<p>I have a 3.6. uc weighted gpa and good sat scores...many of my friends with similar ecs but better gps are applying. my sat scores are probably better then theirs but do you think it changes my chances that they are all apllying</p>
<p>Stats are only a requirement.</p>
<p>The student matters far more than numbers is what I think. If you meet the average stats, then what is going to keep you out quantitatively? Try to stand out from your friends.</p>
<p>If you are applying from one of the elite high school where 30 people will apply to a specific ivy and 7 will be accepted, then it does change your chances. During the admission rounds, applicants are typically reviewed in order sorted by state and high school. Thus, they see all of the applicants from a single high school at the same time. The insider books talk about how they will even go back and see how many people applied from the hs in previous years, and how many were accepted, and how many attended. It is fair to say that they compare applicants in the normal way, but they are somewhat limited as to how many applicants they can take from a single high school and so applicants who might be accepted may not be. Sometimes, colleges are willing to take a lot of students from one high school. This happens when an elite high school is a feeder school from which the college can expect a large number of qualified applicants who will attend. The adcoms maintain relationships with GC's at these high schools.</p>
<p>So would it be good or bad if I was basically just the opposite: the first or second person ever to apply from my school to a college?</p>
<p>There may be some discussion on this so let me state my references. The Wash Post last year had a number of articles about how parents and students had mixed feelings about having been accepted into magnet schools since it hurt their chances at elite schools where many people were applying from the same high school. Jay Mathews wrote about it in "Harvard Schmarvard", but he probably also wrote the Wash Post stories. However, Rachel Toors who was an adcom at Duke also wrote extensively about it in "Admissions Confidential". In past discussions on CC, it came to light that there are feeder high schools such as Thomas Jefferson that feeds into UVA, and some NY high schools that feed into Columbia. Indeed, a very high number of students are accepted into a single college from these feeder schools. The college likes the fact that they can depend on a high number of very qualified applicants from the feeder schools who will actually attend.</p>
<p>I think there are two myths about this. One: A college will only accept one applicant from a single high school. Two: The number of applicants from a single high doesn't change your chances at all.</p>
<p>Having said this, I would summarize it as: Coming from a "normal" high school will not hurt or help you, but coming from a magnet/prestigious high school may mean that you will be judged against your fellow students to some extent. Colleges obviously try to get a feel for the applicant and consider what type of hs they are at, at least in terms of how many AP courses are offered and gpa distribution.</p>