Truth be told, not many people go there for the Ag, but lots of people (~60-70) do HSC Ag in Year 11. Ag is compulsory till Year 10, and it isn't a bad subject, it's just boring after 4 years. But there is a lot of injoking about Ag, and most students feel some connection to the farm, or are proud of it in some way. It's not every school that sells bags of oranges each weighing 1.5kg for $2. And the oranges are good. Also there's lots of cows/sheep/hens etc. There's not much prestige to be honest. You will hear kids swearing at each other, except there are no fights. Everything is quite pleasant and watered down, but it's not really snobbish or prestigious (lots of families arent very rich). Just we get a blazer. It is quite high up in terms of academics, and a lot is expected of you the moment you walk in. But it's not too different from a normal school. It's just that everybody is suddenly as smart if not smarter than you, nobody is a dumbass, kids don't chuck chairs at teachers, students are more well mannered and everybody wants to learn. It's a great environment in reality. But like, I feel the same as you, I can only imagine going to a comp school and seeing not borderline geniuses everywhere. And after 4+ years at ruse, the idea of going to a school that's not #1 is so surreal, I can't imagine what it would be like. The perception of a good school gets blurred once you attend James Ruse.