<p>I think school prestige really plays a factor in admissions decisions
I used to go to this really rigorous/prestigious school, then transferred somewhere that’s considered not up to par with my previous school. I used to have the highest GPA in my class before I transferred.
Some ppl from my previous school got accepted at a top notch school, despite being quite mediocre…I got waitlisted at the same school, though it’s obvious I have a much stronger profile, SAT/GPA/extracurriculars-wise. 6 ppl got accepted to the college, while only one person at my school got accepted (and believe me, all applicants from my current school were quite strong).
Also, there hasn’t been a person accepted to a particular top 5 uni at my current school in years…decades, even. There was this really amazing guy who applied this year and got rejected, while I know some ppl from my previous school who aren’t as great who applied and got accepted/waitlisted. There are always like 2+ ppl who get accepted from my previous school. And seriously, this guy is really amazing…his essay was incredible (he’s writing is absolutely flawless!), he’s valedictorian, 2300+ SAT, 2 or 3 perfect scores and one 790 for SAT II, perfect AP scores for 3 subjects and perfect IB scores for 2 (he’s a full diploma candidate and tested for APs he didn’t even study at school…the rest of the IBs will be tested in May), some good extracurriculars, plus he won some science competitions or sth…idk. Anyways, it is indisputable that he is outstanding.
But I believe my school is known to have quite poor math/science programs. Maybe that could be it. My previous school is recognized internationally for its strong academic programs, esp in math/science.</p>