I am a n Ethiopian student. I have ranked in the top 3 for more than 10 consecutive years. My current results are:-
Mathematics- 100%
Physics- 97%
Chemistry- 100%
Biology- 92.4%
History- 82%
Geography- 92%
HPE- 95%
IT- 94%
English- 96%
Civics and ethical education- 91%.
I didn’t do good in my SSAT. I stood first out of 300 students in a regional math competetion when I was in grade 6 (I have a medal to prove that), and stood third out of my school in my 8th grade national exam, currently stood first from my class (36 students) and stood third from the whole grade(166 students).
What are my chances of getting into schools like Phillips exeter, lawrenceville, peddie, groton, the hill or suffield academy.
What were your SSAT scores? It appears that you are an international student, which could hurt you, but since you’re Ethiopian, I suppose it is a plus. Do you need financial aid?
Unfortunately, very few people get into top tier boarding schools with just test scores. You need extracurricular activities such as sports or music, or some other passion that you can show to admissions officers.
I have been playing soccer for almost my whole life and my total ssat score is 51 but my math only is 93. I would ask for a lot of financial aid. And I want to ask you what you meant by its a plus because i am an Ethiopian. Thank you
Unfortunately, for an international student requiring a lot of financial aid, coupled with a 51 SSAT score, I would say that you are out of the running for schools like Exeter, Groton, and Lawrenceville.
However, if you’re really good at soccer, and I mean “insanely” good, you should contact the coaches and maybe they can pull some strings. But it’s still very unlikely. Having only one EC is rather undesirable for a school.
Also, because you’re Ethiopian, you are kind of a URM, since very few people would apply from Ethiopia, or Africa in general. The opposite applies to Asian countries like China and South Korea, where due to the huge volumes of students applying from there and the very few spots available, you would be at a severe disadvantage.
Also, is English your first language? As your Reading and Verbal SSAT scores seem pretty low…
Thank you for your advice, but I have already started my application and what would you recommend me I should do? And if I am not fit for Groton, lawrenceville or exeter am I at least for peddie, the hill or suffield or is there any other good school that would accept me. I am a really good soccer player, and turns out I am the only person applying from the whole school. English is definitely not my first language, but I can understand what is sayed like any other, I am a good listener, just not a good reader. Thank you
Lets not split hairs: assuming that by Ethiopian the OP means black then yes it would possibly be advantageous. If the OP is by chance a white Ethiopian then probably not much help. The big trick aside from skin color is that at very very rigorous schools being 100% fluent in english is a must. The quantity of work at schools like Groton and Exeter is simply enormous and you would need a very high TOEFL score on top of a very high SSAT to be truly competitive. Being an insanely good soccer would help but even the insanely good athletes at Groton an Exeter have to be able to do the work. I could see schools like Tabor, Suffield or Hill being more accomodating to a student with weaker english/reading skills for the sake of a good soccer player and URM. I dont know about Peddie or Lawrenceville.
No hook is a golden ticket and international needing FA trumps any URM hook - in a negative way. The schools listed are all highly selective and are even more selective with international applicants. The successful applicant, IMO, would need stats that are above average for that school. If, as an example, there are 2 applicants from Eritrea with above average stats and one from Ethiopia with below average stats, it’s unlikely that the school would choose the latter for the sake of sticking a pin on the map.
So to which school do you think I should give more attention to? But what if I can get good recommendations and have a good interview, what are my odds and should I contact the coaches or let my coach contact them? Thank you
There are schools that offer classes for ELL students to ease them into the full work load. I would look for some of these as well. You want to be successful! As you have probably learned here on CC, needing FA makes it harder. Realistically, you need to build out your list. As most people here can attest, there are tons of great BS that aren’t the ones that everyone has heard of.
Only give them what they ask for in the application. There’s a saying “The thicker the file, the thicker the applicant.” They only want what they require which is ISEE or SSAT and grades and rec letters and essays, short answers. Nothing more. If you really want to go, ask your coaches to call the athletic department at these schools, and get on it fast! good luck!
Unless you are full pay and have a hook (legacy, geodiversity, recruited athlete), your chances are as good as anyone else’s which is extremely poor. If you think your athleticism is “impact” worthy, meaning can make a huge difference, its up to you and your coach to get this in front of the coaches at these schools who can advocate for you based on their current needs. Nothing to be nervous about. Chances are low you’ll get in, but you have a shot like anyone else and you have to present your strengths.
Let’s consider the Hill School, which is arguably one of the easier schools to get into on your list. According to boardingschoolreview, the acceptance rate is 32%. So, on your scale, the AVERAGE applicant would have a 3 out of 10 chance of getting in. HOWEVER, not all applicants have the same chance. Those with hooks such as legacy and recruited athlete have a much higher chance of getting in, hence the scale must balance for those without hooks, meaning they have a lesser chance of acceptance.
Unfortunately for you, you have a lot going against you: international, FA, low SSAT. So I’d say your chances would be around the 1-2, leaning more to the 1.
I am actually a really good soccer player, my teachers have told me that they have written good recommendations, and I had 2 interviews recently; one with suffield and the other with the Hill, and they both went great. I am trying to communicate with the soccer coaches, but I have difficulty doing so since it’s christmas I guess.In addition I am the best math student in my grade, I have stood 1st from my class(36 students) and third from the whole grade (170 students). I have also stood 1st in a regional math competetion out of 300 top ranking students all over the city. I have also been in a church community since my childhood, helping the poor in every holidays.