Need advice to as someone who wants to get into a t20 university that goes to a small school

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

I’m wondering if anyone has any advice or experiences to share for someone going to a small (>1000) private school.

I’m currently a freshman.

For some background, the other private schools in my area are way overpriced and also have a lot of issues. The public school for my neighborhood is not all that great compared to the others in my district. So I wound up where I am now. I don’t hate my school, I wouldn’t even say I strongly dislike it. The teachers are okay for the most part, there are a few good ones. The campus is decent, but there’s nothing that a public school wouldn’t have as far as equipment and some parts are a little run down. There’s very little diversity, though, both in the type of person and background as well as school of thought. There’s a decent amount of extra curricular activities but almost anything that’s not a sport or drama is not very robust at all.

Overall I’m not very happy with the general environment of it, so I have considered transferring to a different public school. However nor I or my family is very sold on that, and I’m not sure if the benefits would be worth the risk. One thing I know for sure, is that at least with the public schools I’m looking at will have better extra curricular activities. Not only do they have more, but what they do have is a lot more established and robust than it is at my current school. But I think there is definitely a lot wrong with the public school system and there is a lot of risks as to weather the actual academics and the environment would work out and be significantly better. Also, I know I can’t just go to any public school but my family has been considering moving anyway and there are some applications I can apply for.

Here are some of my worries if I stay at the current school:

The statistics might be somewhat against me. To get into the top 5% of my graduating class I would need to be in the top 8 or 9 people. At a public school I’d need to be in the top 40 or so.

I’m worried about the actual quality of the extra curricular activities I’m in. While there are a few that are pretty good and I can actual win awards in, such as latin club, some of them are really, really bad, like band which I am also bad. Let me elaborate on this: at my current school, I can put that I was in band and robotics club for four years, but I can’t put that I won any awards in them. They are just too small and lack funding.

Also as I previously mentioned there are many things that a public school offers that my schools imply does not.

I think, however, overall if I want to get into a t20 university where I am now, not only am I going to have to squeeze out all of the recourses I can at my current school but also really put myself out there and be a part of things out of school. For example, something that I liked at a certain public school is that they had another language that my school doesn’t have that I am very interested and also offer an endorsement for two languages. So if that’s something I want to do, I just need to find a class for that outside of school and just do it. Stuff like that, I guess. I just need to realize that at where I am my enjoyment out of school isn’t really going to come from the school itself but what I make if my experience and do for myself in whatever classes and ECs I can get into as well as outside of school. I have a lot of different interests that I can probably find competitions for, and I already am part of some things outside of school, etc. My one lingering worry is that somebody with a similar application that went to a public school might have a slight statistical advantage because they had to beat out more people.

Sorry if this sounds fragmented, feel free to let me know if you need clarification on anything. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

2

What is your state flagship? Why are you interested in a T20?
Even people with hooks- legacy, recruited athlete, under recruited minority, first gen to attend college- have very small chance of being admitted.
Has your current high school sent any recent alum to t20? Have the public schools? If not, I doubt which high school you attend will matter for t20 admissions.

Some small private schools just are what they are as far as ECs. Maybe a staff or faculty or alum could help you start a language club or new EC? But, if not, you’re stuck with sports or drama.
But, if new ECs are more important than culture , environment, support, it could be worthwhile to transfer.

3

An old collquialism, “grow where planted” . You have the unique ability to excel at your not so good public school. T20 schools are always on the lookout for a bright spot at an otherwise dull school. EC’s are not limited to what your high school offers. Find something you really like/want to do and pursue it outside of high school. Much more impressive to see an applicant do something outside school than being the VP of some club. BTW. drop the band thing, it’s bad, your bad and it doesn’t sound like you have any real interest. It’ll just take time away from something your really interested in.

Father of an “unhooked” DD at a T20 school.

4

Your best chance of a T20 acceptance are high grades, rigorous courses, and high test scores. It doesn’t matter if your school’s clubs aren’t super competitive. They can still give you valuable experiences.

I would not switch schools for ECs.

5

100% agree with @CU123 here. If you’re that concerned about a lack of EC opportunities, don’t whine about it and start it at your school. Be that first person that took the initiative to bring a great activity to your school. It takes a lot more to start and manage a club or team that it does to “participate”.

6

My stare flagship is a t50 university. I’m interested in a t20 because I want to challenge myself and oat of the best programs for the careers I am looking into are at t20 universities. I also think that they will have a lot of opportunities and connections available both in and out of college.

7

Just to clarify I’m not currently at the not so good public school, I’m at the okay ish private school. Sorry if that was confusing. Or if you already got that sorry for repeating myself.

I kind of agree about the band thing. Everyone keeps telling me that I should do it and do it four four years so I can have a leadership position. But honestly the program is so bad we always place close to last in our competitions, and I wonder, is it really worth doing if I am not going to have much success in it? It’s beyond the point where I can go and change it myself, there is just simply bad personnel and not enough funding. If I dropped band, for example, I could put more time into something like piano which is something I already do outside of school. Then I could actually have another thing to go out and win awards and be successful in.

8

Good to know, I’ll keep that in mind. I think besides ECs I might like the more competitive and diverse environment of a public school better but that is a big risk. I think if I stay at my current school I’ll just need to find more opportunities outside of school. It has a decent amount of rigorous classes.

9

That’s also a good idea. However there’s the trouble of weather, for a given interest, it would be better to start a club for it or just find a way to participate in it outside of school.

10

I think that you are overthinking this.

There are a lot of very good universities. You might be surprised at the opportunities that are available at “top 200” universities, or even at universities that you have not heard of. You might also be surprised at the high quality of the top students at a “top 200” university. Very smart people go to a very wide range of universities for a very wide range of reasons.

Admissions to top 20 universities in the US is very difficult to predict. They are looking for students who have excelled at whatever high school they are at. They are looking for high grades, high test scores, and great references. However, they do not expect you to fix your high school. They do expect you to have accomplished something. What that something might end up being I do not think that any of us can predict.

Being in the top 5% of your graduating class will not get easier just because you are at a larger school. A larger school will have more students and more students in the top 5%, but it will also have more very strong students.

I think that as long as your parents can afford your current school without debt, you should do the best that you can where you are.

1000 students is not all that small of a school. If there are 250 students in each grade, and if the available ECs are not all that good, then there are going to be students who would be willing to help you start a new club or activity, or probably more likely reinvigorate a club that already exists. Remember that leadership does not mean getting your way. Leadership means making a club better for everyone who participates. If you can take an existing club and encourage people to make it better that is a form of leadership. As one possible example: what could you do to find funding for the robotics club, and can you find people who would help you build a robot that would do something useful or interesting? (This does not have to mean entering a competition and bashing another robot to pieces – but it could).

You should do as well as you can. Keep ahead in your class work. Treat everyone with respect – the people who write your letters of reference will notice. Get good grades. Look for clubs that you are interested in that could be improved and for students who want to help you do this.

Also, keep an open mind regarding universities and colleges. Think about what you want in a university. There are a lot of very good schools to choose from.

11

I think those are all good points. It would probably do me good to at least try starting or reinvigorating one or two clubs and just see where it goes.

12

Rankings are misleading. It’s like comparing an apple and a sweet potato and calling one “better.” And it’s the single worst criteria you can use to find a college. You need to find something that works for you. Selective doesn’t mean “better” or more “academically challenging.” Take a deep breath, get the best grades you can, keep yourself mentally balanced, and apply to a wide variety of schools you can afford.

13

All you can do is do the best you can do.

Take the most challenging courses you can do well in.
Study for the SAT/ACT so you can get good scores. Check out Khan Academy for free SAT prep.
Read read read and then read some more.

Mantra for the HS student:

Do not think 'Every point I get off of a homework or test is a point away from going to Harvard."
Think: “I need to do my best, and there will be a college that is right for me when I graduate.”

Do not think “If I don’t go to an Ivy League School/Top20, I am doomed forever.”
Think: “No matter where I go, I can bloom where I am planted. I can get involved and shine.”

Do not think: “My life is over…the kid in my math class is taking 20 APs and I am taking 5. I will never succeed.”
Think: “I need to challenge myself, but only to the point where I can still do well.”