2016 Official Prep School Stats/ECs

Prep School Admissions
1

Accepted:
Rejected:
Wait listed:
Likely Attending:

Stats:
• SSAT/ISEE/TOEFL/PSAT:
• GPA Unweighted/Weighted:
• Rank:
• Other stats:

Subjective:
• Interviews:
• Essays:
• Math Rec:
• English Rec:
• Personal/Extracurricular Rec:
• Principal/Counselor Rec:
• Sports (if any):
• Instruments (if any):
• Other ECs (if any):
• Hook:

Location/Person:
• State or Country:
• Current School Type:
• Ethnicity:
• Gender:
• Grade Applying For:
• Age:
• Financial Aid/Full Pay:

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted?

General Comments:

2

MODERATOR’S NOTE:
This is only for stats/EC’s. Questions/comments should be made on another thread. Non-related posts will be deleted without comment.

3

Accepted: N/A
Rejected: N/A
Wait listed: Exeter
Likely Attending: N/A

Stats:
• SSAT/ISEE/TOEFL/PSAT: 2313 (SSAT), 1400 (PSAT)
• GPA Unweighted/Weighted: 3.7 (unweighted), 3.86 (weighted)
• Rank: N/A
• Other stats: all AP or pre-AP classes

Subjective:
• Interviews: went extremely well
• Essays: I think they were good, hard to fit everything in 400 words though
• Math Rec: not sure
• English Rec: not sure
• Personal/Extracurricular Rec: not sure
• Principal/Counselor Rec: not sure
• Sports (if any): baseball
• Instruments (if any): N/A
• Other ECs (if any): speech and debate
• Hook: baseball team is #4 in the nation

Location/Person:
• State or Country: Nevada, United States
• Current School Type: Private Catholic School
• Ethnicity: White
• Gender: Male
• Grade Applying For: 11th
• Age: 15
• Financial Aid/Full Pay: Financial Aid

Strengths: articulate (AO said this), good baseball player, top in my class PSAT score

Weaknesses: did not get involved with admissions process until a month before the deadline

Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted?

I was applying for Junior year, and last year only 17 kids got accepted out of over 300 for that class. There were just more qualified candidates than me, but I didn’t get rejected so I’m fine with that

General Comments: this was a long wait and ended up being fairly underwhelming. I’m definitely not happy, but I’m not sad or distraught either. Hopefully I move off the wait list (long shot), but Exeter was my first and only choice so it was the only school I applied for. I’m most likely just going to stay where I’m at right now

4

Accepted: 0
Rejected: 3 (4)
Wait listed: 1- NMH
Likely Attending:

Stats:
• SSAT/ISEE/TOEFL/PSAT: SSAT 2208, PSAT 1310 (took on a whim)
• GPA Unweighted/Weighted: 3.9/ 3.78
• Rank:unavail
• Other stats:

Subjective:
• Interviews: Skype, apparently went well
• Essays: not enough room
• Math Rec: should have been very good
• English Rec: should have been very good
• Personal/Extracurricular Rec: should have been excellent
• Principal/Counselor Rec: shold have been very good
• Sports (if any): AAA hockey
• Instruments (if any):
• Other ECs (if any): FBLA (State & National Recognition, DECA State x2)
• Hook: Billeting in Colorado for AAA hockey and from Washington, strong focus on business and true desire for learning

Location/Person:
• State or Country:
• Current School Type: Public
• Ethnicity: White
• Gender: Male
• Grade Applying For:11
• Age:16
• Financial Aid/Full Pay: FA

Strengths: Already essentially on his own and will not have that adjustment to make, very strong hockey player

Weaknesses: inability to travel for live interviews/ice time with coaches, not “the best” hockey player but AAA commitment has effected grades and attendance

Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted? Doesn’t offer sufficient diversity

General Comments: Glad we went through the process, though disappointing, a great precursor to college

5

Accepted: Cranbrook, Masters
Rejected: Hotchkiss, Lawrenceville, Milton
Waitlisted: Exeter, Middlesex
Likely attending: ???

Stats:
• SSAT/ISEE/TOEFL/PSAT: SSAT 2274, 95th percentile
• GPA Unweighted/Weighted: no clue, probably 3.8/4.3
• Rank: no rank
• Other stats:

Subjective:
• Interviews:
Honestly, none of my interviews were that great. 6 were through Skype and they were all pretty dry. I did prepare for them by searching up interview questions and they were all pretty straightforward questions none of the interviewers tried to do anything creative or special (i mean that in a good way.) I think my best interview was with Exeter, only because it was in person with an alumni so it was more real and natural to me vs. the weird screen stuff you go through on Skype. This one lasted almost an hour vs. 15-30 minutes on Skype.
To all future applicants don’t worry too much about the length of your interview! Middlesex only lasted about 15 minutes and he flat out told me that they’re a small school with few spaces (and yet I was waitlisted which I am happy with), while Hotchkiss was nice (and yet I was rejected). Prepare for your interviews if you want but after it’s over maybe send a thank you letter and then forget about it! Don’t over-analyse it!
• Essays: I wrote all my essays on my own, with help from a sibling. I don’t think they were too great or too bad… honestly I can’t judge my own essays.
• RECS: Not sure how any of them went because they were blind recs, but none of my teachers showed any dislike towards me or the fact that I was asking them to put in this extra work, they should’ve been good.
• Sports (if any): In my applications, I pointed out that I was part of my school’s basketball team, I play tennis, and love baseball.
• Instruments (if any): At school: none. Outside of school: self-taught bass guitarist, played piano since 4 and received my Level 10 RCM certificate with honors before I was 13.
• Other ECs (if any): Deca, Relay for Life, Art Council, Eco council, lots of volunteering at school district programs as well as with government/community events.
• Hook: Not sure if I have one, but I tried to convey how I was very self-motivated throughout this process and in regards to my education.

Location/Person:
• State or Country: Canada
• Current School Type: Public
• Ethnicity: Asian born in Canada
• Gender: Female
• Grade Applying For: 11
• Age: 15/16
• Financial Aid/Full Pay: FA

Strengths: I think I’m a good overall student, and even in my interviews even though they were dry I think I showed my interest in the schools and my “level-headedness”.

Weaknesses: At the same time, I don’t have a hook or anything. I’m not super special, I’m just a kid who works hard and wants to do more outside of LPS. I applied for FA (but that’s not changeable) and if you could, I would definitely recommend getting an interview in person. You’ll get to visit the campus and personally, being in person is much more comfortable.

Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted?
The results were pretty much what I expected. I know I’m not that unique or talented or smart to get accepted into all. I would suggest to future applicants to be realistic and don’t get your hopes up too high. Yes, apply to HADES or GLADCHEMMS if you want, but always have “backups”, but at the same time make sure these “backups” are schools you truly are interested in attending.

General Comments:
I’m happy with the results! I told myself when I was choosing schools that I wouldn’t apply to any that I wouldn’t actually want to attend and that has stayed true! Whether I was accepted into one or all would’ve been good enough for me! (except that if i was accepted into all i probably would’ve blown up from having to choose which one haha)
I want to say thanks to all of you here on CC who have made this process so much easier for me! I hope to stay active on this forum and hope all of you who have benefited from it this year will continue to help next year’s hopefuls. Future applicants if you have any questions (especially if you’re applying to 11th, applying to these schools, or applying internationally) give me a PM, and I’ll do my best to reply.
Thanks!

6

Accepted: Hill
Rejected: Lawrenceville, Choate
Wait listed:
Likely Attending:Hill

Stats:
• SSAT/ISEE/TOEFL/PSAT: 89% SSAT
• GPA Unweighted/Weighted: I get 90s so I think about 3.6-4.0
• Rank: 21 out of 280 some kids in local private Catholic High School
• Other stats:

Subjective:
• Interviews: Lawrenceville was quick and my interviewer kept telling me if I got in, I would take these x,y,z courses, instead of asking for my personal stuff (things you would ask in the interview). It was pretty short.

Choate: this was really short, like 20 minutes maybe. Later when my uncle came in to talk to the interviewer, the interviewer told my uncle that he was impressed with my english ( I am an exchange student). My uncle told him straight forwardly if he could see me in September and the interviewer said most likely.

Hill: The interviewer and I spent some good amount of time talking (45 minutes?) She asked questions that required thinking (like if you could sit for a dinner with 3 people, who would they be?) and stuff like that. For this visit I went with my male guardian. The interviewer told him that I was a good boy or something.

• Essays: Generally, I spent a lot of time writing down essays for 3 different schools. But the essays for Choate was really good in my opinion. I tried to be creative and informational. The essays for Lville and Hill was kind of mediocre. I got it checked with my tutor several times.

• Math Rec: This is my first year in high school, and so was for my Math Teacher, so we did’t know each other personally at all. But I was getting good grades in her class, so at least for work ethic part, I think she wrote pretty good stuff about me.

• English Rec: I don’t even talk to him outside the classroom, so we don’t have any personal connections
.
• Personal/Extracurricular Rec: I asked my Biology teacher to write this for me because for the big part I was getting 99 in the class. No personal connection or anything. I just say good morning in the beginning of the class and thank you at the end…

• Principal/Counselor Rec: My counselor flat out told me that she wasn’t obligated to write a recommendation ( oh wow thanks) because she didn’t want people to leave her school. This kind of made sense because I was on the School’s academic scholarship and I guessed they wanted something from me. But I visited her like 5 times in a week so I guess she likes me now.

• Sports (if any): Basketball, Wrestling and Baseball

• Instruments (if any): Clarinet

• Other ECs (if any): I am an assistant teacher at Korean School every friday, I serve my church weekly, and I had some previous experiences volunteering.

• Hook: Weekly volunteering, bilingual, ability to live in different places other than home

Location/Person:
• State or Country:PA
• Current School Type:Private Catholic High School
• Ethnicity:Asian
• Gender:Male
• Grade Applying For:4th Form
• Age:15
• Financial Aid/Full Pay: Full Pay

Strengths:

Weaknesses: I am an Overrepresented minority :frowning: and although I play clarinet, I wasn’t in part of band or orchestra. And I had a broad interest in a lot of things, but I wasn’t going deep into them ( does it make sense?)

Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted?
I honestly do not know and I hoped that they would told me why! But I guess other applicants had better stats and certainly my SSAT grade was a drawback.

General Comments: I thought the world’s gonna end for me when I first saw my results. However, Im really happy with myself for just going through the application process because It was really tough and I thought of just not applying to any. Although originally I intended the Hill School to be my safety school but as I learned later on, it was too dangerous to put the Hill as a safety school. I am really excited to go to Hill next year. Although it is not as famous as other schools on college confidential, it definitely is a hidden gem once you get to visit there.

For the future applicants: I think applying to 3 schools isn’t the best idea. From this experience, if I had a child going through this experience I would tell him to apply to at least 5. Also, apply like normal applicants (in 8th grade). I think I would have bigger chances to get accepted for Choate/Lville if I applied in 8th grade because the teachers probably know you well, and that’s always a plus when it comes down to the recommendations.

7

Accepted: St. Paul’s, Hotchkiss, Lawrenceville, Middlesex, Loomis Chaffee, Episcopal High
Rejected: Andover
Wait listed: Suffield, NMH, Taft, Exeter, Choate
Likely Attending: Not sure yet

Stats:
• SSAT/ISEE/TOEFL/PSAT: SSAT 89% overall (95% math)
• GPA Unweighted/Weighted: 4.0 unweighted (all As in advanced curriculum - e.g., Geometry in 8th grade)
• Rank: School does not rank
• Other stats: Duke TIP state award for SAT

Subjective:
• Interviews: Good (7 in-person, 5 by Skype; interview mode had no association with outcome)
• Essays: I think quite good
• Math Rec: Most likely great
• English Rec: Most likely great
• Personal/Extracurricular Rec: Outstanding (we’ve seen them)
• Principal/Counselor Rec: Probably great
• Sports (if any): Volleyball (top 10 team nationally)
• Instruments (if any): Piano (multiple competitions, state awards), guitar, ukulele
• Other ECs (if any): Math team (state awards), French Club (state awards), Choir (awards), Writing (state and national awards)
• Hook: Underrepresented state, recruited athlete

Location/Person:
• State or Country: South
• Current School Type: Small private independent (K-8)
• Ethnicity: White
• Gender: Female
• Grade Applying For: 9
• Age: 14
• Financial Aid/Full Pay: FA

Strengths: URS, nationally ranked athlete, well-rounded (multiple ECs with awards), great recommendations, grades

Weaknesses: SSAT score (did not prep) and FA. Choate wrote that they WL “due to our inability to provide the FA needed,” although they do hope that funds become available in the next weeks. All schools who accepted DD offered her 4-year scholarships loaded with free extras and/or full FA.

General Comments: Honored and humbled beyond measure by the generosity of the six schools who accepted her.

8

Accepted: Exeter
Rejected: None
Wait listed: Lawrenceville
Likely Attending: Exeter

Stats:
• SSAT/ISEE/TOEFL/PSAT: 80th percentile
• GPA Unweighted/Weighted: unweighted- 3.9
• Rank: 40 of 556
• Other stats:

Subjective:
• Interviews: Exeter- It was about 45 minutes with a super nice alum at her office. Honestly I didn’t really know how well it went. There were some parts that were just solid and some questions I struggled to answer. I think overall though she liked my response to her questions. Some of the questions were really personal, such as asking about my home life and parents. Others were more general and personality based like what do you do in your free time, what are your hobbies etc. I was completely nervous on how well I did on it, but since I got in (WOOHOO lol) I’m guessing she thought I was a good fit.
Lawrenceville- It was around 30 minutes with this alum from I believe 1959! It was my first interview so I was a little shaky. It didn’t feel like an interview, but more like a conversation. I felt like he didn’t really ask me as many questions that would truly let him get to know me.
• Essays: Exeter- Completed by myself with no outside help. I felt really passionate about what I wrote as I wrote about my sport and one of my favorite hobbies. It truly showed who I was as an athlete, a student and an individual.
• Math Rec: Good (don’t really know my math teacher too well)
• English Rec: Amazing (always participating in her class)
• Personal/Extracurricular Rec: Amazing (from my football coach)
• Principal/Counselor Rec: average (I didn’t know any of my counselors)
• Sports (if any): Flag Football (starter and captain), Cheerleading
• Instruments (if any): None
• Other ECs (if any): Student Council, National Junior Honor Society
• Hook: none

Location/Person:
• State or Country: West, U.S.
• Current School Type: Large public high school
• Ethnicity: Black and Asian/Multi-racial
• Gender: Female
• Grade Applying For: 10
• Age: 14
• Financial Aid/Full Pay: Full financial aid

Strengths: Very passionate about what I do. Committed to sports and extracurriculars. I was most confident in my essays out of everything in my application.

Weaknesses: Not that many extracurriculars and no instruments. Low test scores considering the average for Exeter. Applying for a tenth grade slot which is more competitive and more selective than a ninth grade one. In need of full financial aid.

Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted?
I think every school has a different fit or mold if you will. I guess I just fit into Exeter’s mold better than I did Lawrencevile’s. I think my advice to anyone applying is that you should show that you’re passionate about something, yet you are still a well-rounded individual. Don’t be afraid to sell yourself in your interviews, cause that’s what they’re for!

General Comment: I am honestly still in utter shock at the outcome. I can’t believe I got into Exeter! I felt as if there were so many other qualified applicants and I am so happy that they gave me this opportunity. They also gave me full financial aid which is a huge relief. I am not the disappointed at the outcome from Lawrenceville. I would say that you should worry about your recommendations and interview more than the test. Study for the test, but your score will not define your outcome.

9

Accepted: Andover, Cate, Choate, Hotchkiss, Thacher
Rejected: None
Wait listed: Deerfield
Likely Attending: Uncertain

Stats:
• SSAT/ISEE/TOEFL/PSAT: 99% Overall
• GPA Unweighted/Weighted: 4.0
• Rank: 1 out of 234
• Other stats: 2010 SAT in 7th grade

Subjective:
• Interviews: -Thacher: This was my first ever interview and boy, was I nervous.
-Cate: My interviewer was extremely nice and welcoming. The interview at Cate was much more relaxed; the AO and I were able to find common ground. We spoke about psychology for approximately half of the interview.
-Hotchkiss: I actually had to have two interviews–one in person and one via Skype. In the first interview, the AO and I hit it off. We spoke about a gamut of different topics and laughed about many things. The Skype interview was very similar. The AO and I discussed different forms of poetry.
-Andover: It was like the interview with Thacher.
-Choate: My AO was very, very gregarious! We both laughed over so many things. I have to say that my interview with Choate was the best.
-Deerfield: Like the interview with Hotchkiss, the AO and I immediately hit it off, though we never got to speak of other topics because of time constraints (we accidentally went over the time limit).
• Essays: I had some grammatical errors. I also recycled and reworded some essays to save extra work. My mother proofread essay for any errors. Essays were written with no help.
• Math Rec: Blinded. My teacher waited until the second to last day to start the recommendations—I was pulling my hair out in stress! However, I have good grades, so I think it was decent.
• English Rec: Blinded, but my teacher likes me as a student, so I presume it was good.
• Personal/Extracurricular Rec: My public speaking teacher wrote the personal recommendation for me. After he sent it, he texted me, saying, “You better get in somewhere; I wrote you a glowing recommendation.” I still laugh about that. My art teacher wrote the extracurricular recommendation.
• Principal/Counselor Rec: Blinded, but I’m confident his recommendation was good.
• Sports (if any): Tennis
• Instruments (if any): Piano, guitar, and drums
• Other ECs (if any): -Science Olympiad team captain
-Public Speaking
-Scholastic Art and Writing
-PTA Reflections (Visual Arts)
-Math competitions
-Community service
-Student council
-Summer programs at art and science camps
• Hook: CDB Scholar and CTY SET member

Location/Person:
• State or Country: CA
• Current School Type: Public
• Ethnicity: Asian
• Gender: F
• Grade Applying For: 9
• Age: 13
• Financial Aid/Full Pay: FA

Strengths: I have solid statistics. Moreover, I sent in short stories, art portfolios, drum recordings, public speaking videos, and so forth.

Weaknesses: I was not as personable as I wanted to be during interviews and my essays were not the best of the best. Moreover, I needed extra FA.

Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted? No one is ever sure, because as SevenDad has said, admissions is a crapshoot. I have to say that my hook has helped me a lot during this process.

General Comments: I’m in a lot of shock. I’m absolutely honored and thankful for everyone who worked hard for me to be where I am now.

Future applicants, if you’re reading this, do the best you can as the next admission season approaches. Work hard, gain accolades, and maintain good grades. However, do not mold yourself into this person you think the admissions office wants to see. Despite what your peers might say, the AOs know a guise when they see one. As GoatMama said, try to sell yourself!

10

Accepted: Peddie, Princeton Day School
Rejected: None
Wait listed: None
Likely Attending: Peddie? Need to go to revisits.

Stats:
• SSAT/ISEE/TOEFL/PSAT: SSAT 99% (M99, V99, R80)
• GPA Unweighted/Weighted: All A’s 6,7,8 in hardest classes
• Rank: n/a
• Other stats: 2014 SAT’s through CTY- M680, V620, W610

Subjective:
• Interviews: They seemed to go well, though nothing remarkable that I could tell.
• Essays: Fine, nothing remarkable, though his values definitely came through.
• Math Rec: Blind, but I am sure it was excellent.
• English Rec: Blind, and most likely very good.
• Personal/Extracurricular Rec: Blind - Recommendation from head of school where he volunteers weekly teaching kids with special needs.
• Principal/Counselor Rec: Blind but most likely excellent
• Sports (if any): Varsity tennis and XC, Rec basketball and soccer
• Instruments (if any): Alto Sax
• Other ECs (if any): AMC math contests (top 5%), AOPS classes, Youth Philanthropy Club, volunteer with kids with special needs, Computer Programming classes
• Hook: none

Location/Person:
• State or Country: NJ
• Current School Type: Public
• Ethnicity: Caucasian
• Gender: Male
• Grade Applying For: 9
• Age: 14
• Financial Aid/Full Pay: FP

Strengths:
Well rounded, a “team player”, viewed as a leader by teachers, coaches, etc,

Weaknesses:
No hook.
SSAT essay was poor (IMO) thought the application essay was better.
I was very honest in the weaknesses part of the parent essay and was afraid that would hurt his chances.

Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/wait-listed?
Stats, recommendations, fp, lots of interests, stars were aligned…
DS very specifically only applied to two schools that he felt were the best fit even if that meant risking rejection everywhere. He passed up applying to the school that is the most highly ranked, most prestigious in the area because he felt the fit wasn’t right.

General Comments:
At midnight, upon receiving his acceptance email from Peddie, ds said, “This email changed my life!”

11

Accepted: Groton
Rejected:
Wait listed: Brooks, Lawrence Academy, St. Marks
Likely Attending: Groton definitely :slight_smile:

Stats:
• SSAT/ISEE/TOEFL/PSAT: 84
• GPA Unweighted/Weighted: N/A (straight A’s)
• Rank: N/A
• Other stats: (sorry my school doesn’t rank that way)

Subjective:
• Interviews: -Groton was my best interview. It lasted a while, and we talked to the soccer coach for about an hour after-Brooks, alright pretty short- Lawrence was good, admission officer seemed really interested and it lasted a long time - St. Marks, the admission officer didn’t seem interested and it was really short.
• Essays: -Groton. I spent the most amount of time on this one and I think they were really good. One of the admission officers contacted my family and said they especially liked one of my answers. -St. Marks. I spent a lot of time on this one as well, but it was harder because the questions had a really small character limit. -Brooks and Lawrence: less time spent on them so they weren’t written as well.
• Math Rec: I don’t know what was in any of the recommendations but my Math teacher really likes me and I think it was really good.
• English Rec: My english teacher really likes me as well so I think that was good
• Personal/Extracurricular Rec:
• Principal/Counselor Rec:
• Sports (if any): My club (NEFC) soccer coach wrote this one and he told my family that it was really good.
• Instruments (if any):
• Other ECs (if any):
• Hook: Soccer, Basketball, and academics (SSAT scores aren’t that high but actual grades are)

Location/Person:
• State or Country: Mass
• Current School Type: Private religious
• Ethnicity: White
• Gender: Female
• Grade Applying For: 9
• Age: 14
• Financial Aid/Full Pay: Financial Aid

Strengths: I have straight A’s, I’m on one of the top soccer clubs in the state, and I also play AAU basketball. My interviews and essays were strong as well.

Weaknesses: SSAT scores were in the 80’s and I needed a lot of FA.

Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted?

  • Brooks: I couldn’t attend admissions meetings which may have affected acceptance and FA
  • Lawrence: I couldn’t attend admissions meetings which may have affected acceptance and FA
  • St. Marks: This was my biggest disappointment, and honestly I thought I was going to be accepted. I don’t really know what went wrong, but I think it was the amount of FA needed.
  • Groton: My interview and essays were really strong. The soccer coach and an admissions officer both seemed to have a lot of interest in me. The admissions officer was impressed with my honesty on a tough situation in one of my essay answers (I would advise commenting on a tough thing that happened in your life and how it changed you for the better). In the comments on my acceptance letter, it also said that one of my teachers wrote a fantastic comment (I don’t know which one).
12

Accepted: NMH Loomis Chaffee
Rejected: Taft
Wait listed: lawrenceville George school Suffield
Likely Attending: NMH (but loomis if I get more FA)

Stats:
• SSAT/ISEE/TOEFL/PSAT: 89% SSAT
• GPA Unweighted/Weighted: we don’t have GPA but 99 average
• Rank: 2
• Other stats:

Subjective:
• Interviews: went really well especially the one at Suffield, we talked for 2 hours. Ironically, NMH and Loomis were my worst interviews. I am generally charsamatic and I am good at speaking with people.
• Essays: I submitted two essays, one was average but the other one was amazing, probably the best essay I have ever written.
• Math Rec: Amazing my math teacher loves me!!! I have had her for two years.
• English Rec. I don’t really know we are not that close.
• Personal/Extracurricular Rec. I volenteer coaching youth soccer, ringing salvation army bell, I am a GS, A member of student council, and I came up with a project to raise over 300$ for hunger.
• Principal/Counselor Rec: probably pretty good
• Sports (if any): I have played soccer for 11 years and I was captain of my varsity team last year.

• Instruments (if any): French horn (6 years)
• Other ECs (if any): I do track and I am in many clubs in our school.
• Hook: none that I am aware of.

Location/Person:
• State or Country: New York
• Current School Type: public
• Ethnicity: Caucasian
• Gender: female
• Grade Applying For: 11th
• Age: 15
• Financial Aid/Full Pay: FA (and a lot of it)

Strengths: I do a lot of extra curriculars and get very good grades but I would say my strength is my interview.

Weaknesses: my weakness was probably my essay. I think the fact I was in 11th grade and needed FA really hurt my chances.

13

** Accepted: Phillips Exeter Academy, Phillips Academy, Choate Rosemary Hall, Nearby Day School**
** Rejected: None **
Wait listed: None
Likely Attending: Phillips Exeter Academy

Stats:[ul]
[] SSAT/ISEE/TOEFL/PSAT: 97%ile SSAT
[] How (and how much) did you prep for the test? How many times did you take it, and which scores did you send? I took a practice test the day before the test (not recommended)
[] GPA Unweighted/Weighted: 4.2
[] Rank: idk we dont do dat
[] Other stats: Nothing really but A’s, skipped two math classes
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Interviews: I was super fortunate to talk with people I got along with. Choate proably had best interview, Andover, Exeter, and DS were all really good. Great chemistry.
[] Who helped with essays? How much did they help?
Family helped me sound like myself, not someone I was trying to make myself sound like blah blah
[] Describe your essays: Kind of personal,
[] Math Rec: Pretty good I’m guessing
[] English Rec: Read it, great
[] Personal/Extracurricular Rec: Great I’m guessing
[] Principal/Counselor Rec: Great
[] Sports (if any): Soccer, Lacrosse
[] Instruments (if any): Saxophone, Piano
[] Other ECs (if any): Jazz, Tutor, Math Team, NACLO, Coding, Writing thing I won’t get into
[] Hook: URM, language like no one else speaks
[] Reapplicant? No
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[] State or Country: Wouldn’t you like to know (New England)
[] Current School Type: Super Public
[] Ethnicity: African
[] Gender: Male
[] Grade Applying For: 9
[] Age: 14
[]Financial Aid/Full Pay: 99% Financial Aid (we BROKE)
[li]Connections? Where? (Alum rec, ABC, school ties, etc…) No[/li][/ul]Strengths: Idk tbh maybe self-teaching
Weaknesses: I really can’t find any

Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted? Is the outcome what you expected?
HAHAHAHA Did NOT expect to get into any of them! Greatful tho rlly
Keep in contact with interviewers, don’t send email every 7.8 minutes, keep your updates important, not with trivial information

What do you wish you had done differently?
Obvi nothing lol

General comments:
To Future Applicants: That feeling you get when you don’t think you’ll get in is really normal, if you need to freak out then do (in your home, please) Do not change for a school. No matter what the outcome, you will be more prepared if you decide to apply to college(s), or any application process.
Generally excited for next year

14

Accepted: Andover
Rejected: None
Wait listed: Deerfield
Likely Attending: Andover

Stats:
• SSAT/ISEE/TOEFL/PSAT: 89%. M-74; V-97; R-94
• GPA Unweighted/Weighted: N/A (straight A’s except B in one class)
• Rank: N/A
• Other stats:

Subjective:
• Interviews: DS interviews very well. Very confident, poised, well spoken, funny.
• Essays: Solid essays.
• Math Rec: I don’t know what was in any of the recommendations; math is DS weakest area but his Math teacher really likes him and I think it was really good.
• English Rec: His english teacher really likes him as well.
• Personal/Extracurricular Rec: History teacher loves him.
• Principal/Counselor Rec:
• Sports (if any): Some tennis; crew
• Instruments (if any): guitar, a little
• Other ECs (if any):
• Hook: legacy at Andover

Location/Person:
• State or Country: Texas
• Current School Type: Private
• Ethnicity: White
• Gender: Male
• Grade Applying For: 9
• Age: 14
• Financial Aid/Full Pay: FP

Strengths: Personality, charm, verbal ability. Multi-generational Texan (i.e., diversity); legacy at Andover.

Weaknesses: Math SSAT scores consistently 70’s. Not his strongest subject.

Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted?

  • Andover - All the reasons above
  • Deerfield - Very tough year this year at Deerfield for non-legacy admissions. Almost 2/3’s of legacies were waitlisted per sources, so just getting waitlisted was an accomplishment.
15

Accepted: Andover, Hotchkiss, Loomis
Rejected: Taft
Wait listed: Choate, LVille
Likely Attending: Hotchkiss

Stats:
• SSAT/ISEE/TOEFL/PSAT: 97% PSAT
• GPA Unweighted/Weighted: 4.0
• Other stats: Receiver of 15 Scholastic Awards, 1 National Award

Subjective:
• Interviews: Went well, especially Hotchkiss and Choate. None of them were terrible.
• Essays: Solid.
• Math and English Rec: I used recommendations from my teachers from my previous year when possible, which should be more glowing than the recs from my current teachers. They all should be great tho.

• Personal/Extracurricular Rec: Should be good.
• Principal/Counselor Rec: Neutral-bad.
• Sports (if any): Fencing
• Instruments (if any): None
• Other ECs (if any): Art, Community Service, Theater
• Hook: Specialized high school, raised $1k for a community service organization

Location/Person:
• State or Country: New England
• Current School Type: Public
• Ethnicity: Asian
• Gender: Female
• Grade Applying For: Junior
• Age: 16
• Financial Aid/Full Pay: None

Strengths: Heavy emphasis on art, independent,

Weaknesses: Lack of sports and leadership, lower PSAT score in reading.

Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted? Connection with the school and interviewer. Hotchkiss has a heavy emphasis on art. I don’t know why I was accepted to Andover.

General Comments: Seriously shocked with Andover.

16

Accepted: Kent, Pomfret, The Gunnery
Rejected: Loomis
Wait Listed: St. Paul’s
Likely Attending: Kent

Stats:
SSAT: Reading Comprehension: 99% Verbal: 98% Quantitative: 37%
GPA: Unweighted: 3.67/ Weighted: 3.98
Other Stats: #1 in Switzerland for History Bee

Subjective:
Interviews: Generally good, except Loomis.
Essays: Well written.
Math and English Rec: English is probably stellar, Math is probably just ok.
Personal/Extracurricular Rec: Good
Principal/Councillor Rec: Should be great.
Sports (if any): Tennis, Soccer, Basketball.
Instruments (if any): Upright Bass, Bass Guitar
Other ECs (if any): Boy Scouts, Creative Writing
Hook: Raised Overseas (Have Lived in 5 countries)

Location/Person:
State or Country: Switzerland
Current School: Private/International
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Grade Applying For: Freshman
Age: 14
Financial Aid/Full Pay: Financial Aid

Strengths: Strong writer, has diverse background, speaks semi-fluent french, good public speaker.

Weaknesses: Mediocre Grades (3 B’s) Not Strong Enough Hook?

Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted?
The Gunnery- My Mum went there, plus all the info above.
Kent- Engaging Interview, and all above info.
Pomfret- Same as Kent.
Loomis- Mediocre interview and strong application year.
St. Paul’s- Same reasons as Loomis.

General Comments- I thought I was going to be accepted at Loomis, and flat out rejected by St. Paul’s.

17

Accepted: HPA, WRA, Millbrook, taft, episcopal
Rejected: milton
Wait listed: none
Likely Attending: dont know

Stats:
• SSAT/ISEE/TOEFL/PSAT: 70%
• GPA Unweighted/Weighted: 3.8 UW
• Rank: dont know
• Other stats: honor roll all years, published author

Subjective:
• Interviews: All were skype interviews because i’m an international student and couldn’t come to campus. I think they were really good they all sound interested so yeah.
• Essays: decent
• Math Rec: average
• English Rec: average
• Personal/Extracurricular Rec: awesome
• Principal/Counselor Rec: awesome
• Sports (if any): Tennis national player
• Instruments (if any): none
• Other ECs (if any): community service trips to Bhutan and Indonesia
• Hook: National tennis player, 1st singles all years, played loads of tournaments. Lived as an expat most of my life loads of experiences.

Location/Person:
• State or Country: Australian living in Malaysia
• Current School Type: international
• Ethnicity: Caucasian

• Gender: Female
• Grade Applying For: 11th
• Age: 15
• Financial Aid/Full Pay: FA

Strengths: High level tennis player, Expat

Weaknesses: Grades weren’t anything special but i explained that I train 3-4 hours everday for tennis

Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted? Tennis most likely

General Comments: super happy I got accepted somewhere

18

School Admissions
Accepted: Exeter, Deerfield
Rejected: Andover
Wait listed: None
Likely Attending: Deerfield!

Stats:
• SSAT/SAT: 2290 (99th percentile SSAT) 2070(SAT
• GPA Unweighted/Weighted: 4.0
• Rank: N/A
• Other stats: I have always been a straight A student. Received John Hopkins One Course Scholarship. All Kumon awards except completion.

Subjective:
• Interviews: Exeter was great. I got this tall black man who was the chief of admissions. At first I thought the questions were really scripted but, the interview went well. We really clicked and I found it in treating how I gave such intelligent responses. I won’the reveal questions, simply because I think the spontaneity will improve your response. My parents were interviewed seperate and we could hear the laughter from downstairs. In my admissions letter he noted my honesty during the interview, which I assume he was refrenong when I told him how disorganized I was. For Deerfield I had a white, blonde woman, whose position I forget. She was really pleasant and we had a good interview, however not as good as Exeter. We had a good discussion on grades vs learning and it felt more like a conversation. She then called in my daddy, and he used the opportunity to subtly brag about me. Andover, I got paired up with Mrs. Sosa, chief of Diversity Admissions. What a dry interview! It was awful, she, in my opinion, although pkeasant, was extremely stoic and unemotional. BEWARE of Sosa. It didn’t help that I called myself reckless before changing my answer to disorganized.
• Essays: All of them were phenomenal. I find my writing strength to be in academic/analytical writing, but I found it intesting how well I did on these extremely personal subjects. I would suggest to fill your essay with personal anecdotes, always tell the reader why the described experience matters, and to explore different essay formats(chronological narrative, three part thesis, etc.) None of my exceeded 800 words, and I re-used my Exeter one and changed it slightly (i.e. edited thesis, and lengthened) for Deerfield
• Math Rec: They noted in my admissions letter that it was excellent. I am a great math student and she loves me. However, she is from China and I am not sure how good the English or the cultural undertones were.
• English Rec: Exeter also noted it’s excellence, I think she likes me. I’m very involved in both class contributions and daily menial work (passing out papers, collecting laptops, etc.)
• Personal/Extracurricular Rec: For Exeter, who requested non-academic, I used my orchestra tracher, who really loves me. I have replaced his long-time principal bass and am consistently flawless on Orchestra test. ForAndover and Deerfield, I used my Kumon instructor, who I know gave me nothing less than the best recommendation. I am the most advanced student she has ever seen, which I know for a fact, she includedin the recommendation.
Principal/Counselor Rec: I dn’t really know the principal. I have always gotten principals’ list but that’s it. I’m sure it wasn’t negative, but aside from being arguably the best student in the school, I’m not sure what they would really say.
• Sports (if any): Advanced U15Soccer, Novice Cree
• Instruments (if any): Bass(2nd Chair All City, 6th All District) Piano( I play at very advanced levels)
• Other ECs (if any): Kumon, a math program, where you go at your own pace. I am at about Level M. I used thus to bring how I can self-study and am an independent thinker.
• Hook: Don’t really know how one can know if they have what a school would see as a hook.

Location/Person:
• State or Country: USA
• Current School Type: Public Magnet, Private Day all years before this one.
• Ethnicity:Nigerian (Parents born in Nigeria)
• Gender: M
• Grade Applying For: 9
• Age: 13
• Financial Aid/Full Pay: FA. We needed about 10-20k off, so our living standards would not be changed. Update: Didn’t get any FA but it isn’t really a factor.

Strengths: Minority, Great Essays and Recs

Weaknesses: None really (I’m not being pompus) :slight_smile:

Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted?
Well all the factors above contributed to my acceptances.

I never liked Andover from the beginning and only applied because of the name. The interview was bad, and I guess they didn’t really like me.

General Comments: Great experience. You don’t have to be some Carnegie Hall Grand Wizard to get in. Be yourself, if they like you, they WILL take you. I flaunted the Cardinal College Confidential rule and it worked out for me. On the flips idea, be real if you know you don’the meet cceptance standards don’t delude yourself by applying. I know this whole post seems pompous, but it is impossible for me to wit out a pedantic tone. In real life I’m fun, I’m cool, and I watch Doctor Who. Application tips, take the what you consider trivial parts of your life and blow them out of proportion (like Kumon self-self study) they care about things like that and you will lean that they weren’t trivial after all. Also BE YOURSELF. Apply to the schools you want to go to, no the ones CC wants you to. You don’t have to apply to small schools if you don’t want to go them.

19

Accepted: North Country, Grier
Rejected: Choate, Deerfield, Hotchkiss, Cate, Fay, MPS, Lawrenceville, Hill, Andover, Groton, Thacher, Milton
Wait listed: Exeter, SPS, Emma
Likely Attending: Grier

Stats:
• SSAT/ISEE/TOEFL/PSAT: SSAT 97% (V95%, Q83%, R99%)
• GPA Unweighted/Weighted: N/A (Homeschooled)
• Rank: N/A (Homeschooled)
• Other stats: 45+ Community College Units Completed with 4.0/4.0 by Application Due

Subjective:
• Interviews: All good and kind. Almost all schools asked why applying to this school and homeschooling courses, which were mostly community college courses. Also almost all commented that they never seen anyone so unique. Now I realize that it was perhaps a negative comment after all.
• Essays: Decent. But of very high quality. She is an above average, but only by so far, 13 years old writer. Discussed hardship, challenges, persistence gained from completing 18 college units in one semester.
• Math Rec: By homeschooling farther. Not sure if it meant any.
• English Rec: By English 1A college professor. She got A, but wasn’t a top student. No idea what’s written in there.
• Personal/Extracurricular Rec: By Ceramics college professor. She took 5 courses from her and is a favorite student. I am sure it was very good.
• Principal/Counselor Rec: By homeschooling farther. Not sure if it meant any.
• Sports (if any): Indoor Rock Climbing 2 years.
• Instruments (if any): Basic Guitar and Piano stopped a year ago.
• Other ECs (if any): Visual Art - Decent Portfolio, 2 National and 1 College Juried Art Shows, 5 Gold Keys from Scholastic, 10 College Art Courses.
• Hook: None.

Location/Person:
• State or Country: California, U.S.
• Current School Type: Homeschool
• Ethnicity: Asian
• Gender: Female
• Grade Applying For: 9th (Except 8th for Groton)
• Age: 13
• Financial Aid/Full Pay: Need near full FA

Strengths: Visual Art, Community College Courses (45+ units completed, 15+ in progress)

Weaknesses: FA, ORM, Lack of strong sports or volunteers. Homeschooling. Math

Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted? I believe tat she clearly demonstrated that she can do the academic work. She also has a passionate EC with very good achievement for age. But there seems was an uncertainty of her social success in BS due to her younger age and being homeschooled for entire life. Combine that with FA and ORM, as well as lack of a desired team sport, she had less chance to be picked compare to other equality qualifying but with less uncertainty.

General Comments: We are very happy that she has acceptances.

20

Accepted: EHS, Kent, Choate, local Independent day school, local test-in math/science magnet school; local parochial school
Rejected: none
Wait listed: St. Paul’s, Exeter, Andover, Hotchkiss
Likely Attending: Choate

Stats:
• SSAT/ISEE/TOEFL/PSAT: 96th% Verbal; 94% Quant total 97%
• GPA Unweighted/Weighted: 4.0 Unweighted (IB MYP school)
• Rank: 1st decile
• Other stats:

Subjective:
• Interviews: All went very well except for SPS. Interview was via Skype and 13.5 minutes long. Andover’s was seriously over an hour!
• Essays: Written well, all by her
• Math Rec: Excellent. He told us he marked “One of best I have ever seen” all the way down
• English Rec: Ditto–she has been her top student all year.
• Personal/Extracurricular Rec: Excellent-previous science teacher/robotics coach
• Principal/Counselor Rec: Excellent; even wrote an additional “letter” for one school
• Sports (if any): sailing (juniors program), lacrosse (rec and club)
• Instruments (if any): Piano (ABRSM Level Four); Alto Sax (sent video)
• Other ECs (if any): Did debate last year, captain of ms robotics team, National Charity League (Community Service), ASB VP, CTY (Math/Science), Principal’s Advisory Committee
• Hook: Leadership

Location/Person:
• State or Country: CA
• Current School Type: public K-8 middle school
• Ethnicity: Latina Race: white
• Gender: F
• Grade Applying For: 9th
• Age:13
• Financial Aid/Full Pay: F/A- needed approximately 55% aid

Strengths: Very likeable; savvy socially, poised, sweet
Weaknesses: No extra-special hook (e.g., best-in-state bassoonist!); Financial aid; brother already at a BS school

Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted? Financial Aid; older brother at a TSAO school

General Comments: This was a very illuminating March 10th for our family. Last year, we did not need nearly as much aid as this year, given this year’s situation of a second child entering into a tuition-charging school. As such, our DD was waitlisted at several HADES schools. We also believe that since her brother is already at another TSAO school, it appears that schools in this organization deferred to her brother’s current school. To our surprise, both of the other non-TSAO schools that she applied to accepted her with as much in aid/scholarship $$ (if not more for one of them) as her brother’s current school. Lesson to be learned: Hearty FA applications really DO differ from Full/Pay/ light FA applications for many amazing students without significant “Hooks.” That being said, we are all very happy that she will be attending her brother’s school, and that they have indeed proven themselves to be a family-oriented! No commuting between two campuses, hurrah!