2014 Proposal

Research Question:  What are the positive and negative affects of attending a private vs. public school in regards to the college process? Does one have an advantage over the other? And what changes over time have made this question so prevalent in todays society?
Relevance: The debate between public and private education is one that is widely discussed in America. People often question if children will receive a better education if enrolled in private school but what defines “better education” or better school for a child. This debate often is associated with college admissions and the discussion of whether one type of school has advantages over the other. As a student who has attended both private and public schools I am interested in researching this question. I often wonder if college admissions do in fact prefer one school to the other.The comparison of private vs. public school is a newly established issue that I believe society has brought upon itself, I look forward to researching the social changes that have occurred that have influenced this new mentality of one type of school being better then the other.

Research Strategy: The question of whether private or public school has advantages over the other is something I have been interested since I first entered Trinity. Within my friend group a large majority of the people attended private schools, which happen to mostly be boarding schools. I want to research college admission websites and offices (I plan on going into the admissions office at trinity and speaking with someone). Thus far I have been on a few websites and read articles based on this topic and have found that many parents are concerned with where to place there children for high school. One major issue I want to research is people with lower socioeconomic status and there placements within public and private schools. These people are likely t have fewer options and may not have the means to provide there children with a private education which is unfair. A great method for my research will also be to look at college acceptances based on high schools. I have looked on both a public and a private school website and saw a list of schools their graduates have gone to. I want to compare the acceptances of the two. I want to understand how colleges look at private schools vs. public schools and eventually argue the somewhat unjust advantage of private school students that so many people feel is apparent.

Sources:

“Guidance Office: Answers From Harvard’s Dean, Last of 5 Parts.” The Choice Guidance Office Answers From Harvard’s Dean Last of 5 Parts Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2014.

“ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst.” Electronic Doctoral Dissertations for UMass Amherst. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2014.

http://www.brainchild.org/publicORprivateU.html

http://www.campusexplorer.com/college-advice-tips/69B3FC95/College-Admissions-Do-Private-Schools-Have-An-Advantage/