Within society, stereotypes exist for a reason. Culturally there is a stereotype that says that private high schools have an advantage in the college admissions process. While I was in the eighth grade, I struggled with the decision of whether or not to take on the financial burden of an elite private school education, in chances of being accepted into an elite university or running the risk of just pursuing a public school system education and being stuck with mediocrity. I battled with the decision for a long time, until I finally came to a decision, to keep going down the path of public school education. I currently believe I made the correct decision, however, after this research I will be able to tell whether or not I was actually correct or not. When I was prompted with the possibility to research any topic at the beginning of the year for this class, this specific idea stuck out in my head, because I felt as if I needed to justify my decision or see if I had picked the wrong one or not. The idea that an elite or Ivy League education is just handed out to elite private school students, and not even considered for many public students has been perpetuated for many years. So, I wanted to focus my research on this certain idea. As well, many people in the general population believe that no matter the case, private high school   college applicants have an overall advantage compared to public high school applicants. 

The topic of private high school education versus public high school education and their abilities to have an influence on the college admissions process is deeply rooted. Many facts support private education while many say it makes no difference at all in the whole process. Sources such as “Private vs. Public: No Advantage” and “50 Myths and Lies That Threaten America's Public Schools” show how public high schooling in America is the best option for students going forward even if students have trouble standing out from such a large crowd. However, in sources like the Council for American Private Education (CAPE), Gallup Inc.’s “In U.S., Private Schools Get Top Marks for Educating Children” and "Is Private School Worth the Price of Admission?" show how the private high school education system sets the students up for success in the future despite its numerous possible setbacks. Also, there are sources such as “College Admission Requirements Q&A for Parents”, “Does Your High School's Quality Affect Where You Can Get into College?” and "10 Secrets for Top College Admissions" that all allow the reader to decide whether or not they believe a particular educational system has an advantage either way. Overall, these sources highlight this convoluted divide that leaves parents and prospective students wondering whether a private high school education has an advantage over public high schools when they are applying to college. I chose this topic to do more research on because it affected me personally, and I am most passionate about it.

While researching this very controversial topic, I found many different sources that had strong opinions supporting private high schools, supporting public high schools, and saying that there was no definite benefit to either high school system. Sources including “Private vs. Public: No Advantage”, “50 Myths and Lies That Threaten America's Public Schools” all display the clear benefits of pursuing a public high school education. The central argument of the first piece is that after doing a personal survey at a class reunion of two prestigious elementary schools, Jay Matthews could tell that it did not make a difference whether the applicant went to a public or a private high school. Out of the 32 alumni he interviewed that went to top tier institutions, eight more had gone to a public high school as opposed to a private high school. Matthews said that, “The kids who went to the top state universities — places such as Berkeley, the University of Michigan and the University of Virginia — seemed just as likely to be graduates of public high school as private high school,” In conjunction, the second article breaks down the debate between Public and Private High Schools and their ability to help to get students accepted into college in three sections: Reputation vs. Accomplishment, how colleges make admissions decisions and respond well to your circumstances. One specific section highlights these points when it says, “Yet little evidence exists suggesting that private schools are better prepared academically than their public school counterparts, particularly once other factors attributed to student achievement, such as demographics, family characteristics, and other non-school factors, are considered” (Berliner and Glass). This quote is a very important aspect of my essay because it shows that there are many factors involved in coming to a decision about the topic. These can show that overall there is not much of a difference in college admissions standards for students who go to one high school system or the other. As well, this idea supports the major points of the book that the American public high school education system is failing due to randomly created fallacies, as opposed to hard facts. 

Furthermore, in the articles presented by the Council for American Private Education or better known as (CAPE), Gallup Inc.’s “In U.S., Private Schools Get Top Marks for Educating Children” and "Is Private School Worth the Price of Admission?" show a clear advantage for the private school applicants. The article provided by CAPE highlights the great parts of the private high school education system while also highlighting the shortcomings of the public high school education systems. Joseph Mctighe, the author of the article, says that when asked “”If you could give your current school a grade from A to F, what grade would you give it?” six out of every ten students in private high schools awarded their schools the highest grade possible, while one in three students overall did so.” This is a very important statistic because often times, students overall experience in class correlates with their ability to succeed in the classroom, in turn allowing them to be accepted into elite higher education opportunities, such as Ivy League schools. In addition, Gallup’s report effectively breaks down the divide between public high schools and private high schools by showing statistics that favor private school applicants. Statistics such as, ‘When asked to rate their experience with different kinds of schooling this is how parents responded: Parents responding that they had an excellent or good experience for private high schools was 78%, and the public high school parents responded with 37%’ (Jones). These distinct statistics show the divide within the parents' experience while their children were in this schooling systems. As well, the sources that debates whether or not private high schools are worth their expensive tuition bills shows that the advantage involved with the private high schools are often subtly included. Admissions expert Gwyeth Smith Jr. a former famous phycologist who studies college admissions each year says that, “…nonetheless many private schools do have some advantages, such as better student-to-counselor ratios that allow them to put a greater emphasis on the college counseling process” (Taylor). This is a key element in the debate. Having a college professional admit that there is an advantage is a staggering testimony for the debate on whether or not private school students have an advantage over public school students in college admissions.

Finally, in articles such as “College Admission Requirements Q&A for Parents,” “Does Your High School's Quality Affect Where You Can Get into College?” and "10 Secrets for Top College Admissions" questions are raised about each side of the argument neither supporting nor bashing private and public high school systems. “College Admission Requirements Q&A for Parents” an article done by the staff of Peterson’s, a company that specializes in college admissions explains in a simple format, certain questions that soon to be college parents have about college and the process of applying. The staff responds to the question, saying that “Colleges, even the choosiest ones, do not prefer either private school or public school candidates. Since most students attend public high schools, the vast majority at all colleges are public school graduates. Diversity now plays a role in college admissions requirements, and that means drawing students from all sorts of backgrounds”. This acceptance by an expert in the field is crucial because it allows both sides to see how they could be affected. Because this precedent has been set, it is hard for many uninformed applicants and parents to break this trend. As well, the source provided by USA TODAY College has insider and college admissions expert Ann McDermott talking about if specific high schools have an advantage in this process. McDermott bluntly responds urging, 

“…incoming college students need to keep in mind that every high school is different. Some have a rigid class structure, whereas others don’t even offer Advanced Placement (AP) or honors classes. You won’t be penalized for your high school, according to McDermott, since college admissions offer to take the time to understand your school’s curriculum. Just don’t make the mistake of comparing yourself to students at other high schools”.  

Having an admissions expert say that one of the worst things to do is to believe that a certain high school is inferior to another one whether it be public or private, this can be very destructive for the applicant. The source of 10 secrets for top college admission explains that there are various tips and facts about all college admissions into elite universities. With this in mind, after seeing how improving test scores and taking rigorous courses while in middle school and high school helps an applicant, I found out that being a private or a public school student doesn’t help one way or the other for applicants. This is crucial because it just shows that the high school does not make the difference, it is the student and their want to succeed and push themselves to be great. Dr. Michele Hernandez, the author of the article, states that, “The perspective may be that attending a private school or boarding school from K-12 offers a leg up in college admissions, but this is simply not the case.” This statement alone seals the deal that there is no difference. As well, Dr. Michele Hernandez frankly says that “Attending a public high school can actually be better in the long run than going to a “fancy” private school in determining your college admissions odds.” Dr. Michele Hernandez also references that colleges today are trying to diversify when it comes to their admitted classes, so neither a private or public school applicant will have an advantage. With this inside information being known, it is imperative that students put their stress on the courses they take and studying for the standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT as opposed to where they take those courses. If students keep believing these twisted and individually picked statistics than there will truly be no end in sight for this debate.

This constant back and forth format allows the reader to make their own decisions, which often leaves the viewers divided. While presenting this argument as a ‘competition’ between the two schooling systems, it makes it very easy to understand and show both the opposing sides of the arguments. In regards to the advantage being for public school applicants, the lead shifts because of students ability to stand out among a large crowd, which is often not the case for private high school students. Regularly, more populated than private high schools, public high schools allows the shining stars to stand out more clearly as opposed to being surrounded by many students that are the same caliber as the applicant as in private high schools. This advantage shows that the public high school programs if you can succeed, hold a higher weight in some instances contrary to private school curricula. As well, public school students are more often first-generation college students and come from low-income families rather than most private school attendees. This 'admissions hook' allows the candidate to be more diverse than the typical stable household, which application committee members look for in their application pool. However, for private school programs, there are a few more options as to how an advantage is seen in their favor. To start out, students that attend private high schools statistically have a lower faculty to student ratio, as well as a counselor to student ratio. These low ratios allow for more face to face interactions which lead to excellent recommendation letters and better counseling on college decisions. This is crucial in the acceptance of students into elite universities. Also, an unmeasurable advantage of private high schools is their connections within elite universities throughout the world. These relationships serve as the front door for students, giving them a leg up on the chances of being admitted. 

In the beginning of my research on this topic, I thought that there was going to be a clear reasoning showing the private high schools have an advantage over public high schools. This belief was merely fabricated off of the universities different private and public school attendees, I knew attended. However, in conclusion, as obviously shown by the sources presented, there is no clear consensus on whether or not any particular schooling system has a distinct advantage over another. All the sources were an integral part in proving that although there are certain statistics that show an advantage for each side, there is no clear way to promote one over the other in terms of college admissions abilities. I understand how this stigma surrounding public high schools started and as to why the general population associates private high schools with success. However, after doing my research and learning each side of the argument, I have come to the understanding that each side has their advantages and disadvantages and each student is a different case. With this in mind, there is no way to say one is better than another one clearly. Sources standing for either side one way or another where extremely hard to find, in comparison to sources that show that there is not a difference. This alone should have shown the reader and myself as a researcher that there was no way this stigma could be true. Finally, as I referenced earlier, my decision of attending public high school was in question if I made the correct decision or not; however, I know now that I made the correct decision. Throughout my research this proved to be more and more true with each source I found. Going forward, in order to avoid false predications such as the one for private versus public school education systems and their ability to help a certain demographic out, people need to continue to want to grow and learn more. To avoid this situation, we need to inform the readers and the soon to applicants on the situation at hand. 
