Harrow v eton

Oxbrigde destintations have more to do with admissions though I suspect and Harrow seem to have very strong links with Newcastle and Edinburgh so this may also be a preference.

Harrow is also more international than Eton.

I always find it useful to look at the names of pupils going onto Oxbridge. Many schools tend to only send international students to Oxbridge and one has to question whether they may have entered the sixth form on academic scholarships boosting results. IMO pupils from certain countries have a far better work ethic than white British boys so if a school can send a lot of the latter to Oxbridge then I think this may be a good indication of their academic prowess. It may also be worth looking at the subjects as well as if the bulk from Eton or Harrow go to Oxbridge to read Music, Modern Languages or Classics then the competition is less fierce for such places as these subjects die out in state schools, and the achievement may not appear to be as impressive as initially thought.

A couple of boys at my son's prep have got scholarships to Harrow in the last couple of years - generally they have been some combination of prefect, captain / member of one or more sports teams and reasonably musical. Someone else I know their son is sporty and a keen actor.

Long day. I mean university destinations, not outcomes.

OP university outcomes appear to be significantly different also between the two schools, if that's of significance to you.

A "package" (lol) would be a boy that was fairly bright, good at sports and good at something else such as drama or music or took a lead at his prep school in setting up a society, being a member of the school newspaper, a prefect etc. He wouldn't necessarily need to be in the "A" team but the less bright would need to be even better in the areas mentioned.

Harrow and many other schools are looking for boys to fill their orchestras, represent the school at sport, take the lead etc. Eton too look for this but I have been told that their admissions process (not straight from the horses mouth) works along the lines of this:

Top 30% of computerised scores get a place and then the next 175 boys are chosen out of the remaining 700 so a boy who came last could still get in if he was very musical and very sporty for example.

My son is exceptionally able and although he is developing a backbone now he is quite compliant and not an "alpha male". It was felt there would be more like-minded boys at Winchester, more so than Eton but there are enough like-minded boys at Eton. Harrow offers an outstanding education but DS would have had less peers. He also has very little else to offer and I believe many prep Headmasters feel that Harrow is more agressive than Eton and Winchester.

What am I talking about? The DW of a VIPSH (NOT the DW of a VIPSHW - that would be weird).

Haha Colleger a mum claiming to be the DW of a Very Important Public School Headteacher's Wife stood up at an Oxford History Open Day recently and asked why her 'very able' DD should choose Oxford over Durham.

She failed to get the desired reaction :)

Other mums really slagged her off in the loos.

What do you mean by a "package" in this context?

Rubs hands. Are you ready Yellow and Peteneras?

Differences:

Size: 800 versus 1300

Location: grimey London versus touristy Windsor - both have flight noise!

Academic Selectivity: Eton more academically selective but Harrow more oversubscribed and most boys need to be a "package" so in theory it's harder to get into.

Harrow has a fiercely loyal network which prioritizes old boys sons and offers work experience to current pupils. Harrovians are known to be very arrogant!

Eton has better facilities, grounds and societies.

I think the reasons one school is chosen over another by first time buyers or no connection to the schools would include:

One is more famous which is seen as pro or con

One is academically more selective

Location

Advice by prep Headmaster. Four Headmasters shrieked, "NO" when I suggested Harrow for very bright, unassumming son.

Just don't be the twit that stood up at the Harrow open day and asked why he should choose Harrow over Eton. Well, Harrow and Eton choose you so if he did the same at Eton he wouldn't have the choice of either!