<p>I have competitive stats for my school, however there is a girl in my class who shares almost the exact same interests and is slightly better. Here are the stat comparisons:</p>
<p>December SAT: Same in Math, I got 40 more in writing, she got 50 more in reading
SAT II: Same for Math 2, she scored 60 more by studying what wasn't covered in class
GPA: Weighted 4.15, she has 4.2 or higher</p>
<p>Our school, however, does not rank.</p>
<p>In terms of course difficulty, she started high school in French A; I started in French C and am now taking AP French Lit. Both of us are advanced in math compared to most of the class, but she is 2 years ahead (took a course during summer soph year). She took one AP more than me Junior year because I was more interested in another subject.</p>
<p>We're in the same clubs, and she is the president/founder of one of them. We are in all the same special interest groups, however I'm in two clubs, an editor in one of them. I play #2 singles in tennis, and she plays #1 singles in tennis (we can't play against each other due to the gender difference). We both have the exact same interests (math and physics) and will probably apply to the same universities. She has legacy/connections at MIT, Harvard, Stanford, and UC Berkeley (she also counts as in-state because she had lived there).</p>
<p>I just feel like I can't compare with her, and if colleges compare me to her then I will get rejected. I have more extracurricular activities, but I feel like it won't mean anything. </p>
<p>:(</p>
<p>What can I do to differentiate myself not only from the rest of the pool but from people in my own class?</p>
<p>This is pretty silly and full of misinformation. If it helps, neither MIT or Berkeley count legacy and you are not in state at Cal if you used to live there.</p>
<p>You will be compared to far more than just this one girl so all you can do is make yourself the best applicant possible.</p>
<p>OK, but the websites for various universities state they first examine applicants in the context of their own school. Does this mean I will be competing against her, and disregarded because she 1-up’s me in everything?</p>
<p>maybe you wrote a better essay or got better recs. You never know. If she gets in and you don’t to a particular school, I don’t think it would be because she “1-up-ed” you in everything.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about it. Seriously, don’t worry about it. A school is not going to reject you solely for the fact that a potentially more qualified applicant came from the same school. It seems like you’re already involved enough, don’t try to “differentiate” yourself anymore, just enjoy yourself.</p>
<p>When they say they look at you in the context of your own school, they mean they look at the opportunities that are available to you there and what you have done with them. </p>
<p>For example, if your school offered no APs, it isn’t immediately assumed that you are avoiding taking difficult classes just because someone from another school might have taken 11 APs. Looking at you in the context of your school tells them that the opportunity to take 11 APs wasn’t available at your school.</p>
<p>If you are good enough to be accepted, you will be accepted regardless of whether there are other people in your school who are also good enough to be accepted.</p>
<p>Maybe you should’ve realized that earlier on and created a personality of your own. I mean… staying in the same clubs as her and not doing anything independently even when she beats you in those is kind of your fault.</p>
<p>Anyways, colleges aren’t going to see everyone as robots. Just because she took 1 different class than you (regardless of the level) doesn’t mean they’re instantly going to put your application next to hers and see where you went wrong. They like to see where YOUR strong spot is and where YOU come through. Seriously, stop worrying. If she gets accepted, that probably means she was able to convince the admissions counselor better than you because she had a stronger personality, determination, uniqueness etc. It definitely won’t be because she was #1 in tennis while you were #2.</p>