I’m an International School Student from Taiwan (current rising sophomore but applying to repeat 10th grade) and was wondering what my chances of admission were at the ‘HADES’ schools as well as Middlesex, Choate & Groton.
Middle School Grades: Poor grades in 6th grade, Near Straight A’s in 7th and 8th (Selected to Honor Roll in 7th & 8th grade)
Upper School Grades: Freshman Year- 4.03 GPA taking almost all-honors level courses, Sophomore Year will be taking all Honors & AP level courses
SSAT: 90th Percentile (though will be taking again twice)
Financial Aid not needed
EC’s:
- Elected Club Officer for a student-run club that alleviates poverty and helps struggling entrepreneurs through micro-finance
- Involvement in 2 student-run English Teaching Initiatives (1 of which works with the Taiwanese local government teaching underprivileged local students)
Sports:
-Formerly ranked Top 25 nationally in tennis (have since stopped playing in local tournaments because of schoolwork)
-Member of the Tennis Varsity Travel Team (Our school competes internationally within Asia) as a 9th Grader
I will be applying as a repeating sophomore, how will this affect my chances of admission?
Thanks!
There are limited spaces for sophomores so it will lower your chance; however, you have a good chance based on your resume. Study on your SSAT and devote extra time to your essays and other opportunities to fill in the blanks or express yourself. Your numbers are good, but what makes or breaks a candidate is the essays and interviews. They need to really stand out - there are plenty of articles and videos on YouTube that can help you with that. (College app videos are helpful too)
I wish you the best of luck next year!
You look like a strong candidate. With that said, you will have a lot of competition for a few spots, even being full pay. I would really focus on fit, rather than prestige, to increase my chances.
Don’t worry about your grades from 6th grade, because I had bad grades in 6th grade too, but I brought them to straight As in 7th and 8th grade.
I would try to differentiate yourself from other candidates as much as possible. Emphasize being Top 25 in tennis, because I think schools would find that interesting. One thing that my college counselors at Exeter have told me is that colleges (and probably boarding schools too) care not only about your position in a club, but what you did with that position. For example, you can be a major leader in a club/activity, but you should show how you applied your leadership and what contributions you made to the club/activity.
i don’t think your grades from grade 6 will affect you that much, since you did mention significant improvement starting in 7th grade. they do accept sophomores, but it may lower your chances, since you’re not starting in ninth grade. overall, however, i do think you have a pretty good chance, best wishes!
Most schools have several spots for grade 10. It really shouldn’t lower your chances as their are also fewer applicants.