Just wondering… if I am the best of the best in my state, but am still not as strong of an applicant as some of the more competitive kids in states like California, does being the best of where I am from help me or would I still get beaten by the more competitive applicants?
If you are from a state that could add to diversity in a college (ex. Alaska) then it could provide a slight help to your application – but it will never get you into a college that you are not otherwise qualified to attend
You are a sophomore. It is too early to worry about college and way too early to focus on what “angles” may help to get you in. When the time is right (junior year) you will need to asses your academic stats (including GPA, standardized tests, course rigor) as well as your financial needs and apply to a wide range of reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable (you will have to run a net price calculator for each school you consider) and that you would be happy to attend.
Keep in mind that Ivy and equivalent schools generally have under 10% acceptance rates and routinely have to turn away students with impeccable credentials. You need to stop obsessing about Ivy schools, expand your horizons, and recognize that there are many wonderful schools out there where you can have a great 4 year experience and get where you want to go in life.
For now focus on doing your best in the strongest curriculum you can manage, study for standardized tests, get involved in things you care about, and enjoy your friends and family. I’d recommend you stay off of CC until you are a junior.
@mathGod28 , Yes, absolutely. All the elite colleges, public or private, would like to boast they have students from all 50 states and 300+ different countries. We went to an info session and the college rep told us that he regretted his college only have 49 states represented. (If you want to know which state is not represented, it’s North Dakota.) So, if you are the best in North Dakota and are in the middle of the admissible range, I bet your chance for this college goes up to 99.99%.
North Dakota was my choice of least likely to matriculate especially from the rural parts of that state. Please recognize ND has great schools too.