Should I Switch Schools?Answered
I have been thinking about this all year.
Due to family circumstances, I have the option to do my sophomore year (and the rest of my high school career) in the same small-town school I’ve attended my entire life, or I can attend a school near my state’s capital (which is a big city).
I want to go to the big city school as there will be more opportunities for me; I’ve looked up the school I would attend and it seems very rigorous. There are also more clubs and extracurriculars I am interest in. This is good for me as I want to attend a top college, but it would also be bad for me as I would be behind at this new school. My current school doesn’t even offer AP classes.
Not to mention at my current school no one seems to have high ambitions, which makes it easy to stand out. I’m worried about not standing out in this new school. For example, I could start a club at my current school as there are very little clubs here.
Finally, I did not do as well as I wanted in the first semester of my freshman year. I got a few B’s ruining my chances at a perfect 4.0 unweighted GPA. Luckily, my current school has a great grade forgiveness policy. If I retake the classes online, I can replace the original grade and the higher grade will be used to calculate my GPA. If I move schools, I won’t be able to do this anymore.
I’m super confused about this whole situation. If anyone could offer great advice or share their experiences moving schools, that would be great!
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3 answers
Perhaps one of the best things you can do is make a list of the most important opportunities or hopes you have for high school from greatest to least.
For example: #1. Highest GPA. #2. AP classes. #3. Big city.
Then after you compose the list, go back and label which ones could be achieved or possible for your current school, and which ones could be possible by transferring.
For example: #1. Highest GPA- Current school. #2. AP classes-Transferring. #3. Big city-Transferring.
Whichever school appears most frequent toward the top of your list, also-known-as the most important section, then that school should be your pick. It has more of your priorities, an what you hold most important for your high school journey.
Another thing to consider, possibly is how much you want to work for what you want. If you want to work hard, then consider more so the urban school; if you want to hold a certain work load without increasing it, then consider staying at your current school.
Hope that helps!
When you move to a school with more resources, more is expected of you. That is a drawback, but at the same time, you will come out of it more ready for college. Uses the additional clubs as avenues to explore your interests, and try to score leadership roles in them. Since you said it'll only be your sophomore year when you begin at the urban school, you have a decent amount of time to give yourself a smaller introduction to AP level courses before diving into them later on to help increase the level of rigor of your schoolwork.
There is a possibility, based off your description of the urban school, that it is a feeder for universities in that same city. If this is true, and you wouldn't object to attending one, than maybe sticking out as an applicant isn't exactly as important. If you have your eyes on other places, if you use the additional clubs to your advantage to show your exploration of something related to what you plan to study in college, that can help your chances as well.
Lastly, please don't be apprehensive about losing an opportunity to replace B's, especially since you got them at the school that had less resources, and even more if they're higher ones (think 85-89). That's a kind of pressure that you don't need to be putting on yourself.
Either way, best of luck to you!
There is definitely a lot to consider with this. Here are some of my random thoughts.
One, you mentioned that no one at your school has high goals and it is easier to stand out. True, you will stand out- but at your school, probably not the college admissions process. Even if you are different at your school, those things may not make your application different. Does that make sense? Hope so :)
As for the AP issue, there are a couple thoughts. First, consider what kind of colleges you want to get into. If they are competitive in any way, AP is vital. Another thought is that there are other advanced class options (honors, maybe IB-don't know much about it, dual enrollement at your local community college). I am a DE student because I cannot take AP (homeschool student). Also, when thinking about what type of colleges you are interested in, please consider what you have right now. As in, will your freshman classes compare to those of others applying to the same school? Will that GPA be more important than course rigor for the colleges you are interested in?
More opportunities can be a great thing. One of the biggest things colleges want to see is passion. More opportunities mean more ways to explore and demonstrate that passion. And even at a big school, if there is something you are passionate about, you will find a way to stand out. You may have to work hard, but that is not always a bad thing.
Hope this helps a little. I apologize if it just adds to your confusion. Please let me know if you have any questions or need any more advice. You got this :)
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