<p>The public high school I go to is one of those Silver Medalist schools you find on USNWR…
but honestly, every year, the number of students going to big name colleges like Cal, UCLA, HYPS, MIT, has really gone down. Most of the class this year are going to art schools, local collegs, or are just scattered around. We haven’t had anyone get accepted to Yale in the past few years. </p>
<p>I’ve realized that it’s nice to be at a less cut-throat school because you’re not foaming at the mouth when you realized that your friend is taking more AP’s than you or what not. It’s really the environment of the students that create what the high school’s competitiveness, not really the administration or the way the school is set up.</p>
<p>My school is less cutthroat than yours, a good portion of the IB kids here go to community college. 2 people are going to UC Berkeley and 1 is going to U Chicago. That’s about it. And there were about 500 in the graduating class too. I like going to a non-competitive school, though. People are less malicious and don’t turn everything into a competition.</p>
<p>My school which is considered one of the best few public schools in the state had ~5% go to schools more selective than Michigan, and about ~20% to Michigan. Probably ~40-50% go to the local community college, and most of the rest go to other state schools in Michigan.</p>
<p>I think more people here go to community colleges than would otherwise because if you do well there, it is very possible to transfer to Michigan, which is a highly regarded school.</p>
<p>My school sends under 40% to college. Actually I think the rate of our IB Students going is higher. over 80%, but only to like UVA and state colleges in Va.</p>
<p>We have people going to Dartmouth and Yale I believe, and maybe Cornell. I’m not sure. We like retaining school spirit through 4 years and everyone plans on going to a Va school. I break that trend.</p>
<p>the kids at my school are more focused on getting high and getting a$s than decent grades. the kids that go to college go for the parties. no one from my high school has ever gone to an ivy league, 99% stay in state</p>
<p>I think that a lot of people at my school could go to better colleges, but choose not to for various reasons. And we’re pretty academically competitive: there were two 36s on the ACT in my grade, and class rank is highly competitive.</p>
<p>Cost, more than anything, makes our regional HS graduates look to a year or two of community college for cheap prerequisite credits…before transferring to flagship state schools. </p>
<p>Many of the capable and motivated kids from our district who could and do wind up going to the most selective colleges … transfer out of the public school system after 8th grade - bringing their skill sets to the many, many private and prep schools in the area. It’s sad and unfortunate.</p>
<p>My school is odd. We have the “spirit” you mentioned, but the top 30% are pretty cutthroat. Although it’s a difficult “college prep” curriculum, 97+ is what the top kids make. this one boy even had a 110% average in a class… (I think he’ll be the val). (100 kids per grade, so 30 kids). We’re a pretty new high school (7 graduating classes so far). we don’t have rankings (too competitive), but we have a vali and salu >.<</p>
<p>99% go to a 4 year university (1 kid went to a CC).
Not many have gone to an Ivy, but many have gone to Top 20 schools and are happy.
Most of our graduates are happy, which is what matters to me.</p>
<p>What is school spirit? Its nothing but an excuse to waste paper for Homecoming or Prom. They don’t even recycle it.</p>
<p>I don’t know how it is for you, but my school is surrounded by giant powerhouses. If you’re in California, I’m sure you would have heard of Lynbrook and Harker? They send 10 people to MIT and 30+ to Ivy Leagues, Stanford, and Duke each year.
And then you got our school who hasn’t sent anyone to Princeton or MIT for the past 10 years. Its pretty depressing.</p>
<p>From the community of family I come from, your worth is based on whatever college you’re going to (a student’s duty is to study. That’s is no. 1 priority). So yes, for me, I do slave over w/e college I’m going to end up at. While I don’t like this entire mind-set, I’d still prefer if I’m friends with some students who at least have grandeur goals. The area doesn’t have to be even cutthroat. There are plenty of learning environments that foster supportive learning.</p>
<p>^Why do you care so much about your school like it’s a horrible thing, lots of people don’t even get educational opportunities at all. You’re going to Duke, what is there to worry about, besides the fact that unless you’re a spoiled kid or you actually are going there, you hate the school?</p>
<p>My friends kinda had goals of fancier colleges but it wasn’t that big a deal? Like, I would be fine at UT because the state school is actually really fun and well-known for engineering and I like Austin. Also it is a matter of money, I mean, did you get a full ride to Duke?</p>
<p>^^That’s very sad actually. The pressure is enormous and I don’t like it. I actually think that mindset in my community kinda ruined my high school experience.</p>
<p>lol dont blame it on your community, you’re the one who keeps complaining about how much you hate your school and everyone in it. you made your own high school experience a failure</p>
<p>^Sorry, by community I meant my family (I believe that was the first terminology I used before). My community of family who sends their kids to powerhouse high schools like Harker and Lynbrook.</p>
<p>Anyways, enough about me. Yeah, high school is over. I’m more interested in how you guys feel about your own high school culture and how you deal with it.
I’m also interested in what you guys feel about school spirit (as you can see, I don’t have a good opinion about it <_<)</p>