<p>I’ve found this site helpful but depressing when I compare my son’s stats with others’–he’ll be valedictorian of his class and has ok SAT scores (but nothing like most of the kids applying to Northwestern and similar schools–1370 CR+Math), lots of extra-curriculars like drama and sports and is student council president, etc…but we live in a very small town in Alaska, and his graduating class is only 45 people, and there are only 8 teachers at the school including special ed. No honors courses offered, though he’s taking AP Calculus and History this year. He writes really well but I feel like it will be a miracle to get admitted. Any out there with similar background?</p>
<p>Of course there are. What is your son’s index for National Merit consideration? Those kids who qualify for National Merit finalist are the ones who often get into the top schools. The indexes vary depending on your state. Some states, maybe Alaska (did not look it up) have much lower indexes than states like Connecticut, Massachusetts, Virginia, New york, New Jersey, etc. That is because the numbers are based on percentages. The same percentage is skimmed from each state. This index which is the sum of your son’s PSAT results can give you some idea where he stands in the state of Alaska.</p>
<p>Colleges evaluate students based on their environment and opportunities. Given that Alaska isn’t known for the excellence of its education, I imagine that your S is a standout in the state, and that would impress colleges.</p>
<p>I think that being from a small town in Alaska is a great hook.</p>
<p>I"m with MidwestMom2kids. Your son sounds like a well rounded kid and a very motivated learner. I’m also impressed that such a small school would offer AP classes, it speaks well of his educational experience.</p>
<p>I know how depressing this board can feel. But step back, focus on your child’s strengths (& all students have strengths!) and go from there. If you share his interests, I know people will be glad to recommend colleges to look at. I’ve gotten more information here (for free!) than all my research yielded.</p>
<p>I know of two boys from the same high school class in a small town north of the artic circle who both were accepted at Stanford last year. One attends and the other is at Yale. Their graduating class was larger, about 50. 
The only way for sure your son will not be accepted at Northwestern is if he does not apply.</p>
<p>Wow. With a little contemplating, I’m just imagining what a wide ranging set of essay topics your S could write on and knock the socks off some of the competition. This is the advantage that small town AK can bring. Let him use it to the hilt.</p>
<p>Hate to mention it but a certain VP candidate of late used it to advantage, up to a point. At least your S will be using it to better purpose.</p>
<p>He did apply to Berkeley, Stanford (his late father graduated from there) and Northwestern, and I wish he’d played up the small town Alaska angle more in his essays. However, he’ll have another chance if not accepted–he didn’t apply to safety schools this year because he’s planning to take a year off first and volunteer with inner city youth in the lower 48. That ought to help with future applications and he can expand his choices.</p>
<p>fyi: Cal does not allow an acceptee to defer a year. He would have to reapply.</p>
<p>He didn’t have to play up the small town Alaska angle at all in his essays. The adcoms can tell he comes from small town Alaska.</p>
<p>It’s also very hard to get excellent applicants from Alaska like your son. The top universities want students from all states, so your son’s being from anywhere in Alaska is a huge plus. He probably has a much better chance of getting into top colleges than most people except star athletes and multimillionaires’ kids.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The Alaska angle might have been great essay fodder but, as Northstarmom has assured you, admission folks will note where he’s from even without it. Also, I’ve seen essays that try too hard to highlight an atypical background, so don’t worry if your son didn’t go heavy-handed with the Alaska hook in his writing.</p>
<p>He sounds like a wonderful guy, and although many wonderful kids get bad news from top-choice colleges each year, not so many from a small town in Alaska do. 
I think he can look forward to some fat envelopes this spring.</p>
<p>But, if your son happens to be denied at his target schools this time around (or he doesn’t get the aid he may need to attend), he should have plenty of great options if he expands his list next year. Has he considered liberal arts schools?</p>
<p>Stanford likes legacies - his SATs may well be fine. I think he’ll do very well in the admissions game. Good luck to him!</p>
<p>D’s not at Stanford or Northwestern, but she is at a Top 35 college on a major merit scholarship. One of the other merit scholarship winners sounds alot like your son: he’s from small town in Alaska, went to a tiny high school (only 40 kids in his class; had no APs (not offered at his school; his hardest class was pre-calc); had limited ECs (rugby, ice hockey and a year round job); has good but not exceptional ACT/SAT scores (no perfect scores); writes well, but again not exceptionally well. I have no idea if he had community service or not…(But he did work in Denali for the past 2 summers–to my D’s everlasting envy.)</p>
<p>So there are kids your son out there who have done well in the admissions game. Don’t despair. CC isn’t the real world…</p>
<p>I think being from Alaska is a plus for your son as selective colleges really want kids from all states. I don’t know enough about your son but his SAT score still puts him in contention at those schools, and other factors, if positive, can balance out that his SAT is not sky high (though still in range). Also, his entire application is looked at in context of his background and opportunities. At Stanford, your son not only has the “plus” of being from Alaska, but he is also a legacy and so that means two extra notches on his file right there that can help tip it. As you know, his list is too short and doesn’t have safety schools and these schools on his list turn away very qualified applicants and so they can’t be counted on (even though he is likely in contention). But the odds are tough and he only has three schools which make them tougher. But he certainly has a chance and so do not underestimate that chance. My brother lives in Alaska and has a son who is an applicant this year and a daughter who is a soph in college. His D got waitlisted at Brown and was a legacy and had SATs higher than your son’s and so this is still a possible outcome. But an acceptance is also a possible outcome for your son…Northwestern is truly in range for him. But Stanford has the legacy thing going for him too. But all is not riding on this as he plans to take a gap year and so he can expand his list next year in any case. But I think he has a chance to get an acceptance this year too.</p>
<p>PS…I agree with others that your son did not need to play up the Alaska angle as it will be duly noted on his file!</p>
<p>I forgot to add that while I am not from Alaska, my kids grew up in a rural area and a very small town. However, six towns send kids to our high school and so it is bigger thn yours (160 in the graduating class). Our town has 1700 residents. While my kids’ SATs were higher than your son’s, they got into very selective colleges (one was val like your son). So, yes, kids from rural areas can go onto top schools, particularly kids who are standouts in their local area and your son apparently is. Don’t just compare your son’s stats to those on CC. Again, his file will be looked at in context of his school and community.</p>
<p>Thanks all–I tried to stay out of his admission process entirely except for minimal editing on essays, but it’s great to share private anxiety with other parents! Very good note about Cal not allowing accepted students to defer, which I hadn’t picked up before. Anyway, I should just relax because he may go through the process again next year–it would just be nice for him to do the gap year with an acceptance to one of his favorites.</p>
<p>Go through the process twice with the same kid? Shudder…doing it once is hard enough!</p>
<p>Kids from rural areas and obscure states do indeed go to top colleges.</p>
<p>A funny, related, anecdote: Supposedly, at MIT, if you opted for “traditional” (non-seminar-based) freshman advising, you were assigned randomly to an advisor. My freshman advisor (who was a great advisor) was a Nobel Laureate from Kentucky. Everyone in my advising group was either from Kentucky (I think that all of the Kentucky kids from my year who opted for traditional advising were in this group) or from a very stereotypically rural state that doesn’t send many people to MIT (e.g. Iowa, Nebraska, West Virginia). I found it unlikely that this was actually random. :D</p>
<p>A shot in the dark…does your family have Inuit/Native Alaskan blood? If so, you might want to look at Dartmouth. Part of their mission statement is to educate indigenous Americans, so a kid from that demographic might have an edge (they have a relatively high percentage of kids from Alaska…this may be related).</p>
<p>“it would just be nice for him to do the gap year with an acceptance to one of his favorites.”</p>
<p>Maybe, maybe not.</p>
<p>My son did his gap year before applying to college. He just couldn’t didn’t get around to applying his senior year, though he wanted to go to college and tried to fill out his apps.</p>
<p>His gap year living at home and working as an Americorps volunteer taught him a lot about himself and the world, and based on that knowledge, he picked a college that was perfect for him. He has flourished there.</p>
<p>It wasn’t even on our radar when he was a high school senior considering colleges all over the map because he had no idea what he wanted in a college education.</p>
<p>During his gap year, he also did all of the college app work himself. It really was no stress on me.</p>
<p>Do not overlook opportunities for top kids at other (safety) colleges. My D (valedictorian from class of 33 graduates) got scholarships, great job opportunities and a lot of special treatments at all schools that she applied and very happy with her choice of college. None of hers were top elite colleges. She is a sophmore in junior standing, continues enjoying her college experience, opportunities and Merit $$ continue to pile up. We are saving $$ to help her thru Graduate school.</p>