T20 STEM School or Rural High School?

Pre-College Issues
1

Hello,

My family and I have had some trouble deciding on where I’d like to spend my last two years of high school (I’m a rising junior btw).

Recently I got accepted into a T20 public school that’s focused highly on STEM. It’s like a boarding school of sorts so I’ll have to live there. They have a pretty good reputation as well, sending a decent amount of their students to good schools.

On the other hand, I could stay at my hometown school, which is considered “rural” by many due to the state I live in. They have limited AP classes, and if I do stay here I’ll have to start taking classes at the local university. However, I do have a leadership position (junior class president-elect) and have multiple ECs that the STEM school simply doesn’t have (orchestra and sports especially). I am also currently at the top of my class of around 450 students.

I’m just curious about what others would prioritize, especially if this affects my pathway for secondary education and beyond. Thank you!

2

Map out your remaining two years of course work at each school. For your hometown school, consider the availability of college courses, their scheduling, and commute logistics. Are there significant differences in what you would be able to take that is of your interest?

3

Thank you for your response…

Yes, I live in a college town so commuting/availability shouldn’t really be an issue. I’m interested in Political Science/Econ, which isn’t preached as highly as STEM in the STEM school of course. My hometown school doesn’t offer a great selection of these courses either (no AP Macro or Micro, no AP Gov), so I’d most likely have to take it at the local university as well.

I’ve heard that colleges factor in geographical location, so if I go to the STEM school, will I be compared with other STEM schools vs my high school being only compared to other public schools in the area?

4

Taking introductory economics and political science at a local college is fine, and can give you a preview of how college differs from high school.

Be sure to get a good background in math, since you will likely need calculus and statistics for economics, and statistics for political science.

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5

I see. Yes if I do stay at my local high school, I will have to take Calculus 2 and upwards due to the fact I’ve completed AP Statistics and AP Calc AB (we don’t have BC unfortunately).

6

To me, this is a lifestyle change.

Do you want to live home, with your family, and attend the regular public high school. Colleges say they won’t hold rigor against you if there isn’t any and you seem to have options around it.

Or do you want to go away to school.

To me, that’s the question here and I wouldn’t relate it to college.

Leaving your family on a day to day is a big decision and not one that should be taken lightly.

I wouldn’t consider anything else, quite honestly.

Congrats on your class presidency.

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7

I say stay home… depending on your state, rural can work in your favor, especially if you take college courses. Take the APs offered at your school. Max out your HS classes, ‘rule the school’ and take those local college classes. You will be happier and save your folks a ton of $$. At DS’ school, they don’t have APs and we are thrilled. He will only self-study for the ones that fit his interests, and even then it won’t be more than 2-3. Maybe ask one of your soon-to-be college professors to write a fabulous rec for you… and if you’re lucky, maybe a professor you hit it off with went to your dream school and will write a great rec for you! Who knows. Sky’s the limit… That’s my 2¢. Good luck!

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8

This was a decision I had to make 30 years ago for myself. I attended a very rural, small public high school. Out of a class of 80 students about four or five would take Physics and Calculus as seniors. The same teacher taught both classes, and was very clear that he didn’t really understand the subjects that well himself. All of the social studies teachers, and most of the teachers of all freshman and sophomore classes, were coaches. I was miserable and dying intellectually, and knew I had to make a change.

It sounds like your situation is not as dire as mine was, but I can tell you some of the benefits I got from my STEM boarding school that I would not have had at a regular public high school, even one that was better than the one I attended.

I was exposed to a much wider variety of people (ethnicities, religions, orientations, backgrounds, everything) than I could have been otherwise.

I was challenged to my limits, but had an extreme amount of support that allowed me to meet that challenge. We took 7 to 9 classes each semester, and most of them were college level classes. However, we had absolutely the best teachers and very structured support, that allowed me to develop good learning habits and good study habits, as well as learning the material itself well. It was such a good preparation that when I went to MIT as an undergrad, I found it very easy. I graduated with one B and I never felt stressed out or anxious the entire time I was there.

The school knew of opportunities for enrichment and research that I would have never known about, and I think even most high schools in the state did not know about. Also, they had very good connections that helped their students get into those programs. I went to Japan for a few weeks after my junior year as part of one of those programs, and I spent the rest of that summer doing research at a well known (but not T50 :wink:) university as part of a residential research program for high achieving high school students.

Even if I had been at a better high school than I was at, I would not have known which colleges I should apply to, and how to get in. The STEM high school had amazing college guidance counseling resources. They told me to apply to three schools, I got into two of them with full rides and the other one was MIT.

I also was not sure I wanted to do STEM, but the background and the skills I got from the school for worth it for me. Additionally, the teaching was so amazing that I would prefer to be taught chemistry (my least favorite subject) there over sociology (a field that I found out later I really enjoy) almost anywhere else.

I am not saying that you should choose the STEM boarding school. But I did want to help you see some of the advantages you would have with a program like I attended, that you will not get through doing dual enrollment at your current school.

As someone else said, it’s definitely a significant lifestyle change. I knew very intelligent kids who ended up dropping out in the first year because they just did not like living away from home, or giving up some of their social opportunities or sports.

ETA: my boarding school was a state sponsored school, so I paid nothing for it. If you are talking about a school where you are paying tuition, especially if it’s college price tuition, that’s definitely a consideration!

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9

Can you tell us what state you live in?

Does the Top 20 STEM public school provide dorms?

I live in North Carolina and the North Carolina School of Science and Math sounds similar. It’s a great free public school and I would not have hesitated to send my kids there if they wanted to go. I know many alums. I think students there are exceptionally well-prepared for college and beyond. The state has recently established a new policy where all graduates of NCSSM who meet a 3.5 GPA threshold are guaranteed admission to UNC Chapel Hill and all other UNC system schools. Don’t know if this school you are considering has a similar policy but it’s worth checking into.

I think kids from rural high schools can do well in college admissions too, especially if you are from a state that would provide some diversity for college admissions, but the transition to college may be more abrupt.

I’m sure if you stay at the top of your class and do well on the SAT or ACT and have some extracurriculars that show your strengths you will have many options for colleges. If you’d rather stay home with friends and family I think that could be a good option, too. There’s really not a wrong answer here. Just keep your grades and scores up.

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10

What are the logistics of taking classes at your area college/university? Would the logistics interfere with your HS ECs, thus negating that advantage of staying at home? Might the local college where you would take classes be a target school for you?

On a more personal note, how self sufficient are you and how well would you adjust to living away from home?

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11

Just a broad note, thank you so much to everyone who has been giving me advice! All these opinions are truly helpful to me.

12

Thank you so much for your advice. I’ve lived alone before for residential camps, programs, etc. therefore I shouldn’t really have that much trouble. I would also be able to go home and see my family for the weekends.

13

Thank you so much!

14

Thank you so much! Yes, I think I already have strong enough standardized testing scores (I took the ACT last year and did very well). They do have dorms and well-designed housing for the students. Every student lives on campus for the school week.

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15

Thank you for replying!

I don’t think taking classes at the local uni would particularly disrupt my ECs, as I will have enough time for instance to practice for my varsity sports. On a personal note, I would rather leave the state in attending college.

As for self-sufficiency, I believe I can live well away from home.

16

One isn’t limited to in state schools - even if budget constrained.

But that’s a discussion for later.

17

The answer depends on what your ultimate goals are.

Do you want to attend a top college? In that case, being valedictorian at a rural HS is better than being in the middle of your class at a STEM high school. But being valedictorian at the STEM HS is even better.

But if college prestige doesn’t matter, then I would seek to push yourself now. It will set you up for success in the future.

18

One thing to consider is the quality of courses. In your high school, do the students who earn A grades in AP courses generally score 4 or 5 on the AP tests associated with the AP courses?

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19

Another thing you should compare is the college counseling available. Do most of the kids at your local high school attend college? Do they go to a variety of schools or the same few state schools? How much does your guidance counselor help with the process?

I had one kid in LPS and another in BS and I can’t even begin to describe the difference in both investment and knowledge when it came to college counseling.

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