Accomplishments/Community Service

I’ve heard that boarding schools these days take your high SSAT scores and 4.0 GPA with a grain of salt. After all, most people score highly on the SSAT, so the admissions office will be looking for something that sets you apart. This makes my daughter nervous because she’s never been very involved in community service. Should she start, or would that just seem desperate? She’s never really gotten any notable awards because our hometown is very small and has few opportunities. She’s been told that her chances don’t look good, but is an extremely motivated, bright student. Any opinions?

I would recommend that you try to explain the hometown issue, either during interviews or in essays. For instance, when asked why she wants to go to a BS, your daughter can add how she not only seeks a better education, but is also looking for a more supportive and progressive environment - unlike your current hometown. Awards and community service, for sure, are great things to add to an app, but they aren’t the only things that can make you get in. Each applicant has parts of his/her applications that shine the most - it might be interviews, essays, ECs, or recommendations. Nobody can, other than the actual AOs, be certain about a student’s chances, which change from school to school. Which school names do you have in mind right now?

Thanks for the tip! Based on our research, we are currently planning to apply to: Exeter, Andover, Deerfield, SPS, Suffield, Choate, L’ville, and possibly Williston. We have yet to visit these schools, so our plan could be affected once we do.

I was accepted by Choate and waitlisted by Exeter, Deerfield, and Andover. I didn’t do any community service, nor did I have perfect grades or a perfect SSAT score. That being said, my scores/grades were still relatively high, and I did have involvement in a couple extracurriculars. I didn’t have any awards though. It would be slightly insensitive to complete community service just to get into prep school, but most community services are in definite need of volunteers and they will gladly accept your daughter. Whatever floats her boat, I guess.

I think community service helps show good character and contribution to community. Some BS may value it. I think they look for kids with a passion they want to foster at the school, whether a sport, music, drama, community service, art, etc
Also, most here would recommend applying to a range of schools, not just the well known “best” schools. There are soooo many good schools.
Best of luck to her!