Boarding school; rejection, wait-list and acceptance

Prep School Admissions
1

I just wanted to write this for encouragement!

I applied to 8 schools: Loomis, Governor’s, Andover, Exeter, Lawrenceville, Choate, Deerfield and Groton (which I regret applying to because it is not the school for me).
I was looking at the size and the diversity of the school.

I am an international student and I go to a French school. I applied as a 10th grader.

SSAT
20 percentile
1996/2400 (which is VERY low even though I studied for 3 hours a day!)

Essay
I wrote about my experience in Africa and child marriage

Passions
I love writing, public speaking among many others.

Interview
My interview went really well at Governor’s, Loomis Chaffe, Exeter and Andover. The interviewers at the other schools did not seem to be impressed.

Accepted: Loomis and Governor’s
Wait-listed: Deerfield and Choate
Rejected: Lawrenceville, Exeter and Andover
I did not bother with Groton.

My SSAT affected my application in a lot of ways during the admissions process. The french schooling system and the american are very different so I did not do well. I took the SSATs 3 times but ended getting an even worse score than the first.

I have decided to go to Loomis because I believe that it is the right school for me. It is not as challenging as Andover and Exeter. I am going to be basically thrown in a VERY different school system and I will need A LOT of help.

I am so happy because even though my SSAT score was really low, I am going to one of my dream schools.
I put in A LOT effort (I literally did not celebrate Christmas because I was writing my essays).

Whatever happens, happens and it will be okay. Applying to boarding school takes A LOT of determination. If you feel like you are not reading, don’t do it and maybe wait until next year. Getting accepted to boarding school doesn’t mean you are automatically going to an Ivy league college. Whoever you are, if you are ready and determined; YOU CAN DO IT!

2

Why and how did you determine Groton wasn’t for you?

3

I was looking for a big school and Groton is a very small school. Plus, I did not like the idea of praying before starting the day and taking Latin. It is very important to visit the school. You will know when it will feel right. In this case, I felt like it was not the school for me.

4

During the interviews that didn’t go well, was there a reason besides they didn’t seem impressed?

5

@callmedrseuss --funny…DS absolutely loved Groton for all of the reasons you did not. That’s what makes the world go round!

6

My son didn’t like Groton because he thought there were too many columns. :-/

7

Only 20% in SSAT? That’s very low indeed. I wonder how the schools that admitted you knew you could handle the classes taught in English. (You may very well be able to. I’m just wonder how the schools would know) Did you send in your TOEFL scores too?

8

@ekstatikk I didn’t know this at the time, but during an interview you want to connect with your interviewer. The more you connect with them the greater chance you have of getting into the school. At Loomis, my interviewer and I connected over our love of graphic novels. But in my other interviews, I did not feel the need to connect with them-and that was the biggest mistake I made.

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@buuzn03 Groton is a great school but it is not for everyone :slight_smile:

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@HMom16 That’s hilarious! I never really realized there were that many columns!

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@panpacific My first language is English. The schools generally assume that if it is your first language, you will do well in the classes. I took the TOEFL but I did not send my score because they said that it was not necessary.
As for the SSAT, I come from a VERY different school system and that the main reason I did not do well on the test. But when I went in for my interviews, I brought up my concern about my score. They said that kids from French school typically don’t do well on the test.

12

What do you mean you have experience in child marriage?

13

@CottenCandyTrill I mean, I have gone to villages in rural Ethiopia and seen cases of child marriage first-hand.

14

20% is very low as it will affect your college application process. Be sure to include test optional colleges on your list. What did you decide?

15

@hsibparent As it is the SSAT and not the SAT, I do not think it will affect my college application(but I could be wrong) because I am not sharing my SSAT score with any college (unless it is mandatory). Students coming from French schools typically have lower SSAT scores because there is no standardized testing in the French curriculum. I will be integrated into a new schooling system and I am sure I will get the hang of standardized testing. Thank you for your concern though.

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@hsibparent this is a boarding school question. SSAT is high school entrance exam. @callmedrseuss colleges will never see SSAT but 20% is low for most high schools.

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@hsibparent yes I agree with you and it is VERY low for most high schools. But coming in from a French school it was not unusual for me to have a low score. Almost all of the admissions officers said it was normal and that the score is only one part of the application they look at. I applied to schools where the SSAT was mandatory.

18

my daughter went to a French school but her classmates made SSAT 85% plus. While it is correct that the French system and the American system are very different, if you prepare and test well, you can make 85% plus possible. For my daughter English is her third language and same for her classmates too. They went to all excellent schools including Andover and Exerter. So I just want to say that the French system is different but it is still possible to make at least 85%. Then you can think about other and more important requirements, grades, athletics, arts, community service etc.

19

Your post was informative, and kudos on changing from one educational system to another, something other kids who apply to colleges won’t have as their experience to speak about the global and cultural aspects, all good for later. From your post I have no doubt you have a strong academic career ahead of you, your boarding school years will smooth out any SSAT discrepancies, hit the SAT tutoring early, get the list of words early and use them in your daily life, you will do well, we are rooting for you!

1 Like
20

Those are exactly the same reasons why I didn’t apply to Groton