Ivy League Acceptance from Atlanta Private Schools

[katekilla]

But what I mean is, the chances of a kid getting into an Ivy League school are very very slim. All the schools the OP listed have sent kids to Ivies as well as to many other excellent schools (the Oberlin/Wesleyan type, as well as the MIT/CalTech type). So to ask which school of that group (Westminster, Pace, Paideia) is going to give your kid the best chance at an Ivy is asking the wrong question -- the better question is, which of these schools is going to give my child a good x number of years of schooling, and the best preparation for a good life.

Believe me, I've known lots of kids who went to Harvard (including my husband). Those who ended up there after a rich educational life, with a great head on their shoulders and a strong sense of themselves, did great. Those who clearly were there after a dozen years of intense, parent-focused pressure, who saw getting into Harvard as a prize -- those kids burned out, flamed out, flunked out.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by katekilla

I'd kind of ask why you care about your kid going to an Ivy versus any other excellent school. And then I'd ask what you want for your child during their years pre-college -- is it all going to be about eventual matriculation at an Ivy League school, or do you want your child to love learning, to find passion in extracurricular pursuits, to learn to be a good human being?

If you came to me with this kind of question and I were in a school's admissions office, I would recommend you not be admitted. A child's education isn't and shouldn't be just another stepping stone to some imaginary future -- it's part of that child's life. I find the Ivy-or-bust attitude naive at best.

Fantastic post, kate.

[LovelySummer]

I agree that kids should not be pressured and stressed about going to an ivy. I don't even like the apparent self-induced pressure kids at Northview are apparently placing upon themselves so agreed.

Originally Posted by katekilla

But what I mean is, the chances of a kid getting into an Ivy League school are very very slim. All the schools the OP listed have sent kids to Ivies as well as to many other excellent schools (the Oberlin/Wesleyan type, as well as the MIT/CalTech type). So to ask which school of that group (Westminster, Pace, Paideia) is going to give your kid the best chance at an Ivy is asking the wrong question -- the better question is, which of these schools is going to give my child a good x number of years of schooling, and the best preparation for a good life.

Believe me, I've known lots of kids who went to Harvard (including my husband). Those who ended up there after a rich educational life, with a great head on their shoulders and a strong sense of themselves, did great. Those who clearly were there after a dozen years of intense, parent-focused pressure, who saw getting into Harvard as a prize -- those kids burned out, flamed out, flunked out.

[Ann Arbor Non-golfer]

Interesting link of a couple of yrs back listing where all the incoming class at every higher ed school in the US comes from.


Where Does Your Freshman Class Come From? - Students - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Westminster sends 10-30% of all Georgia's Ivy League intakes. 400+ High Schools and one sends that many. Purely a coincidence I'm sure. As well as their regularly having more NMF finalists, (~34) than any school in Georgia, despite have only a class of ~200 students.

[roxyrn]

If you are a family who can afford to pay top dollar to send your kid to private schools, you also are more likely to have the resources to pay for test prep, college admissions advisor (from personal experience in 2001- $10,000), college essay coach/editor, multiple college visits and interviews along with friends and family who are alum and major donators. Knowing how to play the Admissions Game is a big part of who gets in.

Prior to the college search, your child has also been able to afford multiple enrichment classes (say baby French at age two, Music Maestro at six months, etc). They have been able to have private tutors to pop up the GPA. They go to expensive summer camps, many academic. They can do volunteer work and many extracurriculars because they don't have to have jobs. They can go on humanitarian trips around the world....

A top private school also has the advantage over public schools because they choose the top students so it makes since that many more would be admitted to the Ivies...

[petertemplar70]

^ A lot of parents who send their kids to very good public schools then have *more* money for enrichment. I realize there are fabulously wealthy people who can spare no expense.

And what kind of lunatic is specifically focused on getting their kid into an Ivy? What if they want to go to MIT? Or Julliard. Or what if they really fit in at a state school?

[snsh5713]

Originally Posted by sherlockjones

You would expect a school like Westminster to place a lot of kids in Ivy League schools simply b/c they are drawing students from a highly educated pool of families. But, that doesn't increase their chances. When you are talking about Ivy League schools, just about every kid there was a valedictorian or at least top 1% of their graduating class.
But, lets say you send your smart kid to Westminster where he finds lots of other really smart kids. After 4 years of intense academics, he manages to finish with a rank of 20th in his class of 100. That is quite an accomplishment and he/she probably has a 90th percentile score on the SAT. In terms of Ivy League admission, he has little chance. But, had he gone to a public school and ranked at the top of the class, SAT scores being equal, he/she would have a much better shot of admission.

Many, if not most private schools do not rank their classes. Some highly competitve public high schools like Northview have also stopped reporting class rank to colleges

[Clayton white guy]

I grew up in a working class suburb (Forest Park/ Morrow area). The thought of paying $20,000 a year to send each of my three children to an exclusive private school really gives me heartburn. Can there really be that much difference, especially with an AP track through high school? I certainly work hard to give my children every advantage and I certainly care about their educational outcomes, but food on the table and a roof over their head has to have preference. That does not make myself or any other parent less caring about their child or his or her education just because they attend public school (even one with a low greatschools score. Also, as a public educator myself, I really don't like the inference that I do not teach every child that comes to me to go to UGA, the Ivies, or any other place their God given talents and abilities may take them. I always teach to the top of the class and give support to those who may fall behind. My teachers at Forest Park High treated myself and my classmates with respect, not condescension because they seemed to realize that "blue collar does" not mean "dumb" and that we could rise up to intellectual rigor. If you choose to send your child to Westminster, Woodward, or any other private do so with my blessing and best wishes. Do not, however, pretend that you are doing it because you love your children or their educational attainment more than this proud public educator and father from Clayton County!