Anonymous wrote:Thanks, all. This makes me feel better!

We had a similar experience with one of our kids, and she found a great ally in her college counselor. Turns out she was sick of dealing with the same old schools as well!

Thanks, all. This makes me feel better!

Not an issue if your child is proactive about making it clear to schools he/she is really interested. If an athlete, that is easy, go to some summer camps for the sport between 10th and 11th and again 11th and 12th, and even spring break, most are just 2-3 days, a great way to see the school and interact with current students/coaches and get the school interested in your kid, even if the coach doesn't end up recruiting, during the camp they do official tours, sign up as being interested, it "demonstrates interest" which is key at these small schools chasing stupid US News rankings points (i.e. they want kids they admit to come and won't admit kids they don't think will come). After camps, email coach about continued interest and again before applications go in. IF not an athlete, see if any any summer programs exist at the school (writing, languages-for instance at Middlebury, leadership). Go to local college presentations even if the schools don't send an admissions rep to your kids school, if they do send a rep, be sure he/she goes to the session and strongly expresses interest.
Eventually choose one and apply early decision, since binding that makes it very clear that the kid will come if admitted and overcomes perhaps lack of school relationship with the college. If not admitted or deferred, apply ED2 to a different less selective one, they almost all have ED2, a second binding admission round (still have to apply elsewhere but find out if admitted in February).
Anyway, lots of ways to work around lack of a school relationship with a particular school, and agree with above posters who say colleges LIKE to draw in kids from new schools they don't normally draw from. My DD got into a top Ivy in part I think because her school traditionally send many many kids to a different Ivy, and to some degree being one of the only very strong applicants from her school really helped.

I was from a small town public high school and went to a highly selective college. Nobody from my high school had ever gone ther or even applied there before as far as we knew (it was a few states away and most kids stayed in state). I can't say for sure, but I think that helped.

Ultimately, it always comes down to the student and not so much the school. With strong SATs, good grades in tough classes, and some kind of passion for something, a student will be a good candidate for most colleges no matter what high school they come from.

As for maximizing options, there are a lot better things you could do to make your child more competitive than switching high schools.

Anonymous wrote:Is this a big problem? DC goes to a Catholic high school that sends lots of kids to Catholic colleges and universities (no surprise there). But DC is expressing interest in the nonsectarian selective SLACs. I have seen rather few of these on our school's college acceptance lists. Is this a huge disadvantage? Any advice from anyone with a similar experience? We don't want to have to change high schools, but now that DC (who is a sophomore) seems to be marching to the beat of a somewhat different drummer, I need to know how to maximize his options. Thanks.

No. In fact, it could be an advantage. Schools only want a certain number of students from individual HS's. This could mean your DC would have less competition, at least at that immediate level. I would not worry about this at all. Many students apply from schools without connections.

You have your child apply to the schools that your child wants to apply to. And he or she will get it, or not, based on his or her own merits, as most other children in the country do.

Hope that helps!

Is this a big problem? DC goes to a Catholic high school that sends lots of kids to Catholic colleges and universities (no surprise there). But DC is expressing interest in the nonsectarian selective SLACs. I have seen rather few of these on our school's college acceptance lists. Is this a huge disadvantage? Any advice from anyone with a similar experience? We don't want to have to change high schools, but now that DC (who is a sophomore) seems to be marching to the beat of a somewhat different drummer, I need to know how to maximize his options. Thanks.