private school...public school?

Question

ok so heres what i want to know

-i go to a small private school(about 70 ppl per grade)..i have been there since kindergarten and i love it there

-if i want to...i can go to a public school anytime

-my mom says if i stay at a private school i dont have a good chance at getting into a big college --this like doused my dreams...
(Notre Dame, Uni. of Texas, UNC, BC, NYU)
{can you tell i live on the east coast}

-my sisters friends are going to places like Penn State, VT, UNC, UVA
-->those seem like big colleges to me!

my question is:

HOW COME IF YOU GO TO A PUBLIC SCHOOL--YOU HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF GETTING INTO A BIG COLLEGE THAN IF YOU GO TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL?

i dont get it.

Answer 1

I never heard of such a thing. It may be true but I know a lot of students that went to a private school and went on to college. Your grades determine whether you are accepted to college. I'd ask the principal at your school. Or some other people that may know. Maybe you could call a college in your town or near by and just ask them. People that go to private school are usually a little above regular school.
Check it out. Get more than one answer.

Answer 2

Public Schools.

Answer 3

Mom is wrong, most private schools have a better standard of education then the public schools. If you go there and do well, it will show up on your SAT scores, which is one of the big things that schools look at.

People complain about the SATs but it is a way of leveling the playing field, some teachers maybe easy and give a lot of 90's for little work and other teachers are tough and give 80s for tons of work and learning.

The SATs are where this will show up. Work hard and you can get into the college you want.

In fact, pick up a phone, call some of the colleges you are interested in, ask to speak to an admissions counselor and get the info from the source.

Answer 4

Not true at all. For colleges like those on your list, public school won't give you a leg up, IMO. Also, the size of the college doesn't determine the competitiveness. A small place like Swarthmore might be more difficult to get into than Penn State.

However, what your mom may be referring to is that sometimes in college admissions, you end up competing with your classmates. At the elite of the elite private schools (I am talking about places like Exeter, etc.), if you want to go to an Ivy League or similarly elite school, you are facing a lot of competition within your own class, and if you're on the east coast, you are facing a lot of regional competition (lots of people on the east coast want to go to Ivy League schools, which isn't necessarily the case in other regions of the country). So in that sense, it can be tougher, because the admissions offices are trying to get a good geographic balance, as well as not admit too many people from one school.

Bottom line is that you will be fine, and should go to the school where you are most likely to thrive and learn. Good luck!

Answer 5

It's not true.
Good grades are good grades. It will help you a great deal to take part in extra curricular activities as much as possible, but this would be true in a public school also. Your abilities will show through your application, grades, essay, and interview. My daughters are in a private school because the local public school isn't safe and is performing below state expectations. Their school is safe and exceeding expectations.
If you are happy stay where you are. Is the cost of the school actually a problem? You might want to talk to mom and find out why this has come up. If there is financial stress, you need to consider your mom's situation and then make a decision.

Answer 6

Your mom isn't really telling you the whole story. Excellent grades, good references, good essays, extracurricular activities and the ability to PAY affect your chances of getting in to any college.

Some colleges might see that you have only ever been to a teeny private school and think you might not have had enough world experiences to be the kind of student they would like. Maybe your mom thinks you are too sheltered and limited at such a small school.

I do think that you would probably have a very hard time adjusting to a huge, diverse school with tons of new things you've never heard of. Switching to a larger high school might prepare you better for going to a big college. A tiny private school like yours might better prepare you to go to a small private college, where you wouldn't be so overwhelmed.

Answer 7

That's actually not always true. Many people get into the "best" colleges because of the money value their parents have. Yale even admitted that they admit more people to their school who are a bit wealthy.

I honestly don't see what the difference would be. My cousin went to an all boys private school and got accepted to Princeton, but he decided to go to another elite college instead.

Also, I go to a public school, and I don't know many people who have been accepted to the elites (and I'm in the highest level classes you can get into at my school).

But also, race has to do with getting accepted as well. I know colleges don't like to admit it, but yea.

If you're used to private school I'd stay there, I really enjoy public school because I feel that I have more of a real-world experience, but do what's comfortable.

Grades matter as well. If you make some of the best grades, then you have a higher chance. But DON'T join a million extra curricular activies - colleges don't like that, it shows that you can't stick with one thing. Also, take as many AP classes as you can, colleges actually prefer that to many other things people feel are important.

But keep this in mind - someone I know was 1st in his class of 700 and had all these qualities you'd think a college would want, and he got denied to many elite colleges, such as Rice University (a private university). But yea, hate to say it, but there's a lot more to getting into elite colleges than just the High Schools you go to.

Answer 8

I don't thin kit should make a difference. but apparently it does. The colleges should look at private school as a positive thing. You learn more. I don't know why the colleges don't think so but they miss out on a lot of smart people when they do.

Answer 9

That isn't really true.
Admissions to college are based on mostly grades...but also on extracurricular activities---sports, clubs, academic competition, etc.
Public schools may offer a better variety of these than private schools can, but that alone will not stop a college from accepting a stellar student!

Keep your GPA over 3.8, and you'll probably get accepted at most college.
At 4.0, they will be trying to get YOU!!
Good luck!

Answer 10

I think you have it wrong. I go to a private school, in el paso texas. All the people you graduate from my school turn out to be every sucessful. We get more scholarship money than most of the kids in Public schools. And they have told us that most universities preferr us than other highschools. The name is Cathedral High School. If you have more ?'s email me.