<p>Success on standardized testing is in some large measure understanding how the questions work and how to budget your time . Just check a prep book out of the library or borrow one (they are not that expensive to buy). Those opportunities for leadership offer that come in the mail are coming from companies looking to make a profit - and understood by colleges for what they are.</p>
<p>Perhaps you attend a school where most students have access to advantages which you do not. There are many schools in this nation where few, perhaps none, of their students have access to these advantages. Even these schools send students to college - good colleges.</p>
<p>There was a study out not long ago from NYU researches that showed that family wealth might partly explain differences in student’s test scores. It was an interesting read and did convey what many already know.</p>
<p>Money does buy a lot of opportunities. Wealthy school districts tend to thrive and produce more graduates than their poorer peers. More money means more resources and tutoring than available to most. It’s just how it is in the world.</p>
<p>However, “Education” is not easily summed in just a handful of popular or well-respected institutions. There are many fine colleges and junior colleges available and you’ll receive an excellent education no matter where you go.</p>
<p><em>Perhaps more important than getting in is that if the income is high enough (~200-250K+), a student will have parents who can legitimately afford to pay full boat at top colleges. That is the definitive most important piece - being able to go to where you can get in (Forget where colleges themselves draw this line - EFC is a joke which measures how much a family can afford to go into debt for a kid’s education rather than what they can actually afford if they’re saving enough for retirement and/or their kid has grad school plans and/or a lot of other factors).</em></p>
<p>I can guarantee that there is a general association between income level and quality of the colleges that a student can get into. You can get into a top university at any income level (people do it all the time), but, there are obvious reasons why a student from an upper income family would have better statistical odds for getting in.</p>
<p>An upper income student has more options open to them. They can afford to take community college classes if they’re capable enough. They can go on all of the international school trips held during spring break. They can travel with their random extracirricular academic team when it advances to the nationals. They’re more likely to have high-speed internet, a computer in their bedroom, a car for their personal use, plenty of space and a desk to do homework, and basically any other material items that enhance their efficiency at doing things.</p>
<p>More importantly, they’re likely to come from a family environment that will aid them incredibly. They typically have parents who are successful and feel strongly about their kids’ education (not as helicopter parents, though that is probably more likely as well). As there is some association with intelligence and wealth, their parents (or breadwinner parent) are likely to be more intelligent than those of middle or lower income students. Almost certainly, they’ll have parents with better connections, which can lead to all sorts of opportunities ranging from internship opportunities to an actual connection at a top university.</p>
<p>Ultimately, students with money have an edge over those who don’t have money. This is true of basically everything in life, be it that you can buy better things or probably have better connections. College admissions are one of the places in life where this edge can actually be most easily overcome, but it’s still plenty strong enough that there is a clear advantage to being wealthy.</p>
<p>your basic premise is right - the system is stacked against you,
and as an immigrant that is especially true and will be until some
point when you gain some sense of security and someplace to call
home. You need to accept that and move from there.</p>
<p>Set some reasonable, attainable goals and stick with them. Yes,
you may have to stay home for a year or two and attend the local cc,
but if you can focus on the grades and stay away from distractions,
too much working or partying, problems with the parents etc
you can go from there. You don’t have the same resources as
many wealthier Americans, so it’s going to take you longer 0-
but you’re probably going to learn more along the way and be
a stronger person.</p>
<p>Again, your basic premise is correct, but you can’t let that
tie you up in resentment and lose track of your goals. Develop
short and long term goals and stick to the plan. Good Luck</p>
<p>I have to agree. My family makes <50k, and I go to a mediocre public high school. Good colleges like the Ivies aren’t off-limits for me, because schools like diversity and don’t want all private school kids, but when I compare the education that I’m getting with my friends who go to private schools, it’s ridiculous. It’s very very hard to get a good education from a public school wher I’m from. I know some places there are a few select public schools that shine, but for the vast majority of the country, this isn’t true. Most public schoolers have to deal with poor resources, underpaid teachers, and crumbling buildings. And don’t tell me you can get a good education anywhere if you try–trust me, you can’t. There is a huge discrepancy between public and private schools, and even city and suburban schools, and it’s not fair. As far as I’m concerned, we’re getting left behind every day.</p>
This will be happening, eventually. I’d imagine within the next 10 years. While most candidates seem to agree with changing AA to be based on socioeconomic status I doubt any of them will have the cojones to deal with it this go round.</p>
<p>Kids (students) tend to overestimate the value of a college degree from an “elite” school. As an employer, I’d almost always rather hire a solid A/B student from a State school than an A student from an Ivy League school. They work harder, are more balanced socially, and they don’t act as if they deserve something. Anybody, and I mean ANYBODY, can afford a college education at a State school. If you are poor, you qualify for student loans and you’ll probably get grant money also. Then you work hard, get good grades, pay off your loans, and live the American dream. Go to Wikipedia and look up several State Colleges, click on “notable Alumni” and you’ll see tons of State school grads who went on to become very successful.</p>
<p>If you study the subjects the SAT tests, yes, 50 or so points is about right. If you study the SAT itself for “months,” it’s pretty much impossible not to bang out a score in the 95th+ percentile.</p>
<p>To the OP:
I used to think this too, and it was discouraging. I am not impoverished, but I go to a rural school with little funding and did not have the resources to take prep classes and pay to go to those awesome-looking things you get in the mail. </p>
<p>Colleges know what you paid for and what you earned. I was selected for 2 national programs during my high school career: one was an all-expenses paid study trip to Germany based on language skills, and the other was a Japanese studies program from Stanford for which I received credits upon completion…again, free. Those were the two most impressive elements of my resume, and I earned them. I did not buy them. </p>
<p>People are right: colleges want to see that you did the most with what you had. If your high school is super competitive, obviously you will have to make the most of it and do a ton of stuff to stand out to colleges. If you go to a smaller, less wealthy school, you can still go to an awesome college if you go the extra mile to find opportunities you can afford (read: that are free). There is a lot out there, you just have to look for it.</p>
<p>I got a decent score on the SAT (2210) without studying for it…it’s really not that hard if you work on your math/English skills over the years in school, rather than trying to cram those abilities into yourself in a few months before the test.</p>