Hi! I am currently in the process of researching schools to apply to and getting ready to start on my applications. I would love it if I could get a bit of feedback on my overall brand as an applicant. I will be applying to well known schools like Andover, Choate, SPS and probably some hidden gems like Kent, Hill and Asheville. What are my strengths and weaknesses? Are there schools you think I should consider researching? How are my ECs? I think it would be nice to have feedback from different members of the community.
ACADEMICS:
-SSAT-I haven’t taken the official test. I’ve taken a couple of practice tests, and I’m generally scoring in around the 90% percentile. I feel like I have what it takes to get 95%+ on the official test, but I know practice test scores and real test scores can differ greatly. I’ll most likely get above 80%.
-Grades-
6th: All low As and high Bs except for Art and Social Students, where I got low Bs. Note about art: I am a graphic artist (I’ll elaborate later) and I didn’t figure out that I don’t like doing art until it was too late.
7th: First semester, most of my grades were around 95, with my lowest being math where I got an 91. Note: My grandma sadly past away first semester, which made math which I already struggle with even harder. I studied again, and again, and again and managed to take my grade an 83 first quarter to a 98 second quarter. My second semester everything was high As, with a couple of 99s.
8th: No grades yet, but I feel like I can maintain high grades.
-Standardized Tests- (should I submit these?)
For my 7th Grade SC Standardized test, I believe I had an 81 percentile in Math and a 99 percentile in ELA in the state. 6th had similar results, slightly lower.
SUBJECTIVE:
Interviews: I sometimes have trouble getting all of my thoughts into words, but I’m confident I’ll be able to work it out with some practice.
Essays: Essays are a strong suit of mine.
Teacher/Personal Recs: My teachers are all quite lovely, and the teachers I have have for the past couple of years generally think quite highly of me. However, my current Math and ELA teacher I don’t really know (I’ve seen them 3 times in person so far) and I have no idea how to build bonds with them virtually.
Principal/Counselor Rec: Most likely will not be that strong. I’ve only spoken with my Principal a couple of times in my 3 years at my school. Boarding School Admissions isn’t a big thing where I am from, but I could possibly ask my school Counselor if she could help me out.
EXTRACURRICULARS:
Sports (if any): None. I’m absolutely terrified because I have none.
Instruments (if any): I have been singing for as long as I can remember, but more as a hobby. I might be able to work with my chorus teacher.
Other ECs (if any): (this is just a sample, I have more)
- I run a online ecommerce store that I have completely designed myself that is pulling in thousands of dollars per month. I developed a 'Style Quiz' that customers can take to get a custom canvas recommendation based on a number of factors. I do all advertising by myself, and we advertise to around 15k a month. Pinterest specifically loved how we did advertising so much that an advertising manager reacher out to our business, saying they would love to form a partnership where we would get to test run new features. I can provide more info if needed. One interesting factor is how our company gives back. Much of our customer base is female, and we give a portion of proceeds and canvases to females in need.
- FLL Robotics- Last year, my team made it to state with various regardings applauding our team's robot and overall game. At state, we got the Inspiration award. We were top 6 out of 360+ teams.
- Programming- After looking at my grades, you might be surprised to learn this but I am a coding nerd. I have been learning for about a year now, and I am quite skilled in HTML, CSS and Javascript, and I have projects that show my expertise. I have had business owners look at my work and ask me to design their websites.
- Fiverr- This has been kinda discontinued, but I would happy to pick it up again. I've ran a design freelancing gig where I've designed for customers all over the world, while maintaining a 4.9 star rating and always delivering on time. I had around 50 customers the first time I did it, and over the summer I opened up the gig and had another 75 customers.
- Award- I was chosen as a CDB Finalist but unfortunately due to things I can't control, I wasn't able to continue on with the scholarship. They still are offering to help me with boarding school admissions, which is quite nice.
ABOUT ME:
State or Country: South Carolina
Current School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Nigerian American ??
Gender: Female
Grade Applying For: 9th
Age: 13
Hook: URM, Female in STEM
Financial Aid/Full Pay: Still Deciding. Probably some financial aid.