By viewing an online source, I found that virtually no one from my high school has attended a top tier school. A few years ago we did get one for duke and one for vanderbilt, but other than that, even top-of-the-class students end up at the same colleges as everyone else.
Im in central VA.
I attend a high school with a class size of around 300. Everyone tells me that I might be the first or something but I find it very hard to believe that no one else has been qualified. I have noticed after attending my school for 3 years now that extracurricular involvement other than a few school sponsored clubs and sports is not very popular, and that I do feel like the most involved student at times, but again I find it hard to believe that I will be the first.
However, there is a high school about 7 minutes away that gets students into ivies including harvard pretty much every year. It is part of the same public school district, and the income level is pretty much the same. I just noticed that they emphasize extracurricular involvement a little bit more.
The students from that school that have attended elite schools have historically been a part of our district’s selective governor’s school program as well, so I made it my goal to also be selected into the program, and I have been since 9th grade.
My question is, do you think my high school is blacklisted or something? How have top schools only been drawing from that one school and virtually missing us for years?
At the most selective colleges, it typically takes something extra beyond top-end grades in hard courses and top-end test scores. For some students, this may be an unearned privilege like legacy status. But for those without such unearned privileges, a very high achievement or recognition in an extracurricular is one possible extra (even better if it is sport that gets the student recruited as an athlete).
So if people in your school do not do anything beyond school level extracurriculars, it may not be that surprising that there are hardly any admits to the most selective colleges. Meanwhile, students at the other school may have more success, if they have top-end academic credentials and very high achievement or recognition in extracurriculars.
Talk to your guidance counselor about this. Most of the time it is because the applicant pool is huge and competitive and admissions are holistic. The colleges may have had successful students come from that other school, so they’re going with “proven winners” vs. “the devil they don’t know”. Since they do strive for regional diversity, your area is covered and your school gets overlooked. Perhaps a GC from your HS actually did let a kid apply ED to two schools and you are being blacklisted (unlikely, and you’d never get the truth anyway, but it is possible).
When the college AOs come to town, you could show up at the information meeting and ask them directly. Or email them, after which you’ll get a canned response, but you never know… they may wonder if you’re right and take a closer look at candidates from your HS. You can look on the other HS’s web page to get a feel for any differences.
At the end of the day, there are more high schools out there, more valedictorians and sals out there than there are spots at top schools. So statistically most high schools do not send anyone to T20 colleges.
I agree with Groudwork2022. Your school may not be blacklisted as much as overlooked. Adcoms may not know your school as well as the other school. I would ask your GC to write to those schools on your behalf about your strength and a more detailed description of your school.
Yes, I would ask the AOs when you meet them about why students from your school have not been admitted recently, and what is it YOU could do to make your application stand out.
I would make sure your essays and LORs are outstanding.
My kid’s school doesn’t send kids to top 20 institutions. Pretty much ever, to my certain knowledge not in the last 20 years. It’s a phenomenon called ‘undermatch’. Kids who seem successes academically are subtly steered to less academically selective institutions, whether by income/cost or by lack of encouragement.
However I have family history on my side - My father, sister-in-law and cousin were all the first people from their town and high school to attend a top 5 school.
It takes guts to be the pioneer, to go somewhere you’re guaranteed to know nobody and where nobody has heard of your town. But properly presented that kind of audacity is attractive.
I know it’s a very long shot that my kid could go to Very Prestigious University, but he’s applying anyway and he’s really excited about even the slim possibility of going. He wants to set an example for the younger students at the school and let them know that they don’t have to have dreams that end at the border of our dingy town.
I admire that quality in him. If you have those same dreams, I think they’re admirable too and I hope he meets you at Fancy College.
I think your attention is on the wrong things. Instead of trying to seek out an advantage where it doesn’t exist (ex. you are not first generation if your mom went to undergrad and grad school in India) or looking for a built in excuse (your HS is not blacklisted although it may not be well known to top college admissions officers as noted above) I suggest you focus all your time and energy to:
–Create the strongest possible application possible – this means excelling in your academic classes as well as ECs. I believe you are on a good track in this regard.
–Study hard and work to excel in standardized tests including the ACT or SAT (either is fine) as well as subject tests (which many top colleges recommend) as these can serve to confirm your academic strength.
–When it comes time to apply focus on the rest of your application – spend the time to develop strong essays, chose your LORs wisely etc.
–Seek out not just reach schools but also match and safety schools that appear affordable and that you would be excited to attend. You should expand your horizons and recognize that there are many wonderful schools out there where you can have a great 4 year experience and get where you want to go in life.
You sound motivated and insightful. I do think that top schools tend to grab students from the same high schools year after year. I have seen it happen, but I have also seen it change… and change in a single admissions cycle. Duke and Vanderbilt accepted kids relatively recently from your high school. Research them and apply to them (and others) if you are a good fit. Both have excellent merit scholarships and FA. Continue the “trend” started a couple of years back by kids from your HS that attended these schools. If they are doing well in college, mention them by name as reason for applying. Your regional Gov School experience can be expanded to a state wide residential experience if you apply and are selected. Attending that would get attention from top schools: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/governors_school_programs/
Keep your GPA up, take the most challenging classes your school offers (and which you can succeed in), and prepare for the SAT or ACT or both. Your high school may not be preparing its students for these exams successfully. Find a way to review and take practice exams on your own but use all resources you can find. Get to know your guidance counselor and college counselor so that they can write you the best possible recommendation. Maybe this last step has not been happening frequently at your HS. Also look beyond the tippy top schools because you may find other schools fit your interests better. Good luck!
@happy1 I see what you’re saying now. After building my resume to a such a high capacity by junior year, I’ve noticed that I’ve basically resorted to finding the most convenient ways I can maneuver myself through the admissions process and get admitted based on some “circumstance” rather than actual merit. I’ve just felt like there’s nothing else I can do other than my best, and once I felt like I was doing my best, I didn’t really understand what else I was expected to do other than change factors out of my control. I’ll focus on essays and building relationships with my counselor and mentors rather than sit on this site for hours hunting for people with similar circumstances as me on “chance me” threads of my dream schools. Thanks. REALLY thanks.
@bopper like I said, I am part of the same Governor’s School program that that specific school provides as well and it offers way more rigorous classes than the general district’s curriculum, including a total of 12 required APs and everything else Honors. so the curriculum that I have and that specific school has is the same. the income level is pretty much the same except many higher income students tend to transfer there to take advantage of its reputation.
Also a little background on the governor’s school program that I discussed earlier:
Students apply before they enter high school and a total of 30 top students are chosen in the district to take classes both at their regular high school (electives) and the governor’s school (core classes are here) for all four years of high school. We are also required to complete four years of independent research under a professional in the chosen field. It has an overall good reputation, there is a “collective college acceptances” page on their site that includes every single T20 school, but I don’t know how long ago that was and it includes all districts that have the program (about 4 in VA).
Admissions officers know certain schools and the type of students that they produce. Find out who the admission officer (AO) is for your school at each college you are applying to. Reach out to them, if they don’t visit your school. Get them a copy of your schools “data sheet” which tells how many kids take APs, average test scores, and other info about your school. Some schools just don’t have relationships with the AOs are are overlooked.
Is your school a private school? If there is a dedicated college counselor, ask them for the data sheet and to invite the AOs that you would like to meet to your school. If they are already visiting the local high school that you mention, it shouldn’t be hard for them to swing by your school.
OP Good luck. The governor’s program is one that AO’s will notice. From what you said, it doesn’t appear that your school would be blacklisted so much as “unknown” You should try to find opportunities in your area where you can shine on a regional/state level. Are you SAT scores high? Have you applied for Summer programs?
@astute12 Public school. I will be discussing with my guidance counselor soon to invite AOs.
It is uncommon for admissions officers to visit other than State schools doing athletic recruitment, so many they will if I ask. kind of nervous about the answer because no one has ever asked before.
@Happytimes2001 Yeah, I think its more unknown rather than what I originally thought of it being blacklisted.
I still have a year until I apply so I am continuing my search for summer programs I can get involved in and practice my skills in things like debate and model un where I might win some state or national recognition, but personally I’d like colleges to know that I do those activities more for skill building and also to coach and train younger students in the same disciplines rather than to “win” because its way more fulfilling and fun than constantly thinking about competing, if that makes sense.
Continue to strive to be the best you can be in each facet of your life. That is what is in your control.
What is not under your control is that there are more very well qualified applicants than there are spots available at the very top tier colleges. When it comes time to apply put applications in to some top tier college, give it your all, and see what happens. But NEVER allow your feeling of self-worth or success be defined by an acceptance or rejection handed out by an admissions officer who has never met you and has read your admissions file for 10 minutes or so.
Also, always keep in mind that your end goal should be to find an affordable college where you can have a great experience and get to the next step of where you want to be. There are many amazing colleges and universities out there. Cast a wide net and pay attention to affordability. As an aside, you are fortunate to be in a state with public options that include UVA and William and Mary (to name but two) which are widely regarded to be wonderful universities.