Chance me for top boarding schools

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
1

Hello,

I am sophomore applying for boarding schools for junior year. I am half Indian and half white (not sure if this matters for chances of being admitted). I will also be applying for financial aid at any school I apply to.
Schools of interest: St. Pauls, Groton, Phillips Exeter Academy, Phillips Andover, Choate, Deerfield, etc. (Mostly top rated schools but am open to applying to others as well).
First question: Is it better to apply now (11/13/20) or to apply in December because I would still have time to improve my application by then?

My interests include finance (investing), programming and machine learning, I have experience in Python, HTML, CSS, and I am learning more about machine learning and and libraries in Python as of now. Other extracurriculars: ice hockey for a few years, student council, debate (just started), chess 2 years, classical guitar for about 8 years. I also enjoy speedcubing but that is not an official extracurricular, more of something I decided to take up on my own. I also now work with a professor from the university near me for science research in computational biology. In addition to that, I took a 3 week course at a local scientific research center in bioinformatics and protein research.

Volunteer:
Little volunteer experience, but I did volunteer for a few hours at a Christmas Party once as a result of being in student council.
Languages: French (Intermediate), English (fluent), learning German

I had a 98/100 GPA last year (freshman year) and got a 98+ average in every class. Right now, my grades aren’t great but I have a good reason for why they aren’t sufficient right now. I am worried that my first quarter grades could affect my application, but I was wondering if it is possible to explain to them why they are bad during the interview? I am taking 2 AP courses this year, I am self-studying for AP Economics, and I am in an IB school. I have also been in accelerated math at my school since 7th grade and I am taking Algebra 2 right now.

Test scores:
I haven’t taken the SSAT or any others like SAT, PSAT, although I do take the PSAT 10 in March but that is past
Worries: first quarter grades this year, haven’t done anything remarkable, not in enough advanced math courses at school, not enough AP courses, no standardized test scores, no awards (my school only gives awards if you’re in clubs and in 8th grade and senior year). I have a chance at receiving awards for debate because I have tournaments coming up.

2

I’ll go there: how bad is “not great”? Are we talking B+/A- or C/D?

Yes, it is worth explaining why any potential red flags show up in your application. At least, it is if the reason is something temporary and not associated with other red flag activity.

3

The grades I have right now are around B-C but it is not my fault actually, it is a result of virtual learning this year. Second quarter will start in a few days and my grades are going to be a lot better because I won’t be behind anymore in that quarter.

4

If you are a NYC public school student, you definitely have good reason to be struggling.

The honors students in my suburban public school district have… had similar complaints, even though things started more smoothly than NYC. The 3 cohort schedule is ridiculous.

Take your time to hone your application essays. However, you should do what you can to start scheduling interviews now.

I think you should really think about what your strengths and weaknesses are, cast a wider net including some schools with a higher acceptance rate, and eliminate some of the “top schools” on your list. Focus on schools that would appreciate you.

5

Thanks, I will do that. I am actually not a NYC student. However, we all got laptops for virtual learning but they were all broken the first two weeks so the students (including me) who don’t have a home laptop are really behind on homework deadlines.

6

@NYCiscool30 that sounds about par for course.

I assume that you’ll also be seeking financial aid?

7

Yes, I will be seeking financial aid. Do you happen to know how these type of schools determine who to award financial aid to?

8

Financial aid is need based, with need determined based on the financial aid application that your parents fill out (due February?)

Unlike colleges, most prep schools are not need-blind in acceptances. If a school likes you, but has already allotted all their financial aid to applicants they really really like, you will be waitlisted. So, if you need a lot of financial aid - say, over 90%, it can be a crap shoot.

If admissions thinks you’re really amazing, they’ll find the $. But if you aren’t viewed as a super asset in some area where they have a need, then you are a lower priority. What each school sees as a “need” varies from year to year.

You have the added problem that you are applying to enter as a junior. There are fewer openings there. Would you consider applying as a sophomore repeat?

9

My advice would be to focus on schools where you will be a superstar. In other words, where you will be one of the very top applicants academically. I know a boy with amazing stats who needed full aid get rejected everywhere, but the Salisbury School gave him a full ride. That boy crushed it at Salisbury and is now at Williams.

In other words, it’s helpful, given many schools have limited financial aid budgets, to be one of the applicants they really, really want. Where you are way over the average academic profile for the school.

10

Take a look at George School. They can definitely meet you on the cs/robotics front, and they have hosted speedcubing events. Also known to be generous with FA. Very strong STEM. And definitely not as competitive as the rest of your list.

@cinnamon1212 gives great advice above. Most schools don’t admit a lot of students in 11th, so it’s often important to be the student they feel would really add something.

11

Do not “apply now”. Start your application, do your interviews, and turn it in before the deadline. Schools don’t read applications until after the due date so turning your app in early, especially if it’s less polished/comprehensive, is zero advantage.

Don’t tell people your bad grades “aren’t your fault” rather explain “I’ve struggled this semester because I didn’t have access to a working laptop at the beginning of school. Now I do and I am working hard to make up my work and raise my grades.”

You need to apply to more than just the “top schools.”

12

@stalecookies Thanks for the advice. Maybe it is better to start my applications earlier if I hope to receive significant financial aid?

13

@cinnamon1212 That’s really helpful, thanks. I’ll definitely consider applying to schools that will offer more financial aid. Does the amount of endowment of a school have anything to do with financial aid?

14

@gardenstategal I looked at the George School yesterday and after some more research on it, I may consider applying there. According to Niche, it’s one of the best in Pennsylvania and it seems like a school I would enjoy, but it all comes down to if I would get admitted into the school or not.

15

Again, turning it in early does not give you a better chance of aid or of admission. Do it well and turn everything in on time.

16

Also, just a heads up, many financial aid applications are due at the time of the regular application so you need to check this for each school.

17

@one1ofeach Yeah, that’s definitely a better way to explain my grades. Also, I will definitely apply to other schools that aren’t the best in the country (obviously they should at least be good boarding schools) because as mentioned by the other people who replied, other schools may fit my interests in STEM fields.

18

Reread what I wrote. While a larger endowment does correlate with a larger financial aid budget, that was not what I was suggesting you focus on. I said to focus on schools with academic stats below yours, so that you would be a highly desirable applicant for them. That makes generous financial aid more likely.

19

@cinnamon1212 Oh ok, that makes sense.

20

Just finished my interview today with Exeter. I think it went well. The guy knew Mark Zuckerberg.