There are some high schools in my area listed, but my school, which is not that famous of a school, is not listed on CommonApp. It gives the option of typing the full name of my high school in the box if my high school is not found in the available options.
So, will there be a problem if my high school is not listed on CommonApp in terms of admissions?
Also, I am the first student from my school to apply to a certain college. In the past students from my high school have applied to other US colleges, but there is one college (a high ranked one), where no one has ever applied from my school, but I am planning to apply there. Will this be a point in my favour, or the opposite? Do colleges prefer to accept applicants from schools that have sent in many applications in the past? Will it be fine if I am the first person in my schools history to apply to a certain college, or will colleges be reluctant to accept me?
As to a college not appearing on the common app list, that most likely means it is one of many colleges that still has its own application form and you have go to the college’s website and find it, because the common app is likely not going to qualify as an application to the college.
As to your other questions, colleges like well-rounded applicants with an excellent academic and test score record, and good personal traits, as verified by rec letters and essays, and demonstrated by EC’s and other activities asked about in the app. Many colleges, in deciding admissions, don’t give a whit about how many applications they have had before from any school or even whether you are the first applicant. For others it will most likely have a very minor impact either way. Where you can have a possible disadvantage in being the first to apply from an international school is that the college may have no information about your school and thus nothing to which to compare you to detemine if the GPA you are presenting is really high from your school or if the courses you took were the most competitive. In such situations, it is usually helpful if your school can provide its own profile including informaiton about courses offered, grades that are considered high like what puts you in the top 10%, and community served and student body make-up.
It is the poster’s high school that is not appearing in the common app list.
I would guess that would not be unusual - they probably do not list EVERY high school in the world. If there is a place to type it in - go ahead and type it in. Don’t worry about it.