<p>Ice hockey is important at all the new england schools. Your son could certainly get into one with a far lower SSAT score then the average. I think the players are well supported academically, so you may well want to consider letting him go to one of the better schools. The key issue in my mind is that the better schools seem to be a generally overall better environment. They have their pick of students and end up with a great group of talented, hard working, well behaved students. When you go to the second tier and below, you have a lot of problems with drugs and students who are there to play. I had several athlete friends at prep school who were there because of their sport initially, but all did just fine. As Kirmum said, look past the biggest names for the best schools. P Andover and P Exeter are Harvard, the best known but hardly the best undergrad (high school) education. They are chosen by a lot of internationals and those who have not taken a close look at what is really important in a high school, those wanting a name. If you look at college placement, Andover is number five, behind SPS, St. Alban's and Groton. Exeter in number 9. Go to see the schools and feel the atmosphere. Your son should also meet the coaches as they will be very important to his experience. I wish you the best!</p>
<p>hey Andover's deadline for boarders is February 1
does this mean they must receive my application in their office by then or I must mail it by then?
thanks</p>
<p>I heard test scores arent extremely important, which is good for me (took psat, did real well in 2 of the sections, bombed the other one)</p>
<p>basically if you have high grades (mainly A's, some A+ and A-), play a sport or instrument, write good essays and dont do terrible at your interview you should be admitted? oh and also if you have good but not super terrific recommendations?</p>
<p>in response to jazzpianos comparison of andover and exeter to harvard, as the best known but not the best, i have to say that this is only his/her opinion, and i dont know if he/she has ever attended the schools or had a child attend. college placement is hard to measure, with the large numbers of excellent schools out there, including non ivy names such as duke northwestern stanford etc... i say again that these tough boarding schools frequently do not make it any easier to get into a prestigious university, all they do is present opportunities for students to distinguish themselves at. out of all the schools, id say, andover is the most progressive, with the most kids on financial aid and most students of color. SPS groton deerfield and the like are super traditional schools that are not, in my opinion, as accepting as the andover or exeter. this is not to say that they are not amazing schools. as a White Anglo Saxon Protestant (yes a WASP) male, i cant judge on the race issues first hand, but at least in numbers, andover and exeter have the most diversity and there are far fewer scandals over hazing and racial issues. to say that students choose andover soley for the name is ridiculous. however, i do agree with jazzpiano that the potential candidate should meet with the coaches, that is fundamental.</p>
<p>nightflarer, it should be postmarked by feb 1: and test scores are important but certainly not the deciding factor. id say that you are fine with your stats but try to show the admissions committees your uniqueness somehow. that could make the difference, but overall from what i see, your chances look very high.</p>
<p>if i had mediocre grades as a freshman, but excellent SSAT scores, SAT scores (I took it already) and an unbelievably high IQ, could I get in to one of these schools?</p>
<p>Andover, I went to Groton, boyfriend to SPS, bestfriend to Exeter. Many friends who attended many preps. I am not putting down Andover, certainly it is among the great schools. However, I think that every Andover grad I know would describe the school as cut throat. I agree with you that Andover and Exeter have been the leaders in diversity. They really did accept the best of the applicants before the others. Part of doing that was accepting the every man for himself mentality. Certainly some cultures thrive on this, but it was not what I would want for myself or my child. At Andover andExeter, taking the hardest classes and getting the best grades are the value. This is not the case at Groton or SPS. And funny, when you check out where grads land in college, the more laid back seem to do better. Why should high school be about suffering as it is for so many at Andover asnd Exeter? Just my way of looking at the world.</p>
<p>Sinkingslowely, no, just like colleges, prep schools want to see you have worked hard. High IQs are easier to come by than hard workers.</p>
<p>Bottom line. Can someone translate excellent scores, mediocre and poor - pertinent to how prep schools judge?</p>
<p>jazzpiano</p>
<p>i do not want to get in a huge argument, but when you say that school is about suffering for many at andover and exeter as opposed to Groton and Groton-esque schools, i have to disagree. an andover education is not about suffering! i cant speak for exeter, although i have many friends there, but at andover the administration tries to match students with their appropriate level in subjects, making sure that the work is not too strenuous. certainly there are overachievers here at andover, but taking the hardest classes is not the main student goal. the values are based on a well rounded education, both learning living lessons in the dorm, physical lessons with the athletics program, and certainly academic lessons in the classroom. but andover has much more than a sole academic motive. i also dont agree with you that the more laid back kids get into better colleges. to get into these top colleges one must be pretty spectacular... and it is hard, although not impossible, to do this while leading a completely relaxed life. the colleges are searching for movers and shakers, people who do things. this admissions process is similar to the ones at all the top prep schools including andover and groton. i gaurantee that groton does not search out the laid back type for their classrooms, and indeed i have heard through friends that grotons academic scene is quite lively. these top schools want the kids with the best performance records and thats what they get. this is why one attends these schools, to be with the best. i was one of the many who came to andover for the whole experience, and consequently am not just taking the hardest courses to find, but taking courses that interest me such as african drumming, cosmology, psychology and poety. these are traditionally "easy" courses, but not looked down by the student body. people respect when you take classes that you are genuinely interested in rather than just what looks best on the resume.</p>
<p>sorry to ramble on. to golden, i dont think that anyone has the formula to exactly translate excellent scores, mediocre and poor to how prep schools judge. there is just too much more beyond standardized testing.</p>
<p>You're not rambling Andover. All of the info is helping me to understand the process. You are all seem to be saying that the SSATs are not as important as many may think. Thanks again.</p>
<p>Golden, my guess is that if your son has a 70 on the SSAT and is a good player, he would be a good shot at any school. Hopefully his current school will be positive about his character, that is what these schools take very seriously.</p>
<p>Andover, I also don't want to debate, each to his own. I did not mean to say that the students were more laid back, but that some of the schools are. It is my observation that life at Andover and Exeter is more competitive and stressful than at the smaller schools. Also, quantatative data shows that both Groton and SPS have higher ivy placement rates than A & E, which just says to me that the cut throat atmosphere is unnecessary. Only one opinion. OK 2, boyfriend agrees.</p>
<p>Thank you Jazzpiano for your positive comments. We are all keeping our fingers crossed. I believe his school evaluations are all very positive.</p>
<p>everyone seems very gaurded regarding their ssat scores. I am after the same thing as Golden and have not gotten much of a response. I realize schools don't want to be locked into a score that is acceptable but ... what do they all mean? Do you know if schools look at the scores and whether or not the kid has taken a prep test or had a tutor. My s didn't prepare for the test and now I wish he did. He scores an overall 96% and is coming from a public school, he plays sports and music does he have a chance at Roxbury Latin, it's looking like boarding school is easier to get into than a day school. I can't let him go yet! Ahhhhh</p>
<p>96 is absolutely good enough for any of those schools. I think the teacher references are very important. I know someone who got into an excellent school with a 29 SSAT- but he was a great lacrosse and football player. They had some classes that are not as intense which some of the athletes take.</p>
<p>There are certainly day schools in the Country that are as hard to get tinto as top preps. At those schools a 96 is no guarantee as it is not at the preps. That gets you major consideration. Then they really look at the person, and like the ivies, it's just a crap shoot. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the replys - really wanted the feed back - and thanks for the wish of luck keeping our fingers crossed</p>
<p>Golden - Here's my two cents...My oldest son played hockey at St. Paul's in the late 90's. Even though they may not have the best hockey team year in, year out, they are considered a premier high school hockey program (the first hockey game played in the U.S. was played at SPS. Hobey Baker went there as well). My son was moderately recruited by a number of prep schools as he had played on a number of very successful travel teams prior to high school... He got in to SPS with SSAT scores in the low 80s. His middle school grades were very good, but not the best. He did have a very interesting resume, though...acting, fairly accomplished pianist, very good athlete, and a great interviewer.</p>
<p>He did tell me that some of the students at SPS would joke about the hockey players not being as strong academically as the rest of the student body. As a result, he actually tried to distance himself from the team when off the ice. I don't know if that's just a St. Paul's thing or if the same attitudes towards hockey players (or other athletes for that matter) exists at other schools. I'm not suggesting that the hockey players weren't good students, just that the perception was that they weren't as strong in the classroom as the other students. Those hockey players were still plenty smart enough to go to the best colleges (i.e. Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, etc.).</p>
<p>Having a daughter at Brown who was a heavily recruited athlete, I know firsthand that the top athletes follow a completely different path in the college admission process and the boarding school process as well. I believe that boarding schools and colleges are not going to accept your son if they don't believe that your son can do the work there. If your son is really a terrific hockey player, I would have him go for the prep school(s) that he likes the most rather than overly worrying about his SSAT scores or whether or not he can do the work there. If he isn't capable of handling the workload, the school won't accept him. Obviously if he hasn't historically been a pretty good student, you should probably rule out the top schools(ie. SPS, Deerfield, Exeter, and Andover), but if he's alway been pretty good in the classroom and his SSAT scores are over 75 I think you can go for any of them. He'll get a lot of mileage out of being a top athlete and you can be comforatable knowing that the school wouldon't have taken him if they didn't think that he could do the work.</p>
<p>Browninfall, could you PM me or tell me how I can get in touch with you? I have some questions about recruiting and Brown. Would appreciate it. Karen</p>
<p>Cubfan-
I am a parent of a Middlesex student. I believe it was you that had posted the possibility of applying to Middlesex. My daughter looked at a number of schools, but, when she visited Middlesex, she felt the place to be special for her. I have read alot of post's, and it seems fit takes a back seat to name. Please be careful. You want to enjoy the time spent away at school and fit is important.</p>
<p>Prepparent, Middlesex is of interest to my daughter. Can you tell more of what your daughter likes?</p>
<p>Kirmum, Im not sure where to start. I can tell you she absoluetly love's Middlesex. She felt most comfortable with the students she met on her visit. She liked the size. She loved the beautiful setting. As for academics, she felt them to be as good as any other school. As for college placement, again she felt Middlesex has done a excellent job. As per the prep review rating, Middlesex is ranked 8th with regards to placements in the ivy's, Mit, and Stanford. However this was not the primary factor in choosing Middlesex.</p>
<p>I hear at Andover that you MUST play athletics daily, but i'm a very very sucky athlete. What can I do? Oh yeah, how big are the dorm and do freshmen get single rooms or roommates?</p>