<p>I see a lot of chance me threads that mention that the poster goes to a competitive high school, or that it has ranking XX. How much does the 'reputation' of one's high school contribute to admissions to selective colleges? </p>
<p>For example, at my school, many students do poorly on SATs and state testing (it's been in danger of becoming a 'failing' school before, but hasn't ever 'failed' the tests), and most college bound students go to the nearby Community College or nearby public schools. Some students go on to private schools, but it is rare for someone to go to somewhere considered selective.</p>
<p>So, how much does this matter? Would it hurt admission to selective colleges, or would it help because it is rare for students from my school to apply? Or, does not matter at all?</p>
<p>Just for the record, I am only referring to public schools for this, and if it matters, my school is really small, with like 90 per class, and is in a rural area.</p>
<p>Some posters mention that they come from a competitive high school in a chance thread in order to highlight the value of their high GPA/class rank: not only did they take rigorous classes, they did well in comparison to very high achieving peers. For the few top high schools around the country that traditionally send a good percentage of the top of their class to very selective universities, being the top of the class in those high schools means something.</p>
<p>In contrast, good GPA in a normal high school is usually a given for applicants who are accepted to selective colleges. However, that you come from an underrepresented area or have succeeded academically despite possible failings on the part of a low quality high school is taken into consideration as well, and this can work to your advantage to some extent: colleges wants geographic diversity, and tend to understand if you can’t pursue glamorous activities because those are not available to you in the high school environment you described. </p>
<p>IMO, you won’t be disadvantaged by a low performing high school if you did well and was self motivated to go out of your way to look for resources and opportunities, especially if you’re looking at top private colleges in the country that value diversity in its student body.</p>
<p>The rigor of your high school is a way to judge your curriculum and grades. At a less “competitive” hs, you can more easily get a high gpa. At a highly rigorous school, it’s often harder to achieve that. So, in context, a high gpa from one can mean less than from the other. It’s all supposed to come out in the wash- the SAT/ACT, SAT2s and any AP tests, which, in theory, rate all kids on a uniform standard. </p>
<p>If you are a top performer and can do well on the standardized tests, you won’t lose out because you are not in a top hs. Think about prepping hard for the these, to improve your score prospects.</p>
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<p>It’s all relative. Our local HS just graduated a class of 20.</p>
<p>The more ‘difficult’ and ‘competitive’ it is, the harder it will be for you to stand out as a star student.</p>
<p>If you distinguish yourself amongst your classmates, that’s all that matters. They just want to see you are more accomplished than your peers.</p>
<p>I went to two of the most competitive high schools, the latter of which is #8 ranked high school in the country according to newsweek. I will say the rank has little influence over college admissions. (I’m attending community college).</p>