Coming from a lower-caliber high school

want2bIvy
Sun, 06 Apr 2008 13:10:28 +0000

Yes, I know that the phrase “lower caliber” is not extremely accurate…but I couldn’t really think of another way to explain my situation in post title. In terms of most high schools in this country, my school is probably extremely qualified in terms of academics and opportunities…in fact, it is a college prep school. Hence, the low-“er” part. I think that for every brilliant student admitted to Harvard from a struggling school, there must be some from top prep academies, specialized high schools, and even boarding schools with the best teachers and the most challenging courses. The students that currently attend Harvard from my high school came back on a visit and expressed concern over the math curriculum, feeling that it was inadequate preparation. I am doing quite well in my courses now, but belief the expectation is not at all comparable to those at neighboring schools…like Bronx High School of Science, Marymount Academy, or Stuyvestant. It’s difficult for me to gage, since I did well on the math portion of the SAT and my school does have a good track record in terms of admissions. I guess my anxiety comes from my comparing my homework and tests with those of my peers at other high schools. I wouldn’t want to have to desert my interests in math and science merely because I wasn’t exposed to the material and standards of students coming with very strong math/sci backgrounds.