How going to a trash public high school better than going to a competitive one?

hey! i was forced to go to "the crap school" because it was the only wheelchair accessible one (it was also online). went from an IB program and 30+ APs to a 50% grad rate and 9 APs.

here's the thing:

you won't be able to take as many APs--they won't be available--and you will still lack the rigor other kids have, even with your school taken into consideration.

you won't necessarily be higher ranked or have better grades--those schools are "crap" because it's really fucking hard to succeed there.

the assignments actually aren't easier, because you don't even learn the material that's on the assignments, and you have to try and learn in a classroom with a greater number of students and far worse teachers. the assignments will still be hard; you just won't be prepared for them.

you may not have more time outside of the classroom--you're going to have to teach yourself a lot, which takes time, and SAT prep will be a lot harder too, because you don't have the background education other kids have. you will have just as much homework, you just won't have the education to complete the homework.

your school also won't even try to help you succeed. teachers will not fill out LORs on time, counselors won't know shit about college applications and will be late on everything or submit a garbage recommendation.

and finally, most importantly:

when you get to college, you will be so far behind. everyone else will have learned things you never did, and you will be scrambling to catch up in even the introductory gen ed classes.

speaking as someone who went to the crap school instead of the great one, it put me at a huge disadvantage in the application process. think really hard about this decision.

/r/ApplyingToCollege Thread