When it comes to the time of picking a school for students, families often ask "which is it better? to have attended a well known private school or go to a public school when it comes to college admissions officers reviewing the applications"?. My answer to parents is that they should not make ANY decisions based purely on what college your child wants to get into in fifth grade, it is what you want to accomplish as a result of the experience you offer you children. The reason families choose to go to a private school over a public one is based on what the need of the family is at that time, and to put it all onto the college admissions process is the wrong way to go about getting into college. At the end of the day, when colleges look at students, they are looking at far more factors than simply what schools a student attended or who your friends are.
One good reason to send your son or daughter to private school is that you want him or her to have smaller classes, and get more individualized attention, have a higher level of healthy competition within a class, to develop certain social skills, and to get specific classes not offered at your particular public school.
The worst reason to send a student to a private school is in the hopes of bettering the odds on playing the college admissions game. Each year the application pool changes, and no one can predict, not even admissions officers. The acceptance rates from private and public schools at top colleges is almost equal, and parents need to know their children. If a student functions better in a smaller class size, needs more attention, then maybe a private school is a good way to go... however, if a child is outgoing, loves to in large situations, a public school might let him or her flourish.
When it comes to how top schools across America view students and who they end up accepting comes down to this: a quarter of the students come from private schools, two thirds come from public schools, and the rest from home-schooled environments. Therefore, with two thirds of the students getting in from public schools, it stands to reason that more students from public schools apply to schools.... and that going to a private school does not raise the odds of getting in necessarily.
However, that said, if a student who is #1 in his or her class from a top public school, he or she may not on the overall competition be accepted to a top college if he or she has low scores on the SAT and Subject Tests, or an interview demonstrates that the school is the wrong place for that student.
What does drive students into getting into a school is the competition driven by students all over the country that are applying to that school. One thing that a private school will do is keep on top of the competition factor and prepare students to get into schools like Stanford, Harvard, Middlebury, USC, and UCLA, but it is important to also know that each year the application pool changes and consideration has to be also given to international students, athletes, minorities, and so on, but still that is no guarantee.
What does drive students into getting into a school is the competition driven by students all over the country that are applying to that school. One thing that a private school will do is keep on top of the competition factor and prepare students to get into schools like Stanford, Harvard, Middlebury, USC, and UCLA, but it is important to also know that each year the application pool changes and consideration has to be also given to international students, athletes, minorities, and so on, but still that is no guarantee.
Many parents want to opt for top private schools because it is far more difficult to be in the top 5-10% of the class at a place where almost everyone is qualified versus the large public school with some "dead weight." However, private schools can be pricey and range from $ 15,000 to $35,000 a year plus some extras.
So to answer the question of "do I pay for a private school or go to a public one?" That is a personal choice that you and your family needs to make, and only you can answer that question. This decision needs to be based on the course offerings, sports, options, comfort level, and specialty offerings that meets your child's needs rather than trying to outwit college admissions officers who will not be impressed just by a big name private school.
The goal that parents need to consider when making the choice is this: "Is the school I am choosing going to help my child perform better?, be happier?, and feel the most comfortable? Once you answer those questions honestly, you will have your answer. If you live in an area where the local public school has great teachers, neighborhood friends, a full line up of AP courses, and a safe environment, then it may be worth more to a student than any of the top notch preparatory school. You and you family need to find the schools that fit for your child, not the child fitting the school.
