Admission Grades at Boarding School

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
1

<p>I was looking to apply to boarding schools for ninth grade in 2016-2017 at places like Andover, Exeter, Choate, Deerfeild, etc. If my grade are (there are four grades per year because my school does quarters)
6th Grade
Math- A-. A, A-,A
ELA- A,A,A,A
Science- A,A,A,A-
Social Studies- A,A-,A,A
Bible- A,A,A,A
Band (flute)- A,A,A,A
Music- A,A,A,A
Choir- A,A,A,A
Art- A,A,A,A
Spanish- A,A,A,A
PE- A-,A,A-,A-</p>

<p>7th Grade
Algebra- A,A,A,A
ELA- A,A,A,A
Science- A,A,A,A
History- A,A,A,A
Bible- A,A,A,A
Band- A,A,A,A
Art- A-,A,A,B (I swear that teacher hates me)
Spanish- A,A,A,A
PE- A,A-,A-,A</p>

<p>With these grades should I consider applying? (based on grades not extracurricular)</p>

2

<p>Honestly, you cant’t decide whether or not to apply or if you have a chance based on grades, especially because not all A’s are created equal. I think what you are really asking is if a few A-'s and B’s are going to ruin your chances. Let me put you at ease: they’re not.</p>

3

<p>Your grades seem fine, but extracurriculars, interviews, essays, and test scores matter a whole lot more than grades. Your grades aren’t going to keep you out, but there are plenty of applicants with straight A’s just like you.</p>

4

<p>I think that it is tempting to get too caught up in one aspect of your application. My DC didn’t have all As (quite far from it!), but will be attending a fantastic BS this fall. It is really about the whole package. Good grades are definitely a good thing, but not the whole picture.</p>

5

<p>Thanks I know that other parts of the application matter. I just wanted peoples input on whether or not a couple A-s and a B are really bad.</p>

6

<p>They’re not going to be looked upon totally favorably, but will they keep you out? Most likely not.</p>

7

<p>As long as you have more A’s than B’s, B’s are ok.</p>

8

<p>Can your family afford to pay full tuition?</p>

9

<p>^Agree. FA drastically lowers chances, especially Asians’</p>

10

<p>Not to mention that seriously, grades aren’t even a majority of the application. EC’s, interviews, essays, and good recommendations are what make you or break you, because most of the people that even consider applying to these kind of schools have almost identical, if not better, grades as you do.</p>

11

<p>I think the most important ASPECT of an application is that your interview matches up with your essay and teacher recs, but that’s just my opinion.</p>

12

<p>Well, I mean, as long as they’re all positive…</p>

<p>If they match up negatively, you’re in trouble. </p>

13

<p>For people talking about which part is the most important: has this been confirmed by an admission officer?</p>

14

<p>Schools’ web sites will often indicate what’s important. For example, at my kids’ school (Concord):</p>

<p>“In evaluating your application, we focus on the content of your school experience, particularly your transcript and letters of recommendation. We also consider your personal statement, comments from parents or guardians, your interview, additional documents that you might submit, and standardized tests results. Careful consideration is given to each application by an admissions committee comprised of admissions counselors, current CA faculty, and senior students.”</p>

<p>They also list the attributes they’re looking for in students.</p>

15

<p>@stargirl3, its our opinion.</p>

16

<p>Me: I think the interview is the most important, second teacher recs, third essays</p>

17

<p>^^^</p>

18

<p>I don’t really see the point in trying to rank parts of the application in order of importance. Colleges release a chart that does the same, and it varies widely even among the most selective institutions. Unless we have something confirmed by a few admission officers at each school, it does no good. </p>

<p>My advice to applicants would be to keep grades and test scores as high as you can while continuing to develop your hook and passions. Be yourself in class so your teachers can give honest recommendations, don’t be a pet if it’s not who you are. </p>

<p>Good luck, I really hope we can all get good news. </p>

19

<p>I want to point out a very important note: grades will never matter as much because all schools define what an A is differently. You could be at a school doing work a grade below where most other kids are, and think you’re a genius. What helps an admissions officer know your intellectual abilities is your SSAT. If you have a 4.0 and a 56th percentile SSAT, that shows a very obvious difference between where you think you are and where you actually are. I don’t say this to be mean at all, though many kids find themselves in this kind of situation and I find quite sad.
Either way, how smart you are isn’t going to dictate your entire career at a school, unless you’re publishing science journals or going to international math competitions, what will make your kid stand out are their ECs and spunk. You’ve gotta have some kind of spunk.
So, while I just wrote this whole thing basically for nothing, just know that the competition is incredibly stiff and if your child is as well rounded as their GPA is high, then you’ll be good.
P.S. You really don’t need all A’s to get into to schools. I would know. Lol. </p>

20

<p>I agree that grades can vary from school to school, but an A shows that you’ve done what you can. A C average and a 99 percentile SSAT might suggest that you’re a slacker, while a high grade and low score could mean your school is easy and/or you’re a bad test taker. </p>

<p>And @boardingjunkie, I really really really hate pointing this out, but you commented that you don’t need perfect grades to get accepted without mentioning that you applied through a program which gave you a consultant. Most people don’t have this, and I don’t want anyone to get false hope. </p>