<p>At my school we are privileged to have a very good counseling department which I appreciate greatly but I can't help but think based on what I see here I feel that for many of my schools I stand no chance whereas my counselor says that she would only recommend these schools for me if she thought I had the credentials and personality to get in. </p>
<p>What do you guys think?</p>
<p>If your school has had good college placement, believe your counselor. There are top high schools that have a far better success rate than most at colleges, especially those just below the top 20. I do, however, think you should read the ED results here to get a feel for what it takes from anywhere at the very top colleges if that’s where you’re aiming.</p>
<p>Does your high school’s college counseling office use Naviance or an equivalent system?</p>
<p>Your counselor knows you, your high school’s program, and the history of admissions from your school. That is an extremely powerful combination for predicting your individual admissions results. Nothing that you can glean here will be as accurate. It is OK to us information that you find here to help develop good questions for your counselor, but in the end you should trust his/her advice.</p>
<p>And often (to add to happymomof1’s post) college counselors at some schools (and yours may be one of them) have direct relationships with college admissions officers. They can advocate for you, clarify your application in the context of your school, etc.</p>