I am making a decision between going to Troy or going to Diamond Bar High School. Diamond Bar is much more convenient for me but Troy seems to have a better academic program. I have heard there is a very heavy workload there, though.
I also compete in Science Olympiad and plan to do it in high school. Troy’s SO team is very good, far better than Diamond Bar’s.
Also, if I were to go to Troy I would be giving up all of my friends, since they are all going to Diamond Bar.
- Is it worth it to attend Troy?
- Will its high ranking make a difference when applying to top schools?
(I know there was a similar question posted 8 years ago, but I would like more current information)
I do not know about Troy vs Diamond Bar, but I had to make a very, very similar decision regarding my high school choice.
Harriton High School, I’m sure you’ve heard of in Science Olympiad (was 2nd place at Nationals last year, and if they had one point more, would’ve tied for first, and has like a million consecutive championships in Pennsylvania), was one of my high school options.
The school that all of my friends was going to: Lower Merion High School, never goes to nationals in terms of Science Olympiad… BUT all of my friends are going there. (Harriton and Lower Merion are the two high schools in my school district, so we have the choice between them).
The two had a virtually identical academic program, except Harriton offered the IB program, but in the end, I chose Harriton.
The main reason: Science Olympiad was, and still is my life. It is the only extracurricular I do seriously, and I am not about to give it up.
Second reason; my CLOSEST friends were going to Harriton for the IB program, but this is different for you. Since you are losing it seems ALL of your friends if you go to Troy, either start connecting with people you know are going to Troy (if you do choose Troy), or try to persuade some of your friends to go… I know that I persuaded my BEST friend to go to Harriton, even if the chances we will have classes together is low.
To answer your questions… I don’t actually think I am very well qualified to, but here goes nothing:
- If you do get on the Troy Science Olympiad team, it is a GREAT accomplishment, since they are a consecutively top 10 at Nationals team (like in Harriton). The better academic program will be good for you in the long run and help you prepare for college.
- I have no clue, so I’ll just take a shot in the dark: probably yes, if the colleges know about it. It’s kind of like honors vs college prep level classes, except in terms of schools.
@raventhemage thanks for the feedback!