<p>I'm a high school sophomore attending a public high school who's interested in transferring to a prestigious private school next year for my junior and senior years. I'm doing somewhat well in my extracurricular activities (junior editor of school newspaper, quiz bowl team captain, planning on starting a club that would benefit the poor in Third-world countries) and academics (high honor roll student, 4.3 GPA on a weighted scale); however, I'm not participating in any sports or music. I want to go to a top-tier Ivy, like Harvard or Princeton, but I'm not sure if I will get in if I stay at my current school(which doesn't have a good rate of Ivy League admittance). I know that this private school has a much better rate of Ivy League admittance than my school, but I'm not sure if it's worth spending two years of private school tuition for just two years at the school. Will leaving my current school and going to a top private school really help my chances of going to a top Ivy League university?</p>
<p>Listen, the ivys love to see students like you, raised in the public school system without as many opportunities as those private school students, using every opportunity you have and excelling in it. Ivies love to take valedictorians and if you can keep your grades high while participating in all those extracurricular activities, then you’ll have a great shot. If you attend the private school, there’s a good chance you won’t be the top student, or even in the top 10%. </p>
<p>My advice: get straight A’s, do well on your standardized tests, and continue your extracurriculars (they sound great already!, just continue them for the next 2 years, do what you love) and you’ll get into great schools, ivy league or not.</p>
<p>The higher rate of acceptance at ivies from top prep schools has a lot to do with the number of wealthy legacies, recruited athletes and top URMs. You have a better chance from an average public school.</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong, top prep schools are as hard to get into as ivies. They graduate many highly qualified kids. But without a hook, you’re just another very smart grad. You wpuld have better access to most colleges, but not ivies and top LACs.</p>
<p>Worry less about what high school you go to and more about how it looks starting that club to benefit developing countries (not ‘third world countries’). You need to show serious previous involvement and interest in the issue, not just randomly starting a club your junior year. Adcoms will see right through your gimmick. I’d advise you to rethink it and join a related activity (volunteer at Amnesty or join MUN) and think about starting the club only when it shows you had a serious commitment to the issue before.</p>
<p>if that’s your rank at this school, in a bigger pond it would likely be smaller. your chance at acceptance will not go up at a high prestige private school - being a big fish in a small pond is better than being a small fish in a big one. distinguish yourself in the environment you’re in, and unless you’re excruciatingly bored with the workload at your current school and just can’t stand it, it’s not worth changing.</p>