<p>So my school does this thing at the end of the year where they announce where all of the seniors are going to college. Seems like a good idea to motivate the rest of the school, right? Wrong.</p>
<p>The school only announces ~25 names a day, and everyday, at least 18 of those names are going to some kind of junior or community college that's 20 miles away from our high school.</p>
<p>My entire high school is full of non-ambitious students that either don't care about academics or don't strive to pay for expensive colleges they get into. Many a time the students who apply to Stanford and get in will just give up on scholarship and financial aid and go to the crappy UC (university of california) that gave them a full ride.</p>
<p>Is there any way that I can spin this situation to my advantage? Or will my school just look like a scar on the face of my academic record? Opinions please.</p>
<p>For one, I don't think you really realize how awesome UC is. All the schools (except Merced, which is new, and SF, which is a top grad school) are in the top percent of schools in the country, and they offer one of the best educations out there, comparable to that of Harvard and Stanford, as difficult as it is to believe. I think it's great that you have students who get full rides to these schools; choosing them over Stanford for that reason isn't crazy at all.</p>
<p>At any rate, my school is much like yours. There's a list published at the end of the year saying who's going where, and you can see 'community college' 75% of the time. Few go off to four-year colleges, and those that do usually go to a CSU, sometimes a UC. Some go off to the military, some off to art schools, some off to religious schools. Very few plan to attend a top college. This year, we have 1 going to Pomona, 1 going to Cornell, and 1 going to Caltech. (My counselor also told me that every once in a while we'll send someone to HYPSM).</p>
<p>I think it's somewhat of an advantage, actually. Why? Because Top School X probably doesn't get very many -- if any -- applicants from that school. They're always looking for diversity, and choosing from a wide range of high schools offers some of that. In addition, if you apply, you won't be competing with anyone else. And if your school is full of underachievers, then it won't be so difficult to beat them in rank.</p>
<p>In reality, it is, to an extent, advantageous to come from a non-feeder school.</p>
<p>But don't knock the UCs, which really beat the pants off most universities.</p>
<p>Oh, wow, I said UC..I meant to say CSU (Cal State University). Sorry for that blunder. Thanks for your opinion.</p>
<p>Oh okay. I agree that CSUs aren't that great, but they aren't supposed to be -- they're meant to get students out with a degree and a job. In comparison to many of the other state systems out there, though, CSU is one of the best ones (though, by UC standards, still mediocre).</p>
<p>wowm what kind of school is that?</p>
<p>My school is creepily like yours, except they don't announce colleges. Everyone ends up going to UTenn or the local state university.</p>
<p>I think you'll certainly stand out, coming from a relatively unknown high school, but at the same time I think you run the risk of looking like you haven't been challenged the way that other students in hoity-toity prep schools have. At the same time, don't think that college admissions officers don't know that your school isn't challenging and that you haven't had the same opportunities as other students.</p>
<p>My friend's mother came from a dumpy nowhereseville school in Texas. School was so easy for her that she finished her homework before school was over and spent the rest of the day reading. Most of the students had never even heard of Rice, so her decision to go to this obscure school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was bizarre. That school, of course, was Harvard.</p>
<p>My other friend came from a school that, while wealthy, has a tendency to ignore schools that aren't either a) in its backyard, or b) with Catholic affiliations. His teacher assigned one book and one essay for their AP English class and he has a series of rotating teachers for other subjects. Not surprisingly, he had a sky-high average, good scores, and was involved with sports and other activities, though nothing too special. He was able to show his wit, his intelligence, and his incisiveness through his essays. He's on a full ride at Amherst.</p>
<p>I would think that your SAT scores might become more of a factor in your status as an applicant, because they help to set you on an equal playing field with other students across the nation. I would also think that any community college or online courses you can take, or any clear demonstration that you're being academically challenged, might be a good thing too.</p>