<p>You seem like a smart kid, and a pretty good candidate (keep in mind I’m not an AO). It’s true that your ECs sound a little weak, though… Definitely try to get into a leadership position. It’s important to show the schools that you can be a good team player, and as of now, your resume doesn’t reflect that. If you’re serious about going to boarding school, and don’t have a backup in your area, you should consider applying to some safeties. Even the most talented kids get rejected. It’s in the luck of the draw.</p>
<p>If you really want to find out if Exeter’s a good match for you, you should visit the campus. I visited Andover and immediately knew it was the school for me. I wish you luck! :)</p>
<p>it’s 21%, which is the same as UC Berkeley and slightly lower than that of USC. I’m getting different answers though so I could be wrong. I know it looks like I’m trying to defend myself or something, but it really unnerves me when people say that Exeter is impossible to get into.</p>
<p>@tomatox1 maybe impossible is an exaggeration, but with good reason. Exeter has so many applicants and so few spots in comparison so, many qualified applicants unfortunately get rejected. So don’t get unnerved, but know that everyone is just trying to communicate the difficultly of getting into Exeter.</p>
<p>To be honest, schools like Exeter, Andover, Hotchkiss, and Groton are reaches for almost EVERY applicant. Keep in mind that even with acceptance rates under 20%, “Brand Name” type schools get a LOT of very talented applicants i.e. FAR more than they can accept. Most of the time they end up accepting a sax player (example) because they need on for the band, unless you are at a prodigious level (or very close) . Sometimes, (though this is rare, I think) you can get contacted by schools through AMC scores or SSAT scores. I got encouraged to apply by a certain school (No names, but in top 5-10) for a 98 percentile SSAT score (denied them though, Hotchkiss is the only school for me ). Another friend of mine had the same thing happen with his AMC scores and Exeter. What other schools are you looking at?</p>
<p>Well tomatox1 you asked for a chance, so here’s quite the holistic review…</p>
<p>I’m a rising exeter senior, so most of my information should be accurate, in case you are in the mood to doubt.</p>
<p>There’s a few alarming things that I was reading in this thread, so I just had to reactivate my years-old account to post… First off. This is a deflation-of-the-head thing, so don’t be too discouraged. You are a good candidate. Not a great candidate by any means. When I applied for exeter, my grades were slightly higher than yours, with near perfect ssats. What I want to point out to you that while your testing record is extremely impressive (most students at exeter don’t take nearly as many APs as you do, and if you come here, you’ll find out why). your ec resume is extremeeely iffy. Especially nowadays grades and tests barely matter crap, and matter more as more of a cutoff examination rather than a serious factor. Your math seems strong, but by no means strong by exeter standards… Mr. Feng, our legendary math teacher and USAMO coach will most likely be unimpressed by your math record, as we have students applying who have gone to USAMO and such. So my advice is play up your volunteer service. You might not want to write how much you’ve done (30 hours is a rather pitiful figure) but write about it, and talk about it in your interview. Research ESSO and talk about some ESSO clubs you’re interested in. From how it looks, that’s all you can really do.</p>
<p>Furthermore, none of the stats play in your favor… If you’re a male, it makes it all the worse. Exeters admission rate was ridiculously high this year, and we over enrolled your grade by a outrageous number (30-40 maybe?) and even a few girls dorms had to be flipped to accommodate the overflow of guys. So the admissions committee definitely won’t be looking too closely for boys applying to your grade, if at all. </p>
<p>Your academics, if they are truly you and not forced out by your parents, show that you would be a great fit for exeters extremely rigorous academic program. Whether it shows that you’re a good admissions candidate… Is a different story.</p>
<p>Sorry for the gloom-and-doom mood. Feel free to ask any more questions.</p>
<p>Also you need to have more than just academics to be accepted into one of these schools. A friend of mine who applied to HADES and Choate had a 99 percentile SSAT, 4.0 GPA her entire life (would have been higher if our school weighed honors classes) in a rigorous public school, and got between a 2100 and 2200 when she took the SAT in eighth grade. She took math, science, and language classes over the summer and was three years ahead of the curriculum in math and Spanish and two years ahead in science. She played the violin and a sport that none of the schools offered, is fluent in Chinese, and had somewhere around 30 volunteer hours. However, she was waitlisted at all six schools. No matter how academically good you are, admission to any of these schools is still a crapshoot. The most your can do is make sure your essays are well-written and reflect your personality and be yourself during the interview.</p>
<p>Thanks, I might try to concentrate on some matches instead of schools like Exeter. What schools do you think I have at least a very substantial chance of getting into?</p>
<p>Taft, Loomis would probably accept you. Lawrenceville, Choate, Hotchkiss, Middlesex, Milton may be less erratic than Exeter (though I think Lawrenceville, where I attend, is inconsistent af–my three friends who are now at Exeter/Andover were rejected by Lawrenceville). Deerfield and SPS–low acceptance rates make them precarious choices. Groton–I know nothing about this school, but it’s not something you have a substantial chance of getting into.</p>
<p>If you are a STEM kid you might consider Berkshire as an easier option - they have an unbelievable new science building with labs nicer than many colleges, and have had several recent INTEL finalists.</p>
<p>Exeter is one of the schools where the notion of “fit” is emphasized more specifically than at others, from my experience, probably because it’s the most college-like and least hand-holding school among all GLADCHEMMS. The adcoms want to make sure that you have to have not only the required stats but also the ability to survive the environment. On the other hand, at other schools, you only need to show you’re going to contribute to the community, have the required stats/coveted skills with which to fill the class, and not come across as a conceited ****** to the interviewers. </p>
<p>And it’s going to depend on the adcoms who decide whether or not you’re fit for the lack of nurturing at Exeter.</p>
<p>Exeter emphasizes fit?! I would say they pay less attention to fit than any top boarding school in the country. They are stats driven. It’s more a school of specialists than any other of its kind, very much like a college as you correctly pointed out. Their attrition rate is high.</p>
<p>Still, it’s an exceptional place for the right kid, full of bona fire super stars, and just under that luminous layer, a teaming mass of very smart, stressed kids who would be superstars anywhere else.</p>
<p>Well, what I meant was that Exeter delineates “fit” very specifically, whereas from my experience that notion could be unvarying at other schools. I think that once you pass a certain threshold of credentials, you’ll have a better chance into other similarly selected schools than into Exeter.</p>
<p>Of course, this is pure postulating. Take my conjecture with a grain of salt and cast a wide net.</p>
<p>I applied to Deerfield and Exeter and Emma Willard school ( my safety). I ended up only getting into Deerfield. Yet I’m unbelievably happy that I did. I had no doubt in my mind that I couldn’t get into Exeter. 4.0 GPA, tons of service hours and a very large amount of extracurriculars, SSAT score -93 percentile (a bit disappointing but hey I’m not perfect) Not to mention I was in the IB program. Although, it was a bit more competitive because I was applying for my junior year. My interview was even an hour and a half long. Regardless of all that, I was still rejected by Exeter and wait listed at Emma Willard (which has a much higher acceptance rate than Deerfield & Exeter). Although, your stats are quite impressive for someone of your age, I’d advise you to look at some other schools as well.</p>
<p>Acceptance rate in general indicates how difficult it is to get into a certain school, but it does not necessarily mean that an applicant A can get into a school A that has a higher rate more easily. </p>
<p>My friend’s child got into Deerfield last year (which has the lowest rate last year) but got denied by other that they considered a safety. Similarly, a student with much lower SSAT scores got into the top school while a seemingly top-notch applicant was denied by a safety. You can find so many cases here that are similar. That is why it would be safer to widen the school search. </p>
<p>As for the Exeter, my friend whose son graduated this year told me that it is probably the most academically-demanding school.</p>
<p>Exeter still has a 20% admit rate, by the way, as posted on their web site. As many people have said previously, it would not be a sure thing for anyone, but it seems to me you have an excellent shot at it and should give it a go, as well as applying to some others. Good luck!</p>
). Another friend of mine had the same thing happen with his AMC scores and Exeter. What other schools are you looking at?</p>