Will your High School reputation assist with admissions?

Your high school’s reputation is one of the many factors that college admissions look for. And often times I think parents and students are confused about whether the high school you attend makes a difference. The answer to this is a little bit more nuanced, so I’ll try to explain to the best of my ability here.

So does your high school’s reputation matter when it comes to getting into elite universities? The answer is it depends on the caliber of the student.

Let me explain why.

If you are a very strong student academically, then it is best that you attend one of the top high schools because you can thrive in the highly competitive environment. For example, attending a Harvard Westlake or Phillips Academy Andover will help your case if you are an academically talented student and if you will still be near the top of your class. Your chances of getting into a top tier university is higher than say if you attended a lesser known school.

However, if you are an above average student, it is best that you attend a lesser known school where you can thrive. Many parents tend to make this mistake of sending their student to a top tier high school or boarding school assuming that by doing so their student will do well in college admissions. This is incorrect. The environment in these top schools is fiercely competitive, and you will be competing with many high octane students. If you are an above average student and you attend one of the top high schools in the country, more likely than not you will simply be an average student. And this significantly diminishes your chances of getting into a top tier school.

In that event, it’s best that your above average student attend the easiest high school possible so that he/she can thrive. That way you can still be the top student at your high school in an easier environment. But of course, the admissions officers would never have known that and you could have attended an easy high school for various reasons, whether it’s geography or socioeconomic status and they can’t necessarily penalize you for that.

In a nutshell, in an ideal scenario, you want to be ranked toward the top of your class at the best high school possible; if not, it is best you rank toward the top of your class at the easiest high school possible. Being at the top of your class is key when it comes to boosting your chances at getting into elite universities.

And what about feeder schools, you may ask?

In the past, schools like Phillips Academy, Lawrenceville, and other top schools like Harvard-Westlake would be considered feeder schools to the Ivy League. That is becoming much less the case as admissions at elite schools are making a move toward admitting students of underprivileged backgrounds and lower socioeconomic status.

On the flipside, there is such a thing as feeder schools. These are schools like Boston Latin school and Princeton High School - high schools that are very close by the universities (Harvard, Princeton, respectively) geographically. Roughly 30 students from Boston Latin School and 20 students from Princeton High School are admitted to Harvard and Princeton every year, respectively.

So if you really wanted to boost your chances of getting in, I’d attend Boston Latin School or Princeton High School - and I could tell you that while those students are competitive, they are not nearly as competitive as the students at Phillips Academy or Lawrenceville. But if do you attend, you will need to pack your bags and move to those locations.

So there you have it - my unbiased, ultimate advice to whether the reputation of your high school matters when it comes to getting into elite universities.