<p>say you went to a good high school that's the best in its area but not necessarily nation-recognized, will you have a hugely less chance of getting into a top school that someone who went to say thomas jefferson h.s? If you get good grade sand take all ap and honor classes ofcourse.</p>
<p>youll have the same chance, kids cant choose which high school they go to and colleges know that.</p>
<p>No, the more competitive the HS, the more kids applying to top colleges. That makes it even more competitive as colleges will only take so many from one HS. If it's a competitive school in an affluent area, there are likely to be legacies applying. Your best chance would be to have excellent grades and scores and apply from a low income school in an underrepresented state.</p>
<p>The kids from Jefferson and the like were already candidates for top schools before they got there. It's not the school improving their chances.</p>
<p>"No, the more competitive the HS, the more kids applying to top colleges. That makes it even more competitive as colleges will only take so many from one HS."</p>
<p>the latter statement is not necessarily true...</p>
<p>Serch for quotes from "classicsgeek", Michelle Hernandez, author of A is for Admission and former Dartmouth adcom. She confirms this is true. Why do people post so much bad information on this site?</p>
<p>^^^you should ask that question of yourself... i know for a fact that there are plenty of colleges that don't have a cap on the number of students they take from any particular high school. (and notice i said "not necessarily true"-clearly there are some colleges that do only take a certain number of applicants from specific schools, but there are plenty of others that don't).</p>
<p>I think going to a more difficult school certainly is an advantage. While many admissions offices don't have a distinct "cap", they certainly take more candidates from the recognized schools. If you live in an underprivileged area, then you will most likely need to rank in the top 5% or higher to have any chance at an ivy. At my school, there are more than a few ivy acceptances outside the top 10% every year, even with a small class size. You're more prepared for college at a competitive school, and admissions officers know that.</p>
<p>It may be the opposite. You nay have a hihjer chance actually.
I heard that there were 70 Early admissions apps from my daughter's high school to Yale. At least those whom my daughter knows are terrific and have stats sufficient for admission. Guess how many were admitted? Less than Yale's average acceptance rate.</p>
<p>^exactly (referring to seniors2008). top 10% at a low tier HS is not viewed equally as top 10% of a top tier HS</p>
<p>If you go to a well known top high school, you are much more likely to be:</p>
<p>1) wealthy
2) advantaged in many ways such as with tutors
3) a legacy</p>
<p>All of those things greatly help admissions at top colleges. These are children of mostly well educated people who have been given everything, will give money to schools and not need financial aid.</p>
<p>Kids from schools compete with each other. At citymom's school 70 applied EA to Yale! 26 to Stanford from my son's high schools. Only legacies and athletes were admitted. Several legacies were deferred (polite rejection). Many of these kids would have gotten in if they went to an unknown school in Missouri.</p>
<p>The problem is, few kids in Missouri apply while they have every kid from top HS's trying.</p>
<p>Anyone who has done the research (Price of Admission by Golden) knows it is fact that a top school makes it harder for kids with no genuine hook.</p>
<p>Kids from TJ would probably be in the top 5% of their class if they went to a "normal" highschool anyways. Going to schools like that you definetly have your benefits but the thing I wonder is about the grading. My friend goes to TJ and she's managing a B average so I wonder if the school does come into play with competitive schools.</p>
<p>Also area makes a difference. If your from VA you would know that being in northern va is more competitive and therefor your chances are slightly slimmer.</p>
<p>CB: ...and plenty of people (including the Dartmouth adcoms i spoke w/ over the summer) would disagree with Ms. Hernandez (on some of her points). i think it not wise to base your opinion on information gathered from only one source (esp. one that may have ulterior motives for its arguments- i hear that Hernandez was, at least somewhat, trying to agitate her Dartmouth colleagues). (i'm not sure if you were responding to me, but...) i never said that it is or is not more difficult for students to gain admittance to colleges when they have attended "top" high schools; i just said that there are colleges that don't limit the number of applicants they take from specific high schools...</p>
<p>My school is competitive in the area, and a senior got accepted to columbia EA/ED, so hopefully it won' be such a huge hindrance. i have a legacy to columbia and oxford but want to go to Wharton, which other IVIES/TOP 20 colleges have business schools. Also my school offers AP and all that jazz so it's not exactly an average school.</p>
<p>I go to a pretty competitive HS and people outside the top 10% get into Ivies and other top 25 schools. Usually around 10-25% of grade goes to top 25 school, or around schools of that caliber. But we also have MANY kids who go to community colleges and colleges that accept 95+% of students. So far out of ~200 kids, only 3 or 4 people were rejected (1 Dartmouth, 1 Yale, 1 Columbia, and possibly someone I'm not aware of), 1 deferral (Yale) and acceptances were 3 Cornells, 2 Browns, 1 Columbia, and 1 Dartmouth from early. But we also have people who got into other top 25 schools (ie 2 into Duke). But I'd say only about 50% of them were in the top 10%. So personally, I think what school you go to DOES affect it, but only if you've taken advantaged of what's offered.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Anyone who has done the research (Price of Admission by Golden) knows it is fact that a top school makes it harder for kids with no genuine hook.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Can you quote the exact passage where that is said? </p>
<p>Nicholas Lemann's book The Big Test </p>
<p>Amazon.com:</a> The Big Test: The Secret History of the American Meritocracy: Books: Nicholas Lemann </p>
<p>gives a striking example of the advantage of going to a top school--the life story of Jerome Karabel, who later wrote the book The Chosen. </p>
<p>Besides, the reason to go to one high school or another is to get a good high school education. It is NOT advantageous to go to a mediocre high school if that means passing up the chance to go to a good one.</p>
<p>The fact that you're going to a better school and thus there is more competition is offset by the fact that colleges are more likely to take more kids from your school. That's why places like Stuyvesant HS in NYC send ~1/7 of their kids to Ivies, whereas schools in underprivileged areas send maybe 1/500.</p>
<p>A lot of high schools send NIL applicants to a top college, even if students at those high schools fill out and send in their applications.</p>