Question of public vs. private school.

1

110%evryday

5-Year Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2013
Messages
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Hello Everyone,

I am currently a Sophomore in High school and am very interested in West Point. At the moment I attend a very rigorous but very small college preparatory private school. I currently have ten people in my sophomore class and about 40 people in my entire high school. This creates a problem for both disclosing my class rank and any sort of extracurricular activities. Class rank doesn't matter at my school because you could possibly get a 3.9 GPA and still be the very lowest in the class. Sports do not exist as well and I have to play for the public school in my area. My question is whether or not I should stay at my private school or attend a public school where I can take honors classes and get a higher GPA. However, my city is known for having some of the worst public schools in the state. What should I do?
 
We had the same questions when my DS attended a private high school. All I can tell you is that when we asked the recruiter the same question he assured us that they took everything into consideration including the fact that he was in a highly competitive high school. It worked out well for him and he is doing greatl his plebe year.
 
My son is in almost an identical position right now. His private HS has only about 45 kids total, and his graduating class only has 8 people. His lowest score on any report card is a 97, and he has maintained a solid 4.0 since the beginning. He is NOT ranked #1 in his class either due to the competitiveness of the school.

All that said, he continues to push himself to excel in every way. He is in the NHS, student body president, etc., etc. Last year he decided even though he could not improve his gpa, and his school does not offer AP courses, that he was going to take an online AP Calc class through Univ. of Missouri. All of these things, as well as his athletic participation have landed him with a 3Q letter and a nom. We are anxiety waiting for a BFE!

Good luck to you! My advise is to take the SAT/ACT early and often and look for every opportunity to get involved in and out of school. When you really want to be at WP, I believe this shows through some of the added challenges that a small school may present.
 
Look to have community involvement. Club sports, volunteering at a V.A. Hospital or V.F.W. group. Show you can lead and excell in larger groups in your city. If there are low performing schools why dont you get involved in leading others by tutoring groups of students who need help or organizing activities? Use your summer wisely! Find opportunities to round out your experiences. Good luck and it is great you are planning ahead!
 
Class of One

Homeschooled kids get into the SAs which tells us, I think, that the SAs look at the whole picture. You need not be at a big public school with 18 clubs and 45 sports. It is what you do with what you have.

The homeschooled person we know:
Was an Eagle Scout
Played Travel/Competitive Soccer
Did Recreational Swim teams
Was a lifeguard
Volunteered at church...
and was educated at home by his mother...and had very good SAT scores.

Bottom line? With a school of ONE student he was able to show leadership, athletics, social skills, etc.

Work with what you have.

S
 
Thank you all so much for your great responses! I will use all of these great inputs and definitely start doing more volunteer work in my community and abroad in Mexico this spring break! Thank you!
 
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