[SunFlower33]

Originally Posted by NewJeffCT

while there could be some kids applying to a science/math school that aren't interested, why would they? Especially if there are less specialized schools around.

Because it gets them out of their crappy school? ie - Hartford public?

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Mike 75

Sorry, but I disagree (partially at least). Elite boarding schools like Hotchkiss or Choate have much better college placement stats than even the best public high schools in CT. Its not even close. And that makes sense as they are drawing from an international student base and have their pick of them. And they are very sophisticated when it comes to the college application process. Now, is that worth $50k a year? Maybe. But all things being equal, the kid from Choate will have better odds of getting into an Ivy League school versus the kid at Glastonbury High.

But I agree that once you get away from the elite boarding schools, the better public highs schools can hold their own in terms of college placement with the private schools.

Of course elite boarding schools have higher college placement stats, parents are paying a lot just to ensure their kid goes onto college. Public schools have a wide range of students, some going onto college some not. I am not sure a kid going to Choate though has a better chance than a kid going to say Glastonbury High if they have the same grades and curriculum backgrounds. Each year Glastonbury High sends a number of students to very prestigious colleges. I have seen them being sent to Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth and many others. When my kids were in school though a lot of the top students did not go Ivy even though they were accepted. For various reasons they have selected other schools instead. A lot seem to like Northeastern.

Another thing to keep in mind is that many kids that go to those elite schools are legacies whose families have been longtime big donors to the more prestigious colleges so their entrance into those schools is almost guaranteed while a student from more humble backgrounds is not necessarily going to be accepted unless they have great grades and impressive recommendations. Jay

[Tomhpo]

Jay, I wish for the world you describe. In my own experience, there is a distinct and persistent advantage in attending an elite prep that carries through (at least) the first job. (And in between). The good news is you can grab that same halo a number of other ways. You can attend an ivy or top tier research university for graduate school if you miss out in undergrad. You can cheat the whole system and study in, say, Germany and then take a job at a foreign office of an American bank (maybe the Singapore or Taiwan office, probably not EU). Anyway, there are lots of options.

The public school kids have to work harder to differentiate themselves, to colleges and beyond. Prep schools 'push' for their kids. Their counsellors have connections inside college admissions offices giving them at the least greater transparency into the process. Increasingly elite college admissions is a game of inches and that advocacy matters. (Not to mention that many non-ivy elite schools are still looking for children of means for lifelong giving. It's even true for state schools now.).

Top tier employers pay attention to 'pedigree', all the way down to high school. It's a very competitive world.

Having said all that, our kids go to Avon public schools. :-)