Hello. I posted here a couple weeks ago saying that I’m a junior living in a small town in Mexico with very limited educational and limited extracurricular opportunities. I initially thought that nobody in my town in the past years had gotten into selective schools in the US and that by applying I would be an exception, but I just found out that some kids who lived here for the entire time they were in high school got into Barnard, Oberlin, Mount Holyoke, USC, and Hamilton. I have no way of contacting these people because these kids were not my friends and they’re all gone, but I’m very puzzled as to how they got in when these schools are extremely selective and the opportunities in my town are limited. There are a lot of community service organizations and opportunities for volunteering here, a lot, but there are no academic contests, no competitive athletic or academic teams, no clubs, no opportunities for research, no summer camps/programs, no internships, and no such thing as honor societies. Workshops here, such as theater, are really informal, not competitive, and usually run by people who are not very good at what they do. Workshops geared for teenagers are incredibly difficult to find. On top of all that, the nearest AP test center is very far away.
Usually for these colleges you have to have a strong application, but it puzzles me on how these kids would get accepted living in my town, given how limited everything is . I tried googling these kids to see if any of their accomplishments would come up to explain it, but nothing does.
Can anyone think of a theory as to how they might’ve gotten in? Because I’ve seen applicant profiles of kids who live in areas in the US with a ton of opportunities and who take advantage of everything available to them, and they still get rejected by these schools. Do the kids from my town getting in have an advantage over public schooled kids in the US just because they’re expats in Mexico?
If, by expats, you mean they are US citizens, they will always have an advantage over non-US citizens when all else is equal. Nothing unfair about that.
Many colleges take local context into consideration: if no APs are offered, then they don’t expect applicants to have taken APs (as an example). If there are no academic competitions available where you are, they don’t expect you to have won any.
So that’s probably what you do. Find something you’re passionate about and pursue it - it doesn’t have to be related to your school at all. Volunteer, serve, do a community project. All of that is great.
Because colleges want representation from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences and applicants are viewed in context of your own situation (school, community, upbringing). The process certainly skews toward affluent applicants that have a wealth of opportunities open to them. But they hold space (and possibly funds depending on the school) to select from a broader pool that bring some interesting diversity to campus.
I’d also say if there are community service organizations to be involved in, that is a big thing someone could really jump into. Stuff that is self built can show well too. Like a theater interested teen putting together a community cabaret. An athletic teen starting a running group that meets regularly and does events.
The most successful applicants from the US are creating opportunities for themselves, not only participating in existing clubs/research/sports/competitions.
Some may also do those things, but the US has opportunity deserts, too. Those kids max out the rigor offered, gets high test scores and grades, and then find things to do.
In your situation, industrious kids would pursue one of the volunteer opportunities, then possibly initiate a new program within it to address some unmet need…or be the best student volunteer ever. If their thing is humanities/sociology, they can document a history of their town or something in it and ask a high school teacher to do some oversight. They could create a podcast/recording of a historical walking tour of their downtown that the chamber of commerce could offer to visitors. They pursue their interests in whatever way they find.
Some kids do have more opportunities than others in Mexico, in the US, and everywhere. While it may be impossible to level the playing field, intellectually curious or socially motivated kids will find or create an outlet.
You may do all of this and find later that you didn’t get into an elite college, but it will still be worth it because you followed your interests, learned something, and contributed.
A couple thoughts: Depending on their socioeconomic circumstances, they may be matching through a program like QuestBridge. Not sure if they operate outside the US, but given that all these schools are prestigious schools, that is the first thing that comes to mind. Alternately, if they’re expats being subsidized by a large company, they may be receiving college counseling services as part of their relocation package.
At least Barnard is need-aware for international applications - so ability to pay in full could also explain some admissions into certain colleges.
Another path could have been transfers! Admission rates can be somewhat more favorable after the first semester (again, full pay may be a factor for some colleges.)
From Questbridge’s website:
So if these students are American citizens, they would be eligible for QB.
@tulipgarden1 - on the topic, if your family is low income, you may want to consider Questbridge as well, since you mentioned in your first thread that you are an American citizen.
Some could be taking AP or college courses online. They could also be winning contests or awards online. They could have parents who are alumni. All you can worry about is the things you can do for yourself.
Long before there were computers and internet, I lived in a small rural town. Kids from my high school went to Harvard, MIT, Middlebury, Notre Dame. Most did not (either didn’t go to college or went to state schools), but a few found ways to distinguish themselves.
It is about making the best of the opportunity that you do have. You talk about some of the things are not well run. Do you have good organizational skills? Now is the time to put them to use. It is not about doing what will look good to colleges. Where do your passions lie? What are you doing to make your small town better. If you have joined anything are you growing when it comes to leadership and taking on responsibilities. It is about quality how how big name or the competition in your town. Make the best of what you have and be a good steward
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