Seeking Advice: How Can I Continue Pursuing Admission to Blake Highschool Despite the lack of Financial Aid (Brooklyn Park: low income)

[Markstanford]

Hey everyone,

I hope you're all doing well. I have a bit of a dilemma and I [High School Junior] was wondering if anyone could provide me with some guidance. After reading the infamous Blake vs Breck thread I’m sure you guys have some knowledge, I have my heart set on attending Blake Highschool, but there's one major hurdle: the tuition is incredibly expensive, and unfortunately, they don't offer any financial aid (I started my application to late and they allotted all their money). As an excellent straight A student with a passion for extracurricular activities, including qualification for robotics world championships, track and tennis, math team, and even starting a fencing club, I really want to make this happen.

My family is moving up to the Champlin school district away from the wonderful Mounds View district. And I’m afraid it will be difficult for me to continue all the clubs and hobbies I picked up at Mounds View. I’ve considered Wayzata but I heard they closed open enrollment. I don’t plan on putting my First-generation, low income status to waste, and I’m gunning for the Top Colleges. Looking at Blakes matriculation, I believe going there will increase my odds. I toured the school with my mom and I was astounded.

I've exhausted all possible avenues within the school itself, and they simply don't have any financial aid options available, I’m even considering asking Minnesota based billionaires to sponsor my education. So, I'm turning to this wonderful community for advice. What steps can I take to make attending Blake Highschool a reality, despite the financial challenges?

I'm open to exploring various options, such as scholarships, grants, or any other resources that could help alleviate the financial burden. If any of you have had similar experiences or know someone who has successfully navigated a similar situation, I would greatly appreciate your insights and suggestions.

Thank you so much in advance for your help. Your input will make a huge difference in my pursuit of attending Blake Highschool and continuing my academic and extracurricular journey.

Best regards.

[Camden Northsider]

Mark, I don't have any of the answers you came here looking for, but trust me, you are going to do well in life no matter which high school and/or college you attend. Keep shooting for those stars, but understand that there's never one perfect path to a "perfect" life, and there are many people that spend their entire adolescence focused on doing everything perfectly (and doing it very well) that will still get rejected time and time again by those prestigious 'top' universities. It may help to view your education/ career as a longer arc, think about what you really want to do in life and/or how you intend to determine what your purpose will be. Find the best collegiate programs for where your interests lie, and remember that if you don't get into your #1 choice undergrad in the next year/two, you will have additional opportunities down the road, whether as an undergrad transfer or future graduate student.

I can respect that you feel Blake is the place for you and I hope you find what it is you are looking for. But I hope you also take some time to enjoy just being a young person. Honestly, if I were an admissions counselor, I think I might get pretty bored of all the applicants coming from highly privileged backgrounds and prestigious prep schools. But I would be super impressed by persons like yourself who aren't afraid to take the lead in creating the change you want to see, whether that's breaking down those achievement barriers you might encounter as a lower-income first gen college student, or creating new groups/ initiatives within more diverse communities and public school settings like those I would imagine one would find in Champlin. Best wishes and luck to you in all your future endeavors!

[Markstanford]

Your kind words truly do touch me. And I will make sure to keep them close to my heart.

[Teak]

OP, why can't you attend either Champlin Park high school or the Champlin-Brooklyn Park Academy for Math and Environmental Science? Minnesota public schools are floating in money else they wouldn't have multiple assistant principals and diversity officers.

What about open enrolling at another nearby high school: Anoka, Coon Rapids, or ??

Top students can excel and stand out nearly anywhere, and your chore of trying to find someone to fund your expensive Blake education might be too difficult at this stage.

Good luck on your decision.

[Teak]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

But I would be super impressed by persons like yourself who aren't afraid to take the lead in creating the change you want to see, whether that's breaking down those achievement barriers you might encounter as a lower-income first gen college student, or creating new groups/ initiatives within more diverse communities and public school settings like those I would imagine one would find in Champlin. Best wishes and luck to you in all your future endeavors!

You are correct in that Champlin Park high school is actually pretty high on the diversity scale.

Champlin Park High School is ranked 43rd within Minnesota. Students have the opportunity to take International Baccalaureate coursework and exams. The IB participation rate at Champlin Park High School is 50%. The total minority enrollment is 51%, and 26% of students are economically disadvantaged.


https://www.usnews.com/education/bes...h-school-10659

[Markstanford]

Originally Posted by Teak

OP, why can't you attend either Champlin Park high school or the Champlin-Brooklyn Park Academy for Math and Environmental Science? Minnesota public schools are floating in money else they wouldn't have multiple assistant principals and diversity officers.

What about open enrolling at another nearby high school: Anoka, Coon Rapids, or ??

Top students can excel and stand out nearly anywhere, and your chore of trying to find someone to fund your expensive Blake education might be too difficult at this stage.

Good luck on your decision.

Firstly, I appreciate all the luck you can send my way – it's much-needed! The reason I'm so determined to attend Blake instead of Champlin is the vast difference in opportunities between the two schools. At Champlin, I'd have to sacrifice a majority of the clubs and sports I love, like fencing and robotics. Though they do have a tennis team, it's not up to par with what I'd hope for. On the other hand, Blake offers an array of exciting activities and sports. Plus, the campus is absolutely stunning, and the personalized attention each student receives creates an educational paradise that I can't resist.

[UMN2BE]

Couple thoughts here:

First - Champlin Park Senior high school has 3000 students and is one of the largest high schools in MN. There will be no lack of clubs and athletics for you there. It's often the smaller schools that have issues offering a wide variety of clubs because they simply don't have the population to sustain them. BTW they do have a robotics team there, though fencing is not offered. Why not try out a different sport? Lots of sports like cross country, swimming, etc. will often take newcomers and are no-cut as well. They also have a lot clubs that look good for college - Math Team, National Honor Society, Speech/Debate, Knowledge Bowl etc.. See here - is this really not enough?

Just from perusing the academics site - they have honors classes, heavy-hitting classes like AP Calc BC and AP Chemistry, and a very wide range of electives.

If you graduate in the top 5 academically (this might be harder than you think with a graduating class of 800 students), score a 35-36 on the ACT or the equivalent on the SAT, have a lot of extracurriculars (including some leadership positions)... you will be competitive for top colleges coming from Champlin Park High School.

Not to mention there could be "fit" issues at some of the elite private schools. I'm not familiar with Breck or Blake, but I do know someone of lower socioeconomic status who went to a private elite school in Illinois and was absolutely miserable. His parents worked around the clock to pay for the massive tuition bill and ended up sending him to the local high school his sophomore year - he ended up getting admitted to a few top-tier colleges and ultimately went to Yale.

Good luck to you

[Izzie1213]

Can you open enroll at your old school district and stay at your old school? It's probably not any further away than Blake.

[UMN2BE]

Originally Posted by Izzie1213

Can you open enroll at your old school district and stay at your old school? It's probably not any further away than Blake.

I'm pretty sure Mounds View hasn't allowed open enrollment in some time. Though occasionally there are exceptions for special cases and they might be able to make one in OP's situation, doesn't hurt to give their district office a call.

[iameexc]

Are you a junior right now? You can try staying at your old school for this year and make a transfer to Blake next year. However, I don't know how much that can help since you are so close to graduation.

I agree with other people, wherever you go for high school, you should expect a bright future as long as you keep working like you have been doing. Gold will shine no matter where we put it.