<p>Hello! I attend an infamously...well, "ghetto"....school high school. And I do mean infamously. However, I am an IB student and will probably be valedictorian or salutatorian of my class of +700. I think there's a small minority of really driven students at my school, but going to _____ carries this stigma. "Ohhhhhh, so you go...there. Well, then." It's an attitude that I've encountered at academic competitions, swim meets, and the like. Of course, not everyone is like that, and I don't want to seem that I'm complaining too much about my own school.</p>
<p>I was wondering how your high school's competition influences college admissions - the holistic evaluating process and all? In general and what that means for me in particular...</p>
<p>I think I'll have very solid recommendations. I've skipped two grades, and I'm a year advanced in math. Thing is, I'm advanced only according to my school's plan. I'll be taking the IB equivalent of Calc BC my senior year - next year. I've also tested out of one year of English to take two AP courses, but I think I'm the strongest in English and history, which I've tried to demonstrate with outside contests and activities, so it's not like I just skipped over the coursework. Or does it seem like that? I'm worried that colleges' looking at my high school would make what I've done seem less impressive. "Oh, she's first in her class, but it's a weak class." I'm worried that it lowers the bar. However, I think I've pushed myself given what my school allows. My school is in a very low-income area, but my family is middle-class. Does the fact that my family is better off than most people at my high school change what colleges would expect for someone of my background? Yes or no?</p>
<p>I actually posted something similar to this a while ago. I’m kind of in the same situation as you. My high school is known as a pretty terrible school, but the top 10-15 students of every grade is pretty damn motivated. I didn’t get a solid answer, but many hinted that overcoming a crappy high school situation may look good. It definitely looks better than being a generic student at a great school, I think.</p>
<p>I’m in the exact same situation, except I’m ranked a bit below val/sal (still top 3% though). I would agree with overbrook on the fact that it would look good if you overcame your high school’s horrible academics. Although if you aren’t ranked near the top, I would say it can hurt your chances, a lot. If you are valedictorian, and have the stats/ECs for top schools, then the fact that you came from a ghetto high school will definitely be a plus.</p>
<p>Also, I hate the stereotypes I get too! Fortunately for me, I am from a town that ranks very low in academics, so if I tell them my SAT score they usually shut up.</p>
<p>I can only say this for where I live… But maybe it applies elsewhere too. I know for a fact that most or all UCs give “points” for attending a lower achieving high school. Due to the extra effort it takes to climb out those environments. I come from a similar situation as well…</p>
<p>Given Texas public universities’ rank-based admission criteria, you may actually be at the optimal school for getting into the Texas public universities – availability of strong college-prep course work (up to IB and AP, assuming that they prepare you well enough to get high scores on the respective tests), but a lot of low performing students who are easy to beat for class rank.</p>
<p>Having a top school like UT Austin (where being valedictorian or close that is well within the top 8% that gets automatically admitted) as an admissions safety (assuming that you can afford to attend) is a good place to be.</p>
<p>AdComms will take into account how you do in the environment you are in. There are a lof of additional challenges in rough schools. If you are able to overcome them, you will be admired. Do the best you can. Take the time to practice the SATs or ACTs and show the colleges your passion. Best of luck.</p>
<p>I too have been worried about this recently since D2 decided to attend one of the schools in our city with a poor reputation for academics instead of her home school which is ranked as one of the best. She did that because they have a ‘school within a school’ format that draws a small group of talented students and teaches them very advanced and focused subjects.</p>
<p>Anyway, overall, the school body does poorly when compared to other schools in our area, so I was worried about admissions to selective colleges when she applies in a few years. After talking to the guidance department however it turns out that about the same number of students are accepted to UVA from this school as from our home school.</p>
<p>The GC said that while the average student might not perform as well as the average student at another HS, that the top students are comparable to the top kids from other schools, so that doing extremely well still shows great potential. She said that it was her feeling that it was like that at most schools, not just those that were poorly ranked.</p>
<p>In other words, being ranked #50 at the best HS in the country will get you into one of the best colleges in the country, whereas being ranked #50 at a “bad” HS doesn’t do a lot for your chances at a good school. On the other hand, being top 10 at any decent sized HS gives you lots of great options.</p>
<p>ucbalumnus: Yup, I’m definitely applying to UT Austin. Not only as a safety, but as somewhere I’d genuinely love to be. Hook’em. :D</p>
<p>glido: Thanks. I just took the SAT last Saturday. 0.o National Merit. Pweasepweasepwease. I feel like so much is riding on this, I can’t even…</p>
<p>I think that’s a huge, huge plus of living in Texas. Fantastic public schools. This fall I’m applying to Columbia, Stanford, Harvard, Brown, Yale, Rice, and UT. “Worst”-case-scenario: I’m only accepted to UT? Great, anyway. :)</p>
<p>Thank you to everyone. It’s reassuring to know other people in the same situation.</p>
<p>Be aware, though, that automatic admission to UT Austin does not necessarily guarantee admission to the particular division (e.g. an automatic admit applicant who applies to engineering is not guaranteed to be admitted to engineering; s/he may get a UT Austin admission offer for a different division).</p>
<p>From what I understand you’re compared to other kids in your HS as well during admission … so it will (theoretically) work out to your advantage.</p>
<p>but shouldn’t UC’s give extra points to those who go to good competitive schools as well?</p>
<p>My high school is a very competitive school and the courses (even the regular non-AP & Honors courses) are tough and it’s harder to get an A in a certain class in my school than it is to get an A in that class from a different school. </p>
<p>You want to succeed in your environment and also prove that you’re capable of handling much more. So after you run out of math classes (and do well on the IB test), for example, you might take MV at a local CC. etc.</p>
<p>@redscarlett, I think if you go to a competitive school you are given more leeway on GPA and class rank. If you go to a uncompetitive/ghetto school then you should have a high GPA and a high class rank.</p>