Senior here. I know that there’s not all that much I can do now since I’ve almost finished the first half of senior year, but I figured I should still ask.
For context:
I go to a school that, on paper, does horribly. We are desperately under-resourced, and always underperform. We have:
No AP or honors classes, only dual enrollment at the city college but students are on their own for that
A hard limit on how many classes we can take per quarter. It’s four :(.
A whopping 13% college readiness score
A 73% graduation rate, which is 10% lower than the district average
No classes beyond what’s needed to graduate aside from one extra year of science (chemistry)
I’m a good student, but because of my school I really haven’t been able to take all of the classes that I’d like to. I’ve taken/am taking every class offered at my school in addition to dual enrollment psychology (technically have a week left, but I’m on track to finish the class with an A/99.4%) (I’m also enrolled in precalc for the spring) and have a 4.0/4.6 uw/w, but I’m worried that it’s not enough for the schools I’m applying to. I’m mainly applying to competitive LACs (aside from safeties), and I know that they generally admit super intelligent kids from high-performing public and private schools.
My main worry is that AOs will see my grades, compare them to my school profile, and chalk it up to grade inflation or super easy assignments.
So, yeah. Could my school profile negatively impact how AOs view my application?
All good questions, even noting they’re coming from a place of stress and an understanding that you can’t control what you can’t control.
Big picture: yes, many or most of the students at most competitive schools will come from high-performing schools. That is how the cake is baked. But all of these schools are deliberately and thoughtfully building a class that brings together students from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, where what they share is a combination of raw intelligence, growth mindsets, and demonstrated experience achieving within the structures they have. If they all wanted to just sort by scores and weight by school quality, they could - plenty of colleges could just fill their classes with rich kids from prep schools who have good grades (who knows if they’re inflated?) and high test scores (who knows how much tutoring?) - but they don’t.
So no - your school’s profile isn’t going to be the reason you aren’t accepted to any single competitive school, and those school AOs will look at your accomplishments in the context of your school and life experiences, and they won’t assume any successes you had in school were because your school was easy. That’s neither a ticket to make all your dreams come true or a case of failing before you even try. What admissions committees are doing is complex work, and all of this is part of it.
I looked at your earlier post and it sounds like you’re at your second high school. I’m assuming there are reasons for that change, and that will also be taken into account.
It’s a lot to go through, I know. We all wish you the best.
At this point your focus should be on completing applications to colleges that are reasonable academic matches and that appear affordable. Don’t dwell on things you cannot change.
But as a general statement, your HS will send a school profile with each transcript so your academics will be viewed in the context of your school’s offerings and limitations.
Yes, I transferred the beginning of my junior year. Many different reasons (that I explain in detail on my application) but I can confidently say that my prior school was no better, and potentially worse, than my current one (and this is backed up by state gov’t data). I doubt that AOs will look at its data though, so I dunno how much it’ll affect my application lol ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Doing well in college courses taken while in high school should be a favorable indicator to college admission readers who may be concerned about students from your school not being college ready.
Do you have test scores that would help fill out the academic picture? Know that for many colleges, the standard wisdom about submitting a “median+” score may not apply to students from underrepresented or underperforming districts. They will be looking for overperformance relative to your area.
Understand that colleges want applicants that aren’t from the typical demographic or high school environments that oversample in their applicant pool. They desire students who outperform the stats for areas that do not offer strong supports or traditions of sending kids into higher ed. They even have a tool from the College Board called Landscape to help them assess if an applicant is showing high potential against an underperforming ZIP Code.
Don’t compare your approach on the terms others use to win, understand the unique strengths of your story and how they can be part of a different kind of winning strategy. You will be reviewed within your context. Good luck!
Unfortunately I don’t have test scores. Until mid-October I just assumed that I’d go to a UC (norcal resident), but then I figured out that it’s not financially possible, and by that point the next SAT dates were in February and 2+ hours away. The schools I’m applying to are all test optional and have <50% SAT/ACT submission rates (for admitted students), so I’m not super concerned. There’s not much I can do at this point anyways.
First off, you are super intelligent. Don’t let anyone tell you, you aren’t.
You are compared to your school profile. You are well above that. You will stand out. Hopefully you applied to schools that are affordable. Lacs like Beloit give a lot of merit /financial aid to get a student like you. It’s also a great Lac. Just bring a winter coat. My daughter loved it there. Very diverse student population and professor’s that really cared.
It’s in this book with others that tend to give good aid.
That’s the pickle I find myself in I’m middle class so UC’s aren’t financially possible, but I also don’t qualify for any federal or state programs. CSUs are also offering me no financial aid so that’s a no. I’m applying to LACs (safeties, targets, and reaches) that (according to the Net Price Calculators) should be affordable for what my family can do.
Don’t worry, cost has been the driving factor in my school search. I’m applying to a few CTCL schools, St. Olaf being one of my top 3 schools. I’d love to go to Beloit but, even with a maximum merit scholarship, it’s not affordable :(.
Have you done a financial pre-read at Whitman? That’s a great one that seems to fit the pattern of what you’re interested in, and they’re particularly good about mapping out the financial picture before you apply.
I’m middle class so UC’s aren’t financially possible, but I also don’t qualify for any federal or state programs. CSUs are also offering me no financial aid so that’s a no. I’m applying to LACs (safeties, targets, and reaches) that (according to the Net Price Calculators) should be affordable for what my family can do.