Attending Bronx High School of Science despite a low SHSAT score creates feelings of inadequacy. The Discovery Program provides opportunities for economically disadvantaged students scoring just below the cutoff. This initiative, expanded in 2018, reserves about 20% of seats for such students to enhance diversity. The personal journey involves grappling with comparisons to peers and the fear of judgment about academic ability, encapsulated by the decision to hide one's SHSAT score.
Feeling worthy of being at Bronx Science and surrounded by students who outscored me is a challenge that takes more than studying to overcome.
Currently, about 20% of specialized high school seats are reserved for students in the Discovery Program, which the city expanded in 2018 as part of a broader initiative to increase diversity at these elite schools.
Although I didn't score high enough to get an automatic offer at Bronx Science, today I am a rising junior there thanks to the Discovery Program.
From the first day of school, I sheepishly pledged to myself that I would never, ever reveal my SHSAT score, a 471.
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