I wrote about it before, but the smart poor face quite the uphill battle. Friend of mine scored a 1600 on the SAT but went to one of the worst high schools in the area. He was rejected from elite universities. He couldn’t compare to those that also scored well on the SAT, subject SATs (which our high school didn’t make clear was a thing), and those that already took calculus 1-3, linear algebra, data structures, and proof based mathematics courses from magnet schools. It isn’t just about raw intelligence and scoring highly on exams. He was behind before he started by attending our high school.
Some elite schools talk about free scholarships for those that make less than a certain income, but how many of those elite schools are admitting poor smart students? When you’re smart and attend a HS that doesn’t make you competitive, you tend to get rejected.
Some elite schools talk about free scholarships for those that make less than a certain income, but how many of those elite schools are admitting poor smart students? When you’re smart and attend a HS that doesn’t make you competitive, you tend to get rejected.