I am an indian female (born and raised in the USA ) applying for 11th grade. I have a 3.8 gpa, I did get 2 B’s in freshman year. When I started high school my school was one of the best public schools in my state but it has slowly dropped through the ranks and my teachers are really awful which is why I want to transfer schools.
EC’s:
Academic Decathlon - 2 years, I have award at the national, state and regional level.
Volleyball - 2 years ( JV)
Lacrosse - 1 year (I didn’t like it much)
Piano - 9 years
Leo club - 2 years (volunteer organization)
I also volunteered as a camp counselor for my local nature camp.
I have about 80 hours of community service.
What are my chance of getting into Exeter, Andover, Lawrenceville, Peddie and Deerfield for 11th grade?
Your background seems to be in the right range to apply. If you are truly a national award winner for the academic decathlon, played piano for 9 years ,and have extensive community service that is all a plus, though typical of these types of applicants.
You will need to consider a different reason to leave your HS beyond your disappointment in the school. You could also consider a repeat of 10th grade for your application. These schools are extremely difficult and would not be uncommon for transfers to repeat their previous year.
The SSAT is HUGE for the schools you are looking at. You are looking at a 90th percentile minimum to be considered so your prep for the SSATs cannot be understated. It is also helpful to demonstrate school leadership from your current HS…NHS, Student Council, etc.
As you can find through other CC threads, the top schools admit around 18% of 2,000 or so extremely qualified candidates. So if you score 90th + on your SSATs best case still about a 20% chance.
So, round out your resume, prep for the SSAT, and visit/interview at all the schools before you apply. When you do interview, remember that these schools are also about peer interactions as much as academics so have to talk about how will you engage in the communities. Brush up on their ECs of your interests.
I hope this didn’t come across as too direct. It is an exciting process and I wish you the best of luck. Just keep the reality of acceptance rates in mind and give it your best shot. My own son was accepted and is THRIVING at one of the schools you mentioned but was also denied at two of your others. Why? You just never know the pieces they are searching for to fit their needs as well. He could have easily gone 0-3 with his applications even though it turns out he had what it takes.
Also (sorry this is so long) consider focusing on a geographical area to make visits and interviews manageable and add schools that are “lesser known” to you now that you might find you love just as much. New England has SO many choices beyond Exeter, Andover, SPS, Deerfield, etc.
@PrepDad2018 I have leadership positions in 2 school clubs and have just recently started another one. I also don’t need FA, will that increase my chances? I was also wondering how much the 2 B’s would impact my chances
I would not lose any sleep about 2 Bs freshman year. I can’t imagine that will have a material impact on your candidacy. But to echo @PrepDad2018, it is notoriously difficult for students to gain admission in their 11th grade year because there simply are not many spots available (although there are also fewer applicants). Most of students come in as 9th or 10th graders.
No FA needed is big (though Andover is needs blind so no impact there). I’d definitely consider 10th grade. Probably a slight bonus for odds of acceptance and (most) students LOVE their time at these schools. It would be better for your own engagement and give you an “extra” year to prepare for junior year demands. Just keep in mind that these schools (first year anyway) get roughly 2500 applicants for 250 seats. About 2,000 applicants will be “perfect” or 1% of their public schools. In the end you are still looking at no better than 20% odds (with strong SSATs to be determined). There is nothing you can do there except apply to 3-5 schools and hope you are the puzzle piece they are looking for.
I can’t estimate a percentage. I think its one part having the grades and scores, one part having good recommendations and interview, and one part having something the admissions committee finds interesting (e.g., a demonstrated passion) or wants to round the class out. My advice is be the best, authentic you that you can be and let the cards fall where they may.
Have you considered United World Colleges? They have a two-year IB program specifically designed for 11th and 12th graders (or 12th plus PG year) that draws the best and brightest from countries all over the world. Each country committee chooses its best students, who then attend a network of boarding schools on all continents with kids from all the other countries. Tuition is heavily subsidized. You would apply through the US committee.
You need to have a better reason for transfer. Claiming that your current school is awful will not be compelling. One common reason is that the student has maxed out academic offerings at the current school, and is looking for an extra challenge.
Your grades look fine. But what are your test scores? Need to be >90th percentile for SSAT or > 97th percentile for SAT to be competitive.
These schools all have a 3 sport requirement, so anything you can do to spark a coach’s interest will be helpful.
Agree with other posters that your application will be more competitive as a repeat 10th grader. Your chances are also higher because you don’t need aid.
@sgopal2 I’ve never heard of the 3 sport requirement. It seems to me as there are plenty of people on CC who get into schools the OP listed with having zero or one sport. (Please correct me if i misinterpreted the three sport requirement) But I do agree that sparking a sports coach’s interest is important. It’s nice to have someone to vouch for you.
Three sport requirement = required to play 3 sports during the year while at prep school, not required to play 3 sports before prep school. Yes, it’s helpful to be recruited, but the OP doesn’t have high level sports.
Sorry for the confusion. I meant that these prep schools have a requirement that students participate in a sport for all 3 seasons (fall, winter, spring). Some schools allow substitution of house sports, personal training, theater or other activities in lieu of the sport. But generally plan on participating in a sport each season.
So having a coach’s support can be valuable, as they have a lot of spots to fill on their rosters (usually JV and thirds). Even if you only have marginal prior experience in some of these sports, the coaches might need you, especially if you’re a good athlete. So reaching out to coaches can be helpful. You’ll find out quickly whether the coach wants to engage in further conversation or not.
And if the coach wants you, he/she can really pull some strings during the admissions deliberations.
Email. Phone. Athletic webform. Carrier pigeon (only kidding). Any method is fine.
If you are planning on an in-person interview on campus, make contact with the coach well ahead of time and ask for a personal meeting.