Does anyone know how class size will affect admission to T20s? I go to a really small private school and my class size is about 20 (can’t remember the exact number right now). I’m worried Ivies and such will sell my app short.
Short answer: no, class size won’t, in itself, doom your application: there are plenty of home-schooled students, with a class size of 1, at the top tier universities.
Obviously, being #1 in your class and having leadership positions in your class or school will carry less weight than somebody who has achieved those things in a deeper pool, but there are lots of ways to demonstrate your strengths, talents, commitment, etc.
Assuming that you are academically competitive (your test scores are solidly in range, you have taken a rigorous course load, etc) the main reason that you will be rejected is the same reason that 90+ % of applicants to those schools are rejected: there are simply a lot of very high-achieving students chasing the same seats.
Thanks for the info. What other ways would you suggest demonstrating my strengths and such as you have suggested?
I went to a school with about 30 students per class that sent multiple students to HYPSM this year. Take this with a grain of salt as this may be an unusual anomaly (and most likely it is), but this empirical data refutes the idea that a small class size necessarily negatively affects one’s chances of college admissions.
To strengthen your application, I suggest that you construct an overarching narrative that revolves around your passions and interests. While ECs are important, they carry little weight unless some part of your application details why you decided to commit yourself to those set of activities. Do you have a personal motivation? Did a specific event or person inspire you in any way? Try to build on these questions while writing your application.
Of course, all this matters after you’ve done the basics: a solid GPA, high test scores, and etc. Best of luck.