<p>Hi guys! I'm kind of new to the whole boarding school thing, and I was wondering if you could help me out a bit, perhaps telling me which schools would be a good fit with my stats? Thanks! :)</p>
<p>Grades:
7th and 8th, straight A's
9th, taking all honors classes, first quarter will probably be 4 A's and 2 B's</p>
<p>Extra-curriculars:
Ballet, ~8 hours/week, company dancer
Speech and Debate, ~6 hours/week, won many tournament awards (best were 1st and 2nd place), focusing on debate this year
Photography (digital), ~4 hours/week, nothing really to show except for a portfolio
Volunteering at domestic violence shelter, ~5 hours/week, worked mostly with the kids of the shelter
In addition to that, I am attempting to start a culinary club at my school, and I'm in the mid to final stages in setting it up! I'm also part of my school's community outreach club.</p>
<p>I haven't written my essays yet, taken the SSAT, or given my forms to my counselor or teachers, but I expect them to be pretty good, hopefully... I also do not need financial aid.</p>
<p>My biggest concerns are a.) will my bad first term grades bring the whole resume down? (the B's are mid to low range, but I know I will do better!!) b.) what am I supposed to do for photography, should I send a portfolio of work? and c.) should I contact the directors of dance to perhaps schedule a class to take? (I know SPS requires it)</p>
<p>(sorry if this is getting boring, a bit more... :))</p>
<p>So, my top choice is probably Andover because it's most close by, and someone I know went there, so I had several opportunities to observe the school and everything, and I absolutely love it. However, do I even stand a chance against all the brilliant applicants applying this year? Thanks for taking the time to read this!</p>
Your grades will not bring you down, don’t worry. Admissions officers know that adjusting to high school can be very stressful, which might bring those grades down a bit. Grades, in my opinion, don’t matter too too much because at some schools it’s sooo easy to get As or whatever. As long as you’re not getting Cs and Ds… 
Yeh, if you’re confident in your photography, prepare a portfolio and get some advice on it maybe from your teacher or something before you send it in. Admissions officers can really get a better feel of your work if you send a portfolio in, for if you don’t, they have no idea if you’re the next Monet or if you’re just taking the class to have it down on a piece of paper. Definitely contact the dance director person! You seem really into ballet, and if this is your passion, let them know it. Plus, you can ask them all your questions about their dance programs beforehand. (I’m not sure if you can talk to the dance directors like sports directors at all schools, but I’d assume so…)