SORRY THIS IS SO LONG!
-Repeating freshman
-Full pay
-Boarding
-Currently getting straight A’s this semester. My teachers REALLY like me, especially my English teacher. He reads my essays out in class and cites them as an example. As of now, I am fairly certain I will get very good recommendations.
-Middle school: My grades in 7th and 8th grade were horrible because the grading was not objective. My teacher disliked me and had power to influence my grades. (How much will this impact my application?)
Stats:
-Female, 14
-International student in Asia
-Currently going to a well-known school
SSAT:
I am going to be taking the SSAT on October, I have been doing well in practice tests and am fairly certain I will be getting a 90+ percentile. I’ve been studying for almost a year since I first took it without any practice (90% reading, 74% verbal, very low math score) I have definitely improved since.
ECs:
-There weren’t many opportunities for me to partake in competitions since I live in Asia and they were not common, so I don’t have awards or distinctions.
-I did dance (ballet, lyrical) for three years but I had to stop because I went through a pretty tough time (somewhat of the reason why my grades weren’t up to par.)
-I do tennis and swimming, some volleyball too.
-I took piano for seven years but I’m not very good.
-Involved in Habitat for Humanity club, MUN, Mock Trail, Advocating against human trafficking club, SOS club, Philosophy club.
-Partook in CTY over the summer for two years (took Writing & Logic)
Strong parts of my application:
-Current grades: My grades so far have been good and if I keep this up they will impact my application positively.
-SSAT: I have prepared strongly for my SSAT and I know that I’ll be doing well. I am taking an SSAT course over the October break as well to solidify my knowledge.
-Essays: I am a talented writer and I am confident that I will be able to write an essay that will engage the reader as well as showcase who I am.
-Interview: I feel like on paper, I might not be the cookie cutter student that most boarding schools are looking for. But what I lack for that way, I think I show in person. I’m pretty charismatic and easy to talk to, and good at building connections with people. Also, I’m a very deep person and I look beneath the surface of what is seemingly obvious, so I have a lot of things to discuss. In the interview, I want to reflect on my past and explain my grades. I am knowledgable in fields of philosophy, psychology, humanities, social issues, current events, etc which I can talk about with the admissions team.
Weak parts of my application:
-Terrible past grades. Not A’s or B’s, we have a weird grading system but safe to say, this is no understatement, my grades were very bad. (My school also includes “Learning habits”, and I was a very disorganised person so I got a lot of negative feedback about my work habits.)
-No solid extracurricular activities or showcase of a passion.
NONETHELESS, I know that I can’t change the past no matter how much I wish I could. So now I’m just trying to do the best I can and take it one day at a time. It’s been my dream to go to boarding school ever since I could remember, and hopefully I’ll get in.
Possible schools I’m applying to:
Lawrenceville, Deerfield, Hotchkiss, Westminster, Peddie, NMH, Blair, Emma Willard, Pomfret, Kent…
PLEASE RESPOND!!! Please tell me and also please give me a few tips. Thank you so much