<p>I attend Choate Rosemary Hall and am a third year junior. At home, I would have attended a pretty decent, however, somewhat average/mediocre school, but I'm sure would have been among the top students as well as athletes. I am the Varsity soccer captain now, but in terms of academics, my GPA has been around the 2.7 - 3.0 range since last sophomore winter. I'm very confused and wondering whether staying at home would have been better; for colleges to see me high in the class rank, captain of soccer there as well, and doing clubs (ex: band/music, which i cant really do here b/c of time pressures). anyone with similar experiences or just any advice, please post. thank you.</p>
<p>Hey, i almost had a similar situation. After freshman year, i was accepted as a transfer to the best, fanciest private school in San Francisco. However, I did some self reflecting, and I realized that I would probably excel more at a public school. Now ( I go to a average public school), I am in the top 10 percent, I have a made a few clubs, my GPA isn't bad. However, I am always in huge classes, whereas private schools can offer materials, classrooms, teachers, that cannot be even compared to public schools.</p>
<p>So maybe even though your GPA might not be as strong as it might have been there, you probably have learned a ton right?</p>
<p>But, I myself am glad that I stayed public.</p>
<p>given that choate is one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the nation with rigorous acedemics, colleges will probably see your GPA in context with your school.</p>
<p>This can be the most frustrating thing. I went through the exact same situation when I applied to college a few years ago. I went to that fanciest private school in San Francisco, which is ranked right up there with Choate.<br>
My stats were higher than yours (you may have taken harder classes), but I was still was applying to a lot of reach schools. I ended up getting into my first choice: NYU. You'll find that once you go to college, you'll have a HUGE leg up, compared to other students. Still, there's the hurdle of getting in. </p>
<p>You might have had a better chance had you gone to a different school. This was something I just had to admit while going through the process. MOVE ON. There's nothing you can do about it now, so look forward, not back.<br>
Since you're an athlete, you'll want to look into getting recruited. That means making videos, talking to coaches, and probably other things I'm not really the expert on. Talk to your college counselor, and come up with a game plan. You'll want to make personal connections at the schools you're looking at. This probably means talking to specific professors and coaches, then writing about it on your application. (Please use your college counselor. He/She/They is/are the expert(s) and will be able to tell you more. I didn't use my college counselors enough, which was a HUGE mistake.)<br>
It's okay that you don't have a ton of ECs. If you've really committed to one activity-and it sounds like you have with soccer-that's GREAT! Colleges would rather have a soccer STAR than someone who dabbles in 10 things and never really gets to an advanced level.
In the meantime, you can still pull up your grades and improve that GPA. If you can afford it, get tutors. At the very least, use your teachers' office hours. </p>
<p>Another thing you might try is taking some classes at a local CC this summer. If you can do well in those classes (which I know from experience are not NEARLY as difficult as what you're taking now), they can help strengthen your application. Submit an additional transcript from this institution, on top of the Choate stuff. Maybe even a rec!<br>
If you have any more questions, ask away.</p>
<p>I go to another prestigious private school in Connecticut, which most people around here think is tougher than Choate, and a 2.7-3.0 GPA is not even remotely impressive. Sure, you don't NEED a 4.0 average like you would from a public, but a C+ average just won't cut it if you want to go somewhere good...</p>
<p>Umm Im in the opposite situation. I go to a fairly good private school in the DC area but I had near perfect SSAT scores and kind of am kicking myself for not apply to Lawerenceville and Choate and some GOOD schools rather than go to my current HS.</p>
<p>Dont get me wrong there are some smart kids here but I dont feel like I fit in. Usually alot of kids go to Ivys for sports and other hooks and not many get into Ivys for academics. I can imagine that at Choate kids get into Ivys all the time after all like 20% of the class goes to an Ivy. Your lucky and I'm jealous of you.</p>
<p>If you can get yourself recruited, attain high SAT scores, get good recs, and demonstrate POTENTIAL, you've got a shot at a small liberal arts school. you absolutely must demonstrate leadership in soccer...</p>
<p>I went to a top Connecticut prep school many years ago. I got mediocre grades and I know that if I had gone to the urban public school where I lived I would have been at the top of the class. My competition for college was intense at my school, with most of the students being quite brilliant and all applying to the same top schools. When it came time for college, I feel that I was at a definite disadvantage for getting into the ivies and top 10 schools, which the rest of my family who went to public school got into with lower SATs then me. But, I still got into a top 25 school, and boy was I prepared for college, getting top honors from the start. I was always disappointed, though, that I didn't get to go to my first choice schools. My child, who was accepted to the same prep school, chose to turn it down and go to the local suburban CT schools. She ended up doing well, getting into a top ten college and is getting honors there and doing very well. So, what would I recommend? It depends on the student, but I tend to suggest that you take a hard look at your local public school if it is safe and has a decent academic reputation. Prep schools are very expensive, and unless you are rich and can afford the money, the benefits are negligible in my opinion. With the money you save, you can do many extracurricular activities, i.e. attend local music schools and play in community orchestras, etc.</p>
<p>is this the hotchkiss school by any chance?</p>
<p>I've been going to private schools in maryland and dc since i was 2. Right now i attend a 200 year old prep school in DC and i have a 3.8 GPA (4.4 weighted) i'm sure when applying to colleges next year, my school's name will stand out because of its location (in dc) and because of people who have graduated from here (i.e. the inventor of under armour).<br>
I think it all depends on what public school u attend. If u go to a horrible public school( and admission officers can usually point them out) and get a good GPA it won't hold as much weight as a private school GPA, but if u attend an amazing public school (i know virgina has a lot of them) that GPA might hold more weight then some private schools. It all depends on the school. Just keep in mind that some kids go to top prep schools and are getting 4.0 (i personally know a lot of them)</p>