Schools I’m applying for (Most reach to target-reach):
Phillips Academy Andover
Phillips Exeter Academy
Lawrenceville School
Hotchkiss School
(I didn’t know they were all top schools so bear with me :’))
Academics:
3.8-4.0 GPA (Haven’t fully calculated, all A’s except 2 B’s from 6th Grade)
Haven’t taken the SSAT yet but my first try (practice) was 74% percentile and I am going to prepare as much as I can for the next months
I’m in all Honors Classes (Including LA, STEM (not official) (It’s called Introduction to Engineering Design), Science (not official), and Math (Geometry I), I’ve been accepted into Honors Art but was unable to go due to taking Honors STEM)
Math Olympians Club for 4 Years
Stock Market Event for 2 Years
ECs & Job/Volunteering:
Played piano for 8 (to be 9) years:
- 5 awards:
- 5 state awards
- 1 national award
- Currently going into an international contest and aiming for top (practice a lot good luck to me lol)
- ABRSM Level 5 Pianist
- ABRSM Level 5 Music Theorist(?)
Played cello for 4.5 (to be 5) years - Solo performance at School concert
- First chair for 2 years in School Orchestra
- Small Group/Chamber Ensemble Cellist, performance at local Church
Art for 7 years - I have collected a resume with my best artworks in place of awards (I have none, sad. )
- Resume:
- Anime Art (which is an eek)
- Pencil Sketches (my best art)
- Acrylic Paintings (not the best)
- Renders & Photoshop (not even sure if this is art)
- Digital art (my worst art, they’re basically doodles that I really like)
- Currently working on a mural in my house (bamboo, river, and mountains)
(This is kinda volunteering) - Taught children art at an International School over the summer (12 weeks)
Volunteering: - Tutor for children in China, taught English (~60ish hours a year)
- The Art thing above ^^
School Positions:
Absolutely None, which is a big minus, unless straight A student roll counts, which it probably doesn’t.
Sports:
Also absolutely none, which is also a huge minus and I don’t know if I can make it up. I have experience in swimming and tennis, but I don’t have any awards or anything to prove I am in any way good at them (which I’m not), but I want to get back into swimming (COVID stuff)
Information (yay super interesting):
Asian-American (Full Asian tho, sadness)
Applying for 9th grade (oof competitive) and currently in 8th grade
She/Her (Cis Female)
13 years old
Public Middle School
New Jersey (oof)
Financial Aid :’(
Essays - I’m working on, also should I make them more eccentric (and like me, who plays video games and finds education in Minecraft) or more organized and formal?
Interview - I plan on focusing on the fact that I’m going to these schools not to spit out information to a test, but to learn from others (not just teachers) and improve myself (personality, doing more for the community, stopping procrastination, etc.) as well as opportunities in these schools I won’t have at home, and how a school is unique. I’m not sure how I’m going to tie in how I’ll fit in though…
Interests (Not Yet Explored): Fashion Design, Architecture, Game Design & Web Dev, YouTube (It’s my dream and my passion but I’m not sure how helpful it is to the application process, I want to start a history channel, like Oversimplified or something)
Interests (Explored a bit): Computer Science (Python, Java, C++, I made some simple games in python and I’m currently working on Minecraft Server Plugins, but haven’t started anything on C++), Animation (I make 2d animations and I’m currently working on making advertisements for a small company), World History & Culture
Interests(Explored): Piano, Cello, Art
Why I’m applying: I want a challenging enviornment but I don’t want to be just memorizing then spitting information onto a test, just to be forgotten later. I want a place to connect with my peers and be able to learn from everywhere, in and outside the classroom. Living on campus will make me feel more engaged in learning as well as put me into an enviornment where I am fully immersed in the learning experience. I’m not here to simply put a 4.0 on my GPA or just because I want to go to a nice college, but because I want to be able to learn from people around me and find memorable ideas I will never be able to think about from myself or from a teacher telling us to memorize, receive opportunities I’ll never get in my local school, and find out who I really am through connections with other students and improving myself throughout my high school career.
Also questions:
If I get a test optional do I submit a bad test score?
Should I ask for recommendation letters from 8th grade teachers I barely know or 7th grade teachers who probably forgot me by now?
What is a good SSAT score? I know it varies school to school but a general idea would be nice
Sorry if this was long, hope I can get some advice