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This discussion is a response to nycschoolss's talk about the "superiority of new york city magnet schools." Okay, so you can boast a trillion Intel winners or whatever, but have you taken the old boy network into consideration? Prep schoolers- do you realize that everywhere you go- college, grad school, even jobs, chances are you'll come across another Andover/Exeter/SPS/Deerfield/[insert prep school] grad? And have an automatic boost over another equally qualified candidate? Take George W. for example. All personal feelings aside, he went to prep school and then Yale. People say he's incredibly stupid but guess what? He's the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. How many Stuy grads were president again? Oh yeah- none. And now, especially that more and more prep schools are making admissions decisions based on potential and talent instead of family ties and money, the prestige still remains as the student body grows more diverse. If you don't believe me, watch the movie Skulls or something. It's almost like a country club- I think it's pretty neat. How about you guys?

By Thedad (Thedad) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 01:44 pm: Edit

Fortunately, the power of the Old Boy network is decreasing and now you generally have to have some competence as well as connections. On the other hand, there will always be empty suits out there.

By Islam2nkorea (Islam2nkorea) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 03:36 pm: Edit

Thedad you're just pissed all your sons got rejected from Prep schools. Take the conversation seriously, if you criticize back it up with fact, personally I would love to go to Stuyvesant, I live in Jersey City, and I can fake my adress but i dont, it's immoral and I'm pretty sure some kids do it. I can tell you that if you want to rant about Stuys and Brx's statisticcs instead of saying they have this many kids go to ivy in a year, give percentages as you did in acceptance rate. Also, TRUST ME ON THIS ONE it is much easier to get into stuy and bx science than a prep school. Compared to NJ middle schools NYC middle schools failed horribly, the NYC high school magnet admission process is only based on a test , yeah that's right you could have failed from k-8 but if u get a good score on that test you can go into these HS. Let's face it, percentage wise, and preparing for life a prep schoool would murder you guys. BUT per dollar stuy is a better deal(NO TUITION) once again I would like to say I would consider stuy because of where I live and I would prbably send my kids there, this is an unbiased opinion.

ALSO, SOMEONE CITE THE SOURCES FOR THE NOBLE LAUERATES "FACT"

By Thedad (Thedad) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 06:02 pm: Edit

I2K, I don't have a son and I wouldn't dream of sending any offspring of mine, regardless of sex, to a prep school. Not a set of trade-offs I'm willing to make, whereas I was willing to jump through all sorts of hoops and go through all sorts of contortions to live in a school district with good public schools.

By Mahras (Mahras) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 06:04 pm: Edit

So you are telling me that it is easier to go to a prep school than stuy and bxsci......lets see in the SSATs I scored a 92%ile in verbal and 99%ilein math. I got into exeter but i went to bxsci and love it there.

You want the fact about nobel LAUREATES.....search for these names on britannica or just check the link: www.bxscience.edu/alum/#nobel

The LAUREATES are: (all physics)
Leon N. Cooper '47, 1972, Brown University
Melvin Schwartz '49, 1988, Columbia University
Sheldon L. Glashow '50, 1979, Boston University
Steven Weinberg '50, 1979, University of Texas
Russell A. Hulse '66, 1993, Princeton University

Also the chances that you will benefit because you are graduate of Bxscience or Stuy is equal if not better than the prep schools. The archietect of the new WTC is a bcscience graduate.

Islam2nkorea you seem to speak without any base and not know a single thing. Do you have any idea how hard it is to win an intel. I remember you spoke about the Wessingtonhouse (Spelling?) but did not know that Intel sposers it now. The NY science schools (stuy, bxsci, midwood) had the most semifinalist that the entire US. As a matter of fact the 17 semifinalist from stuy and 16/14 from Bxsci are more than entire states ie. NJ.

Yes NY city high schools may be failing. but when it comes to Stuy and Bxsci we are better than most schools if not all (not to be bragging) in NJ. Just look at the statistics.

Islam2nkorea you seem to be an arrogant fool. Thedad has helped several people in searching for colleges, and other issues. The most you have done since you were posting (which is in the same week as old ibemuslim got banned) is criticizing and stating facts that make you look like an idiot. Plz know what about the subject before you talk.

Just my .02 cents.

By Islam2nkorea (Islam2nkorea) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 06:08 pm: Edit

Sorry for the harsh comments TheDad I think exactly like you do, and I would if I were a father.

HAHAH why don't you calm down, what's wrong with 99% of people on these boards, you aren't a loser if you don't go to a prestigious school is all I am trying to say, calm down and stop thinking u are being attackied.

By Bigblue04 (Bigblue04) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 07:24 pm: Edit

I'd like to amend my previous comment. I guess "Old Boy Network" wasn't exactly the right term. "Old Boy Network" conjures up images of dozens of snooty WASPy bluebloods who sit around playing polo and playing tennis in the Hamptons. What I mean is, by going to a prep school, you get a head start on making connections and networking, which occurs to most people much later, in college or beyond. Prep schools today are by far, one of the most misconstrued institutions in American society. Gone are the elite stereotypical prep schools where you're required to have a roman numeral attached to your name to be accepted. Now prep schools, following the trend of many Ivy League colleges, are seeking students that show potential through intellectual and personal traits. So, when you go to a conference and discover that the person sitting next to you is another "Exie," you already share something in common, somewhat similar to discovering that your neighbor shares the same alma mater. Prep schools still, however, produce a large amount of powerful businessmen, politicians, etc. So, in response to TheDad, all I mean by my previous post is that prep school offers a greater number of opportunities to meet people that you might someday be working with than elsewhere.

By Islam2nkorea (Islam2nkorea) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 07:44 pm: Edit

HHAHAH VERY TRUE I THOUGHT THE EXACT SAME VIGVLUE

By Thedad (Thedad) on Saturday, November 29, 2003 - 03:38 am: Edit

BigBlue, possibly but I don't know that I'd bet that way. Certainly not true in politics, which I'm reasonably familiar with, having worked on both House & Senate sides of Capitol Hill as well as paid staff on two presidential campaigns. Investment banking might be a different matter...I have a friend who's been in that field for a couple of decades and I should ask her the next time we chat. Certainly there are vectors of Connection that can be very useful...the degree to which these are concentrated in the prep school alumni is debatable.

By Phillipsexeter (Phillipsexeter) on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 01:52 am: Edit

To The Discussion Panel:


I am currently a student at Phillips Exeter and I hope that I can give an insiders perspective on the inner workings of prep school life and networking. It has been stated earlier that the "old boy network" is dwindling. I agree with this statement, but that does not change the fact that it is still an evident part of Exeter/prep school life. I know kids at Exeter whose parents worked with high-ranking officials and essentially bargained a spot for their kids at Exeter. But thankfully there are only a handful of kids in this situation, out of the thousand kids at the school. There is some legacy influence, but for the majority of the students, our credentials and work, not our parents, sealed our admission.

Now on to the "old boy network" network. I have spoken with many prep school graduates about their post-Exeter experiences and the general consensus have said that their friends in high school were their closest knit friends that helped them the most during their later lives. My father did not go to a prep school, and he told me that his high school and college friends didn’t help him at all during his later life He feels that this school is providing me leg up in my professional life, one that he was not provided with.
As we speak I am casually beginning to form my network, meeting as many school officers and students as possible. I enjoy meeting these diverse and interesting people and hope that these connections will benefit me in my later life, even if at the least to call up in 20 years and laugh about high school antics.

I hope that my perspective will be helpful to all readers


Summary:

Old Boy Network exists but is a rarity at Phillips Exeter/ prep schools

Prep school/high school/college relations are valuable later and Exeter/other institutions teach you to network well, so that you can use it later.


-PhillipsExeter

By Ukulelemaster (Ukulelemaster) on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 11:24 pm: Edit

Wow. Sometimes I wish everyone on these boards were joking. Do you guys realize the horrible, empty shells of lives you're hurtling towards? I mean, seriously, you guys are really thinking about your future career connections? in high school? That's a huge shame.

Let me guess, all you know about your future careers is that you want to make lots of money, right? Thats why you need the connections, to make more money. Sweet. How pathetic.

It makes me sick to here you prep school guys talking, obviously feeling oh-so-grown up, as you discuss the 'interestin' people who may give you a leg up in the future. You are using these people. And by the way, because I know you'll be leaping down my throat- I go to a prep school. Not a famous boarding school, but a very well known, expensive, successful school. I know what I see here. Too bad you guys dont get it.

By Phillipsexeter (Phillipsexeter) on Friday, December 19, 2003 - 03:29 am: Edit

I don't fully agree with your conclusion high school network connections. I’m not trying to form a group of "power" friends at Exeter. What I’m trying to do is weave a tightly knit group of friends that I can rely on and trust. People that I hope to keep close with fro the rest of my life. Its not necessarily to make money and seal business deals, its to have friends that you can call up in 20 years that will help you out when you are in a jam, or give you some helpful advice. I'm not trying to be a professional or an adult, but I’m trying to say as close to the friends that I have here so that we can stay close in the future.

-PhillipsExeter

By Muzicgal04 (Muzicgal04) on Friday, December 19, 2003 - 07:29 pm: Edit

The point you miss philsexeter is that people form friends everywhere, even "power" friends. I have a tight knit group of friends that I could rely on for anything, and I dont go to boarding school, or even private school. I go to a superior public high school, but that is besides the point. If the old boys network is declining, then it matters not where you network and make connections. I can make those same connections in my public high school without spending 30,000 a year.

By Phillipsexeter (Phillipsexeter) on Friday, December 19, 2003 - 11:11 pm: Edit

MuzicGal I totally agree that is possible to network in public schools. From my dad's experience he didn't have much luck with his high school network, and his friends wern't able to help him later. So i'm relying on what he told me. In his experience it didn't work, but everyone is different and everyone on has the opportunity to make the best of their educational carrears.

Best of Luck,

-PE

By Bigblue04 (Bigblue04) on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 02:01 pm: Edit

"Do you guys realize the horrible, empty shells of lives you're hurtling towards? I mean, seriously, you guys are really thinking about your future career connections? in high school? That's a huge shame."

Uh yeah, we're thinking about our futures in high school. That's not a shame- that's called planning.

"Let me guess, all you know about your future careers is that you want to make lots of money, right? Thats why you need the connections, to make more money. "

Wrong guess. I have aspirations in a field that I really care about, something that really interests me. Most people who make a lot of money realize that it only comes with hard work, the degree of which only comes with a true love of your occupation. Money is a secondary benefit; an excellent hardworking high school dropout can make more than an Ivy league grad if they care enough (Erin Brokovich, anyone?). What I was trying to say was by going to a school where the majority of people share my interests, I can form a close group of friends earlier than other people that care about the same things I do earlier than most- in college.

"It makes me sick to here you prep school guys talking, obviously feeling oh-so-grown up, as you discuss the 'interestin' people who may give you a leg up in the future. You are using these people."

If you have a problem with it, tough. The Old Boy Network/friendship network/whatever you want to call it still exists, like Philipsexeter and Muzicgal point out, and I am taking advantage of can offer. I think you're the one, Ukelele, that doesn't get it.

By Singergirl (Singergirl) on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 05:12 pm: Edit

know this i only read the first couple of post so forgive if i sound like a moron but this whole thing reminds me of a funny pic i saw once right after the 2000 election. It had a pic of g.w. and it was mocking a discover card ad saying: New Bong- $50; Cocaine Habit- $300; Finding out that the good ol' boy network can still rig an election in the deep south - Priceless, hahaha. Just one question did any one ever see the movie The Skulls? heh!