<p>Nice. I am international, and hopefully the only Canadian applicant for Exeter. tappingprep, I'm applying to Taft. I've had a phone interview direct with the administration, and learned that there are several Canadians applying along side with me although there is presently a single Canadian at Taft. Taft is a great school, no doubt about that. It has great connections with Canada should I ever need a strong cultural link. Taft is considered one of those more "softy" schools as put by my Hotchkiss alumni. But nonetheless, the Abraham Lincoln statue, the Rhino statue, and the whole academia learning centre is an atmosphere worth learning in.</p>
<p>Additionally, I'm applying to Exeter and Hotchkiss. Should I get accepted by more than one, I'd have a difficult time choosing which school. Normally people would go straight for Exeter because of its strongest matriculation however, this one's a personal decision for me.</p>
<p>Btw, I am a sophomore applying for the Junior year at these schools. The American experience will be one I look forward to.</p>
<p>I'm Canadian, but I live in Hong Kong. I put 'Canadian' in as my nationality though, since I've lived longer in Canada (Vancouver/Kelowna) than Hong Kong.</p>
<p>Tekno10m- I got the 14% thing from my friend at Exeter, who spoke with the Head of Admissions a few days ago.</p>
<p>I am curious as to the "KEY" reason everyone is applying to boarding school vs. staying home and attending public H.S. or private day school. Better chance at top colleges, want to be away from home, chance to meet new friends, athletics, class size, etc.</p>
<p>Although there are several reasons my D is applying, I would have to say she is most eager to make new acquaintances with a more culturally/geographically diverse student body while I am hopeful the quality of instruction will be superior to local alternatives.</p>
<p>Hi, all Vancouverites!
I wish i could call myself one, but I cant. I did, however live in Vancouver,Canada for 8 mos. and I never wanted to leaVE. o well, that's life.</p>
<p>Prep parent, Im applying because i want to be independent and get away from my crazy family.If I get The FA(which I need badly)I will be one step closer to my goal.</p>
<p>I was looking at average SSAT's for applicants being admitted to top prep's and it seems most are in the 88-89%. I know that SSAT's are one of many decision criteria, but does anybody have an idea what % of applicants w/ SSAT's >90% are rejected from the top prep's?</p>
<p>Fantom, don't worry about the SSAT. I got a 98%, and I'm sure I have as much a chance as a 90% or a 99%. Dont worry about the SSAT. The key is your interview and essays, in my opinion. They want to know about YOU, not just how you score on a test.</p>
<p>Yeah. My dad flunked his standardized test in the 70's and still got into the gunnery because he's charasmatic. But then again, the gunnery isn't all that great a school...</p>
<p>I asked my interviewer at Choate, and he said the expected ssat percentile was an 87%ile. Below that they start actually caring what you got. However, my tour guide got an 80 and she got a full ride</p>
<p>My son applied to these five schools. His stats are in general ok. He aced his SSAT (99V; 99M; 97R: 99% total 1030 points out of 1050). His grades are on average B+/A- on the borderline. He said his interviews at St. Paul's went really well. His EC includes Mock UN, Studio Arts, Guitar. He did several community services such as Habiat for Humanity homebuilding. Guess he submitted decent essays......But, after having completed the interviews, we realized that the boarding school application process is something that counts everything. Can't tell what kind of outcome would befall on my son in March. Very nervous. Any ideas of my boy's chances in St. Andrew's and other 4 schools?</p>
<p>One thing, great scores-okay grades combinations are trumped by excellent grades and lesser scores combinations...meaning having to work hard to get those straight A's, is more impressive then acing a test and not doing as well, relatively speaking. This is what admission people told me.</p>
<p>I got a 92 on my SSAT and my lowest grade in middle school is was 96=4.0. I asked my interviewer/director of admissions if I would be competitive and he said yes, because I had excellent essays, above average SSAT scores, excellent grades, I go to a non-magnet public middle school, live in the South, and am URM. He even gave me a recommendation to others on the admissions staff. I was so happy he said that I thought I would die, and it was my first choice school. So hopefully I'll get in. But definetely grades are more important than scores, because grades show the long run, and not just one day.</p>
<p>Chris, it is very difficult to compare schools. It is a very individual thing. As you can see from this thread, matriculation and name seem important. I will say this, I know a gentlemen who is a prep school consultant, who recentlly said to me, that he felt top to bottom St. Andrew's was the best school. His daughter chose Cate, and I asked why not SAS? His response was that she felt Cate was a better fit for her. All top boarding school's ( which I put SAS ), have their good points. You are at a great school! I hope it was the right decision for you. By the way, the consultant has placed students in every school mentioned on this thread. He has spent countless hours at each of them, and SAS is his choice. Not exeter, sps, middlesex, andover, hotchkiss, choate, etc.</p>
<p>I agree to prepparent. You should be proud of being at SAS, which is a great school in its own right. Comparison is meaningless. It is a matter of whether you are happy there or not. I also hope you enjoy your life there.....As my son alos is applying to SAS, how competitive/tough does it get to get an opportunity to study there? My son's GPA is B+/A-, decent but not that great. His SSAT is 99% though.</p>
<p>i have no idea; i guess this is individual thing as well..</p>
<p>there are really diverse students here; they are pretty much interested in things from kendo to violin, from spanish to chinese, etc.</p>
<p>i do find this place very pleasant; everyone just knows everyone else, but when you do need a private time, it is also easy to find it as well.</p>
<p>i think this school is very competitive to get into, but it's not just about competition. i think it's about how caring, supportive, the school is.</p>
<p>if he has 99% ssat but b+/A-, in terms of academics, he stands a decent chance; of course, i don't know anything about his character or EC etc. so nothing is for sure..</p>