Beeswing wrote:


"Kevin Karplus" wrote in message
...

I don't know about "character", but a public university education is a
far better educational investment than a private middle school. In 10
years no one is going to care much whether she went to a good or a
mediocre middle school, but going to a good university will affect her
choices for the rest of her life.

If I remember right, you are in Seattle, where going to private
schools is highly fashionable (over 1/3 of all students do), but there
are still decent public schools available. Far better to go to a
decent public school and have enough money to afford 4+ years of
university than to go to a ritzy middle school and then only be able
to afford an AA degree.



I can't really speak to the effects of decent versus prestigious
undergraduate programs. I was lucky enough to get into my dad's
university (an Ivy League school) and get free tuition as a dependent.
But I did go through the same thought process for graduate school.
Should I spend the money and go to the number one school in my field or
should I go to a second-tier school where I know I would be taken care
of financially because I would be queen bee? I asked my father for
advice and he said basically even in the academic field, sure, the
prestigous school helps with your first and maybe second position but in
the end, it's what you do that determines your success.

FWIW, he went to a second or third tier school for his PhD and ended up
a professor at an Ivy League school, whereas my brother got his PhD at
an Ivy League school and ended up a professor at a second or third tier
school. Both are well-respected in their field.

I have an afterthought, a question for you. If going to good private
school didn't stop you from getting your four-year degree at some place
decent, if not prestigious...would you feel any different? This school
is graduating *all* their students two years ahead. I wonder when the
critical education years are...besides the early elementary years?


I'm not sure I would use early graduation as an indicator of successful,
but I'm not a fan of pushing students through school as fast as
possible. While they may "get started" in life earlier, I think the
kids also tend to learn life is some sort of race. I remember when I
told my friends I was taking off a year between undergrad and grad
school to go to China, the response was "But you'll lose a year!" (?!)

For me, I'm looking at placing my daughter in the public elementary
school for grades 2-5 and then back in her small Montessori school for
the middle school years mainly because I like their curriculum and I
like the small school environment and the absolute absence of cliques.
But it's definitely YMMV.

Jeanne