My school is relatively small and offers no AP classes. All that is offered is some dual enrollment classes. Will this make me less competitive for college admissions? I have a 1200 SAT score (640 English and 560 Math) and a 3.95 unweighted GPA.
It really depends on the colleges you’re targeting. Do you have any schools you’re really looking into?
Generally speaking, most colleges factor in the size and availability of certain programs at your school. That being said, they’ll always want to see you take the most difficult classes available (in your case, dual enrollment) and demonstrate success. I will say that increasing your SAT score will definitely make you more competitive and is something within your control.
I agree with the above…each school sends a “School Profile” that describes what courses your school offers…you want your GC to say that you have taken the “most rigorous” courses that your school offers.
It is no issue is you school doesn’t offer APs. The top tier colleges will want to see the guidance counselor check the box on the recommendation saying you have taken the most rigorous course-load available at your HS (which in you case may include taking advantage of dual enrollment classes). If the guidance counselor says that your prior and current HS schedules are sufficient to get that most rigorous box checked then you are fine.
S homeschooled and didn’t have any APs. Didn’t stop him from getting into some great schools. As long as you are making the most of the opportunities at your school and are realistic about applying to schools that are a good match for you, this should not be an issue.
- check that your school does have a school profile. Make sure it indicates there aren’t any APs available.
- if all you have is dual enrollment, take advantage of that.
- can you list hat you took this year and what you’re planning to take next year?
- prep for the SAT. Increase that score.
- do you know your EFC? Can your parents afford it?
I know someone who went to a small school that had no APs. One graduate in their class went to Wellesley College, another went to Dartmouth College. An earlier graduate just graduated from Williams College. These are all great schools, and highly competitive for admission. Their GPAs were very similar to yours, although they all had somewhat higher SAT scores.
Did you do much SAT preparation? You should probably do some more SAT preparation, particularly in math, and try it again.
Otherwise, schools want you to do well in whatever environment you are in. You have done exactly that.
The most competitive schools (those with the best financial aid) generally want you to hit 700+ in at least one of the two subjects on the SAT and preferably in both.
Honors, APs, DE’s, and IB are all ways to show rigor. Talk to your guidance counselor about what a rigorous course load looks like at your high school. That means getting a copy of your school profile, and doing what you can to show you are challenging yourself academically and extracurricular-wise.
If you are aiming for T50 colleges or for generally competitive programs such as computer science, you’re probably going to want to work on those SAT scores. Check out the many test-optional schools too.