<p>I am sure this topic must had been brought up, but I cannot find a thread about it.</p>
<p>Ok, let's say there are two students, and they have same stats except they attend different high schools.</p>
<p>One high school sends 70% of their students to the four-year universities and avg GPA of class is 3.0 while the other sends 20% of their students to the 4yr univs with avg gpa of 2.0.</p>
<p>I personally would give credit for both students. One student would have to compete with other students + pressure, and another student would have had hard time to be motivated because there's no competition.</p>
<p>These thigns are pretty subjective unless...</p>
<p>1) Your school kicks butt at National Math/Science competitions every year
2) Your guidance counselor makes heavy reference
3) If you're "in-state" at least I know for the UC system they have profiles on certain high schools that send kids who consistently perform well at their college. Your school is then on "feeder" status. My school is like that and we got 90 acceptances to UCLA last year.
4) You're ranked on the UNSWR list as like a top 50 school (ehh, top 10 will make the most impact, but if it's top 50 it can still help).</p>
<p>But otherwise, it could be seen as your school grade inflates if it doesn't have national prestige.</p>
<p>Yes, Troy High (my high school) is among that list ;)</p>
<p>If the applicants have the same-ish stats, I'd say so.</p>
<p>This is a bit off-topic but I find it interesting. There are many threads about whether a 3.5 at a tough school is or should be valued the same amount as a 4.0 at an easy school. Check them out; there are valid points made by both sides.</p>
<p>I think state schools know their high schools and definitely give an edge to competitive schools. I've listened to parents from other high schools complain that their students, with higher stats, aren't getting in. According to our Naviance scattergram, our kids are getting in to those same schools
with lower stats. Unfortunately my son is applying to OOS schools.</p>
<p>If you are number 1 in an easy school you would have better chance than someone with similar stats in a tough school for very selective colleges like MIT</p>
<p>At top schools--like magnet schools--there is a belief that students may be at a disadvantage, because top colleges will only take so many people at any one school. So a person who is valedictorian at a lesser school might have better admission results that he would if he were number 15 at a magnet school. Of course, he might learn more and be happier at the magnet school.</p>
<p>In my state it is well known that the students from tough high schools fare much better in competitive college admission. Better to be top twenty or even top forty at a strong high school than top one at a typical high school. Our state has a lot of high school students who do university dual enrollment full-time or part-time, and that is a very good idea too.</p>
<p>
[quote]
If you are number 1 in an easy school you would have better chance than someone with similar stats in a tough school for very selective colleges like MIT
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I disagree. It's the most selective colleges that can afford to spend the time learning about different high schools (and other non-stats factors), rather than deciding based on some stats-based formula.</p>
<p>I don't know. I asked the UCLA rep at a college fair and he said they don't give preference. Our high school is also considered one of those feeder schools also.</p>
<p>I don't think any admissions reps would admit this is going on. If your school is considered a feeder school, then chances are you are getting an advantage.</p>
<p>There's an advantage
My local HS had 1 Harvard, 1 Yale, 1 Penn, 1 Columbia (best year in 10 years or so)
My magnet HS slightly smaller class size had 10 Princeton, 13 Columbia (7 college, 6 Fu), 2 Harvard (bad year), 4 Yale, 7 MIT, 8/9 Brown, 3-4 Penn, and literally ~20+ cornells and lots of overlap admits into Dartmouth.
My entire math class 18 ppl went to Ivy league schools.</p>
<p>It's partly the caliber of students, but it's also my HS had EXCELLENt relations with many of these colleges (i.e my 'College Center Director' regularly dines at home with Columbia and Princeton's admissions directors for our region) and our guidance counselors really try to make sure the students get somewhere good (so in turn the school becomes more 'prestigious')</p>