Weak high school and college admission

Applying to College
1

I have a few questions regarding going to a poorly ranked/weak high school and college admissions.

  1. If you are not ranked number 1, but are in the top 3%, would that look bad? Especially since there isn't much challenge.
  2. Are top colleges hesitant about accepting students from these school's since they might have weak academic backgrounds?
  3. If someone from such school was admitted to a top college/ivy league, would the transition be too much? Since they probably didn't receive as much academic challenge as fellow students at that college had during high school, would they fall behind too easily, or are there options to support students from weaker academic backgrounds?

Thanks in advance.

2

How is the “poorly ranked” being assessed?

3

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4
  1. While #1 is better, top 3% is fine, especially if it's a large school. Stellar SATs would be a big help.
  2. Yes and no. Selective schools tend to like people from large, not so great public schools figuring that people who can succeed there despite the disadvantages are likely to succeed anywhere. Plus these schools get so many upper middle class kids who went to great schools (public or private) that they appreciate the diversity of bringing in people who didn't. Then again, they don't want to bring in anyone that they aren't confident can do the work.
  3. There are options to support students from other backgrounds. As for whether it's too much or not, anecdotally I hear that these students are at higher risk of dropping out but still some 75%+ graduate so it's not that much higher.
5
  1. If your high school is really that bad, not being number 1 will hurt. I'll assume that you're aiming for selective schools, and if your high school rarely sends kids to top 20 universities, and you're not the best of the best academically at your school, that might be an issue. At really bad high schools, top 20 colleges might accept 1 kid every couple of years. If you're not number 1 or 2, then it will hurt. How bad is your school? It is like an ok school just not very high up in the rankings, or is it very bad like Compton High or something.
  2. Yes, but you have to show that you have a strong academic background by fully utilizing standardized testing. You have to do exceptionally well on the SAT/ACT, SAT II, and perhaps even AP Exams (I know AP tests don't count for much in college admissions, but it's just added proof that you are able to handle college-level material)
  3. If they accept you, then know for a fact that you will be able to handle the rigor. That's why when you go to a 'bad' school you need strong standardized testing to show colleges that you are capable of succeeding in college-level courses, that you won't be overwhelmed by the rigor in college. Ivies have upper 90% retention rate, meaning that rarely anyone drops out because they couldn't handle the work.
6

My school isn’t bad, it’s okay, it sends a few kids to the top public school in my state every year, just not Ivy league schools, Duke, stanford, etc. Its definitely not one of the worst. I was wondering since comparatively it offers less challenge and competition than top high schools. I’m not ranked 1 or 2 since I transferred junior year from an international school and my credits didn’t transfer with the original weight, even though I had all A’s and advanced level classes at my old school.