p>Excelling in a poor school shows great merit. If a student went to a really poor and underachieving school, where ~60% of students drop out, the ability to overcome this negative school culture is sufficient proof of a student's motivation for learning if he or she achieved a high class rank. If nothing else, these stories make great photo ops and thus the receiving of more praise and donations for the college.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>A counterargument I could think of is that highly selective colleges and universities could give advantages to private school students as a way of getting around need-blind admissions. Since parents of independent school students are generally wealthier, colleges could be better assured those students will pay in full. This won't matter much for Harvard, Yale, or Princeton because they have so much money, but for schools with lower endowments but still practice need-blind admissions like UPenn, UChicago, and Columbia, going to a private school could help in this respect.</p>

50

<p>THE TITLE OF THIS THREAD IS: "WILL A PRIVATE SCHOOL HELP" so whovever said it was about top schools public/private is wrong. this board was meant to discuss only "well known" private schools... so i'd say about 50% of the stuff posted by people here who can't read.... is irrelevant.</p>

51

<p>chioma you're so wrong its funny.</p>

<p>A good private school will definitely help you get into some colleges. For an example, a school near me (Delbarton) has a connection with Jesuit schools, especially Georgetown. Delbarton is known for its high standards in academics and just about all students who apply to Georgetown get in because the person who sits on the board of Delbarton is a huge alumni of Georgetown.</p>

<p>These are the kind of connections that get you into college. A good private school will also have an amazing track record with ivy-caliber schools, so they know the potential of the people in the top10% or 20%</p>

52

<p>also let's all remember she is talking about a boarding school. that is on a whole other level from just general "private" schools. people please read the question of the person who wrote the thread and stay on topic.</p>

53

<p>everyone should just get over the whole chioma thing, and answer the girl's question directly. it's her opinion she is entitled to one. just like you all are. and no one knows who is really right..</p>

54

<p>hsmomstef:Thanks. I was counting on more than just Chioma99 reading my post and I don't take the time to investigate the credentials of the person behind the post because that doesn't interest me. I know from experience that you need to look at the individual and then search out the school that is a right fit and somewhere down the line that may even change. Our son attended public hs then private hs and became very depressed because he couldn't find a fit for him, he had few friends because friendships had been formed early on since the majority of these kids had attended school together since elementary days. Academically it was a challenge but he rose to the occasion and did well but he was not happy socially. No parent in their right mind is going to insist their child attend a school they are miserable at unless of course they are placing more value on the name and prestige of the school than on the happiness of their child, there needs to be a healthy balance on all fronts.</p>

55

<p>Lurker: So politics are what get you into a good school?</p>

56

<p>Thank you...
This bickering isn't what I'm asking for. I'd really appreciate a direct response. I could post my Stats if you like</p>

57

<p>AND THE AUTHOR SPEAKS... i tried to tell them to let it go... but people are so ADD these days.</p>

58

<p>HERE ARE MY STATS:</p>

<p>Currently a junior...</p>

<p>Attending a top and prestigious boarding school...
GPA: 3.65-3.7
Class Rank: Unknown, top 10% probably</p>

<p>Classes:</p>

<p>Freshman Year:
Freshman History
Freshman English
Geometry/Alg II
Honors French
Freshman Biology</p>

<p>Sophomore Year:
Honors Chemistry
Honors Precalculus for BC
Pre-AP French
Sophomore English
AP European History</p>

<p>Junior Year:
AP Chemistry
AP French
AP Calculus BC
Electives (Relgion/Economics)
Junior/AP English</p>

<p>Senior Year (Planned)
AP Physics C (E/M)
Multivariable Calculus
Senior English Electives (Required)
AP US History
AP English Lit
Electives for Requirments (All Advanced courses)</p>

<p>APs Taken:
Calculus (BC) (Pending)
Euro (Got a 5)
Chemistry (Pending)
French (Pending)
English Language (Pending)</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Drama Club (Costume Representative/Senior Council member)
South Asian Club (Elected President)
4 Years of Science Olympiad (Many State Titles)
Editor of Junior Essay Publication
Art Editor for School Magazine
Varsity Athletic Trainer
Varsity Fencing
Staff Writer for School Newspaper
Student Council</p>

<p>Others:
Over 300 Hours of Community service (120 as teacher's assistant, 200+ at Hospital)
Internship in Singapore this Summer
UPenn Biomedical Program last summer</p>

59

<p>what is ur SAT/ ACT score?</p>

60

<p>I'm planning to retake it but I got a 700V/740W/760M</p>