I come from a really small town in rural Mississippi with about 600 kids at the combined High and Middle School. Currently I’m top of my class with a 35 on the ACT (haven’t taken SAT because nearest center is 70 miles away). Do lots of stuff outside of school and whatnot, but the real question is will I be judged harshly because of me being from a small town in Mississippi where everyone assumes we don’t wear shoes and still farm for a living if I apply to a school like Harvard or Yale?
My view is yes, but you’ll get different opinions here. I don’t think being from Mississippi hurts you, but being from a small non-competitive high school could.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/2000385-does-hs-competitiveness-matter-p1.html
Do you think that it looks better to stand out among the stereotypes of Mississippi than to be “average” at some prep school in a state like California. For example, I saw somewhere that Californians make up like 12% of Ivy League kids yet I think there might be less than 100 kids from Mississippi at any given Ivy school, most likely less. @roethlisburger
100 is a much greater percentage of MS than it is of CA. I expect far fewer MS students apply as well.
OP, being from MS can help you at some schools that consider geography (military service academies for one). Where you will be hurt is that top schools won’t know your HS and more so that you’re guidance counselor and teachers likely don’t have experience writing letters of rec for top schools. You have the advantage of building a personal relationship with your guidance counselor. Many students at large schools can’t do that.
All that said, the top 20 schools are a reach for everyone so don’t lock in. Consider Tulane as one of your schools. With a 35 you stand a fair shot at Dean’s Honor Scholarship or Paul Tulane. They consider interest so go on a visit. The DHS project is unique so use your summer to work on it if you are interested.
CA also makes up 12% of the population of the U.S. so that’s about right, actually with great standardized score you have a good chance maybe better than average.
Read my posts 47 and 70 in the link. To clarify, I don’t think being from MS hurts you exactly, but attending a non-competitive high school could.
Nobody can predict how any admission officer at any school will react to your application, but I think being from MS could help a bit as schools look for geographic diversity. IMO your strong ACT should remove any doubt in the minds of admission officers that you are prepared for college. Be sure to take the time to create a strong application including essays, LORs, etc.
Cast a wide net and apply to a group of reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable and that you would be happy to attend. Keep in mind that schools like Harvard and Yale with acceptance rates well under 10% are reaches for pretty much everyone.
And you don’t need to take the SAT with a 35. You may need to take SAT subject tests for some schools. Columbia doesn’t require them if you took ACT instead of SAT.
From my understanding being from Mississippi would help because of “georgraphic diversity.”
Personally, I don’t think it matters that you are in MISSISSIPPI, but more that your high school is non-competetive. However, it still seems that you are doing very well in your school and you can also write about how you can succeed with the limited resources that you have, which will make a good essay (just a suggestion).
Honestly, I don’t think it matters that much where you are from.
I agree with @happy1 . Aren’t we always telling students that they are judged in context of what their high school offers? This student has a 35 which will make any college sit up and take notice. (Do not worry about taking the SAT, it isn’t necessary. All colleges will be thrilled with 35.) I do not agree with @roethlisburger . Surely a student from a tiny high school who is doing everything possible to maximize opportunities, and from a rural town, is a little more interesting that yet another kid from Suburban Ultra Competitive High School.
It is true however that your high school is unlikely to be on the radar of adcoms. I suggest reaching out to the regional reps of schools you are interested in, which you can google. Or contact the admissions general email, and ask who represents your region. I would ask the rep what you have asked here. Explain where you live, and that there are no opportunties for you to attend college fairs. Make them aware of you. Now is a good time to do this, assuming they are not all on vacation. Don’t leave it too late, because in a month they will all be gearing up for the next cycle. And I also think that being from Mississippi might help you a bit, esepcially not being from Jackson. Colleges are looking for diversity of all kinds, not just race. Good luck.
I think the answer is “Yes.” Also, it is “No”.
What was your PSAT SI score (ie are you likely to be a NMF?)
You’ll be fine. I think being from Mississippi helps given the typical academic performance there and the fact that schools want geographic diversity (I used to live in MS for a little bit and most of my relatives are still there as well).
Anectdotally, I went to a fairly non competitive school, and turned out fine admissions-wise. You said you’re at the top of your class, so I wouldn’t really worry assuming you’ve done all you can do.
Agree with @Lindagaf . The highly selective schools look at your accomplishments in the context of the opportunities offered to you. While there is some truth and advantage in attending a well regarded high school (AO’s are confident of the academic qualifications of students based on their grades and course rigor) those students are also being compared with students of like advantages. Your 35 removes any doubt about your native ability to do the work, and you will be compared against a similar pool of candidates (Mississippi/SE rural). My Yale college roommate grew up on a farm where the “metropolis” was a town of 30,000, 30 miles away. He used to joke that to give his kids an even better chance of getting in a top college, he might consider living in some isolated community in North Dakota or Montana. Hard to do though when you are a partner in a private equity firm!
Thank you @Lindagaf and @BKSquared, I think I will google the information about the representatives from the schools for my area and reach out to them. Also, I am not really looking into Harvard or Yale, I think a closer option for me would be Vanderbilt, however, I still assume that would be a reach for me as it would for most people. I got a 1410 on the PSAT with a SI of 210 (perfect score on math, Writing and Reading counting twice as much as math killed me) so I most likely will not be NMF since I think they said commended score is 211 nationally, so I won’t even get that. @DavidPuddy
I suggest researching colleges of interest that are a little out of your comfort zone. There are some top colleges that would be very interested in a student like you, but you may not even be aware of them. Post in the college search and selection forum and give your stats, interests, the kind of college environment you are looking for, and financial needs. Vanderbilt is on your radar because it’s probably the top college in your region. Consider Wash U St. Louis, Northwestern, U Chicago, Brown, and Cornell. There are also LACs that might drool over you, such as Bowdoin, Amherst or Williams. You also need to run Net Price Caluclators on colleges of interest and see what is affordable. The NPC will be on each college’s website.
Consider Reed College!
@birdinthetreetop
Thanks for the reply, bird. Although you are correct you have likely missed NMF, your scores are strong, you will be competitive at some really really good schools if your ECs are up to snuff and you can create a compelling story with essays. Not everyone can do that.
Don’t sell yourself short, and also understand the delta between Harvard and Vanderbilt admissions may as well be … zero.
Not pushing Harvard or Yale if going to college on the east coast is not your cup of tea and you prefer the south. Vandy is a great school. If you are concerned about affordability, you should be aware that HYPS provide 100% grant in their financial aid packages which is 100% need based. Just rest assured your options will not be limited by where you come from. If you get after it, it is probably an advantage! Good luck.