3 year Junior at Andover!! Ask away!!

<p>Hey guys. September is just around the corner which means the start of a new academic year, as well as the start of a mew application cycle. I'll give some facts below. Ask me anything (dorm life, social atmosphere, interviews, transitoon, application, athletics, etc.). Just I urge you guys not to ask for a chance, whoch includes prospective swim times. I don't feel I have the right to comment on your credentials and/or app and feel uncomfortable doing so. I will; however, gladly share advice with you! If you want to discuss something in private, pm me. </p>

<p>Age: 16
State: CT
Race: Asian American, first gen.
FA: none
Legacy:none</p>

<p>Academics</p>

<p>8th grade:
Honors geometry
Advanced English
Advanced Science
Interdisciplnary seminar
Level 5 spanish</p>

<p>All A's except for geometry, B-/B</p>

<p>9th grade:
Honors pre calc
Honors bio
English 100 (required english)
Spanish 200 (1 of 12 fresan taking class)
History 100 (required)</p>

<p>Gpa:4.5</p>

<p>10th grade:
Ap calc ab
Ap chem
English 200
Spanish 300
History 200</p>

<p>Gpa: 4.5</p>

<p>11th grade tentative:
Ap calc bc
Ap physics b
Ap spanish
Apush
English 300</p>

<p>ECs:
Before Andover
-men's select choir, 5 years
-CT honorable mention choir
-swimming (state record holder in relay, Eastern zone qualifier, national ywca championship gold medalist in relay, 5 years)
-first chair cellist in school and district orchestra, 6 years
-selected for all new england orchestra </p>

<p>At andover:
-3 year varsity letter winner in water polo and swimming
-swimming= undefeated for 4 year
-national ymca swimmig championships qualifier
-andover global health initiative founding board member
-andover newspaper (the phillipian) associate news editor
- teach disabled children how to swim 2 hours eah week
-cello chamber orchestra
-choir</p>

<p>Ssat: 92 percentile (don't remember breakdown, but verbal was in the 60 something percentile...)</p>

<p>What do you do for Global Health Initiative?</p>

<p>So this coming year is going to be the club’s pilot year. We plan for each year to have a specific topic. This year, we’re focusing on aids awareness. As part of the club, you basically learn about different efforts around the world and the disease’s effects on the world. We do this through documentaries, speakers, events, and hypothetical immersion (for instance, at the start of the meeting the board will hand out identity cards givig you a fake identity for the time. Then, we would take everyone through the process of their lives with documentaries, moc hospitals, etc. it’s real interesting. It’s kind of like what they do at the holocaust museum in D.C.). Additonally, the club will be hosting events throughout the year, including a color run in the fall, speaker/documentary showings, forums, dances (1 formal and 1 regular), and Tedx PA (student/speaker run ted talks durring welness week. Our club is running wellness week this year.) additonally, if you get onto the board, we plan on goin to stamford university during the spring for a global health summit, which should be fun!</p>

<p>How was your GPA in 9th grade a 4.5 (above 4.0) if you weren’t taking any APs? Or do homors classes up your GPA as well?</p>

<p>@abcabc333 GPA is out of 6 at andover</p>

<p>And ap classes aren’t weighted</p>

<p>Is there a summer reading list? For new uppers?</p>

<p>Nope!! Well idk for new uppers. You guys are usually put in english classes of new uppers so you can assimilate to the english-class structure at Andover</p>

<p>Do you have to be a prodigy to get in to Andover? Because every one who gets in looks to have done something AWESOME, and the only thing I have done is earn a bronze and maybe silver award in girl scouts…</p>

<p>For the music ensemble auditions, do you have to prepare a piece beforehand or do the conductors give you a selection to practice and then play for them?</p>

<p>kitkat: you don’t have to be a prodigy at all to get accepted! Although I can’t say that from experience (sorry if that sounds cocky in any way. literally don’t know any way to say that because in reality I did have some impressive credentials), I know plenty of every-day people. It’s just like asking if you can get into Harvard based on grades alone. The answer is yes, but it will be a much tougher road. If you don’t have any “hook” then you’ve really got to focus on your academics and other aspects of you app that you have the ability to bolster. DON’T LOOSE HOPE!!! :D</p>

<p>Juliet: Yes, you have to have a prepared piece. You sign up for an audition time and play in front of a panel of judges, aka the teachers.</p>

<p>Thanks a ton!</p>

<p>Hi,
I am a singaporean who wishes to apply for Exeter/ Andover next year.
May I enquire about how you got accepted into Andover?

  1. SSAT - What did you prepare for SSAT and how long did you spent preparing for the test? Do you have any tips on how to ace the SSAT test?</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Interview - What were some of the questions the interviewer asked? I read on this forum that they asked the usual questions, but I heard from one of my friends that they asked weird questions like “apples or oranges”. Can you please enlighten me on some of the questions the interviewer asked, and how you answered them?</p></li>
<li><p>Essays - For andover, you have to write a few essays / answer questions. How did you write the essays? Any tips? Does it have to be written in good english, or just to show more of my personality? Is it advisable to include my achievement in some of the question? Any suggestions on how to score well for the essay, other than being truthful?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thank you for answering all my questions, I hope I am able to join you next year at Exeter / Andover, ( I am applying for grade 11).</p>

<p>what color backpack should I get?</p>

<p>Not swimdude, but I’m also a 3-year rising upper so I’ll just do some quick answers.</p>

<p>@GMTplus8:

  1. I didn’t really prepare, which is not what you should do, but I was a pretentious little prick at the time. I got one of those Princeton Review books, looked at a practice test, and sais “I know all this”. My advice would be to take some practice tests - just get accustomed to the format and the way questions are asked. Get acquainted with some normal tips and tricks. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>Mine was really normal stuff, from what I remember - why Andover, what do you like to do, what do you think Andover will do to you/what will you do for Andover, etc. I just answered them with what I thought. I did embellish and say some stuff that I thought would pander to them. At some point, though, the interview became more of a conversation, and I think that’s really the goal with it. Tips: Don’t be stupid. Be prepared, but not mechanical. Don’t be a psychopath and talk about killing small animals or anything. Dress nicely.</p></li>
<li><p>I wrote them like I’d write anything for school. Yes, they were a bit robotic, but I tried to make them more like a story. I’d say grammar/spelling is important, because mistakes might indicate ignorance or just a lack of effort. Make sure you read it over several times. I doubt that it needs to be absolutely perfect, but it wouldn’t hurt to aim for that. Personality is also important, but some of that comes from the interview. It would be better to be honest but creative. Make it interesting. Admission officers read so many of these essays. Make yours stand out - make them want to keep reading.
Don’t include achievements unless it’s important to the main point of your essay. For example, if you’re writing about learning from a group experience, don’t talk about that time you played in Carnegie Mellon. My advice on this point would be “don’t sound pretentious”. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>tl;dr: Be honest, show passion/show why you chose to write about the topic, be engaging. Don’t show off.</p>

<p>@naturallyme: Neon is always in. If that’s too eye-catching for you, white blends in with the tons of snow that gets dumped on campus irregularly.
(in all seriousness: whatever color you want. or is cheaper.)</p>

<p>By first gen, do you mean you’re the one who came to America or your parents are or something else entirely?</p>