Chance Me (Andover, Exeter, Choate, etc.)

So, I’m currently an 8th grader applying for quite a few boarding schools, and I’m wondering if I’ve got a chance at some of them.

My SSATs:
Overall: 2367 (99%)
Verbal: 99% (full 800)
Math: 97%
Reading: 99%

I have straight As and a clean record.
My teachers and coach like me, so I’m hoping for good recommendations.

I visited Andover’s campus and had a great interview and a tour, plus the assistant admissions director has been emailing me about admissions.
I visited Exeter but didn’t have a good interview or a tour.
I also visited St. Paul’s, had a great interview, and the interviewer was very helpful and direct about what I needed to do to help my applications.
For all the other schools such as Deerfield, Hotchkiss, etc., I’ve had Skype interviews. Choate’s Skype interview is coming soon.

My extracurriculars:
-I have played competitive soccer for six years, playing center forward and outside wings (I know some of the schools I’m applying to are big on soccer)
-I play violin at an intermediate level, taking lessons for five years
-I read and draw
That’s pretty much it, soccer will probably be the biggest addition.

*Unfortunately, I am not a full pay student.

Let me know what you think, it might ease my conscience.

Your SSAT scores are basically perfect, which is a huge plus, but I think you should present yourself as a more diverse candidate EC wise. I don’t think these schools are looking for kids that get only good scores on tests, rather students who have potential in outside fields and grow and develop.

I think you have a solid chance, at least academically…I was admitted to Exeter (the only one I applied) and had similar SSAT scores. I’m not quite familiar with how boarding students/those who ask for aid fare in the admissions process, as I was a day student/full pay, significantly increasing my chances. Your ECs are a bit weak, but you should contact the coaches from each school. Have you done any community service?

When you say competitive soccer what do you mean? Which club and which team within that club? There’s a huge range and many kids have no idea what a coach at Andover considers competitive. Andover girls have something like 7-8 ECNL players on their team so to be competitive and have coach support that’s the level they are looking for.

Yep, I have volunteered at a local food bank and library, but I’ve only managed to mention it on a few of my applications.

I do not play ECNL as my club does not have it, but I play in the Premier League on the top team of my club. I have previously played on the level of other ECNL players, and just based on videos of the Andover Varsity Team, I think I can definitely play at their level or at least on their JV team. A plus is that I met the Andover coach on campus, and have put soccer as the topic of a few of my shorter essays.

If you need significant financial aid, I would consider adding more schools to your list. Specifically, I would look at schools that aren’t used to rejecting as many high-scoring applicants. If you like Deerfield, you might like Tabor and Berkshire, for example. If you like Andover and Choate, maybe you’ll love George School. Check out the websites for Millbrook, Gunnery, Governor’s, Loomis, and NMH, too…

What are my son’s chances?! He has the ISEE stanines of 8 on both math sections and 5 on the Reading and Verbal Sections. He is a straight-A student and is involved in a lot of extracurriculars and he has a scholarship. What are the chances of him getting into a top ten or top twenty boarding school across the nation?

And to add, he is applying to 9th grade.