Hello, and I hope you’re having a great day! I’ve recently submitted all of my applications, and wanted to hear your opinion on my chances for some of these top schools.
I’m an international student, and I will be full-pay. I’ve sorted by application profile into short sections to make it easier to follow.
Grades/Academics
Our school operates in the IB MYP scale (1-7, where 4 means “average”)
6th grade: not so bad, 53/56
7th grade: 56/56 (all 7’s)
8th grade: no final grade yet, but not too bad
SSAT
93th percentile, might sign up for the February test
Extracurriculars
Founder and leader of a mental health/wellness club, created fundraisers, school awareness projects, etc for the sake of the community
Editor in chief and founder of the school diversity magazine
Honors (national level int’l school) choir team
21-22 Lead role of the school production
Tennis player (no jv/v teams available in our school)
Community council member (student government)
Academic/Personal Achievements
CTY Math Honors
NYT Summer Contest (Narrative Response Weekly Challenges) Runner Up for First
Ted Talks Translator
Core Values Top Nominee
Korea International Music Education Association Honors Award
Global Social Leaders (Future Foundations) Catalyst Program Participant
Global Social Leaders (Future Foundations) Fellowship 2021
2021 Korea Scholar’s Conference For Youth, published a Psychological Research Paper on Social Media, Diversity, and Wellness
Essays
I think they’re not that bad (or at least that’s what I hope)
Wrote about a significant experience/interaction as I developed my mental health initiative/an experience I had when I visited Spain
Not TOO generic
Interviews
I think they were okay, they weren’t the deepest connections I’d imagine having, but overall not too bad
Teacher recommendations
English: 9.5/10, the teacher asked me more about my extracurriculars to see a connection in the academics/activities. Told me a lot about how he liked the connections I put in between complex theories/ideologies and created meaningful work.
Math: 9/10, the teacher knows a lot about my service interests, and I did a lot of additional service projects she suggested, that were connected to the class
Counselor: 8.5/10, she is the faculty advisor for the mental health initiatives, and she’s commented multiple times about how she was “impressed” but I still have no idea.
Personal: 10/10, the teacher knows me quite well, and has submitted many recs to boarding schools previously. I think he highlighted initiatives and responsibility in the rec
I decided to apply to the schools I “really wanted to go to” despite their low acceptance rates, as I would be okay w/ my current school in the future.
I’m probably not going to send in a score, but I only had a few days to study for the January SSAT and wanted to take it again for self-satisfaction purposes. Thank you for your response though!!
I would seriously rethink that. A 93% is excellent and not sending a score means they have no idea if you took it and did badly, or if you didn’t feel like taking it, etc. Give them the information. I agree if one area is significantly lower, that may be a different story.
You should send in the 93% SSAT. It’s a very good score.
You are certainly an impressive applicant. Each of the four schools you mentioned has many more qualified applicants than it can admit, however. If you search online for their recent acceptance rates, that’s about the chance you have. Bump that up a bit if you are a very good tennis player (could at least make JV) and/or a very good orchestral musician.
Thank you all for your advice! I initially decided to re-take it because the scores were lower than what I had expected, but after reading your comments, I realized that submitting the test scores would be a better option. Since MX and Andover admissions are still open, is there anything I can add (information or details) that may improve my applications? Thank you so much
I think if you have any sort of talent that can be incorporated into a short creative video, it can only be helpful. Both of my kiddo’s submitted videos, one purely for their artistic talent and the other, a combination of two different elements. My kiddo’s last year had about 40 views on the private link, so I know it was watched (only applied to 3 schools, and got in to 1).
It makes you stand out, the people on the admission committee who have not met you have a face to a name.
The school my kiddo got into had a place to link a video on their portal. I think it was a bit different this year, there was still a place to link a video, and it asked if it was for a sport, music or arts, so not sure if that means they share with those coaches/teachers or just the A/O’s.
All of the schools you’ve listed are incredibly selective. But you have great test scores and grades. It also helps that your parents can pay in full.
I think you have decent chances at all of the schools, but a lot will depend on how many other students from your country are also applying. I agree with the others that a 93% SSAT is fine. No need for anything higher. Retaking it will imply that you are a just a grade-grubber. A difference between a 93% and 99% is meaningless.
Also sign up for any virtual sessions with the admissions offices. Show interest, that can also help.
My understanding is that for musicians, the admissions office forwards videos to the music director, who may then forward to private teachers on the applicant’s instrument for feedback. If the music director is impressed by the video, he or she informs the admissions committee. Depending on the instrument, this can boost one’s admittance odds significantly, assuming other parts of the application are at least competitive.
