I haven’t taken the SSAT yet, and that’s a big piece of the whole “chance me” thing, but…oh well.
I’m a 7th grader currently at a public school (that is nowhere near being a “top” school, I’d say it’s a good one though) and am going to be applying for 9th grade.
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
No Financial Aid
Residing in the Bay Area (not that it’s gonna help me in any way)
Current Grades:
ELA-- A+
Science-- A-
Art-- A+
P.E-- A
History-- A
Advanced math (math that’s a grade level ahead)-- A
(next year, I’ll be taking advanced art or graphic design)
Also, I’ve noted that you need transcripts from 6-8th grade, but my grades from the last school year are really awful, like I had a few B’s and even a C.
Extracurriculars:
Swim team-- 5 hours per week, Stanford swim camp over summer (it’s not very selective, so it may not help)
Piano-- grade 6 in ABRSM
Art-- I’m going to submit a 12 piece portfolio and I’m teaching a graphic design class over the summer at my local elementary school (I think I’ll donate the money to some charity), my art has also been featured in numerous school art shows and I won this design contest for the school yearbook cover.
Other-- I’ll also be interning at a high-tech startup over the summer (in the industrial and graphic design part), I’m currently taking a classics course on the Yale online course catalog (not sure if that helps at all, but I’m really into mythology and classics), I’m taking an afterschool writing class, and I also did a bake sale (the income went to a nursing home).
Schools I’m looking into:
Phillips-Exeter
Lawrenceville
Hotchkiss
Kent
Emma Williards
Miss Porters
I’m also looking at local private schools:
Castilleja
Menlo School
Harker
Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton)
I feel like several of these are a reach (ahem, Exeter), so I’d really appreciate it if you guys could chance me for these schools and leave suggestions of schools that aren’t so much of a reach. Thanks!
btw, I know my grades are nothing really special, so I’m trying to sell myself across as an art person.
And fyi, I really, really, really do not want to come off as braggy in any way. (I mean, not that many of my actions are even that brag-worthy).
Update: I’m also taking Spanish 2 (A-) at school and grade 8 Mandarin.
I will leave others to chance you as I am not as experienced as many of the parents on this forum are. However, I will say that to me you seem to be a wonderful applicant!
I would like to address to not be too worried about a few B’s and a C. This year, I was accepted to Phillips Exeter as an incoming sophomore, and I too got a few B’s, C’s, and a D in middle school. However, I was still accepted. Thus, I am certain that if you are able to explain your situation and the lesson you learned from it, it shouldn’t have a detrimental impact on your application. For example, I explained that throughout middle school I was extremely bored and unchallenged and because I am intrinsically motivated to do well, not by grades, I became an extreme underachiever. However, it is worth noting that in 9th grade I forced myself to do well, even though I was still very much so bored, and ended up as the student with the highest GPA in my class.
I wish you the best of luck throughout this journey!
If you like the idea of girls schools, you might want to check out Westover and Ethel Walker on the East Coast and Santa Catalina in CA. Other co-ed, East Coast boarding schools to consider: Berkshire, Millbrook, Governor’s, Gunnery… West Coast schools: Besant, Midland, Dunn. You’ll get a fantastic education at any of these schools (and you might be more likely to be admitted given your grades last year).
You have a very cool resume! A lot of cool interests and I can really tell that you’re determined to explore them further. I think you have a really good chance at any school as long as you work hard. Next year, put more effort into your grades, study hard for the SSAT, and invest as much time as you can into your essays and being ready for interviews. I can tell (this might sound weird) from the way you write that you have a funny and quirky personality, so take any factor that allows for personal expression in applications (essays, interviews…) to really shed light on that. I wish you the best of luck!
Two more to look at: Mercersburg (great swim program) and Cate in CA.