Submitted by Elle, Feb 1, 2008 12:44

Measuring the value of an education at a private school against how many students go to Harvard is ridiculous. First of all, there are many, many top schools. What about Yale and Princeton? What about Williams, Amherst, Middlebury, Weselyan, Vassar, etc? What about Stanford, MIT, Cal Tech? What about Wash U, or Johns Hopkins, or Cornell?

Also, as a seasoned parent of children who have attended wonderful NYC private schools, it would be wise for any assessment to measure how well the children do at their college destinations. In other words, how well were they actually prepared to succeed in college by their private schools? Did these kids go on to graduate schools? Which schools? Were they prepared to become successful adults, understanding how to deal with problems, adults, peer pressure?

When looking at a private school, it is very important to assess how balanced the atmosphere is. Is there enough of everything to help the children develop into well-functioning adults who have not been spoiled, or feel entitled, simply because of their good fortune? If not, I would dispense with looking at college destination lists, and look for happy, healthy, well-balanced kids. Ask for recommendations from people you trust. After all, do you really care if your child goes to Harvard if he/she is not going to have the above mentioned qualities and the assets to make him/her successful in a happy and hopefully fulfilled life?

The comment made concerning many legacies at a given school is an accurate one. If there are many legacies applying to a particular school, and your child is not one of them, his/her chances for admission drop considerably. After all, Harvard cannot fill up its class on Horace Mann in NYC. There are other groups of students from outstanding privates that will be looked at before your average hard-working, high-achieving child. There is a lot of competition for top college spots at NYC privates. If, as a parent, you cannot deal with that, do not put your child through the rigors. This is especially true if your only measure of true success for your child is whether or not he/she will ultimately attend Harvard.

It really is best not to look at admission to Harvard as a barometer for private school excellence. There are many more important aspects of our children's lives to consider. Remember. Our kids spend 18 years growing up. Is attending Harvard really going to be our barometer of a successful childhood? Or an accurate barometer of a great school experience for our kids to look back on, over a lifetime?

And, while Packer certainly is a beautiful school, can you really call it a "campus," let alone the "best urban campus?" Pu--leeze! This leads me to believe that you have never seen Poly Prep's beautiful 28 acre campus, complete with its magnificent playing fields, and other outstanding facilites. I have been to many special events there, and I'll put Poly's chapel and gorgeous theater up against Packer's, anytime! Hop on a subway. Its not difficult to find!

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