On one of the last days of school, my teacher and I were talking about my future plans. The subject of college came up, and, of course, he asked where I wanted to attend. I told him the schools I had in mind (Stanford, Harvard, Vanderbilt). Then he told me something a little disheartening. Apparently, NOBODY from my school has ever gotten into Stanford or Harvard, and it’s been about 30-40 years since anyone has gotten into an Ivy League (the last person to get into one was Princeton). I started asking around, and found out that someone about 6 years ago got into Vanderbilt(yay!), and someone a little before him got into Rice. These were the two highest caliber schools anyone has gotten into from my high school in 30-40 years. According to my guidance counselor, the last person to be a NMF was 10 years ago. For a little background info, my school is rurally located in a southern state, and has a student population of about 850 (~200 per class). My school also has a lot of lower income students (me being one of them). This data has gotten me a little worried. Will I be at a disadvantage because of my high school’s situation? Do I even have a shot at top colleges with me being from a bad high school, as well as being low income (I’m not first gen, mom has associate’s degree)?
Hmm what are your stats?
Sounds like my high school, 25 years ago. 150 kids in a class, no AP classes, no NMSFs. I got into Yale. You’ll be judged based on your opportunities, not on things that weren’t available to you.
Our HS had never sent a kid to an Ivy other than Cornell (we are in NY). S was first. About 2 NMSFs a year but he was not one – tho he was commended. the state is very competitive when it comes to scores.
Actually I think it works in your favor in a way because elite schools like to see themselves as drawing from as wide an array of HS as possible.
If you can take APs or if not many are available, self-study that also demonstrates level of readiness.
I strongly urge you to look into Questbridge:
https://www.questbridge.org/
Follow up if you have any questions. There are a lot of posters on this website with a lot of experience who can really help you.
I think that there is a first-gen that counts for four-year universities, but I’m not sure. My advisor told my friend to mark first-gen even though her mom has an associates because she is the first to go to a four-year school. I don’t know, though.
Has anyone applied?
@halcyonheather Usually there’s about 1-2 students a year who apply to top schools. However, that’s still a small amount of students applying, so that could be a reason why nobody has gotten in. There’s not as big of a focus on top colleges here, as many of them go to our state schools.
@fourXsquared I have a similar issue. I want to go to MIT and my high school, while young, has only sent one person. Sure I have a higher GPA then said person, but they were internationally ranked in an activity. Also, my high school has never sent anyone to HYPS.
With the selectivity of admissions to the Ivies, it’s probably a safe assumption that most high schools have never sent anyone to the Ivies. It is important to take advantage of the opportunities available to you at your HS so that your GC can document that you took the most rigorous program offered at your school. Become involved at your school so that your teachers can write more personalized LORs with specific examples. Also, if possible become involved at the community level. It demonstrates commitment to your community and good time management skills . Good luck.
It’s possible that many of the people in your district associate Ivy League with big dollars - rightly so. Therefore, they don’t bother to apply. However, most of the Ivys have need-blind admission and meet 100% of financial need. Does your schools guidance counselor educate the top students and their families about these policies? If not, this could be a reason for the lack of Ivy admissions.
Vanderbilt does an excellent job of communicating their financial aid policies and this may explain some of your high schools recent acceptances.
If your story is compelling and your grades are strong, I say go for it!
Good luck!
This sounds just like my D’s high school, and somewhat like my own. Turn it to your advantage! Emphasize those things other applicants won’t experience. You will need to do all the leg work, make sure you follow up with GC, recommendations, NM deadlines…it’s just not as important at your school but you can make it happen.
I was one of two NMSFs at my school (small, no AP classes, rural), we had both moved in during HS. My GC had never heard of half the schools to which we applied. We still managed - I went to Penn and he went to Rice.
First-generation has different meanings depending on the program you’re applying to. In many cases, it just means neither parent has a bachelor’s degree ([url=http://www.unl.edu/mcnair/faq#faq22]here[/url] is a random example—they would consider me first-generation even though my dad has an associate’s degree and one of my grandmothers had a master’s degree). When in doubt, you should send an email and ask if you qualify (although most colleges will ask about your parents’ education levels rather than directly asking if you’re first-generation).