Hi, TEB!

I'm not one of the admissions counselors, but I'd figure I'd put in my two cents as a college senior at Hopkins and a "Catholic school product" (so to speak). I went to a Catholic, diocesan-administered, co-ed high school in my Connecticut hometown that offered a total of eight AP courses. Meanwhile, my younger brother (who's now a college sophomore at another university) went to a Catholic, Jesuit, all-boys' high school in Manhattan that was quite competitive and definitely a far better choice than both the public and Catholic high schools in my hometown as far as academic rigor goes.

Based on my experiences, his experiences, and the experiences of our peers, I think it's best for students to attend the high school that provides the best academic challenges possible (within their parents' means, of course). While it's harder for a student to stand out in a more challenging school, the rigor will invariably help out the student in the long run. It was much easier for me to stand out in high school than it was for my brother, all right, and it may or may not have helped me a bit as far as being noticed by college admissions goes. (I don't know for sure whether that's the case. Who knows? There are lots of factors that go into college acceptances/wait-listings/denials.) Anyway, as far as dealing with the rigor of courses, I found it harder to adjust to the rigor of Hopkins than people I know here who went to competitive high schools like my brother's. My brother and his high school classmates, meanwhile, proved to be among the people at their respective colleges and universities who adjusted most quickly to the schoolwork.

By the way, admissions counselors at Hopkins are divided into regions; I don't know if that's the case at other colleges and universities, but I'm aware that's the situation here. Thus, the admissions counselor from Hopkins who'll read your son's application will be aware of the rigor of his high school compared with other high schools in the area where you and your family live.

The bottom line is that based on what you wrote, I don't see a reason for you to doubt your decision. You made it with the best intentions, and your son is going to a high school that sounds like it will prepare him well for college (wherever he goes). At this point, I suggest that you continue to support him as he finishes high school and goes through the college application process.

I hope this reply gives you some peace of mind! :)

P.S. Also, regarding the "getting into college" part, a much higher percentage of people from my brother's high school went to competitive four-year colleges than from my high school. Even though it was harder for them to stand out among each other, they still had a good enough academic background to get into top schools.

Thank you both for your input and experiences.  I will be sure he reads your responses!  I think he is just getting caught up in the "unweighted gpa comparison frenzy".

Kate and Dominique have provided wonderful responses and I agree with what they have written. However, I thought it best to follow-up with an official Admissions response. And I want to keep this simple ...

THE HIGH SCHOOL ONE ATTENDS WILL NOT NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE REVIEW OF THEIR ADMISSIONS APPLICATION.

Your son and yourself too need to ignore what "people" say about how admissions to highly selective colleges work. The "media" does not have it right ... general college web sites do not get it ... and annonymous college discussion sites (like College Confidential) also do not have it right. In the absence of definitive information, incorrect information exists and that pretty much summarizes the college admissions process.

Each applicant is reviewed as an individual applicant. In those individual reviews the circumstances surrounding that applicant's background and educational experiences is factored in. There is no one standard all applicants are held to, because every applicant has a different background and therefore a different set of expectations.

An applicant who has attended public school, an applicant who has attended a religious high school, and an applicant who has attended a private school will all be reviewed differently. Admissions evaluators understand the differences between types of high schools and we would be doing an injustice to our applicants if we didn't factor that in when doing our application reviews. This is why a high school profile is a required element to be submitted with all applicants' transcripts.

Thank you very much for the "official" explanation.  I was hoping to hear something along those lines. One of the web sites you mention seems famous for trying to compare gpa's across the country/ around the world on a single scale.

That makes me feel better about letting the paint peel off my house for the past 4 years.while paying high school tuition.. :) I know we did the right thing in where he went to school.

The best piece of advice I have for you and your son is to avoid web sites like College Confidential in the future. Only 10% of the information is accurate, and the rest of the posts on that site (and ones similar to it) just cause anxiety and stress.

I always say you should ask the experts -- your son's guidance counselor or a college admissions counselor are the best sources of information.

Best of luck.