So essentially I’m a 9th grader Chinese Australia student looking to transfer to an American Elite Boarding Prep school. Basically in the past few years I’ve considered the thought of pursuing an Ivy League College in the US, and have entertained the notion of attending Yale, and then onto Yale School of Drama (or Yale school of Art if my focus should change) which should decently set me up for a career of Production Designer or Concept Artist or Costumer Designer…etc. (There’s truly a lot of stuff you can do with an art/drama degree). But I digress (and get ahead of myself)… Upon consulting my father whose many friends’ sons have been studying in America, I came upon the fact that Ivy League Colleges (or really any US college for that matter) have a ‘cap’ in admitting international students, meaning that it will significantly disadvantage me in the admission process.
So he suggested that if I’m serious about studying in the US I should consider transferring to America. As I currently attend an elite boys’ boarding school in Australia naturally I’m considering to apply to schools such as Andover, Exeter, St.Paul’s etc. However the daunting admission rate does scare me a bit… So following a similar fashion of tiku2008’s post, I hope you guys can have a look at this brief ‘resume’ of mine and see if I’ve got a shot.
Sports-
Badminton Team
Tennis Team
State level Long Jumper
Academic-
Scholars class for Math, English and Science (The ones available for extension)
Academic Proficiency Award three years consecutive
Effort Award two years consecutive
Visual Arts subject award
French Foreign immersion program member (basically exchange for junior French students)
Internships/Beyond School-
Currently writing film reviews/news for several major directorial websites
Costume Designer/Assistant at numerous local theatre shows
Obviously I’d still need to consult my school adviser in Australia on taking the ssat or the isee, and anybody have advices on prepping for these? but assuming I do alright in those, would I have a shot at being admitted to these elite schools?
So…Ya know…hit me with the hard facts. Thanks a million
True, and applying to college from a US boarding school will not change that.
If you think that’s daunting, have you seen Yale’s acceptance rate?
Overall, the question that you did not answer, and one that every boarding school will ask you: What can Andover/Exeter/SPS provide you that you are unable to find at your current school?
Hint: An edge on admissions to elite universities is not a valid reason to attend a US boarding school.
Thanks for replying. So if I attend any US high school, would it give me an advantage in Ivy admission simply because of the fact that I’m an US student so there’s no ‘cap’ limit? Or does it make no difference at all? I do believe that studying in the US does give you an academic advantage as you can prepare SAT much more directly than if you live in a different country, plus applying to US from AUstraliaI’d have to take both the Australian HSC and the American SAT
But really aside from the slight edge in admission what I’m looking for in an American boarding school is a better art program/facility that Australian boarding schools simply does not provide, as I consider my current school to be one of the most endowed private school in AUS, yet our art facility is quite poor when compared to the ones of Andover, as well as the number of exhibitions, visiting professionals and such, to sum it up the there are simply more opportunities on offer. Additionally a school such as Exeter could really deliver a better exposure and environment in professional development with a much more versatile (and frankly larger) drama department. And the American high school education system in general seems more appealing if you have high-initiative, with the honour courses and additional electives.etc.
The advantage you gain in college admission by attending a US boarding school is not being considered a domestic student but rather being better prepared for a US college since you have been living in the US on your own and studying in an US school, which translates to a much “surer bet” to colleges. I’ve been “tracking” international students from a few Asian countries in Andover for a few years. Most of them do have ended up in elite colleges. Not all in Harvard or Yale mind you, but a pretty impressive list of colleges, let’s say. YMMV. One thing I can tell you or anyone really is that there is NO WAY one can assess the improvement of one’s chance of getting in a super selective college by attending a boarding school. Let’s say hypothetically your chance of getting in Harvard has increased (or decreased) by 10% from 30% to 40%/20%, then you’d still have 60%/80% chance that you won’t get in. How do you even know or feel the difference or figure out what is the cause of the difference? Not ahead of time, and not even after. So that is the wrong question to ask. What you should think is that compared with the alternative (your current school, for example), if the boarding school your are applying to/attending is going to be preparing you to be a better, stronger and and more attractive candidate to elite colleges. If the answer is yes, then go for it. Let me reiterate. If you are asking how much more likely you will get into Yale by attending Andover, there is no answer - not now and not ever.
Being an international student means you are paying full freight and many elite colleges like that! Going to a US boarding school does not make you any less of an international applicant. Coming from a US prep school does not guarantee you admittance to even a top 20 school. Is it possible coming from a prep school in Australia may be just the diversity the top colleges are seeking???
@skieurope, Agreed, there are rare exceptions. But from my experience, this is what I have observed. I have two dual citizen kids in college and all of their cousins (who are not American), are accepted provided they receive no FA, which they would definitely need in order to attend. Thus, they do not attend college in the US.
Not many colleges are need blind to international students, so yes paying full tuition seems to be pretty common among international students. However, for selective colleges, full pay status is not what gets one in. As OP is aware, there’s a “quota” for international students, and there are many many applicants who are just as full paying as the next one. So if you are implying that the reason why many international students attending US boarding schools went on to elite colleges was because they were full pay, I don’t agree.
@panpacific: if that was at directed to me, not what I was implying at all.
But colleges do love students who can foot the entire bill, as well as having a diverse population. Bottom line, getting into a top college is tough for ANYONE, especially if seeking FA. No matter where you come from. So, going to an elite BS does not make it any easier and it should not be the motivation to attend one.
@mexusa: Personally, I actually believe attending an academically rigorous US boarding school does help an international student stand out among the applicants coming from their home region. As I said earlier: “The advantage you gain in college admission by attending a US boarding school is not being considered a domestic student but rather being better prepared for a US college since you have been living in the US on your own and studying in an US school, which translates to a much “surer bet” to colleges.” It is not contradictory to this statement you made though - “Coming from a US prep school does not guarantee you admittance to even a top 20 school.” Yes, No “guarantee”.
@panpacific Makes sense, one of the chief reasons why I’m considering a transfer is for the fact that if I stay in Australia I will need to get exceptional results in both the local high school certificate exam as well as SAT all the while receiving limited preparation for SAT (which does raise the issue that if I can’t ace both tests does that mean I’m simply not academically proficient enough for IVY?) .
And as you have said the mere fact that I attend school and live in the US on my own would seem like a ‘surer bet’ to colleges, and again I do think that studying in a school where academically students are of high initiative would better my preparation, the simple fact that people around me are studying for the same test unlike my lone self in Australia does encourage me.
I don’t consider attending US elite Boarding schools a ‘guarantee’ for Ivy, as I’m aware of the fact that there’s no sure thing when it comes to that matter. But as I’ve previously stated I’m attending a similar school in Australia now and have seen the vast resources a school such Andover could provide for their students. As I’m hoping to study higher education in America and possibly have a career in the country, a US boarding school seem more relevant to future opportunities than an Australian one.
And BTW @mexusa , if I receive scholarship grant (again getting ahead of myself, but…), does that count as FA?
‘Is it possible coming from a prep school in Australia may be just the diversity the top colleges are seeking?’
I think that is a contributing factor, however the edge of ‘international prep school’ seem frivolous to me? If I can achieve insanely high marks in both local high school certificate and SAT I would probably consider it, but as of right now I do doubt my ability to ensure that.
‘Being an international student means you are paying full freight and many elite colleges like that!’
Is it really that much of a factor if I pay full cost? The fact is my family is wealthy among the middle class but not filthy rich… and schools such as Andover do provide international financial aid.
You’re getting way ahead of yourself. But if you get accepted to a US university to study, the expectation is that you will take your knowledge back to your home country. US work visas are extremely difficult to come by.
@VirgilVerne: you have a lot to learn about the admission processes of US college and BS. As starters, SAT/SSAT is only one piece of the whole application. It’s an aptitude test most BS don’t spend time teaching students although there are some prep venues you could use. The tippy top colleges are need blind to international students but many other elite colleges are not. Merit based scholarships are rare in these top colleges if ever. So for an international students with financial need, things will be even harder. BS has a “quota” for international too. Getting admitted to Andover is no easy task. You can give it a try but you can’t “count on it”. You need a B plan if you will.
@VirgilVerne: I wish you the best, but do want to caution you to be realistic about all of your goals. Andover and Yale would be great. But perhaps you also need to consider other BS schools. As for going on to the Graduate Program at Yale for Drama, they don’t always take Yale undergrads. Again, diversity is key.
There are several top programs out there for what you are interested in, NYU being one of the best. Good luck and get researching for several options.
@skieurope True that, this is all just a very vague direction on what I can, can’t or shan’t do, and where to focus my efforts on.
That being said, if I acquire my degree at a US college whilst also qualifying for the Australian e3 work visa, would that make it relatively easier?
@panpacific Thanks for the information, but to what degree do SAT/SSAT play in the admission process? To my understanding though they are obviously not the only factor, but is the primary ground work upon which everything else such as co-curricular programs are based on in the application. I don’t really require financial aid, but it would help if at least some cost be deducted, however if it really slows me done that much in the admission process it’s not essential to me.
@mexusa Thanks for that, obviously there are many paths to take and my expectations for the BEST case scenario is actually quite low (Yale and such), but I do wish to investigate and see which step next would be most beneficial to me. I’ll most probably still be applying to Andover but there are many other options I’m also looking into in case it doesn’t pan out, and really worst case scenario I can always just stay in Australia since my current prep school isn’t too bad, I just feel limited since the school’s speciality facilities such as Art and Drama and their focus diverges quite tremendously from my personal interest and goals.
and my expectations for the BEST case scenario is actually quite low (Yale and such), but I do wish to investigate and see which step next would be most beneficial to me. I’ll most probably still be applying to Andover but there are many other options I’m also looking into in case it doesn’t pan out, and really worst case scenario I can always just stay in Australia since my current prep school isn’t too bad, I just feel limited since the school’s speciality facilities such as Art and Drama and their focus diverges quite tremendously from my personal interest and goals.