How does it reflect on you if your high school isn't that great?

<p>My high school isn't the worst around, but I was looking at my school profile and only 72% of people attend four year colleges. I'm not sure if that is a normal number or not, but it seems fairly low to me. Will that affect how an admissions counselor views my application?</p>

<p>Also, the average SAT is a 1040 (while mine is a 1510) - again, does that have any effect on how they view my score?</p>

<p>And one more question - say my school offers 16 AP classes. I have only taken four, and obviously that number is somewhat small, but surely adcoms do not except me to take both AP French and Spanish, or AP Bio, Chem, and Physics? It would be impossible... so will they just look at the numbers or look at the logic of the situation?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>First of all, a high school with 72% of students going on to college is not a bad one. Not a elite, high-powered boarding school, but a decent public HS. If your high school sent more students on to jail than to college, or if only half the class graduated, or if absolutely everyone attended college and most of them at top-tier institutions, then the quality of your high school would be noteworthy. As it is, it looks like your school is about average. I'm guessing that it won't impact your application.</p>

<p>Chances are that your school's average SAT will not affect your application much either. They probably won't even be aware of it unless someone (you, your guidance counselor, or one of your recommenders) goes out of his way to bring the subject up. The fact that you did better than your high school peers might help you, but I suspect that the real comparison will be with other students applying to this college rather than the people you grew up with.</p>

<p>Oh ok, thanks. I was just curious. The avg SAT is on our school's profile (that they send off to colleges), I guess that's not a common thing.</p>

<p>Wait where are you guys getting this information on your schools?</p>

<p>Well, my guidance counselor gave me a copy of our school profile for some information that was on it (colleges people from my school had been accepted into). Normally no student sees it (not that they're not allowed to, but there's no point). It has the contact information for all the Principals and GCs; a description of the community, school, and our block scheduling policy; post-secondary plans of students (broken down by percentage); avg SAT and ACT scores; graduating requirements; and curriculum offerings. I believe they put this in the package with the transcript when they send it off to schools.</p>

<p>Our school send the profile with the transcripts. Parents can get one at the meetings they hold to help them muddle through the steps of going from middle school to high school.</p>

<p>Haha, you think your HS is bad? Mine only has 20% go on to a four year college. Yes, I come from a wonderful high school. Luckily I've been able to take all my classes at a local community college or I would have died <em>sigh</em>.</p>

<p>Well, to clarify I don't think my high school is bad, but I was suprised by the 72% figure, I thought it would be somewhere in the 90s, but I from what people are posting it seems farily average.</p>