<p>Don’t you have to be outstanding to get that much financial aid though?</p>
<p>Also can you please give me a website where I can take a timed practice ssat? I haven’t found one.</p>
<p>You either get the financial aid you need or you do not. You will be in a more competitive pool of applicants if you are needing financial aid. However, if you need financial aid, you have no option. My point is that any boarding school is beyond your father’s means, so you should not let the advertised price deter you from applying to any given school. As they say, “if you’re in for an inch, you’re in for a mile.” You will be in the “needs financial aid” pool of applicants regardless of where you apply, and the price you will pay will likely be similar regardless of the “list price” of the school, so perhaps the “list price” should not be a top consideration in where to apply.</p>
<p>The SSAT is not an online test. It is a paper and pencil test. The easiest way to go is to copy an answer sheet from an SSAT prep book, get out your own timer, set up your test-taking environment, and take the test; self-timed. The book will tell you how to score (it depends on your grade level). You could download a free test from here if you have not yet procured a test-prep book:</p>
<p><a href=“Free SSAT Practice Tests — Ivy Global”>http://ssatprep.com/free-practice/</a></p>
<p>Alright thank you. I will start studying this week and take the test around sundayish. After I get my practice test score where do I go from there?</p>
<p>There are several threads that suggest strategies and schools to target. I would look at what @GMTplus7 has written in defining schools to target. You will know what your SSAT range might be by the end of the weekend. Target schools that offer financial aid and where the SSAT scores are in the ballpark of the practice scores that you have.</p>
<p>Basically, I would follow Post #7. Start the application to Blair, since your sister went there and that may give you an admissions boost. Ask for an SSAT waiver from Blair and use it to sign up for the test.</p>
<p>Seriously consider applying as a repeat sophomore.</p>
<p>If I replied for a repeat sophomore would they use my grade 10 marks still? Or my grade 9?</p>
<p>They’ll use your grades from both grades 9 and 10-- and they won’t make you repeat any classes-- they’ll put you in classes that will challenge you. It just means you’ll have 3 years at BS rather than 2, and that you won’t have to start during the toughest year (Junior year) AND start the college process at the same time (Junior year). As people have said, there are also many more slots for sophomores than juniors. And lots of people repeat sophomore year.</p>
<p>Some religious schools are not always recommended. Considerably many religious schools are known to have difficulty of filling class due to poor academics, infrastructure and lack of budget. They are exposed to the risk of close-down. You may be better off at good, large public high schools than those. </p>
<p>Also, always look for the hidden gem schools rather than top boarding schools. There are great schools with less brand recognition. You may be eligible to get a partial aid, if your scores and grades are good enough or better than now. </p>
<p>Lastly, fix your attitude. Don’t say “Thanks, man.” or “evil parent”. Be polite to adults who take their precious time and give you their piece of advice. They are not the right words for a kid who claims to have ‘good’ people skill. Are you going to say “Thanks, man!” to the admission director?
Don’t say anything negative about your parent in your essay or in the interview either. </p>
<p>Sorry, so patron are you saying it is going to be a challenge to get into a school with my scores and my school? What can I do to prevent this from happening? What schools are less selective?</p>
<p>I don’t know exactly how academically challenging your current school is. I can only guess from your comment that maybe your school is not the most challenging one. If your current grade point average is B AND you want a financial aid, your chance of getting into the top boarding school should not be very big and you would want to look into ‘less’ competitive but still good schools. Search this forum and find those schools with words like hidden gem or gem. Also, you would need to raise your GPA and get a good recommendation. If your current school doesn’t provide extra-curricular activities or sports you want, you may do your own. Look for a local sport team or do community service that you like to do. Remember, the most important factor should be your grades and test scores at this point. </p>
<p>The following links could be a good starting point: </p>
<p><a href=“Search results for '' - College Confidential Forums”>Search results for '' - College Confidential Forums;
<p><a href=“Identifying Hidden Gem schools by the numbers, and considerations for admissions after 9th grade - Prep School Admissions - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1687542-identifying-hidden-gem-schools-by-the-numbers-and-considerations-for-admissions-after-9th-grade.html</a></p>
<p>Alright thank you. Also my school is a pretty challenging one with a vigorous work schedule. I don’t mind this at all, however I feel that has some part to do in it. There is also one teacher with a teaching degree in my school so the teachers aren’t the best but I will not blame my poor marks on my teacher as there are lots of other kids with 4.0 gpas. My main problem I feel that was affecting my marks was the switch from a very different school to another. I will take a look at your links now. I have also talked to student council about starting a tech club and they said it sounds like a great idea.</p>