<p>i would like to hear from students that actually did get a low ssat score and were still ACCEPTED ..if so please list score and school..</p>
<p>guess not!!! oh well my daughter bombed her ssat’s…hopefully she will get in from everything else, has a strong well rounded app, with ec’s, and hooks… we’ll be waiting until march 10 to find out :/…GOOD LUCK TO ALL</p>
<p>It depends on what you consider “bombed the sat’s”. Some people consider a 1700 bombing the sat’s. Hopefully, your daughter applied to schools that fit her and her criteria. If her sat scores are a little low in the middle 50%, that doesn’t mean she won’t get in. My daughter applied to schools where her sat scores were a little low and she just missed the merit aid scholarships but the rest of her app was very strong. However, two schools awarded her the merit scholarships anyway. We were thrilled. Bombing the sat would be relevant to the schools to which she is applying.</p>
<p>Board4Better: Sometimes it take a few days for someone who can answer your question to visit the board. Also, note that your initial post was quite broad…I think the answer would be “Sure, people get into BSs all the time with lower than 50%-ile scores.” with the rather large caveat of “It just depends on what schools they have applied to.”</p>
<p>That’s to say, if your daughter truly “bombed” her SSATs and is applying to schools where the average admitted SSAT %-ile is in the mid 80s to low 90s (ie, the most selective/rigorous schools and for the most part, the ones most often discussed here), then her chances for admission are probably below average (all other things being equal). There are many kids who apply to those schools with high 90%-ile scores who get rejected.</p>
<p>That said, I have definitely heard anecdotes about kids getting into Andover with 60%-ile SSAT scores, but I’m pretty sure those kids had other outstanding characteristics.</p>
<p>So, maybe not the response you were hoping for, but a response nonetheless.</p>
<p>I’m interested in what schools she may have applied to, as I always curious how people select their final list of “apply-to” schools. Feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>Best wishes for some good news on March 10.</p>
<p>[NOTE: My post and mum4college’s crossed. Apologies for the somewhat redundant message.]</p>
<p>Ditto @SevenDad and @mum4college</p>
<p>It happens but not widely advertised because it’s rare and it leads to false hope. (For instance I can imagine a rush of unqualified candidates flooding Andover when we say a student was admitted below the normal threshold). The students with lower scores had significant other attributes and it was still clear they would be successful academically on campus. For the majority of students with lower scores, the answer is likely no at the most competitive schools, maybe at those with more lenient admissions criteria.</p>
<p>On the other hand, not every brilliant student is adept at taking a “timed” test. Or local emphasis on mastering state exams sometimes leaves gifted students unprepared for the “different style and rigor” of school entrance exams.</p>
<p>Still - SSAT test scores generally tend to be a good indicator of whether a child can master the workload at a BS so if you applied only to the most competitive schools, the risk of being declined is higher even with an otherwise good resume. If you applied to a broad range of schools, your chances of finding a spot increase somewhat.</p>
<p>Note that mum4college was speaking to college admissions and not boarding school admissions, so her post wasn’t entirely on point.</p>
<p>Yes, it is possible to get into BS with 50% SSAT scores . . . but it’s likely not going to be the schools most frequently discussed on this board! </p>
<p>It’s all well and good for someone to report that they had a “friend” who got into “Well Known Boarding School” with SSAT scores in the low 60s, but (1) we don’t know if it’s true and (2) just because it happened for that kid doesn’t mean it happens frequently. The best way to get a good outcome in March is to apply to at least some schools with average SSAT scores in the applicant’s range. Sure, you can also aim high and send an application to a school with much higher average scores . . . why not? But you can’t count on it, and that shouldn’t be the only school you apply to . . . unless you have a good backup plan in case you don’t get in.</p>
<p>board4better - If your daughter really “bombed” her SSAT’s and is applying to schools with average scores in the high 90s, that’s likely to be a problem. It’s not a dealbreaker . . . but you need to be aware that the schools aren’t simply going to disregard the scores.</p>
<p>Don’t know which schools your daughter applied to, but you should be aware that there are lots and lots of really amazing schools out there that do not require stellar SSAT scores. They may not be as famous, but they can still give your daughter an incredible and challenging boarding school experience. So, if you’re really worried about your daughter’s prospects, spend some time between now and March 10 investigating other schools. You can start with [Boarding</a> School Review](<a href=“Boarding School Search Results”>Boarding School Search Results). If nothing else, you’ll find plenty of schools that will make you wish you were 13 years old again!</p>
<p>My son did not do very well on the SSATs but he got into the one school he applied to. My friend’s daughter took them twice, also not great results, and she got into several schools – Suffield, Northfield Mount Hermon, and 2-3 others (this was last year – can’t remember them all).</p>
<p>Good luck to you and your daughter.</p>
<p>Thank you all. We are hoping for the best. She had great interviews and a lot more to be considered. March 10th will tell it all. Again wishing everyone luck.</p>
<p>For anyone who finds this thread in the future-- I was accepted to andover with a 77 percentile so that’s no super low but I did have a couple hooks amazing recommendations and some reay strong (and a lot) of ECs. Good luck all future aplicants!</p>
<p>76 percentile and I applied for sophomore year to 7 places. Definitely wished I had done better than that (I took the SSAT when I applied for freshman year and got 76 percentile - same exact score… :p) but I was admitted to Christchurch (VA), Choate, and Pomfret this year.</p>
<p>If you are full pay, they might find a way to overlook the lower than average SSAT score. ;)</p>
<p>@preschoolwannab but did your actual number of correct answers or raw score differ between the two years? The pool of 9th graders taking the test is probably smaller than the pool of 8th graders taking it and that affects percentiles. Also were all three scores pretty even?</p>
<p>They may have slightly differed between the years. The scores weren’t even. My math (both years) was much lower than my reading and verbal. Good point, the pool is probably smaller. I was just saying that I was hoping to improve a little bit the next year - still ended up in the same percentile. Lol. @ItsNotHogwarts</p>
<p>I was accepted at The Governor’s Academy and New Hampton School and Wait-Listed at Milton and St. Paul’s School with a 52% SSAT</p>
<p>I was accepted into Middlesex and St Paul’s with 69% SSAT. If that helps?</p>
<p>more proof that it’s never about the SSAT. Or never Just about it, I should say. For my son, his grades are just so-so (some Cs) and he’s not an athlete, under-repped minority, musician, so his 80% SSAT score was a method of proving he has academic potential to the less selective schools, so that works out well for him, but had we been able to trade a lower SSAT score for straight As, our application list would have probably included more schools and more selective schools. </p>
<p>But then again, had he been the straight A kid, we probably would have sought out boarding school in the first place. </p>
<p>I don’t know if I agree with the looser rules on SSATs with full pay. Some schools will see stats like my son’s and really like the idea of taking on the challenge of helping a smart under-achieving kid reach their potential, to have a success story to share, but it’s a big risk to take when you toss in needing 75% FA. With good grades, schools can feel a little more secure about handing out those big FA packages. They want students who receive aid to succeed and continue at the school. With a full pay student, you can take that risk with less proven academic success if they’ve got good scores. Maybe it will turn around, regardless they’ll help keep the school up and running. </p>
<p>i got into exeter and deerfield with a 73% SSAT. i had really good essays and recs, and my skype interview w/ deerfield was good. but i was a reapplicant to exeter, which probably helped </p>