Is my competitive high school preventing me from getting into my dream college?Answered
I am a current high school junior at a pretty competitive high school. I live in an upper-middle-class area where many smart people don't get into amazing schools. How do I stand out when everyone else is just as accomplished as me?
I am primarily looking at business schools at Michigan, Florida, Texas (Austin), Wisconsin, and North Carolina.
32 composite ACT, 33 Superscore
7 AP classes
16 Honors Classes
1 dual enrollment class
3.94 unweighted GPA//4.52 weighted
Extracurriculars: 10 seasons of sports, 6th place at international DECA competition, local DECA leader, leader for school's Relay For Life board, marketing internship with a sports marketing firm, volunteer at suicide prevention organization
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3 answers
I think one thing could be choosing to apply to a less-selective but still prestigious school. If everyone at your school is applying to an Ivy League or top school, chances are very few are going to get in. Knowing this and intentionally applying to a school with a higher acceptance rate but with the same stats drastically changes your chances (you also might be happier in the end, knowing that your friends all are upset because they got rejected from Ivies but you chose a college you were content with from the start and didn't entirely bank on a 20% acceptance stat). You should also consider that personality in college essays and interviews is also incredibly important. You are not just your achievements and grades and extracurriculars, you are a person too! When writing essays, let your personality and character shine through! This shows you're unique and can help you stand out!
My school is exactly the same way. When it comes to competitive colleges, usually the applicants all have very similar stats, which makes getting into good schools a guessing game over whether they're going to accept you or not. I hate to break it to you, but if everyone has the same stellar stats as you, it's very hard to stand out among your peers.
P.S. - I don't know if you're talking about wanting to go to UT Austin in your question, but that school is extremely competitive when it comes to OOS admissions. 75% of the applicants have to come from the top 6% (class rank) auto acceptance program, and they give priority to Texas residents. This means that you have >20% of getting into UT. UT has a very deceiving acceptance rate but it is a very competitive school. And the McCombs school of business at UT Austin is extremely competitive to get into and a lot of the times people will get into UT but won't get their majors accepted (you have to apply for your major because a lot of them are really competitive). Basically, even if you were to get into UT it would be very challenging to get a major there unless you want to get a Liberal Arts degree. STEM and Business degrees at UT Austin are very hard to get.
I'd say that the main way by which your school could be harming your odds of admission would be if it reports class rank on your transcripts. If it does and you are not in the top 10% of your class, then you will be at a disadvantage compared to students who have no class rank on their record.
The competitiveness of your school will also make it more difficult for you to stand out, but certainly not impossible. The main way that you can stand out is by writing exceptional essays, which is one part of the application that a lot of students at schools like yours don't give enough importance. I recommend checking out the CollegeVine livestreams in this playlist to learn how to craft essays that will wow admissions officers. Hope this helps!
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My school is not really very ivy-driven, it is more the competitive big ten schools and the ones I mentioned