Do you think the school you attend is important?

[Dapuccino]

I've always been worried about the school I've been attending because its not ranked the best... Private schools are very expensive and scholarships still don't cover much of it. Selective schools are the best I reckon But I missed out the tests for next year's entry sadly. I've moved schools once already because I didn't like the environment at that school but I feel as though its the same thing at my current school. I thought maybe its just government schools...
 
Let me know your opinion of schools. And for any one that attends a private schools please let me know what its like, I've never had the chance but it sounds really amazing, I've heard there are a lot of opportunities.

[Calebark]

It's not important, but it's not unimportant.

In terms of resources, I can't imagine this would make a massssiiivvee difference. However, I'm sure school culture matters a lot -- stuff like class distractions, study groups, how much the teachers give a shit, etc. I suspect this is the reason why private schools are so successful. I've been to three schools, all of which are government schools, and I can say that I improved academically once I realised that my school wasn't representative of the competition in the state, which means that while I may have been top of the school (#humblebrag?), I wasn't performing well relative to the state.

I just need to add that selective schools aren't necessarily the best schools. They'd just have the 'best' (I use this term loosely) students -- the whole 'cream of the crop' thing.

I also see you're pretty new here, so welcome to ATAR Notes!

[K888]

Mmm, I don't think the school you attend is important in terms of prestige. And I also think that anyone has the potential to succeed anywhere. You just might be helped along the way by the school you attend, in different ways.

Definitely agree with what Calebark said - school culture and environment is a big thing - I think that having a good environment, one that is conducive to learning (supportive teachers and students, minimal class distractions, resources, etc.), is really important.

I went to a private school, and am extremely thankful that I had the opportunity to. I came from a (state) primary school where I was bullied by my peers for being serious about education, and ostracised for being a more bookish kid. I went into high school, and I was suddenly in a place where my peers also wanted to succeed, and had an overall more positive attitude to education. I finally felt like I belonged somewhere, and I had friends that I could share my results with and they were genuinely happy for me. I had the resources to be extended in my subjects, and I had the teachers that took the time to make sure my learning needs were being met. I also got to participate in so many extra-curricular activities, which really helped develop me as a person - which is a really underestimated thing. Helping me develop as a person let me learn how to be part of a community, and just how to be a more wholesome person in general.
My school gave me opportunity. Which is important

As an aside - I was glad I didn't go to a selective school, as although my school expected us to put in effort, they never put pressure on us results-wise, and from day 1 of year 12 they drummed it into us how they cared about us, not the numbers we got at the end of the year. I felt like if I went to a selective school, I would have had pressure put on me about results, which wouldn't have been beneficial for me.

[Bri MT]

The school I go to is considered very disadvantaged,  but I'm glad I go here.  It can be difficult at times when most people aren't studying during study periods,  or when your school can't afford the best equipment but I have great teachers & I have friends at much, much more prestigious schools who aren't this fortunate.  I don't think my school is low ranked because it's a bad school, it's low ranked because most of the students are dealing with issues at home and/or are financially  disadvantaged. 

Average study scores etc don't tell you what you are capable of there, and are influenced by so many factors.   

I probably would've tried for a scholarship to a selective school if I lived closer to the city,  but I'm glad I didn't.

[rocksonchan]

I reckon the school you go to has a massive impact on your approach to study and your mindset that you have from your experiences and environment around you, but in terms of VCE results and SACs, going from one school to another will have a minimal effect.

Naturally, if a school is full of hardworking students who value academic achievement, as well as teachers who put time and effort into assisting your learning, that school will do really well through having a great culture.

However, if the culture is the same, your VCE study score and ATAR score will be pretty similar, because while SAC marks might change, the exam is still going to be assessing where you stand in comparison to the entire state, which means your exam score will still be around the same range.

[A TART]

In my opinion, it really shouldn't matter.

ie: My chem teacher isn't really... good at teaching... (I mean he's supportive and gives good life lessons but he's not good at conveying information). He puts on a video, talks for a few minutes, gives us worksheets (and sets us homework along with it) and lets us complete it in class. There's hardly any teacher-student interactions (other than him sharing memes with some students). If someone asks him a question, he'll just print off a copy of the worked solutions and read off it. However, I've still been able to get 100% in my SACs. I think self-motivation is an important aspect. As my methods teacher would say: "You can take a donkey to a lake, but you can't force it to drink".

[Quantum44]

I've always been worried about the school I've been attending because its not ranked the best... Private schools are very expensive and scholarships still don't cover much of it. Selective schools are the best I reckon But I missed out the tests for next year's entry sadly. I've moved schools once already because I didn't like the environment at that school but I feel as though its the same thing at my current school. I thought maybe its just government schools...
 
Let me know your opinion of schools. And for any one that attends a private schools please let me know what its like, I've never had the chance but it sounds really amazing, I've heard there are a lot of opportunities.

I go to a pretty good private school where an ATAR of 90 is considered average. The fact the most people's parents have sacrificed a lot to send their children there means that there is a strong culture of hard work. I think the hardest working people probably don't benefit a lot from this, as they will succeed in any environment due to being highly self-motivated, but it helps the more average students quite a lot, as teachers expect you to doing a fair bit of work, and everyone is trying to do their best.

I'm not sure how beneficial it is to have the private school resources or a strong cohort for SAC moderation.

[ahilaann]

i've been to a private school, and i'm now at a selective public school  so i can say that the culture has a huge impact on your performance and motivation. at my current public school, some of the teachers aren't great and there are less resources but its highly competitive and you feel compelled to do well because the standards are so much higher. for a lot of people friends here, a 95 ATAR would be disappointing, but at a lot of other (mostly public) schools it would be considered quite good. also the SAC scaling helps

so yeah, it matters

[Orb]

Going to take a different angle here, and i'll try keep it short and sweet -

I find it's your friends rather than your school that actually makes the biggest difference - you spend the most time with your friends and they're going to be the biggest influence on your life. There's going to be bad eggs everywhere, regardless of what school you go to. If you have the privilege of choosing where you want to go then i'm sure some schools are relatively more suitable for your own development, but if not - make sure you be selective and pick friends that aid, not hinder, your development.

[Dapuccino]

It's not important, but it's not unimportant.

In terms of resources, I can't imagine this would make a massssiiivvee difference. However, I'm sure school culture matters a lot -- stuff like class distractions, study groups, how much the teachers give a shit, etc. I suspect this is the reason why private schools are so successful. I've been to three schools, all of which are government schools, and I can say that I improved academically once I realised that my school wasn't representative of the competition in the state, which means that while I may have been top of the school (#humblebrag?), I wasn't performing well relative to the state.

I just need to add that selective schools aren't necessarily the best schools. They'd just have the 'best' (I use this term loosely) students -- the whole 'cream of the crop' thing.

I also see you're pretty new here, so welcome to ATAR Notes!

Because of the amount of money that is coming out parent's pockets, I would imagine that there would be lots of complaints if their child couldn't concrete in class. But its almost considered normal to have a noisy classroom in a public school (from my experience). That's the reason why I like private schools: people actually care. I agree with the 'cream of the crop' thing, I've seen and heard people who got in or tried out in selective schools do tuition, I actually haven't heard anyone get in without tuition...self motivation and self study is extremely difficult.

And thank you!

[Dapuccino]

Going to take a different angle here, and i'll try keep it short and sweet -

I find it's your friends rather than your school that actually makes the biggest difference - you spend the most time with your friends and they're going to be the biggest influence on your life. There's going to be bad eggs everywhere, regardless of what school you go to. If you have the privilege of choosing where you want to go then i'm sure some schools are relatively more suitable for your own development, but if not - make sure you be selective and pick friends that aid, not hinder, your development.

Friends definitely make a difference. I remember spending one year with a friend that didn't care about education and that really influenced me but then again I was pretty happy. I now don't really have a friend that makes me as happy as she did, and now I put lots of effort (not all the time though) in my education. Finding a great friend that works hard with you is hard to find (in younger years but once you reach VCE I imagine that's when friendships really last )

In my opinion, it really shouldn't matter.

ie: My chem teacher isn't really... good at teaching... (I mean he's supportive and gives good life lessons but he's not good at conveying information). He puts on a video, talks for a few minutes, gives us worksheets (and sets us homework along with it) and lets us complete it in class. There's hardly any teacher-student interactions (other than him sharing memes with some students). If someone asks him a question, he'll just print off a copy of the worked solutions and read off it. However, I've still been able to get 100% in my SACs. I think self-motivation is an important aspect. As my methods teacher would say: "You can take a donkey to a lake, but you can't force it to drink".

That's the same with my current science teacher! He really sucks, but bad teachers don't really get fired...
That's awesome! Self motivation is difficult to achieve, that's why being in a environment where people care about education is important and many of those people are found in private schools... Its really sad when I look back at my old school, many of my classmates cared about education but because of the influence of others, they no longer give a crap now.

[Aaron]

He really sucks, but bad teachers don't really get fired...

You have to also consider the fact that he might only "suck" to you. Teachers are humans, just like everybody else. They have personalities and different ways of teaching which suit some students, but as well probably aren't going to suit others. You cannot accurately say a teacher is 'bad' unless there are clearly defined rules and guidelines as to what a 'bad' teacher is (the definition is open to interpretation). I am a teacher myself, hence why I feel it is important to respond here.

In regards to your actual question: The school you go to clearly makes some sort of difference, as usually factors such as resources and socioeconomic status will influence the learning program and culture of the school. I personally find rankings to be a load of rubbish and don't influence teacher quality etc that much.

The thing that separates the independent and government systems is essentially the resources (among other things).

I think that's all i'll say about this topic

[MisterNeo]

You have to also consider the fact that he might only "suck" to you.

Most of my friends think that the way one of my teachers teaches isn't good, but it's because of that teacher that that subject is my best. Everyone has a different style of learning.