Well I found out yesterday that I've earnt a 50% scholarship to a local private school for yr 11 and 12. A couple of weeks ago and I would've been extatic. But now I really dont know. I'm currently in a public school. And quite frankly I'm having a horrible time, socially that is. I've never been able to make true friends. And the whole social scene sucks at school. I'm working on meeting people out side of school but which will help. But I suppose I'm just looking for people who have been in a similar sitution - especially people who have transitioned from public to private school. What were your experiences, are you happier being at a private school etc.
I went to a public/state primary school, then in year 6 I started at a private school. However, from talking to other people at private schools, mine is much more of a "bog standard" ex. state school, if that makes any sense.
In my experience, from comparing to my friends that went to a state school, the only differences are that
1) You have smaller class sizes
2) The teachers will push you a lot harder, as they have the time to concentrate on the more acedimacally able students as there are fewer less acidemically able students there, so that your expectations go up (e.g. getting As and Bs at A Level/As and A*s at GCSE is expected, rather than my friend that go to college that were happy with Cs and Ds.
3) Everyone there will have a more driven attitude to work, but that's normally only in the class room.
I'm glad I went to a private school, both for secondary education and sixth form education, to answer your last question :)
I was the opposite way round- I went to private school from 2-16 and then state college. Congratulations on getting the scholarship though :) If you aren't having a great time at school at the moment I would say definintely give private school ago. The smaller classes etc mean you are more likely to get the higher grades (although since you got a scholarship you probably are smart enough to get them anyway) and also there is a better support network at private schools (or so I have found ) than in the state sector.
Anyway Good Luck whatever you decide to do and congrats once again *hugs*
Yeah i went from public to private. I found private school to be much better. They were more supportive with everything. A lot more is expected of you than would be in a public school but nothing over the top. If your having a hard time socially why not try the private school. A new start. New friends etc. To be honest i rarely talk to people from the public schools i went to because i made so many great friends at the private schools i went to. You've really got nothing to lose. And education is better because its smaller classes and therefore you can have more one on one time with the teacher to help if your struggling or if you need more work. And they are more likely to cater to your needs wether that be easier or harder work. And your not just another student. You dont get lost in the system.
Good luck with whatever you chose to do =]
We enjoy warmth because we have been cold. We appreciate light because we have been in the darkness. By the same token, we can experience joy because we have known sadness.
ello,
i went from a public school to a private school and i had issues whilst i was at private school. a lot of people there were obsessed with money and although my family is alright money wish we dont have like a lot of money and people had an issue with that.
however i thought the education side was great there. there were only 12 people in my class so you got a lot more attention in that respect which i needed because if i dont understand something i wont say anything about it.
although im sure you will make friends and everything i just wanted to give you my side of it.
well done on the scolarship and im sure you will be fine sweet. just make sure your happy with your decision.give me a PM if you need anything.
liv.xx
There are times to stay put, and what you want will come to you.
But there are times to go out into the world and find such a thing for yourself.
I aint no abacus but you can count on me.
hey omg, this is like the perfect topic for me!! i went from a public school into a private school starting my 11th grade year. i loved it. people are private school are very accepting and they generally are very goal oriented. you'll find you have to work hard for grades and there is more drama but being friendly is the best way to go. people are usually obssessed with money in private school as well, but i had no problem with that because kids accepted me for me...
good luck! be open and willing to meet people and look for the best in all of them!
before you let go...remember why you held on for so long
Hey, I went from public-private, in S1 (Age 10/11) and found it interesting. I've never *liked* school-I did well, I got what I needed, and I'm into uni-that's all I aimed for, was an escape from home, and I've got that. My mates are almost all from public schools except for a few at private school where I was. It's hard I guess-state sector you can't succeed because you're hated if you do, private sector you're hated if you stick out or aren't rich enough-at least that's my experience.
It can be a really hard time to adjust to the change, but I ended up carving out a place for myself, not by competing or fighting (twas an all male school) but just by being me-trite as it sounds it's good advice, people eventually get that you're not going to join cliques and then leave you be, allowing you to be a halfway house, and get the best of both worlds, even if at the start it can mean a fair bit of marginalisation.
I really hope it works out, try and remember that you're at school to get a footing for later life, it's entirely possible to have very few mates in school, and lots outside (I had 3 close mates in school, about 10 outside)
So yeah, all the best,
Simon.
Constituting a personality disordered threat to society since 1989.
Hiya, I've stayed at public school (I'm now in year 12 and happy at school just before I say this!)
I hated my secondary school life to be honest, I was bullied and stuff so school seemed like a horrible place. I think in year 11 a lot of things change. My friendship groups switched around and I became a lot happier- slowly. If you're unhappy I say do something about it! Why not change schools? In year 11 most people grow up and I reckon that you'll love it, new friends, new social scene etc.
Basically, what I'm trying to say it- that in year 11 things change. Thats where me and my best mate became so close.. so good luck!! xxxx
I went to a private secondary school from year 7. I went to a very casual primary school - no uniform no homework, calling teachers by thier first names, and if we finished our work early we often went to help out with the little kids in the nursery. So it was quite a shock how formal it was - in year 7 we were expected to stand up when a teacher entered the room, had to ask permission before taking our blazers off and things like that, suddenly had homework etc, but it was only like that for a few weeks, then nobody seemed to care much about upholding the more pointless rules.
The main difference I found was that in my state school I was top of my class, in fact they gave me math assignments from the local secondary school because I found the others too easy. But in private school, at least the one I went to, the standards are much higher and I was no longer one of the most intelligent. Straight A's at GCSE were very common, many people got straight A*s. It changed a bit at A-level, because it depends how hard you work. An intelligent person can get through GCSE's without much work, but not A-levels, no matter how clever you are, you have to work hard, and the people who didnt take it seriously just didnt do as well even though they were just as clever.
There's also a lot of all-round type people, who from a young age have had tutors, played lots of instruments, and played sport, so it can feel like they are good at everything. I was never an all-rounder. You can also expect people to take thier work and extra-curricular activities more seriously than a lot of people at state schools.
There were some proper genius types at my school, a LOT of people went to do very prestigious courses at Oxbridge, including Medicine at Cambridge, and one girl who was AMAZING at the piano, like equivalent to grade 20 if it existed apparently, and who was given a different interview at Oxford to the other applicants because she is such a maths genius that it was too easy for her. The admissions tutor rang her up and offered her a place. At Oxford. Trust me, that doesnt happen to many people.
As for what the people are like, there were a LOT of self-absorbed, stuck up, spoiled people at my school, who had lived in an upper-class bubble most of thier lives which can be strange. My dad paid for my school but I live with my mum. We have money, but I've never been sheltered or spoiled really, so it was a bit of a shock at first. And there was a heck of a lot of clique-y-ness but I think that happens in most secondary schools at some point. I did make some fantastic friends at school, and a lot of the people were very normal and lovely!!
Overall I'm very glad I went to the school I went to. Although the teachers expected a lot sometimes, they were always very supportive and happy to explain anything I didnt understand, help me catch up when i fell behind, I always felt they wanted to help me achieve what I was capable of rather than putting pressure on me to achieve something I was incapable of.
Sorry I've rambled a lot but thats my personal experience.
Hope it goes well whatever you decide.
s a r a h
* pm me * eating disorders info *
"Between two worlds life hovers like a star,
twixt night and morn, upon the horizon's verge."
- Lord Byron
Thankyou so much for all your replies! It's nice to know there are other people who have been in a similar situation. Well, I accepted the scholarship, so I'll take it as it comes from now on. Thanks again!
