<p>D’s high school does not report unweighted GPA and advise students not to report them.</p>
<p>Her high school was not a favorite of Stanford - for whatever reason. HIgh percentage (most) applicants were rejected. Same applicants were admitted to Ivies and other highly selectives. Students there have stopped applying to Stanford because of this trend. Obviously, they are looking for a certain “type” of kid. My D was not admitted to Stanford. Neither was my S. </p>
<p>Makes sense to research on Naviance and see the trend for your high school.</p>
<p>calif: you’re mistaken if you think the poor performing HS can give meaningful rec letters. The might. Likely they’ll just talk about her character and work ethic – precisely the trope that does the applicant no good for competitive schools.</p>
<p>Why? Because these teachers NEVER have students who apply to top20 schools and haven’t the foggiest idea of what they desire in a rec letter.</p>
<p>Do what post 44 says. Like I originally posted: every school has a val every year.</p>
<p>For an example of the differences in ECs. My kids did Science Olympiad at their school. It was so popular they were able to field two teams most years and every year they were their they qualified for the state level competition. It doesn’t matter how good you are, if you aren’t part of a good team you won’t get to go to the state level competition. Similar experiences with orchestra and bands, and drama (which went to the Fringe festival).</p>
<p>As for essays - you can write about anything - it doesn’t have to be your ECs in any event.</p>
<p>I agree that teachers at a school with low performing students may not have much practice in writing good letters. My younger son got a really amazing letter from his math teacher (he’s not my math kid) despite getting a B+ in the course. </p>
<p>Some colleges may not weight the quality of a magnet curriculum as much as they should, but many colleges have regional reps in the admissions offices and they know exactly which schools produce solid students. They’ll take a risk on the valedictorian of the lousy school from time to time, but the reason you hear about it in the paper is because it’s news when it happens. I think there’s a lot more forgiveness when you go to a school without APs if you are in farm country in the middle of nowhere, than when you are in a suburb where people know you had choices.</p>
<p>Or if you were from an actual poor family in an area where there is no choice of a better public magnet school, not enough money to move to a place with a better public school (while also satisfying constraints like access to parents’ jobs), and not enough money to pay for a better private school. Someone from a family with the resources to allow choosing a school may not get any break in college admissions by attending a low performing school.</p>
<p>Don’t get discouraged if your daughter struggles in her freshman year, especially if it is a new school with few people she knows. There will be an adjustment period and it can last most of freshman year. It sounds like you have a bright and determined child, so this may not be a problem at all. Provide support if she needs it; don’t hesitate to hire a tutor if she needs a bit more help in one or two classes.</p>
<p>Keep track of her classmates - I learned the hard way that friends can have a big (negative) impact on grades. If someone seems off or not a good influence, have a talk with your daughter (I’m not saying it will sway her but you need to do this).</p>
<p>She might find that some of her classmates in the magnet school are there to get a better education that they would get at the low performing gang infested school…</p>
<p>I am coming into this conversation late but I think you have made the right decision. Give her the most challenging opportunity you can. You want her to be up for the rigors of a very challenging college.</p>