I am an eighth grader looking to apply to Phillips Exeter, Andover, and Lawrenceville this year.
I can consistently score around 2350 on the SSAT, but I am looking to improve this score. I also received 835 and 850 on the PARCC last year. I got 19 on the AMC 8 and 102 on the AMC 10.
In terms of school, I have straight As (my school does not offer A+) and (hopefully) good recommendations. I am involved in a litany of extracurriculars, including but not limited to band, math club, and quiz bowl. I recently came in Best Delegate for a local Model UN conference. I placed within the top 15 in the National History Bee (don’t want to give away my number). I am also a semifinalist in the Broadcom MASTERS science fair. (Finalist results come out in two days).
I am horrible at sports. The only ones in which I have more than minimal activity are tennis, table tennis, and chess.
My musical talents are also less than perfect. I have failed to enter even my school’s selective jazz band, but I regularly qualify for the also selective Graduation Band.
Sadly, I am not a legacy nor have I donated money to any of the schools to which I wish to apply.
What are my chances of getting into Exeter, Andover, and Lawrenceville?
How can I improve these chances?
I would say your ssat scores are amazing!! Im a fellow student like you also applying so I can’t say certainly but your profile sounds really good (the math competition and stuff) :)))) I wish you the best of luck!
Your scores are amazing! Maybe even better than mine! (I currently attend Andover if you were wondering).
I would say that yes, a well rounded student is most desirable when it comes to picking applicants. Therefore, because boarding schools offer such a variety of sports and music, expressing an interest to maybe learn how to play the violin even if you can’t read music or at least try jv basketball or squash will give you a better chance of acceptance. Even if you don’t feel that curiosity yet, trust me when I say that, on campus, you will want to try anything and everything.
Enthusiasm for trying new things is key here. You have a lot of things you haven’t done before so showing them that you want this opportunity to do something differently is a convincing factor.
@Personof2017
You technically don’t need any awards in sports/instruments, especially since you have other ECs with very notable awards/recognition… Extra awards of course don’t hurt, but you have good stats and you are certainly in the running. You don’t necessarily need music and sport accomplishments to get into good schools, if you show enough passion in your main ECs (the ones in which you already have recognition and experience). Often school like kids with ‘spikes’ instead of well rounded.
Will being from a country close to India hurt my chances (I don’t want to give away the country because it’s really small and that might give away my identity)?
I heard that Asians (although more centered around East Asians) have lower chances of getting into Exeter.
@Personof2017 My child had the same scores as you and they are not uncommon at these schools. Tope scores and all A’s are actually all too frequent: where are you from (generally), what is your gender and background and do you need FA? These questions are just as relevant when honestly assessing a candidate. OOPs my reply crossed with yours. Being international can really lower your chances. But it depends…
@Center Thanks for the reply! I am from a state on the East Coast, I am a male, and I do not need FA. Sorry if my previous post may have implied the opposite, but I was born in the U.S. My parents were born in another country.
@Personof2017 If the small country your parents are from are URMs it might help your application (not by a lot though) especially since you are a US citizen it might not matter much, only adds a bit diversity in your ethnicity (lol… rhyming :D)
And there is no less chance for Asians in Exeter… or any other school for that matter…its just that there are a lot of Asians applying to Exeter (and other schools ) so it gets competitive…
I actually go to Exeter (senior now) and I’ve been here since my prep year [aka freshman in non-exonian jargon]. It’s an amazing school, but I will be honest, it is also really hard. Forget about sleeping 8 hours a night, or even 6. Of course, that depends on the grades you want to get, but if you’re expecting to get A’s at Exeter, I’d say think again. Some people had all A’s in middle school or 4.0s in high school, and they get C’s and B’s here. It’s not impossible; I came from a tiny public middle school and have one of the top GPAs in my class, but I also have sacrificed a lot of my social life and sleep to do so. That’s just a warning for you. If you are looking for prestige but a slightly easier route, go to Andover. We all joke that it’s everyone’s safety school. It’s not a bad school, they’re just our rivals so I’m biased, but it is true that we (Exonians) are more studious/have harder classes. Lawrenceville is a good school, but if you really want the top boarding school, Exeter and Andover definitely win out.
As for admissions, from what it looks like, you seem to be very academically qualified. I’d say grades matter more than scores, as standardized testing really doesn’t indicate much more than you’re able to successfully play a mind game, but they want you to stand out. Focus on what makes YOU different from the rest. Interviews are KEY. I had a friend who not only was an amazing soccer player, saxophone player, all A’s, and scored in the 99% on his SSAT etc. who gets super nervous at interviews and he completely bombed it, and I also have had teachers on the committee who have confirmed interviews are huge. Also, your essays need to be good. My Russian teacher is on the admissions committee and she tells us about the essays she reads, and, honestly, there are some really terrible essays out there, so make yours good. Let me know if you have any questions and good luck!
and 102 on the AMC 10.
) so it gets competitive…