High School Location and Acceptance to Top-Ranked Universities - Is There Any Connection?

When helping overseas students decide on the best American high schools to apply to, we find that many are strongly attracted to schools in the Northeast. When asked "why?", most reply that it is because most of the Ivy League universities they eventually hope to attend are located in that region. Some students have actually opted to sit out a year of school rather than apply to one that's not in the Northeast.

Does location REALLY have an influence on a students' chance of getting accepted to Ivy League or other top-ranked universities? Do Ivy League schools emit "smartness" that students who are within close proximity are able to absorb?
While students at Northeastern schools are able to visit top Northeastern universities more easily and frequently than students who attend schools farther away, they do not have all of the advantages that many students believe they do. The main reason for this is summed up in one word, "diversity".

One of the common strengths of America's top universities is a diverse, well-rounded group of students who provide diverse and positive contributions to the school. Because of this, students accepted to top-ranked universities come from a wide variety of public and private high schools throughout the USA and the world. Because maintaining student diversity is an important, on-going effort of the universities' admissions efforts, students from elite Northeastern boarding schools with high grades and test scores, may not necessarily have an advantage in getting accepted to an Ivy League school over a student from a rural Southwestern high school with lower grades and test scores, but a different set of experiences, knowledge and skills.

The following Harvard University Gazette article provides further information about the commitment that America's top universities place on maintaining student diversity in their admissions processes (scroll down to the bottom of the article to see the list of universities): http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/1997/05.01/UniversityLeade.html

The main things that university-minded international students should look for when selecting an American high school are:

1) Safety of the campus and local area
2) Quality of the teaching curriculum and instructors
3) Unique extracurriculuar opportunities and experiences offered
4) What kind of college counseling is provided
5) The list of universities its students have recently been accepted to

American Education Partners works with a wide variety of public and private high schools throughout the USA that have helped many students get accepted to top-ranked universities. Contact our School Placement Advisors at: info@americanedpartners.com for a free assessment of educational opportunities available for Fall 2011.