Will I have a disadvantage applying to universities from a high school that does not have that many advanced classes?Answered
So I'm a sophomore in high school in a really small town in a rural area. There are not many options for AP/Honors classes or different extracurriculars like there are in bigger cities. I am taking a rigorous course load for my school, but I know people from bigger schools that are taking way more advanced classes than I have access to. I am in most of the extracurriculars that my school offers including Student Council, NHS, forensics, concert band, jazz band, trap shooting, and varsity tennis. I also work at a nursing home in activities and in the kitchen. I feel like I am doing really well with what I have, but I am worried that I won't stand out to universities. Will they take into account that I am from a small school and town and that I don't have access to a lot of things that people in big cities do?
Thank you! I have been doing online school this whole year, so I have had a few more opportunities for advanced classes than if I would have been in person.
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Hey there! The Common App does take school offerings into account by asking for a "school report," which is submitted by your counselor and contextualizes your transcript. It asks for data like # of available AP/honors courses, class rank, and subjective rankings of your academics and extracurriculars compared to other students in your class.
Here's the 2021 copy of the form so you can take a look at what it entails: https://commonapp.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#d0000000eEna/a/0V000001Avzq/PBXzR0UOtu4hSdgTXHDH9Sk6bTeQ6w8l2NQblq_KoZ0
And an article explaining the school report in more depth: https://signeteducation.com/blog/school-reports-what-they-are-and-why-they-matter
Hope this helps!
Hello! One thing I would suggest if you are looking to take AP classes would be to study for the exams on your own. You can easily get a prep book off of Amazon (I recommend The Princeton Review) and use that to study for the exam by yourself. Don't forget to register though! That said, you seem to already have a lot of extracurriculars so it's up to you to decide if you have time or not.
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Take more classes from outside of your school. ( Online, colleges nearby ) Or Self study and take AP test during sophomore or junior.