<p>If you came from a normal, public high school? That's kind of my case if I get into the school I'm looking at and I'm worried I'm going to end up at the bottom of the totem pole. In my high school, I'm the big fish in a small pond... Please share your experiences and advice!</p>
<p>I had to make a similar transition, but it wasn’t as hard as I expected. As long as you have decent work habits (or can adapt), you should be fine. If you’re able to get into such a school, chances are you’ll do fairly well there. The majority of my college friends went to good private schools, but I’m doing just as well grade-wise, having gone to a public school in one of the worst states for education.</p>
<p>Top schools typically have very high retention and graduation rates. They know what they’re doing when they let people in; if you’re good enough in high school to get in, you should be fine, as long as you don’t slack off too much.</p>
<p>I went to a very bad high school and now I go to one of the better schools in the country. My high school didn’t really teach me much, especially in science or math (it was an art school, terrific if you want to go into art, but everything else was pretty mediocre, we didn’t have to do any work, etc). I feel like I was totally unprepared for the rigors of college, and while I have adapted for the most part now, it was kind of rough for a little while.</p>
<p>I have also been having some trouble in certain classes like biology and economics…it’s not bad, but I feel like it would be a lot easier had I learned the basics in high school. I’m starting from scratch, while the rest of the class usually has more of a framework than I do - not great when there’s an intense curve. For some classes, even intro classes, I have to work a lot harder than the average person just to get the material since it’s completely new to me. My study habits were also essentially nonexistent when I came to college and I had to really work hard to cope.</p>
<p>That all being said, I came from a really terrible high school and I have now adjusted (I’m a sophomore). I’m sure your high school isn’t as bad as mine was, so you’ll probably be fine.</p>
<p>I have the same concerns (my high school is actually quite good but I’m still doubting my ability to do well in a super selective college) but I’m just making myself trust that the admissions committee knew what they were doing when they admitted me and that it means I can succeed, so you should try to have faith in yourself and do the same :)</p>