North Carolina Private University Among Hardest To Get Into

The biggest difference I noticed between students applying to college when I did it (back in the dark ages) and when our son did it (a couple of years ago) was a weird game that some students were playing.  It's a bizarre, ego thing:  apply to "prestigious" colleges and universities with no intention of attending. Keep in mind, that none of these applications are free.  So why do it?  Just to see if they could get in.   The lower the institution's acceptance rate, the better the gets.  And by implication, the smarter you are.

One of our son's best friends was one of these kids.  "Sam" had literally ZERO intention of going to at least 20 schools he applied to.  This is mostly due to the fact that even with scholarship money, financially these places were way out of his family's league.  However, Sam is a really smart, over-achieving kid and was more than willing to basically set a thousand or so dollars on fire to prove to himself that he was worthy of more praise than he was already receiving.

The whole thing was/is bizarre.  What made it even more so was that when I asked Sam about this, he readily admitted the preposterous waste of time, energy, and money this exercise is.  No matter.

He eventually went where he always said he wanted to go, The University of North Carolina.  Sam was waitlisted at a couple of Ivy League Schools, flat out rejected a several other snooty institutions of higher education, and yes, accepted at a few others.  Included among his list was Duke University.

I was reminded of all this today when I saw that Duke was ranked among the most difficult schools to get into as it has one of the lowest acceptance rates of received applications in the country.

According to US News and World Report, "with the lowest acceptance rates among all undergraduate institutions that U.S. News surveyed, regardless of ranking category, the colleges and universities listed here are among the most selective, based on the fall 2021 entering class."

Curtis Institute of Music (Philadelphia, PA)-2%
California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, CA)-4%
Harvard University (Cambridge, MA)-4%
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)-4%
Princeton University (Princeton, NJ)-4%
Stanford University (Stanford, CA)-4%
Yale University (New Haven, CT)-5%
Brown University (Providence, RI)-6%
Columbia University (New York, NY)-6%
Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH)-6%
Duke University (Durham, NC)-6%

North Carolina has a lot going for it. From the best basketball athlete of all time Michael Jordan to now the best public high school.

The U.S. News & World has released its report of the top public high schools and The Early College at Guilford in Greensboro takes the top spot in the country. The Early College got a perfect score -- 100 out of 100. The publication reviewed almost 25,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Of those, 563 North Carolina schools made the list.

The rankings only include public high schools. It looked at a number of metrics including graduation rate, college preparedness, opportunity for Advanced Placement (AP) courses, and state testing courses.

There are some requirements for students to successfully complete public high school in North Carolina. According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, high school students must:

While the Early College at Guilford took the #1 spot for Best Public High School in the country, there were a number of other public high schools in North Carolina that ranked well in the Tar Heel State. See them below.

The high school students who attend here can graduate with two years of college credit from Guilford College, a private liberal arts institution. The school doesn't have athletic teams, but students can join teams in their attendance zone. Service learning is encouraged, and students can start clubs and organizations.

This school offers a fast-paced curriculum that integrates knowledge in science, technology, engineering & mathematics. It ranks #40 nationally with an overall score of 99.77 out of 100. Students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement coursework and exams. The AP® participation rate here is 96%. It serves grades 9 - 13 with a 100% graduation rate.

This school is in a small town where students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement® coursework and exams. The AP® participation rate is 98%. The total minority enrollment is 31%, and 18% of students are economically disadvantaged.

Wake NCSU STEM Early College High School is 1 of 34 high schools in the Wake County Schools. It ranks fourth within North Carolina. Students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement® coursework and exams. The AP® participation rate at Wake NCSU STEM Early College High School is 100%.

This school mission is to challenge college-bound students in a creative and supportive atmosphere to become knowledgeable, thoughtful, contributing citizens. Students learn to be citizens in a challenging academic setting. Nationally, it ranks #133. It ranks #4 in state in making sure students are college-ready.

This is a full-time performing and visual arts academy. Located in downtown Greensboro, Weaver Academy is a magnet school showcasing two extraordinary educational programs. It's a school for students to focus on the performing and visual arts, and a school for students to launch themselves into advanced technology career pathways. It serves as a platform to meet the needs of students from all backgrounds.