How does the high school you attend impact admission?

Data10
Wed, 25 May 2022 01:21:03 +0000

Twoin18:

My point is that an unhooked ORM student applying to (say) Princeton or Yale or Brown may have a better outcome if they attend Paly or Gunn compared to the other nearby high schools that are less well known on the east coast, because there aren’t many spots for that type of kid.

I’d expect Ivies like the ones you listed to have a regional admission officer that is familiar with the Bay Area, beyond just Paly and Gunn, but one can certainly swap out the Bay Area for an unknown high school that has little history. For example, suppose a student applied from a small high school in a low income area of Wyoming. It’s possible that the lack of knowledge about the HS could put the student at a disadvantage, and it’s also possible that the colleges might favor the applicant because he/she is from a unique background compared to the applicant pool.

I expect it depends on the specific applicant, HS, and college. Things like how much/little information the GC provides about the HS could have an influence. While all this could have an influence, I’d be less confident about making sweeping conclusions such as attending Palo Alto High or Gunn is a better choice for Bay Area kids, if you want to attend an Ivy. I don’t think we can draw that conclusion.