<p>I read an article that claims some of the best high schools quietly hype their top students to the best universities. It's kind of a pre-sale, or a pre-draft in professional sports. </p>
<p>I wonder how effective this is? And how often does it happen? None of my friends have ever heard of this - have you?</p>
<p>Has anyone been "packaged" or "marketed" by their school? </p>
<p>Maybe this is one way kids with lower scores than others get into Yale (my first choice) or Princeton (2nd choice) or Harvard (3d choice)?</p>
<p>Care to provide a link?</p>
<p>I think my school is doing the opposite, lol.</p>
<p>My high school is promoting kids to go to our state university:)</p>
<p>My highschool did it, and all it meant was that the colleges will send application material to the recommended students, even when the student did not really request them. I don't think it helps your chances in getting admitted though. :) I mean really, if you never even knew that Harvard and Yale existed, then you might find the surprise in the mail helpful, but I think that's as far as these "recommendations" go.</p>
<p>My high school does the exact opposite. Everyone was amazed when they found out that I wasn't going to the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. Where's Haverford? Is that like Harvard or something? Why aren't you going to a public school? Those are the questions I deal with on a constant basis nowadays.</p>
<p>My high school promotes kids to go to penn state and nowhere else. They don't want anyone to apply anywhere else because that just means more work for them to send everything.</p>
<p>Some of the premier high schools in the USA are very strategic with their students and how they are presented to the admissions offices of various colleges. The strategic part starts as early as the 9th grade as certain academic "tracks" are begun. This academic level positioning permits the high school senior to make the strongest presentation to the colleges to which he/she applies and it also allows the high schools to most easily identify (and in some cases promote) their strongest core of students. This carries throughout the high school years and is further codified in the awarding of various academic or leadership honors. Many top schools will shrewdly award the majority of these prizes to high school juniors so that this can be used as part of their college applications. In doing so, this further distinguishes the top group of students and provides a greater foundation for high schools to support some students in their applications to top colleges. </p>
<p>As for the explicit promotion of some students over others, the process is much less overt than this, but the signals are nonetheless understood by those in the conversation, ie, the high school college counselor and the college admissions counselor. Furthermore, the signals can be far more than what is typically found on a transcript, eg, color commentary on a student's attitude toward others in the high school community and how he/she is viewed by peers and teachers and teammates. In many cases, the high GPA/high SAT student will not be the better candidate coming from ABC High School and it is part of the high school advisor's role to communicate this and why. The colleges want students that will build a community rather than a collection of numbers who don't know how (or want to) work with others and support the institution during their college years and beyond.</p>
<p>My school is like "So yes, ANY OF YOU GUYS CAN GO TO UC BERKELEY OR CAL STATE LONG BEACH!!!!.....oh yeah....and if you ant, you know, go ahead and try to go to a private or something...."</p>
<p>My school is like "You're NOT applying to Ohio State? But it's every little boy and girl's dream to be a Buckeye!" and then begrudgingly sends out applications to privates. Out-of-state privates are a big no-no. Oops. ;)</p>
<p>My school supports those who want to apply to state schools or the local community college, because that's where most people go.</p>
<p>No, my guidance counselor is pretty realistic. Any acceptance rate under 20% gives my GC the heebie jeebies.</p>
<p>Texas public schools usually want students to go to Texas public colleges. They want us trapped in state lol.</p>
<p>UGA automatically accepted the top 4 students in our class. They didn't even have to apply.</p>