Chance me for Andover, Exeter, Choate, Hotchkiss....

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
1

Hi all -
I’m a 9th grader applying to repeat at Andover, Exeter, Choate, Hotchkiss, Milton, Middlesex, St. Mark’s, Miss Porter’s, and NMH (repeating as I’m already a year young for my grade).
This is my second time applying to Andover and Exeter. Last year, my interview at Exeter went really well, but I know I completely messed up all of my essays. I ended up getting waitlisted at both.
I’m Asian and live in MA, which I know works to my disadvantage. I go to a private day school which goes up to 9th grade, so all of my classmates are applying to boarding schools.
I’m much more of a rounded candidate, and don’t really have one good “hook.”

Thank you all for reading through this. I wrote A LOT, so thank you to those who are willing to help.

Interviews: Interviews were pretty good across the board. The best ones I had were definitely Exeter, Middlesex, and NMH.
Exeter - I was in before and out after everone else in the waiting room. Everything seemed to match perfectly - I’m really interested in music, and my interviewer told me they’re expanding the music building; I play tennis, and they’re building new courts; I plan to take Russian next year, and she told me she would make a note of that as they’re looking for more kids to join the program. She also said how she could already see me on campus or my name on the newspaper, etc.
NMH - My interviewer ended up drawing up a schedule for me for the next four years.
Choate - Got offered ice cream? Super casual, talked a lot about TV. My interviewer’s son is applying to my current school. Oh, how the tables have turned… (just kidding)
Miss Porter’s - Had ice cream…
Hotchkiss - My interviewer and my advisor at school have known each other for years as tennis coaches and family friends. A couple days after my interview, my advisor got an email from him, asking about me. She is writing one of my recs.
St. Mark’s - Super casual and conversational. My interviewer ended up showing me videos of her kids on her phone?
Andover - Definitely not as strong. Still good, but I always seem to get nervous there.

Grades and Classes: I’ve consistently had one A-, two A, and two A+'s throughout last year and this year.
English and History fluctuate between an A- and A. These are the classes I’ve marketed as my favorite
Science (Biology this year) - A
Algebra 2 (highest level offered) - A+
Spanish 3 (highest level offered, there are only three kids in my class) - A+

SSATs: I decided to send in two scores because my writing sample was much better on my second test, but the score wasn’t as strong
Math: 99%, 99%
Verbal: 99%, 99%
Reading: 99%, 96%
Overall: 99%, 99%

Recommendations: I have seven recommendations, and I am sure that one of my outside recommendations is really good (she accidentally sent it to me).
Required - Math, English, my school’s secondary school placement officer
Personal - my advisor, who is also my tennis coach and knows one of my interviewers (also a coach)
Language (Spanish teacher) - there are only three kids in my class and
Band teacher, who is actually becoming secondary school placement officer starting next year
Art instructor at the Worcester Art Museum (the outside rec.) - checked all of the “top I have ever encountered” boxes

Extracurriculars:
Sports - varsity tennis, captain and #1 girl on varsity squash
Music - baritone horn in school advanced band and jazz band (by selection). I also play the guitar, violin, and banjo.
Art - ‘varsity’ art (by selection at school), summer intensives at the MFA and Worcester Art Museum, I did put together a portfolio
Other - editor-in-chief of the school paper, founded a human rights club, 3rd grade Spanish TA, I won a school wide personal essay competition last spring and I did send in a copy

2

I amazed you got waitlisted last year as you look like the perfect candidate. Would you say you would be varsity in tennis and squash? That would be your hook if so.

3

To be honest, while your scores and grades are impressive, your profile seems generic. Your ECs are nice but you don’t really have a hook.

4

Wow @scareddwarf , Your credentials are awesome. Applying as a repeat will make you an even stronger candidate… Two thoughts: 1) Have reached out to the tennis and squash coaches? Since you are already a squash player, and are #1 on your team, (presuming you very good), this could be a substantial hook for BS now (and college later). Squash will be your strongest hook. Let us know if you have written to the coaches and need any other advice regarding sports. 2) Also, I want to applaud you for your interest in learning Russian. Exeter and Andover both have amazing Modern Language Departments. Andover has one of the best Russian teachers on the planet. I can attest he is actually known by many of the Russian Department Chairs at top LACs (aka Liberal Arts Colleges) and Ivy’s by name. You should write him as well. His name is Mr. Svec. https://www.andover.edu/Academics/WorldLanguages/Russian/Faculty/Pages/VictorSvec.aspx

Best of luck.
PS Where ever you are accepted and choose to attend will be a very fortunate school indeed. ;:wink:

5

Agreed about Mr. Svec as DD and I met him last Saturday at Andover Day. My DD has great interest in Russian and would be thrilled to be given the opportunity to study with him!

6

@Center I’m beginning to wonder if you are in fact a parent or a teenager as your posts are simply so critical. What may I ask you might think the OP needs to add to qualify as having a hook? We know these schools fill their halls with students from a variety of backgrounds and strengths so what exactly is the purpose of your comments?

7

Parent. These schools see many kids with 99s and As. And… The extracurriculars are very nice but there is nothing that makes her special. Sorry. I have some familiarity with what they are looking for…just being honest.

8

You sound amazing, with strong academic, sports, and arts & music credentials. Who knows whether you will get into any particular school but don’t think you aren’t special!

9

@CallieMom Thank you so much! Will definitely reach out to him as well as squash coaches. I attended an Exeter summer session two summers ago and I did have a good relationship with the Russian teacher there (I took the language for a week as part of the program), so I’ll be in contact with her as well.

10

Update:
I realize I didn’t elaborate on what I’ve currently been pushing in interviews as my main interest.
The club that I founded is focused on solving contemporary global issues by educating other students on different doctrines and perspectives behind them; we study the UN Declaration of Human Rights, Utilitarianism, etc. It’s my school’s first student-led “co-curricular” and it’s been the most important activity to me this year.
I’ve also mentioned that while editing the school paper I write current events editorials. Last year I was part of the NAIS program Challenge 20/20 at my school. The topic was immigration and fair trade and we ended up creating an app to “grade” different retailers. I also lead current events discussion groups during lunch at school as a continuation of this.
I attended the Access Exeter summer session two years ago (the Global Community cluster). Global issues and human rights have been my big interest for a while now.

11

@scareddwarf - I’m in agreement with @MAandMEmom …I’m shocked that you were waitlisted if your stats looked like this last year. Please let us know how it turns out for you.

My daughter attended Andover and I feel you look perfect for that community. I agree you should reach out to squash and tennis coaches. There is a thread on CC which specifically cites an article from Exeter about squash recruiting after they built their courts in 2008. Additionally, Andover is planning to build new squash courts in the next few years and they’ll want to grown their squash community. Even 6 years ago, when my daughter was accepted, she received a note from the squash team welcoming her! It’s not too late even now to send emails of interest to those coaches!

12

I agree that you look like exactly the kind of candidate Andover wants. If anyone was at Day with Andover a few weeks ago, I was one of the student reps for the Spanish department. If you want to chat with a current andopver student, feel free to message me!

13

I think it is somewhat silly to say that she looks exactly like the candidate Andover or any school wants. We dont really know what this person is really like. Many of these schools are tired of these sorts of applicants with voluminous resumes and recommendations. She was waitlisted for a reason. Reading her commentary about her interviews and recommendations is a little off-putting. My gut reaction is that she doesnt seem authentic.

14

@Center Being an athlete and having personal ties with the coach could get her in.

Being #1 varsity as a freshman on a solid team is very difficult and if the school is trying to expand russian she will take the place of someone who say wants to study spanish.

She is a good candidate, well rounded and smart. Basically a perfect candidate…

There is huge potential ceiling for her, the schools don’t want cookie cutters but rather kids with big potential. Just as colleges do.

Look at her in this way,

Great at her sport, potential to be recruited athlete and key component to the private school team.

Smart, all a’s and with 99% tests across the board

Composed, quick thinking, problem solver, tennis is a game of chess and a boxing fight. This is much more impressive as a character evaluation than an athletic one.

Tennis players are cunning and smart, to be so successful in her school as a freshman proves this.

15

@center I truly hope that you DC is not applying to Andover as you certainly don’t pass the “nice” sniff test and assume your offspring has the same off-putting attitude. You may in fact be correct (but then again none of us know anything right?), but there are just some better left unsaid, and especially to a 14 year old. How would you feel if your independent student was seeking some assure on a board like this and had to read through the garbage you write. Your posts are so childish. I liken it to when we were all children when some rotten kids (usually girls) boosted themselves up by pulling others down. It appears to be your mission.

16

All said and done, personally knowing the coach definitely helps, at least that has been my experience at Andover. There are most certainly some varsity athletes that do not fit the typical Andover student profile, especially academically, but knowing a coach helped them get into Andover. I’m also not saying that this a bad thing, as Athletics certainly are a point of pride for us.

17

ToBehonest: Yes agreed, but WE still don’t know her. We don’t see how she presents. Perfect on paper is just that. Like everyone here we interpret posts and questions based on very one dimensional pieces of information.

18

MAandMEmom, it does no one any good to be puffed up by anonymous cheerleaders. The OP was wait listed before. Per her own post. Fact. That tells you something. Her credentials are GREAT like 1000s of others. Andover etc gets dozens of applicants virtually indistinguishable from OP. She is Asian and from a private Ma school. By definition a much more competitive pool. Further she is, i assume, a full pay student. (She didn’t say but she is at a private day school and doesn’t mention FA). That should help her but she was wait listed last year despite that fortunate situation.

19

I think your chances look great. The whole squash thing could be a real hook if you do send the coach an email of interest. You have a nice chance, but even if you had a 99% chance there is always the 1%. So be prepared, it won’t be the end of the world if you don’t get selected for your school of choice. Keep that in mind through your app process, and best of luck :slight_smile:

20

Congrats on all your success with admissions! Which school are you choosing?