<p>Chelsea, it is much much too early for you to finalize a college list – but I promise you that when the time comes, there will be plenty of people on CC (including me) who will help you. Right now your list has too many reaches, and you need to add schools that give merit aid. But we’ll deal with that later.</p>
<p>I know I’ve told you this before – you really cannot compare yourself to another student, and think that will help you figure out your admissions outcomes. If my daughter had that attitude, she wouldn’t be graduating from Brown this May. I am sorry about your friend, though.</p>
<p>As for the caliber of the HS school – I once saw a mock admissions folder of a student applying from a school that was denied accreditation. She was accepted. And you should read a book called “A Hope in the Unseen,” by Ron Suskind. It really is a wonderful book, true story, about an inner city student who went to a horrible high school, who got into Brown. The book follows the student from his last two years of HS and his first year at Brown. It’s inspirational, and it will also give you some interesting insight into being a Brown student (both pros and cons, I’m afraid).</p>
<p>And BrownAlumParent: going to Brown’s summer school does not help a student get into Brown. Chelsea has commented on CC before, and the summer school was discussed then. If she gets a scholarship it’s worth her considering, but that’s a big it.</p>