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San Francisco University High School

School rating 4 / 5 by

3065 Jackson Street San Francisco CA 94115 United States
Day
9th to 12th
Gender
Coed

Academic

San Francisco University High School review by .

The academics come first at San Francisco University High School (UHS). The school focuses on small class sizes and pragmatist philosophy. Student competition for grades isn't too present, but there does exist a sometimes overwhelming stigma that you need to go to a good college. Grades are also non-inflated, making a cumulative 8 semester 4.0 completely unheard of. A 3.3 to a 3.5 is a respectable range, and will get most students with solid extra-curriculars and SAT scores admitted to an Ivy League school if they so choose.

College Counseling

Jon Reider is one of the best college counselors you could ask for. He has....

Sample insights on college counseling

  • They have contacts at most of the major universities and feel perfectly comfortable picking up the phone and advocating for a student to get accepted somewhere they feel is a good fit for that student. However, these counselors are certainly not magic bullets. They cannot guarantee that a student will get into an Ivy League university...
  • For those wishing to move on to Oxford or Cambridge, the provision is second-to-none. In the months running up to application and interview, every subject faculty offers classes (often run by former Oxbridge tutors) exploring further areas of their subject as well as offering advice on personal statements, interview technique and more...

Admissions - Getting Accepted

UHS typically requires a very strong middle-school record, as well as good SSAT scores and....

Sample insights on admissions

  • For the interview, dress conservatively. Try to be very clean and put together. Also, I was a tour guide for two years and at the end of every tour, we were asked to evaluate the candidate so if you think the tour is not apart of the process, you are very wrong. Ask questions and be interested. Also, tip for the parents: the kids speak on the tour. Do not ask their questions for them...
  • Most younger siblings have an easy time in the admissions process. I can only think of one case of a younger sibling not being admitted. About half of the students who entered with me had come from public schools. The remainder came from private K-6 schools, or had transferred from other New York private schools The Elizabeth Morrow School and St. Bernard were two of the larger feeder schools...

School Life

The neighborhood is one of the highest price housing markets in the US, Pacific Heights, and so the neighborhood is pretty safe. I had a friend get jumped at night once in the neighborhood leaving the school musical, but that's the only violence that occurred in my 4 years. The student body blends fairly well together; everyone shares similar professional motivations. Most of the kids come from high class backgrounds, so the school's social scene is quite preppy....

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