I’m currently facing a bit of a dilemma regarding my education path, I’m a sophomore, and I’ve been attending an online private school. I’m wondering whether this choice is better than attending a regular public school, considering my goals for college admission. Here’s a bit of background on my academic journey so far:
In my previous classes, I’ve taken Honors English 1, Honors Algebra 2, Honors Geometry, Honors Biology, Honors Algebra 1, Honors World Cultures, Honors Philosophy and Ethics, French 1, Arts and Society 1, and Coding 1A.
Currently, I’m enrolled in Honors Pre-Calculus, AP Statistics, AP Physics 1, Honors Chemistry, French 2, AP Euro History, AP Microeconomics, Honors English 2, Health 1, and PE 1.
My concern is that, despite the flexibility and opportunities provided by an online school, I’m limited in terms of extracurricular activities and the social experiences that come with a traditional public school. I’ve also come across discussions suggesting that my school might not be as respected by top colleges. Given my ambition to attend a reputable college, I’m wondering if it would be a better option to save money and attend a local private school, which might provide more opportunities for involvement and a stronger reputation.
I’m genuinely torn between these two options and would really appreciate any advice or experiences you all could share.
One of the 1st things you should do is speak with the head of your program at your school and ask for the past 5 years data on college admission acceptances. This info will help you understand where students are attending, where accepted, ideally see test/gpa stats to help you understand more how the program is perceived and where you fit into to those stats.
Overall, I am not a fan of picking a high school purely for college positioning. It does make sense, however, to choose your high school so that you can be the best possible version of yourself and develop as fully as possible over those 4 important years.
Many of the students I know who choose online high school do so because it offers a curriculum that is richer than any local in-person school or because they need the flexibility to pursue some EC that requires a lot of time and/or travel (skating, skiing, equestrian, professional theater obligations, etc.) Why did you choose the school.
If you are happy with the academics, how can you pursue other interests? School doesn’t need to be the provider or organizer although school does have some ECs. Your LPS may be required to make its activities availability to you if you categorize yourself as homeschooled. You definitely will want to round out your life and engage in things beyond academics, whether through volunteering, interning or working, or pursuing some passion.
I agree that you should talk to a counselor at your school. Asking about placement can be helpful (but make sure you understand that the “spikes” that push some studentsto online schooling may be the driver fortheir college choices", but you may also want suggestions on activities that would make you a stronger applicant. The list of matriculations suggests that the school doesn’t hold back its students. But you need the right place for you.
What EC is it that you want to do? There are lots of organizations besides public schools that provide extracurriculars. Our local public school allows private or online students that live within the district to participate in their ECs.
Considering that highly selective colleges are in person, not online, I suspect that if there is an acceptable in person school available to you, you should go with that.