<p>I am an international applicant and I have just received an email from Groton.
I wonder if it was a bad sign or just the opposite.</p>
<p>"Our admission director has pre-read your file and feels that the admission
committee will be able to review your application without the need to have
a telephone interview. He has waived this requirement for you and I have
moved your file onto our admission committee for review."</p>
<p>what are your Tofel and SSAT?</p>
<p>88/70% ,grade 8</p>
<p>I guess the email is either a very good sign or a very bad sign. The admission director may be certain that, only by looking at your file, you’re totally qualified to get in, or he may be certain that you’re a weak applicant, and an interview will not be likely to change the outcome.
What are your TOEFL and SSATs? Did you write good essays? Were your recs terrific?</p>
<p>you are from China right? And you have never been to campus or interviewed right? To be honest, I don’t think you are favored with your scores, unless you have a super hook. In that case, they would want to interview you to know more.</p>
<p>Are you applying for 8th?</p>
<p>Assign, here comes back the interview question again. What is the chance of someone can get in a top school w/o being interviewed, if not in person?</p>
<p>Sorry for hadn’t said clearly that I am a parent.
My D’s test scores were not good.
In my D’s other 4 interviews with E/A/S/D, the responses of the interviewers were as follows:</p>
<p>E: don’t believe D have never lived in USA;
A: said that D was not only qualified, but highly qualified;
S: said very impressive of D 's ECs;
D: said D was a strong applicant;</p>
<p>My D’s ECs:</p>
<p>Flute 1 year;
Guitar 2 years, set up a band act as lead guitarist and vocal;
Piano: 9 years;
MUN;
School debate club;
School swim team;
School newspaper editor;
School GIG(Global Issue Group)</p>
<p>Award:
Championship of international school China and Mongolia math olympiad;
CTY high hornor student;</p>
<p>GPA(highest grade is 7 which is IB criteria):
two 7,four 6,one 5(Drama), one 4(IT);</p>
<p>Eassys:
I don’t think very good of Groton’s.</p>
<p>FayMom, D is applying for 9 grade. That was why D had wanted to have chance to be interviewed. But it seems that groton wouldn’t like to give D a chance.</p>
<p>It is VERY competitive for students from China. Groton took three from Beijing last year, doubt they will take that many this year again. I can tell you this, I have been to Groton admission office 3 times in the last three months. Every,time, on the list of ‘today’s visitors" there was at least one student from China, one time two. I bet other top schools are similar. At Exeter, saw one family from China while we were there. IMHO, it is very hard for someone at the end of phone line, to overcome the impression of those who flew half of the globe to visit the school and just had a nice chat with admission officer face-to-face. That is just my opinion. But Assign had told me a case otherwise. What do I know? :）</p>
<p>Are those interviews with other schools over the phone or in person with admission officers? The later is better.</p>
<p>In any case, good luck and let us know the result. :)</p>
<p>Thanks FayMom for offering so many information about the interview.</p>
<p>D’s interviews with E/A/D were made by alumni, through telephone with St. Paul’s.</p>
<p>I thought either Andover or Exeter said on their website that Toefl needed to be at least 100.</p>
<p>You are welcome. PM me if you have other questions.</p>
<p>Any other insight for it?</p>
<p>Interview is one piece of the admission puzzle. She lost a chance to stand out, so I think it’s bad. It doesn’t mean that she can’t be admitted by Groton though. If her other qualifications are strong enough she could. As Faymom noted, the competition is fierce. Your D’s EC’s are very impressive but the test scores are a bit weak for the top schools. Again, any one piece can hardly make or break the deal. It’s the overall qualification and relative position in the pool that matter. Good luck!</p>