<p>To all current/former Troy High School students,</p>
<p>I am currently making a decision between Troy High School, and a closer, more convenient neighborhood high school. The neighborhood high school also has an AP/IB program set up, and is also a blue ribbon national school.</p>
<li><p>I was wondering if all the extra work and curriculum required by Troy (such as the Troy Tech/AP/IB) is worth going through, in the end? </p></li>
<li><p>Will its higher-up ranking really make a difference when applying for certain colleges such as first-tier schools like Harvard, Yale, and Dartmouth?</p></li>
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<p>I’m not a student, but I’m knowledgeable enough about the school</p>
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<li><p>Are you choosing between Troy and Valencia? An IB diploma is an IB diploma, so I don’t think it would matter THAT much where you’d get it. Troy is well known for the ridiculous workload (most people I know there don’t do much outside of academics) but I imagine all the work is worth it in the end.</p></li>
<li><p>If you are a competitive student within a school like Troy, it will definitely look a lot better than being a competitive student in a crappy public school. Your GPA will probably be lower, but adcoms look at your context.</p></li>
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<p>I live near the area, and I know Troy high School. </p>
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<li><p>Since your neighborhood high school has advanced courses, and is also a Blue Ribbon School, I can’t see how you’d be disadvantaged by choosing to go to the local school. </p></li>
<li><p>I doubt it will help you, but possibly it will hurt you. These schools are ultra competitive in their nature and any perceived benefits school name may bring would be offset by competition and rigor. </p></li>
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<p>I’m a serious believer in the fact that it is the individual, and not the school that determines academic performance. So if you have it within you, it wouldn’t matter where you go. </p>
<p>And by the way, only one student got into Yale from the entire city of Fullerton this year. (I can’t say whether he/she was from Troy, it was anonymous in the Yale admitted students site) So I’m pretty sure that Troy isn’t a huge feeder school as well…</p>
<p>I also live near the area and actually have a friend who goes there. Basically, if you go you will have no life outside of school and academics. And even without a life, you may do badly at Troy. If you think you can stay competitive and be a top student at Troy, then go there, but it you’re not up for the really, really horrid (imo) challenge, then just go to your local high school.</p>
<p>Honestly, I would just choose the local high school.</p>
<p>Dude just choose the local high school. I heard that Troy admits a bunch of people as freshmen, then gradually, more and more get kicked out every year. It’s way too intense and academically competitive. You’d do much better at a local high school, and most likely have more fun (which should be an important part of high school…) I don’t think Troy even sends that many people to top tier schools anyways.
I know some people who went to Troy a couple years then got kicked out or something and transferred back to public schools…</p>
<p>I know that personally I would hate to go to Troy. No diversity, and all hyper competitive, and sometimes very annoying people.</p>
<p>I’ll tell you what I think of Troy kids once I see them at State SciOly on saturday. :D</p>
<p>^ I’ll be seeing you there too then! :P</p>
<p>Hello,</p>
<p>I’m a graduate of Troy from 2006 (wow, so old) but I had the same decision when I was deciding my high school. I was choosing between Troy and Valencia, which both have AP/IB/Tech programs. I chose Troy and never regretted it, but I also have to say that Troy isn’t for everyone. However, since you’re aiming for the top-tier colleges, I have to recommend Troy for you.</p>
<p>Troy has an intense competitive atmosphere, which could be good or bad. Personally, I thrived under it because I was able to use it to my advantage; being surrounded by hard-working, motivated and passionate people fueled my own drive to excel and succeed. I now attend Harvard and will tell you that Harvard is also a highly competitive and intense atmosphere, even more so than Troy was. I will say that Troy’s atmosphere prepared me well for life here, and many friends who came from lesser-known and “easier” schools are struggling with adapting to the fast-paced academic life here. So I would suggest you go to Troy to really see if this kind of academic pressure suits you.</p>
<p>However, Troy isn’t for everyone. I have seen many of my friends break under the pressure and end up with a moderate ranking even though they could have been ranked first in their local high schools. However, even with the academic pressure, many people still take full advantage of Troy’s myriad of extracurriculars. The passion that people have for their activities really increases the overall experience of high school and I think that’s something I wouldn’t want to trade. One more thing: being valedictorian of Valencia OR Troy does not automatically get you into Harvard. It’s the extent to which you make use of all your opportunities.</p>
<p>Hope that helps.</p>
<p>I don’t know why I didn’t say this the first time it came up, but even if Troy’s a great school the Blue Ribbon School must be too. I mean it’s not like you’d be forced to go to a Crenshaw or Dorsey.</p>
<p>Hello everyone, do any of you have any idea how responsive the PYLUSD(Placentia Yorba Linda Unified School District) is to inter-district transfers to Troy High School for NJROTC reasons. Thanks for your time.</p>
<p>i´ll tell you this
troy has the reputation of a good school. i´ve never really heard of valencia</p>
<p>Do Troy Science Olympiad. Win a medal at nationals. Laugh your way into MIT.</p>
<p>The Blue Ribbon School Designation doesn’t really mean much. Mine is, and it’s nothing too special.</p>
<p>That being said, from what I’ve heard Troy is just an extreme grind school, especially if you do Science Olympiad. You have to devote your whole life to it, and you can’t do any other extra-curricular activities.</p>
<p>Our local middle school is like that. And they’ve won Nationals twice. They seriously have no life. But that’s okay since you’re only in middle school.</p>
<p>Although ironically Troy didn’t even do that well last year, maybe that was an odd year though.</p>
<p>I’d recommend you don’t go to Troy.</p>
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Lol, I hope your joking. I don’t think National Science Olympiad medals mean much to top colleges.</p>
<p>My friend that went to Troy said that school started at 7 and that his 5 AP class load was “normal.”</p>
<p>If you’re a junior I wouldn’t consider that abnormal.</p>
<p>Not “normal” as in “normal for top students.” It was just “normal.”</p>
<p>“A lot of people have more”</p>
<p>Well if you self-studied you could easily have more. I dunno how many blocks they have to fit in all those classes though.</p>
<p>Plus, they’re probably influenced by the type of people they talked to or were friends with.</p>
<p>I’m not too familiar with Troy. I briefly met someone that went there and he basically supported what every other poster is saying aka It’s VERY hard. However, the two high schools in my district have a somewhat similar differnce between them. The school I go to is VERY good, but just doesn’t have that top-notch rigor of the other school (i.e. in our top AP classes like AP chem. most people get 4s/5s, in some “average” AP classes at the other HS most people get 4s/5s) The difficulty ranking is in reference to how much work is in the class. I don’t know if this will help but I will give you a personal anecdote. In my opinion, if you feel like you are a naturally smart student, or someone that can self-study, I would go to the other high school. Even though the other school in my district is academically better, fewer kids have time for ECs because of the workload. In comparison our Val is a Level 10 gymnast that trains 4 hours a day and another 2 of our top students are both top varsity athletes. At our school, “if” you study you will good AP/SAT scores. At the other school, they basically make you get good scores. I think it all comes down to, "do I need that extra motivation to do well?
If you answer, “yes” I would go with Troy. If you answer “No” than go to the other school </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>A Nationals Science Olympiad medal is a national award. I’d say it requires a heck of a lot more ability than qualifying for USChO or similar “major awards.”</p>