<p>To date, I have not seen any posts here from black students and got my SSAT scores today just like everyone else. I guess I can be categorized as the student athlete type. </p>
<p>My scores fall short of some seen here:</p>
<p>Verbal 38%
Math 59%
Reading 46%</p>
<p>Anyway, I am being told to consider some of the schools with strong sports programs like Exeter, Deerfield, and Milton.</p>
<p>I am quarterback of my 8th grade football team which just won a state championship. We also won another state championship two years ago. Overall, I have played football for seven years. I also play lacrosse. Last year, I led the team in assists, ranked high in goals and helped the team to the state championship game. </p>
<p>I go to a decent middle school with grades that are A's and B's. The last two years I have won American Youth Football academic honors for my grades.</p>
<p>Deerfield is my first choice because of the quality education and sports mix. Exeter is my second choice. I had good interviews at both schools.</p>
<p>Should I bother applying with my scores or look elsewhere? Holderness came up but they are not the football power of the other schools.</p>
<p>Thanks for some honest feedback. Any other football or lacrosse players out there?</p>
<p>you've got great ec's.....but your SSAT's (i'm sorry to say it) might be too low to get you to schools like exeter. is there aby way you could retake the test? if not, i might look into a few slightly lower SSAt average schools. but i also think you should never give up and you should definitely still apply! you never know, your ec's and personality might just pull you though!</p>
<p>As the father of a "student athlete", we went through a similar experience (D had been to USA Hockey nationals a couple of times).</p>
<p>Lots of things to ask before I can make a recommendation...</p>
<p>1) What are YOUR long term sport objectives (Div 1A, Div 1AA, etc.)?
2) Are you projected (genetics) to have the build of a Div 1A QB (6' 2"+) or are you the atypical small athletic QB type who may latch on at a school looking for something different?
3) Do you want to start up front, or are can you wait until later years perhaps playing other positions (receiver?) until you get your chance to start (very few 9th graders start at top programs)?
4) What are YOUR college academic objectives (Ivy, Large State U, Big Name private (Stanford, Vandy, etc), etc.)?
5) Are you comfortable (i.e. like the challenge) in a school where you are in over your head academically or would you rather not be as worried about your GPA?
6) What else (besides the sports) are you looking for from a boarding school?</p>
<p>In the interest of full disclosure, my D does not attend one of the frequently mentioned schools, so I don't feel like I have a bias towards any of the schools you mentioned.</p>
<p>Our decision was a school where she is in the top quarter of her school academically. She is still quite challenged in school (despite it not being one of the well know quantities) and has enjoyed her time there because it better fits her casual personality. That is why I ask #6 - fit to YOUR needs/likes/dislikes is probably the most important factor in your being successful at a school.</p>
<p>BTW, just because a school is not a football powerhouse doesn't mean that you can't get good coaching there. If you are serious about finding the best coach try to research what schools are developing young QBs for college teams. Some of them just attract the already developed talent (no coaching skill necessary), but other schools make ordinary players into top college recruits. And often it is an assistant coach who deals with the QB. You probably want to ask a lot of questions of current QBs to see what their coaches are doing for them. Tough thing to do though. Your current coaches may have to help you with this.</p>
<p>BTW, your scores are not too low to get you into the schools in question if the coach has you #1 on his recruitment list. Trust me. However, you may struggle academically if you are not a well disciplined student at the top schools you mentioned. That is why I asked question #5.</p>
<p>Interestingly enough, that might be the best sample of writing of any of the students who post here.</p>
<p>I try not to play the "Chances" game as it's basically the blind leading the blind. You've got some good "hooks" that should get the attention of the schools. The thing is you need to find ways to stand out and alleviate any concerns that you SSAT scores may pose. So far, I'm seeing written expression as a strength of yours. Tell your English teacher recommender about your scores and let him/her know that you're counting on her to effectively convey to the Admission Departments the kind of student you are. You can keep up with massive amounts of reading each night; you can write well; you can spell, use genuine English grammar, and...well, you get the idea. His or her recommendation will be critical to convincing the schools that you possess enough mastery of the English language to stay afloat despite heavy work loads.</p>
<p>Ideally, you'll get the same sort of help with your Math teacher, too. They both can make a huge impact in how your SSAT scores are weighted, though I'm not getting extremely concerned about the math score.</p>
<p>Your SSAT scores will drag down the average for whatever school you end up attending. So your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make sure the rest of your application persuades the schools that admitting you will be well worth the statistical hit they'll take. Don't stop at proving that you can cut it at these schools. Go the extra mile and make them convinced that the school -- and your classmates -- will be better off for having you as part of their community. That needs to come through loud and clear in your essays, in the recommendations (be sure to think about who needs to write the one that goes to the school office) and, hopefully, the transcript.</p>
<p>Good luck! And thanks for elevating the writing level here!</p>
<p>EDIT: Awesome advice and suggestions above from goaliedad!</p>
<p>goaliedad, thanks for the food for thought. here are my answers to your questions below:</p>
<p>1) 1AA or Ivy League is a realistic objective for me. DIII like Williams would be a nice fallback. NFL is not something I plan on due to simple numbers. want good sports and great schooling.
2) my dad is 6'2", mom is 5'11" and i am 5'9". my ortho says i will at least reach dad with growth plates showing 6'3" in estimated height.
3) willing to play other positions and help team. starting is out of question in 9th and know i will have to beat out PGs at deerfield and exeter.
4) want Ivy but also stamford, vanderbilt, notre dame in that league. also williams, amherst or trinity are good DIII schools. looking for top flight education. nfl is not likely as i am realistic.
5) i can rise to the challenge. my public school is good but not very hard which accounts for my lower range ssat.
6) looking for strong math and science programs. also want to learn a musical instrument. good friendly community.</p>
<p>any schools you think i should look at besides exeter, deerfield,..... saint pauls is a great school but seems to push academics vs sports so i doubt i would get in.</p>
<p>I would add Salisbury, Avon Old Farms, Loomis, Kent and Choate. It's hard at the high school level, but if you can look at the rosters and figure out which schools will have a particular need for your set of sports skills, that will help you determine which schools will be particularly interested in you. </p>
<p>It's an asset that you are currently a two-sport athlete in sports that the prep schools like. Are you interested in collegiate lacrosse? There's at least one example of an athlete at one of the schools you mentioned that is playing both ... and doing well.</p>
<p>With an overall SSAT score of 55, the academics at Deerfield, Exeter and Milton might be a bit overwhelming. Consider boarding schools such as Taft and Peddie where SSAT scores in the fifties are commonplace. Good Luck. Consider the Culver Academies in Indiana. If you do get admitted to Deerfield, Milton and Exeter, then I would recommend Exeter as their college placement for the bottom half of the class indicates that you won't be an isolated case.</p>
<p>cnp55: thanks for the tips re other schools. i figure to shoot for the top. my home town high school is decent and i would rather stay home than attend a less than stellar boarding school. i think many feel the same. i do know of one guy similar to me. probably the same guy. he is doing well in sports and classroom.</p>
<p>icy9ff8: i disagree with you re academics. i know i can do the work as my overall score puts me in the upper 10% of american high school students. it just makes it easier for the top preps use SSAT as a screen. i am sure that exeter could fill the school twice over with 90+ students . there would probably be no sports, theatre, etc. anyway, the test does little to show if someone has heart. i know it will be a struggle but i am up for the challenge. i just hope to get a shot to prove it.</p>
<p>Shooting for the top ... is fine. Just make sure you know what the top is! If you are thinking of Ivy League sports ... all the schools I mentioned have put athletes into those schools as well as the best academic DIIIs. I'm more familiar with lacrosse recruits than football -- but the mentoring you would get at some of the schools I mentioned would be awesome. PM me if you want more info.</p>
<p>Heart and a strong work ethic, while admirable and necessary, may not be enough to deal with the academics at Andover and Milton. I know many bright, hardworking kids with SSATs at or very near 90 overall score who finished in the bottom half of their respective classes. Often "recruited" athletes with low SSATs are asked to repeat a year; you, therefore, might need to wait until completing ninth grade in your current school before entering the ninth grade equivalent at schools like Andover and Milton. Schools such as Taft and Peddie have great reputations and are much better suited for those scoring in the fifties, which indicates a high degree of intelligence, than Andover and Milton. Your verbal and reading scores suggest that the pace and depth of material covered at Andover and Milton might be overwhelming for you even if willing to repeat a grade. Sorry, as I know that this is not what you want to hear and this is just one person's experienced opinion, but making an appropriate match for you is much more important than attending a big name school. I truly wish you success and good luck!</p>
<p>I'm going to talk a little bit about D1 recruitment here. I'm not sure if I agree with icy9ff8 with regards to repeating 9th grade. This is an NCAA regulation issue that has been put into effect in the last year or so. 15 of the required 16 "core courses" on the NCAA list now must be completed within the first 4 years once a student starts 9th grade at ANY school. So repeating 9th grade makes a student only able to repeat a few of the courses in order to complete the 15 required from the list by his/her 4th year. However, a PG year isn't penalized as a result of this rule and would be a better route if for some reason you choose to take an extra year. There are topics that discuss this more in the college area if you search on NCAA there.</p>
<p>Another topic with regards to Div 1 is Ivy League recruiting. If you are not familiar with the concept of the Academic Index for the Ivy League, you need to research this thoroughly before making a choice. Basically, the Academic Index or AI as it is commonly referred to, is a number based upon your SAT/ACT test score and a score based upon either your GPA or Class percentile (rank) adjusted for your school size. Ivy League schools by their own rules limit the participation of students (by sport and overall across all of their programs) based upon the average AI score. Granted helmet sports (football and hockey) tend to get more leniency and have lower AI scores. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, AI scores do NOT take into consideration whether your 10th percentile rank is from Podunk Public HS or from Exeter. So strangely enough, there is a very good reason to go to a 2nd tier Boarding School where you may be in the top 10th percentile as opposed to Andover/Exeter/etc. where you may be in the 50th percentile. It could cost you recruitment opportunities within the Ivy League. </p>
<p>And honestly, unless you are taking the top classes at Andover/Exeter, you can come away from a the top classes at a 2nd tier school with every bit as good of an education. It is something to consider, but only if you are trying to open Ivy League options. Outside of the Ivy League, this won't matter as much, although rank at some schools is still very important, but if your football is good and the grades/scores are acceptable, the world is your oyster.</p>
<p>BTW, I am also a fan of Culver Academies, but if you are not interested in leaving New England, you won't like it (rural Indiana - but a beautiful campus and stellar academic/athletic facilities).</p>
<p>BTW, I want to add my compliments on your writing skills as well. If you didn't identify yourself as a student, I wouldn't have picked you out as such by your diction.</p>
<p>I thank all for the advice and praise. Anyway, I will speak to my guidance department today and see when I can take the test again. More advice is always appreciated.</p>
<p>One more thing: I did not take a prep course for the SSAT like many. Money is an issue for me. Do they really help? I did use one of the books you can buy but that is all.</p>
<p>So...that should be a lesson not to be a slave to those numbers. If a 90 is no guarantee of success, why is 38% or 46% dispositive that the student will struggle mightily?</p>
<p>More information is needed. The kid can write circles around all the other kids here, so -- perhaps -- the scores don't accurately reflect aptitude. If the English teacher recommendation indicates ability that exceeds what the SSAT suggests -- that's possible, isn't it? -- then that could change things.</p>
<p>As presumptuous as I think it is to opine on chances threads, that's just my personal quirk. This prediction takes things to another level. I'm baffled at how anyone can go a step (or two or three) further and actually predict how a student will ultimately cope with the academics at specific schools on nothing more than the SSAT numbers. I can look at a detailed chances thread and understand that the best I can offer are some thoughts on how to improve on weaknesses or avoid certain land mines. Taking SSAT numbers to predict success (or failure) once a student matriculates is something even the Admissions Committees would resist doing.</p>
<p>I don't disagree that the numbers suggest the applicant might not keep up...but I disagree as to the conclusiveness of these numbers as well as the concept that there will be an appreciable difference in how the same student will perform at Andover/Milton versus Taft/Peddie. He may have a better chance of getting admitted to the latter pair, but I'd be very interested in hearing how you figure he'll perform better at the latter pair than the former.</p>
<p>As they always do, Goaliedad and D'yer have given you excellent advice on these matters. Being a recruited athlete is an entirely different ball of wax, both at the prep school and college levels, than is typically discussed here so I would listen to what they have to say. </p>
<p>My only contribution to this topic would be to say that Milton has a really strong football program with players going on to play at D1/Ivy League and top D-III programs.</p>
<p>As regards an SSAT prep course, they really can help but they are not cheap. The thing is that the SSAT is more a test of what you know, and that's why a prep course can be so valuable: it can actually teach you what you need to know for the test. But such knowledge doesn't come cheap! If you do want to take the test again, and don't want to (or can't) spend the money for a prep class, get a few more of the prep books (e.g., Kaplan, Princeton Review, etc.) and go over the vocab lists, math problems, etc. That will certainly help.</p>
<p>The classes move at a different pace and depth at Taft and
Peddie vs. Milton and Andover. The SSAT example is to show how demanding these schools are academically. I couldn't disagree with Dyer Maker more than I do. If you want another assessment regarding SSAT predictors talk to the academic deans at Andover, Milton, Exeter, Groton, St. Paul's, Peddie, The Westminster Schools, Pace Academy,etc. I know that Dyer Maker means well, but I actually deal with these types of folks and if you ever find one that agrees with Dyer, please let me know.Andover, Exeter, Hotchkiss, etc. created the SSAT test to be able to compare and assess the abilities of applicants from different schools across the country. The SSAT is an accurate predictor. As an applicant, don't rely on anonymous internet opinions, including mine, when you can go to the source at these boarding schools.</p>