<p>I go to a public school in NJ, and it's probably like middle-of-the-road. Apparently the percentage of kids who go on to a 4-year college is only around 50%, but there are a few kids at least in the past two years that have gotten into Ivies. I've been told that the 50% stat will hurt me in admissions... is this true? </p>
<p>Not really - your personal stats are more important than the school’s. And what you did with the opportunities present. As a less competitive HS, you probably have fewer upper level classes available, so you aren’t responsible for not taking what’s not offered, but you should be taking the APs/honors that are if you’re shooting for a highly ranked school.</p>
<p>The one area that might make a difference would be class rank, which tends to be overrated. If you are going to a less competitive HS, prestigious colleges might expect to see you near the top of the class, not in the middle, whereas at a truly competitive HS, being in the middle of the class might not be seen as something negative.</p>
<p>Tarahific,
It matters to a certain degree.
If you take a rigorous courseload and have a good gpa, then the next thing they will look at is your class rank since you are at a middle of the road HS. Your SAT score will be weighted more heavily as there may be concerns of grade inflation.
You can only control what you can control. Don’t worry about what you can’t control.</p>
<p>I agree with TomsRiverParent.
As long as you took the most rigorous course load possible, and secured a respectable GPA, you should do fine. SATs, and individual stats outdo school stats. Like he said, “you can only control what you can control.”</p>
<p>So my 3.86 (UW) 4.7 (W) GPA and top 6% will look good regardless?</p>
<p>Sorry if that sounded arrogant. I’ve just been told it would make my stats look not as good so I wanted some other opinions!</p>
<p>That looks good, now you need a 2000+ SAT score.
If you got a 1750 perse, many would consider your HS does grade inflation. Therefore, more weight will be put on the SAT score.</p>
<p>I would say your GPA/rank is good in general, and as TomsRiverParent says, your SAT will either validate your performance or tank your credibility.</p>
<p>Still if you are applying for Ivys, I wouldn’t say it “looks good regardless”. Put it another way, 6% is probably too low if your school only sends a few each year. 3.86 UW means 1 B out of every 7 classes semester which is probably too much for Ivys. You are not out, I wouldn’t say “looks good” either.</p>
<p>I have a 31 ACT (32 superscored). I’m also not interested in Ivies so no worries there 
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