<p>Well, I keep seeing the claims like, "I attended a competitive highschool." What exactly does that mean?</p>
<p>Well...I guess that is up to the adcoms.</p>
<p>I know my school is competitive personally, so I don't need a bunch of my internet peers to decline or agree. Not only do we have the best and brightest (which is event through the number of people that are NMFs, Science Fair winners, History Fair winners, SAT scores (in comparison to the city) high AP scores, etc.), but it is the best school in San Antonio, Texas hands down. You have to apply and write an essay, and everything. Anyone would tell you that.</p>
<p>glucose my school is similar except theres an entrance exam you take in 6thgrade . top20% test scores on citywide/statewide are eligible to take the exam
200/2000 are accepted
we have had 2 intel winners past 7 years, few westinghouse finalists
etc
i guess competitiveness is drived by your student body
if you schools avg sat score is good that can be a factor as well (i think ours was like 1420 for the old one)</p>
<p>so if your school is full of self driven kids. you can call it competitive</p>
<p>yeah...sounds like my school (mine is a medical magnet school, I forgot to say).</p>
<p>nice . do you get to research and stuff?</p>
<p>i know a lot of my neighboring hs schools have research programs but mine doesnt because were not funded by the city or education dept
its paid for by politicians, parents, Hunter College</p>
<p>We partner with the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSC), which is like 2 blocks down. We have research programs that are integrated into our school that involve going there and researching for them (sometimes to get paid!). I don't have a car, so I have trouble getting to that class. I'm going to probably do Diagnotic Services (CSI stuff...lol), which is like venipuncture and analyzing the blood/urine/body fluids for diseases, and the causes of them.</p>
<p>that is so cool. lucky...</p>
<p>what's the college list like for your school glucose
ex: 10students harvard, 10 cornell,etc</p>
<p>just wondering</p>
<p>It really depends on the year.</p>
<p>2-5 Harvard
2-3 Princeton
5-6 Rice
2-3 Plan II UT
It's Texas, so that's like all the focus. If you aren't in the top 10...you're screwed though, college-wise.</p>
<p>My high school thinks it's competitive, but it's not. It's rather sad.</p>
<p>If you have to take an exam or go through something just as rigorous to get in... that's pretty competitive. :P</p>
<p>I believe that my school is pretty competitive. You have to take a test to get into my high school; it's one of the selective schools in the city. And, we have many Intel semifinalists (the school with the most in the city this year), etc. And, many of the students get accepted to top colleges (7 to Harvard, 8 Columbia, 10+ Cornell, 7 Dartmouth, 5 MIT, 7 Princeton, 5 Stanford, 4 Penn, etc this year so far).</p>
<p>Mine doesn't count then. I had a chance to go to one, but declined since I hated the atmosphere (Science Academy in South Texas #8 in the nation). My courseload is just as difficult, but the competitive factor isn't as prominent.</p>
<p>competitive is a major deal.. in the long run it might hurt you because you might have like a 4.0 weighted gpa and be in the bottom 50% .. i much rather be just taking AP classes and everything in a public school and apply to college through there.. some colleges will say "this is an average student not an elite prep student! admit!"- it will especially help if your minority i think to go to public school and be competitive there rather than an elite prep</p>
<p>Above - Competitve Is Not A Major Deal - Lol Tired At 12:30 Am</p>
<p>Entrance essays and exam required, crushing workload, 96% of students in IB Diploma with the rest in IB Certificate, average old SAT in the high 1300's, IB scores way above both national and world averages. No Intel/whatever competition winners (or even participants) that I know of.</p>
<p>I guess we're semi-competitive.</p>
<p>Hmm, would mine count then?</p>
<p>I go to a public highschool with 2000 people. There is an IB school that you can attend, while still a student at the original highschool and it consists of students from three different 2000+ high schools. The total size is only about 70 for the Junior and Senior class. There is a 100% IB Diploma rate as of now (6 years), and well the workload is huge =).</p>
<p>^That sounds like a competitive program within a not-so-competitive school, which I assume would be viewed favorably by colleges. "Taking advantage of available resources" and all that.</p>
<p>Possibly high schools with a 99-100% rate of students attending four-year colleges after graduation, SAT scores of 1350 and above (on the old SAT), 90-100% pass rate for AP test takers, and students nationally-ranked in athletics and other extracurricular activities.</p>
<p>you want to know a competitive school? the california high school i used to go to which has turned out rhode scholars for the past three years in a row.</p>
<p>...<em>sigh</em>...</p>
<p>competitive high schools is a sham. there is no way to tell what a "competitive' high school is. So what you had to take a test to get in, or had to write an essay? Thats standard fair for even crappy private schools. </p>
<p>I think most people mean by competitive is hard.</p>
<p>Just because your school has a lot of smart kids, or has 50% of the class with 4.0+ gpas, doesn't make it competitive. if half hte class has over a 4.0 i think that makes your high school EASY.</p>
<p>Also, most of the time, you'll notice the people saying they go to a competitive high school are the ones who go like this..."GPA 3.6, I know its a little low but I got to a VERY competitive high school." Basicly, an excuse for having a low GPA by saying you go to a competitive high school.</p>
<p>In short, as long as you do well in the hardest classes available, you'll be competitive in college admissions - and when you thiink about it...all high school is nowadays is preparation for getting into college. Any high school, "competitive" or not, will prepare you for college - and thats all that a high school is asked for today.</p>
<p>Don't worry about it is all i'm saying - it doesn't matter either way.</p>