<p>Do I have any advantage at a women's college if I attend an all girls high school now?
Especially if I am applying early decision?</p>
<p>That depends on whether or not your high school has any connection with the college of your choice. I applied to two Women’s Colleges, Bryn Mawr and Smith. I got into the latter because my high school was designed as a feeder school for Bryn Mawr back in the 1800’s. Few people at my high school remember this history, which means next to nobody from my high school applies. Bryn Mawr, however, remembers this history well, and was bending over backwards to take me.
I was not so lucky with Smith because (from what I can tell), they blackballed my high school. Nobody applied to Smith (or was accepted) since 2001 or 2002. An alum who attended Smith in the 1950’s offered to show the president of Smith my high school. The headmistress at my high school, however, stated that such would not be necessary because “we never send girls to Smith”. My stats were in their range and my interviewer liked me, but my school’s behavior cost me my ED application.
If your school has a strong connection, don’t worry about it, and if you’re blackballed for one reason or another, their loss.</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>Do you honestly believe Smith (or any college) would blackball a high school, especially over an alleged incident that happened over a half-century ago? </p>
<p>N.B. You’re accusing Smith admission officers of discrimination and prejudice. That’s a serious accusation and it would be prudent to have substantiating evidence before making unfounded, defaming remarks.</p>
<p>Colleges don’t black-ball high schools for bad behavior of exmissions personnel. That’s just plain silly. Colleges want students who best fit what the colleges are looking for that particular year. For example, no college can accept only prospective biology majors, and no “national” college wants to accept only students from New York City. However, a college will take into account what the college believes is the level of education that a particular high school gives its students. If an A at high school X would be a C in HS Y, the college will (obviously) prefer to accept an A student from HS Y than an A student from HS X. Not exactly “black-balling”.</p>
<p>To further the thought, my D was the first girl from her very prestigous New York City co-ed prep school to be accepted by and to end up attending Mount Holyoke College in at least the past 15 years, if not even longer. In fact, I believe no one even applied from her HS until after she had already started there. Nevertheless, MHC accepted her because, for whatever reasons (I can guess) they wanted her there. They were right in accepting her, as she is very happy and doing well academically at MHC.</p>
<p>As to girls from all-girl HSs going to an all WOMEN college, there are some, but most get tired of the single sex education after HS. You will certainly be in the vast minority with a single sex HS followed by a single sex college. I do know that women’s colleges visit all of the all-girl prep schools in New York City, but rarely visit co-ed prep schools in NYC. Thus, it would seem that women’s colleges see all-girl HSs as a very viable souce of students. Does that mean you will have a better chance of getting accepted if you come from an all girl’s HS? I think not. It depends upon your HS, your grades, your courses, your essays, your ECs, your recommendations, and your SAT scores (if you submit them – Smith and MHC do not require SAT submissions).</p>
<p>The acceptance rate for ED is slightly higher than for RD. But that does not mean your chances are better. The admissions office does not pull names out of a hat. The students’ application is thoroughly reviewed. For most LACs, ED applicants are primarily those that have excellent resumes, and thus the acceptance rate for EDs is slightly higher than for RD as a result of this self-selection. At the Ivies, thousands apply ED or EA even though they have unimpressive resumes, hoping that they will be accepted simply because they have expressed their undying love by way of their ED or EA application – there is no self-selection there – that is known in the biz as “gaming the system” and never works.</p>