I mostly read other posts on here but with decisions coming out soon (and thus nerves getting higher) I’m a bit curious as to what the more experienced people on here think about these ideas.
I have my high school credits from 5 different schools, two of them being online. The school I am graduating through (online) does not really have a high level of experience with top schools, but the school I attended for the first two years of high school was highly competitive and I was still just as successful there. I attend online school because I joined a boarding school type pre-pro program for ballet on scholarship. Everyone always talks about depth rather than lots of activities and ballet was definitely my main thing. Right as college applications were finalizing to be submitted, I injured my back so that dance is no longer an option for me. I wrote about a lot in my essays on what I’ve learned from living in so many places (6+) throughout high school and being so committed to ballet and losing it, but I am hoping it didn’t come off too sentimental. I tried to use the misdiagnosis of my injury to relate towards my hope to pursue medicine.
I am not sure if it is a draw at all that I have lived away from home before graduating or being successful in public, private, and online school, but am curious if anyone really knows how much college admissions officers would care positively or negatively? I’m from a lower income family, so I have no clue if that is a hook or whatnot. I am still involved in activities at my online school, like establishing NHS leadership, school newspaper writing, involvement in the tech department, etc.
Just for reference, I received a 34 on my ACT and have an unweighted 3.98 and a weighted 4.3 gpa. In the school I am graduating through, I rank in the top 5% but they don’t release numerical ranks. I’ll have taken 10 AP classes by the time I graduate and pretty much all honors with most challenging I could otherwise.
I applied to a good mix of schools, but really trying not to get hopeful about the more top schools I loved like Yale (which deferred me), RICE, Harvard, Georgetown and Johns Hopkins. I understand that it doesn’t matter if you are statistically qualified for Ivies and am prepared with safeties I like too, I’m more curious what people’s thoughts are. Good luck to everyone by the way and thanks to anyone who replies!