High School Guide: Admissions, reviews, and advice

Sarah Hall53 said:So, my dad—bless his heart—decided I should enroll in this winter math intensive program right near the high school I was eyeing. It was only supposed to last a few days, but honestly, by the second morning, I already knew... like, I just knew deep down... that there was absolutely no way I was dragging myself out of bed at 5:00 AM just to make it to class by 8:00. I mean, come on. So, I ended up dropping the language track entirely and just signed up for the local general high school nearby instead. Much better. 😂

I mean, I honestly can't think of a single kid—and I know quite a lot of kids—who lives right here in town attending a local high school and still has to wake up three hours early just to get there.
Kids living out in the suburbs or rural areas are a different story, I suppose, but for them, the commute isn't really an insurmountable obstacle, because if it were, they probably wouldn't be making that drive every single day.

Just trying to avoid unnecessary drama, I guess.

Hey, what do you think? How much earlier should a kid wake up if they have an hour and forty minutes before school starts?🤔

Did I ever actually say this was about the city I live in? No, I didn't.
And did I say it was some unsolvable factor? Not at all. I just said—well, honestly—that it just didn't sit right with me.

urbantinker8 said:I mean, I honestly can't think of a single kid—and I know quite a lot of kids—who lives right here in town attending a local high school and still has to wake up three hours early just to get there.
Kids living out in the suburbs or rural areas are a different story, I suppose, but for them, the commute isn't really an insurmountable obstacle, because if it were, they probably wouldn't be making that drive every single day.

Just trying to avoid unnecessary drama, I guess.

I actually know a few people who had to get up that early. Maybe not a full three hours, but at least two and a half. One friend lived over in Spanish Village and went to a specialized vet tech high school. Another was coming from Lanište to go to MIT. A buddy of mine lived near Dubec and headed to Luciana. If everything goes perfectly and nothing is delayed, you're looking at about an hour and fifteen minutes just for transit. But since NYC transit delays are basically a given, you can easily lose two hours, especially when you have to transfer and chase down buses or trains. You’re also stuck relying on the schedule, so sometimes you have to choose between being early or being late; smart people just leave early. Then there's the morning routine—using the bathroom, getting ready, grabbing breakfast. And that's without even mentioning the crowd I know who commuted from places like Harbor, American Leskovac, Los Angeles, or Brezovica to schools on the east side of town.

rowdypanther12 said:But how is she supposed to know about traffic jams or construction? It doesn't matter if the app says it'll take 15 minutes to get to downtown Cleveland when it actually takes 45. 😂
They aren't really city people; this winter was our first time heading into the city, and they don't find it particularly exciting or interesting.
When we got lost on the way to downtown, she found her way using the maps, so I'm not worried about her sense of direction. 🤣

I don't get it. Doesn't Google Maps show real-time updates? Or is that just for cars, not the buses? I mean, you can check the status specifically during school rush hours.

Sarah Hall53 said:From what I gather, if students didn't actually take a specific subject required for their college major while they were in high school—like, say, taking chemistry during freshman year at a business prep school—they're basically on their own when it comes to studying for those entrance exams. They just have to teach themselves everything from scratch.

Yeah.

I suppose there isn't much to say about this, though I guess one could argue that things might change if we actually looked at the data instead of just reacting emotionally. says:
I guess nobody ever bothers to ask what subjects they actually studied in high school or which school they even attended.

To get into med school, I guess you pretty much have to have completed at least two years of physics, chemistry, and biology during high school.

Adam Diaz67 said:I actually know a few people who had to get up that early. Maybe not a full three hours, but at least two and a half. One friend lived over in Spanish Village and went to a specialized vet tech high school. Another was coming from Lanište to go to MIT. A buddy of mine lived near Dubec and headed to Luciana. If everything goes perfectly and nothing is delayed, you're looking at about an hour and fifteen minutes just for transit. But since NYC transit delays are basically a given, you can easily lose two hours, especially when you have to transfer and chase down buses or trains. You’re also stuck relying on the schedule, so sometimes you have to choose between being early or being late; smart people just leave early. Then there's the morning routine—using the bathroom, getting ready, grabbing breakfast. And that's without even mentioning the crowd I know who commuted from places like Harbor, American Leskovac, Los Angeles, or Brezovica to schools on the east side of town.

I don't know anyone who wasn't waking up two hours early, except maybe the people who lived miles away from their school.

rowdypanther12 I guess what they're saying is...
I wonder, what do you think is the right amount of lead time for a kid to wake up if they've got about an hour and forty minutes before they actually have to head out the door for school? I guess it really depends on how much of a struggle the morning routine is, maybe. 🤔

There’s just no way, theoretically speaking, that anyone would actually need an hour and forty minutes to get from one side of New York City to the other in a single direction under normal circumstances, unless we're talking about some massive, city-wide gridlock or something equally catastrophic.
I suppose everything is alright.
I mean, if someone really needs that much time just to get to school, I guess they might as well just roll out of bed two hours earlier and start praying to the heavens that one-way school schedules never actually become a thing.

Sarah Hall53 said:Did I ever actually say this was about the city I live in? No, I didn't.
And did I say it was some unsolvable factor? Not at all. I just said—well, honestly—that it just didn't sit right with me.

I suppose you aren't.
But then again, if you look back at the last few pages, there’s all this talk about how much the actual distance to the school matters, even when everything is happening within the same city limits, which I guess is a pretty massive factor that people tend to overlook.

So... I was just sitting here wondering, if we’re going to follow this logic where kids have to go through some kind of standardized testing gauntlet just to get a little extra sleep, what happens next? I mean, I guess you have to wonder if those same kids—the ones being forced into these rigid schedules just so they can function—will eventually be expected to choose their entire futures based on that same narrow set of criteria. Like, will they be picking out a college or a career path one day just by following the same repetitive patterns? It feels like it could all just become one big, predictable loop, though I might be overthinking it.
I suppose you have to wonder if that should even be a deciding factor in the long run, right? I mean, personally, I don't think I could ever justify taking on some high-powered, prestigious position if it meant wasting an hour of my life every single day just sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the freeway. It seems more logical to me to just settle for a perfectly decent, average job—something that doesn't demand much—if it means I actually have the headspace to sit down and play some piano pieces when I get home. Maybe it sounds lazy to some people, but I guess having that time for myself is worth more than a fancy title.
I was just thinking back to this one woman I knew from a neighborhood over in Los Angeles, and honestly, it’s kind of stayed with me. She ended up quitting her job at that 24-hour diner out in the suburbs because she just couldn't deal with the constant, endless stream of "travelers" passing through anymore—it just completely burnt her out. She ended up unemployed for about a year and a half after that, which I guess was pretty heavy considering she had two little kids to look after at the time.🤦
I suppose she probably had her own little list of approved spots back when she was in high school, too.

For me, the commute is a massive dealbreaker. Honestly, my sweet spot was having a drive that took no more than 25 minutes to get to the office.
I won't even bother looking at job postings in places like Ivanic-Grad—it’s just way too far out of my way.
Or maybe I'm just being a bit picky about where I want to be.

If I had to rely on public transit, I’d never even consider buying an apartment far from my office, let alone start looking. It just wouldn't make sense to have such a long commute.
Now, it looks like it would take me over an hour to get there. Thanks for pointing that out.

I just can't quite wrap my head around it—limiting your choices for schools, colleges, or even career paths just because of the convenience of the commute... 😵
It feels a bit strange, I guess.
And honestly, it seems like such a waste, because I suspect a lot of high schoolers who take that "extra" free time they save by not being stuck in traffic might just end up doing absolutely nothing with it. If they’re just going to spend hours scrolling through TikTok on their couches at home anyway, they could just as easily do that on a train ride to school.

Carl Bishop2—Ivanic-Grad isn't exactly part of New York City. I'm not saying you should pick a school in a different city unless that's the only place offering the specific major or track you actually want. Even then, there's always the option of staying in a dorm.

Personally, I think the public transit in New York City is pretty terrible, but I've never even considered driving to work. In all the different places I've worked—maybe five or six locations over the years—it always seemed like I'd get there twice as fast using the subway, a bus, the train, or even just walking rather than driving. The crowds can be a real headache, sure, but the ride itself doesn't feel like wasted time, even if one way ends up taking an hour.

Carl Bishop2 said:For me, the commute is a massive dealbreaker. Honestly, my sweet spot was having a drive that took no more than 25 minutes to get to the office.
I won't even bother looking at job postings in places like Ivanic-Grad—it’s just way too far out of my way.
Or maybe I'm just being a bit picky about where I want to be.

Same here, I guess. I don't really see myself spending two hours of my life every single day stuck in a car, a bus, or a subway. It feels like a total waste of time. I suppose if I didn't have any other options, I'd just have to deal with it, but still.

Has anyone ever heard the phrase "time is money"?

There is a massive difference between losing one hour commuting to school or work and losing three...
You end up with less sleep, more exhaustion, and enough stress to ruin your day before it even starts. Nothing else gets done.

It’s not comparable. And if you think otherwise, try navigating public transit—or even just driving—through New York City during the morning rush from 7:00 to 8:30 AM. See how much time you actually have left.

Look, urbantinker8, I honestly don't get where you're coming from. If a kid has an hour-long commute to school, that’s two hours gone every single day just sitting in transit. If it’s ninety minutes? That’s three hours down the drain daily. Think about what they could be doing with that extra time instead. Studying, for instance. A student who lives within walking distance of their school basically wins back all that time others waste commuting. They get their homework done early and still have plenty of free time left to actually enjoy life.

And please, don't give me that argument about being able to study on the bus or subway. It's just not realistic. During morning rush hour when everyone is heading to school, those things are packed like sardines.

Personally, I don't drive. In the winter, I take public transit to work, but once the weather warms up, I hop on my bike. The bus takes me about 25 to 30 minutes, while the bike gets me there in 15 to 20.

In fact, when we were scouting out locations to settle down, one of the absolute biggest factors for me was how close it was to my job.

Adam Diaz67 said:Signed. Same here. I considered MIT or maybe studying under Isaac Newton, but I passed because I really didn't feel like trekking across town. On a Saturday morning when traffic is light, it’s a 45-minute bus ride. But during the weekday rush? If the subway or a bus gets stuck, that trip turns into over an hour one way. In the end, I just enrolled in the same local prep school that's only 15 minutes from my house. Instead of dragging myself out of bed at 6:00 AM, I can sleep until 7:15. And yeah, nobody dictated which school I had to go to either.

@Mart28

Yeah. You take the SATs. Some colleges require extra subjects, so if you didn't take them in high school, you're basically studying and testing on your own. For instance, if you want to move from, say, a technical high school to a major like Chemical Engineering, but you only took chemistry for one year, it’s going to be much harder than it is for someone coming from a traditional prep school—not just getting in, but surviving the coursework since you'll be missing foundational knowledge. I can give you an example from my own college experience. During freshman year, kids from tech or vocational high schools had a huge leg up in things like drafting or CAD because they’d already done it in class. Meanwhile, students from heavy math-focused prep schools had the edge in calculus and mechanics because some schools just don't cover derivatives and integrals thoroughly enough. By sophomore year, things usually even out. Theoretically, the system is set up so that someone with a cosmetology diploma who passes the equivalency exams could get into med school, or someone who never studied music could get into a conservatory. In practice, though, that rarely happens.

I'm not sure which university we're talking about here, but I've seen just about everything. I remember being in a general liberal arts track and ended up doing the technical drafting for some guys who graduated from a local trade school because they just couldn't wrap their heads around it... then there were times when two girls from an applied sciences program had to sit down and explain basic mechanics to the geniuses from MIT. As for us? We were basically being taught derivatives and integrals from scratch, so I guess I didn't miss much...
I wish I could see the actual data, but I vividly remember plenty of kids from those high-end math academies failing calculus. Honestly, it was such a shock to me... I totally assumed they'd show up ready to conquer the world.

There’s a subtle distinction between when location is just a factor and when it becomes absolutely decisive.
I can't speak for specific people on this forum, but in my own life, I've run into plenty of situations where where someone lives ends up driving major life choices, starting all the way back in high school and continuing well into adulthood.
The last thing that comes to mind involves a kid who "wasn't allowed" to attend a certain vocational school simply because it was too far from home—somewhere out in the suburbs of New York City—so they had to settle for something much closer to their high school instead. To be fair, there was definitely some bias against trade schools involved, but I suppose the distance really did play a massive role in the decision.

hiddendriver34 said:Look, urbantinker8, I honestly don't get where you're coming from. If a kid has an hour-long commute to school, that’s two hours gone every single day just sitting in transit. If it’s ninety minutes? That’s three hours down the drain daily. Think about what they could be doing with that extra time instead. Studying, for instance. A student who lives within walking distance of their school basically wins back all that time others waste commuting. They get their homework done early and still have plenty of free time left to actually enjoy life.

And please, don't give me that argument about being able to study on the bus or subway. It's just not realistic. During morning rush hour when everyone is heading to school, those things are packed like sardines.

Personally, I don't drive. In the winter, I take public transit to work, but once the weather warms up, I hop on my bike. The bus takes me about 25 to 30 minutes, while the bike gets me there in 15 to 20.

In fact, when we were scouting out locations to settle down, one of the absolute biggest factors for me was how close it was to my job.

The reality is that someone stuck on a long commute on a bus or train is probably just going to end up doing the exact same thing as a kid who isn't commuting, sitting on their own couch.
From what I've seen over the years, there really isn't any measurable difference in success or learning outcomes between kids who have a long daily commute and those who live right near the school.
Back in fifth grade, choosing where to live based on where I'd eventually work wasn't even a consideration. Jobs can change overnight, after all; I shouldn't exactly have to worry about living in the same neighborhood every single time or buying a new apartment just so I can sleep in a little longer, right?😕
It’s true—it's incredibly convenient if the school you want is just across the street, but if it’s on the other side of the city, you might just have to endure that commute for four years. Or maybe you won't. And if you don't, you might end up regretting it later because you couldn't pursue being a hairstylist since you ended up studying agriculture just because it happened to be the school you could see from your bedroom window.

From what I can gather, we're actually looking at two distinct scenarios here.

A) A student picks a high school based strictly on how close it is, completely ignoring their interests, potential, or any long-term goals.
B) When faced with several similar options, the student simply goes with the one that’s closer to home.

I mentioned earlier that it’s pretty straightforward if you're weighing two different general high schools against each other, or even just choosing between programs within the same school—though, let's be honest, not all high schools are created equal, regardless of what the brochures say.
The real headache starts when location becomes your absolute top priority when you're looking at different specialized tracks, which, unfortunately, seems to be the case more often than I'd like to admit.

I wasn't saying that success and free time are linked—I think you missed my point there.

It’s all about preference. Some people actually find peace riding the subway, while others see it as a total drain on their energy and a massive waste of life. For me, over the last decade, I managed to save roughly 600 hours just by making sure I lived within a 30-minute commute of the office. And honestly? That was a huge win because I definitely fall into that second group. 😁

urbantinker8 said:The reality is that someone stuck on a long commute on a bus or train is probably just going to end up doing the exact same thing as a kid who isn't commuting, sitting on their own couch.
From what I've seen over the years, there really isn't any measurable difference in success or learning outcomes between kids who have a long daily commute and those who live right near the school.
Back in fifth grade, choosing where to live based on where I'd eventually work wasn't even a consideration. Jobs can change overnight, after all; I shouldn't exactly have to worry about living in the same neighborhood every single time or buying a new apartment just so I can sleep in a little longer, right?😕
It’s true—it's incredibly convenient if the school you want is just across the street, but if it’s on the other side of the city, you might just have to endure that commute for four years. Or maybe you won't. And if you don't, you might end up regretting it later because you couldn't pursue being a hairstylist since you ended up studying agriculture just because it happened to be the school you could see from your bedroom window.

You can absolutely get studying done on public transit. I see high schoolers and college students doing it almost every day. Those who are motivated, who really want to get ahead, and who know that putting in the study time now will pay off later—they'll definitely pop some headphones on and hit the books.
And you can do it whether the bus is packed or empty.
I actually finished about half of high school like that.
Now, though... well, you can't really pull off big presentations or all that other busywork while you're riding the bus.
(By the way, a thirty-minute ride is perfect for reading, but you can't exactly sing your heart out, unless you fancy talking to yourself or listening to an audiobook for class.

Regarding how everything connects, the system isn't terrible, but there’s definitely room for improvement (for example, adding more short-run or circular routes so delays don't mess up both directions).
Some parts of the city have pretty bad connectivity, so I completely understand why people try to choose schools and jobs close to home whenever possible. It feels a bit backwards to do the opposite, unless you're renting, in which case it's somewhat expected.