Does the fact that I go to a noncompetitive public school hurt my chances?

ElijahPhillip · 07-04-2012, 08:09 PM

Hurt my chances at schools like the University of Chicago, Georgetown University, and the ivy leagues or schools in that caliber?

cc123sb · 07-04-2012, 10:48 PM

Not as long as your graduating #1 or 2 in your class (depending on your class size)

djking99 · 07-04-2012, 10:54 PM

No, I was val. at my mediocre high school and I got into Duke.

PAGRok · 07-04-2012, 11:11 PM

Two posters above is wrong. I was #7/6 out of 236 in my class at a noncompetitive high school with a 3.88 UW, and a 4.23 W GPA and was admitted to University of Chicago. Another girl from my school was admitted to Stanford, but she was a Native American. Your high school doesn't matter much as long as you are in the top 10%, but better if top 5% though.

ucbalumnus · 07-04-2012, 11:12 PM

It might actually be helpful for colleges which strongly consider class rank (easier to get a high class rank at a not-very-competitive high school), as long as the courses in the high school are actually teaching you what they are supposed to teach you so that you are ready for college courses when you go to college.

ElijahPhillip · 07-04-2012, 11:21 PM

Well I'm in the top 10%... actually it might be 5% now and ranked 14 out of I think 238 kids. But I have a 3.73 unweighted gpa and really want to apply early action to the University of Chic ago. Do you think I should wait for regular round when my gpa is a 3.76-7?

PAGRok · 07-05-2012, 04:43 AM

Well, it has been debated many times the benefits of applying early and that the percent admitted is much higher, but highly selective schools are likely to admit you in the early round only if you would be admitted in the RD round. So... I would say go ahead and apply early, but be cautious of what to expect. If you don't have strong (above a schools average) scores or stand-out EC's you might be rejected, if you have all the marks of a competitive applicant (good scores, EC's etc) you will be deferred (I was deferred by Yale SCEA and later rejected, but this happens often cause deferral rates are too high... Grrh, they should really only defer those who they know are likely to be admitted, not just those who have a slim chance) and if you have what the school wants you'll be admitted. Your GPA is probably slightly hurtful to your appliation, but it should be fine. I know for me the 4 B's I had were a bit worrisome, and may have hurt me slightly, but I was admitted to amazing schools, and waitlisted at just as selective schools. (I did have a 35 ACT and an interesting EC though). To me this means my GPA and test scores and EC's and essays etc. were all up to par, but I wasn't exactly the applicant the schools wanted. So, moral of my paragraph, you will likely be admitted not based on your GPA, but for who you are and what you do outside of class and how well you explain that in essays. You may be waitlisted or rejected for who you are and what you do and for a multitude of other reasons. Does that make sense?

cc123sb · 07-05-2012, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Two posters above is wrong.

Two anecdotes don't invalidate our statements. All top colleges will consider the context of your school and unless you have phenomenal test scores, don't expect anything from being #10/300 at a noncompetitive high school.

Did you take the most rigorous course load available? If you did, it'll probably come down to your scores. Standardized tests are the only way colleges can assess your intelligence from a high school they've never heard of.

cortana431 · 07-05-2012, 01:52 PM

I think you should definitely apply EA to UChicago if it is your top choice. Also, take a look at this thread Some Northwestern/UChicago admissions insight.

UChicago also weighs essays heavily. Work very hard on your essay and make sure you let UChicago know how much you want to attend.

T26E4 · 07-05-2012, 04:52 PM

Where do your SAT/ACT places you in terms of UC admitted students? If you're solid then maybe YES.

One reason people wait to apply RD is in hopes of a great 1st semester senior year -- to boost the GPA a bit. If you plan on taking a very rigorous courseload (which I hope you do) and knock out a 4.0 -- that might be better than any perceived "bump" you might get as an early applicant.

PAGRok · 07-06-2012, 03:21 AM

cc123, clearly not being 1 or 2 didn't hurt me enough to getting me rejected. It may have hurt me, but maybe my other elements made up for it. Also, the test score is more of a baseline stat, and does not equate to intelligence and judging a high school's competitiveness. I was #7 for most of high school and I had the highest test score of any student, far above those who had higher GPA's. The next highest score came from a student who had below a 4.0 Weighted GPA and barely made top 10%, he was accepted to the UCSC Honors program though. SAT/ACT show academic strength to the extent a standardized test can in a singular applicant, but sometimes is not well aligned to diffiulty of grading in high school, if that was what you were implying. Ignore the last few sentences if not. I wouldn't rule out a #10/300 applicant that has decent test scores for the top schools, it will depend upon EC's and essays (or URM status).

Also, the high school counselor sends in a report of where previous students have attended, the average GPA, etc. A college is not blind to how fairly difficult a school is.