Do colleges compare you to other students at your school?

Colleges compare applicants with similar backgrounds to each other: All students will be in more or less the same environment in college, so the admissions committee wants to evaluate how fully an applicant has made use of his or her resources in a given environment.

Do colleges look at what school you went to?

You don’t need to worry about a college looking down on you because of your hard high school. The most selective colleges spend extra time looking at the context of your numbers, and the less selective schools are, well, less selective. The best you can do is perform your best at the high school you attend.

Do colleges look at your classes?

Colleges do consider fall grades, and even after admission your high school classes and grades still matter. Though it is far more common for a school to request a senior year schedule, there are many colleges that will ask for final grades.

Do colleges care if you went to private school?

Colleges can only accept so many students, which means that high school students—private and public—get turned away in droves. Your chances of being accepted do not immediately go up because of attending a private school.

What percentage of first-time college applicants are accepted?

On average, two-thirds of first-time freshman applicants were offered admission to a four-year school in the U.S., according to a 2019 report from the National Association for College Admission Counseling. Some 80\% of colleges accepted 50\% or more.

Which colleges are test-optional for 2021 admissions?

This year, more than half of all colleges and universities, including Harvard University in Massachusetts and Yale University in Connecticut will be test-optional for fall 2021 admissions; in many cases, schools are extending this beyond next fall.

What do college admissions officers know about high school curriculum?

College admissions officers are often well aware of how different high school curricula are because they work with many of the same schools every year and receive detailed profiles of the course offerings, along with context about the student body.

What are some persistent myths about college admissions?

Read on for a look at six other persistent myths about college admissions: Getting all A’s is the most important thing. Test scores can make or break your chances of getting in. The more clubs and activities on your resume, the better. You should ask for a recommendation only from a teacher who gave you an A.