private high school admission essay examples

private high school admission essay examples

The Benefits of Attending a Private High School

1. Introduction

Private high schools have much reputation of high values, academic attainment, along with superior preparation for college. For with concentrated environments, high personal prospectus, great efforts, and accountability between teachers and students, the researchers expected that the private schools would be more effectual compared to the public schools. Similar findings about private elementary and middle schools led the researchers to expect that the positive effect of attending a private school would continue through high school. We expect that the effect of private high school education on academic attainment, completing school, and college preparation to be sustainable. But they do come with a hefty price. Private high schools can be incredibly expensive and vary greatly in terms of cost depending on the school, location, and status/wealth of the school. Given the extremely high cost, the purpose of this paper is to examine the overall benefits of private school, with particular attention to its effects on improving academic attainment, dispositions, and college preparation. Private high schools, particularly selective and prestigious schools, are very in terms of reputation and status. Presumably, students who attend high-status private schools will have higher academic and occupational aspirations. Private high school students will also be better prepared for college. The combination of resources and higher academic expectations will result in private high school students being more academically challenged than public school students. Higher academic expectations and better college preparation should also result in private school students being more likely to complete college. Finally, private schools prepare students for civic engagement and moral beliefs that reflect the importance of certain dispositions on student outcomes.

2. Academic Excellence

To determine whether a private high school is deliberately better than the public high school, one must have good evidence. To get a better understanding of the top high schools, it is essential to evaluate how high schools are ranked. This can be done by looking at high school rankings. Simply going to search for high school rankings will render a wide selection of various sites. The best way to get an accurate understanding of high school rankings is to compile the resources of several various ranking sites and getting an average ranking. After learning of the best high schools in their area, one must consider if they can afford a private high school. While the education is far superior at a private high school, the cost is quite expensive. With college tuitions increasing and the economy decreasing, private high schools are not desired by many. To consider whether one can afford a private high school, one must first evaluate their personal finance. If one family finds that they are struggling with money, they should fix their financial situation before planning to send a child to a private high school. Believe it or not, high schools are ranked in how well they prepare students for college. Because most private schools give students a remarkable education, the student body generally excels in academics. This could be a very attractive benefit for a student attending a private high school. With most colleges looking for students who are well prepared to face the academic rigors of college, a student who performs well in academics could have a more desirable chance of entering a college of their choice. In this journey to find the best high school for a student, one must evaluate the types of course offerings that a school has. Private high schools generally have a wide selection of various courses for students to choose from, such as honors and AP courses. Having an abundance of courses is beneficial because it gives students a plentiful amount of options in preparing for their future career. This is a way from what public schools are, where budget cuts have limited the variety of classes that are offered to students. All in all, the main goal in attending high school is to be well prepared for college or one’s future career. Though considering the extent of education a student at a private high school will receive, it is safe to say that the student body will be well prepared for their future.

3. Small Class Sizes and Individualized Attention

Another benefit for private schools is that they do not have to adhere to the state-mandated curriculum. This has both positive and negative implications. In a public school, it’s not uncommon for a good student to get bored with the material that is being taught. This happened to me when I was a high school student. During my sophomore year, I was doing poorly in math and the teacher, in an attempt to help a struggling student, put me in the class beneath my grade level. It worked out that I was now more confused than ever and I told my counselor that I wanted to take an extra math class in the coming year so I could catch up. I was informed that I could not take two math classes because it would mess up the order of the state-mandated curriculum. Rather than having me sit alone in an empty room with my extra math book at the scheduled time for another math class, the counselor advised that I take a study hall and work on my own. This is a clear case of individual needs not being met. On the other hand, not having a state-mandated curriculum puts the students at private schools at a disadvantage in terms of standardized testing. This is an issue that I will address later in this paper.

Also, because of the smaller class sizes, a teacher is able to get to know each and every student through and through. This is important because during the adolescent stage, a lot of changes are going on within the young person and often, they need someone to talk to. Being familiar with kids in a class might uncover issues that would have gone unnoticed in a larger class where the teacher just didn’t have the time to get to know all of the students. In fact, I can think of a specific incident from this past year where I got to know a student very well through my psychology class. He was having some problems at home and often stopped down to my room just to chat during his free periods. If he wasn’t so comfortable with me as a teacher, he most likely wouldn’t have opened up and confided in me.

But it’s not just the campuses and the facilities that distinguish the public and private high schools. The classes themselves are different. In a private school, the class sizes are generally much smaller than those in public schools. In the private school where I teach, for example, the largest class has eighteen students. Meanwhile, my friends who teach public school have classes of thirty to forty kids. This has direct implications for the quality of the education. With smaller numbers it’s easier to control the class and make sure that everyone is focused and task oriented. In big classes, it’s impossible.

4. Wide Range of Extracurricular Opportunities

Extracurricular activities can be just as important as academics. They add leadership, time management, and social skills for the students. Contrary to popular belief, these qualities and experiences help students in their college and job searches. Depending on your definitions of benefits from extracurricular activities, some might say that the students are too overworked to gain anything from doing these activities. For instance, in a high school in Chicago, Illinois, students are often loaded with college level homework and spend up to three hours a night on the homework. Unfortunately, they are missing a key point. Time management is one of the most important skills gained from extracurricular activities. Students in other schools may have the same amount of homework as the students at the high school in Chicago, but not necessarily having to spend more time doing it. Time management is a very useful skill in college and it will make the students’ college experience far easier. Students who learn to manage time with extracurricular and academic activities may find that they are too busy to get a part-time job. This is not a dilemma. Today, many colleges are looking for students who can show four years of participation in an extracurricular activity. Any paid job is likely to interfere with this because paid jobs can come and go, but a good extracurricular record will help greatly on college applications and with scholarships.

5. Preparation for College and Future Success

Most students do not know what they would want to take up as a major when they are in high school. A major and intended career path will include what the student wants to do in life. This choice will decide what the student will be when he is an adult. In order to make good career choices, the student first needs to decide on what subject he likes and what his interests are. Private high schools provide an environment where a student is comfortable to make these decisions that will impact the rest of his life. High school will, in turn, and with good education, help students gain entrance into the better colleges. Private high schools are known to prepare students to take up college-level courses and are proven to be successful for the student in development for a future college level.

The school system is getting tougher by the day and we parents are usually worried that our kids are unable to cope with this system. We are in a competitive world and the stakes are high. It is up to us to ensure that our kids are able to cope with the growing pressure. More often than not, the change from the system of the school to that of high school has proved to be drastic in the life of a student. This is seen to be the stepping stone for life where one moves from adolescence and into youth. To ascertain a bright future for our children, we would now consider private high school education. Private high school education is known to be vital as it forms the intermediate stage to college education.