I did not make good grades in the 8th grade, C’s and B’s. I am currently in the 9th grade and am making A’s and B’s. Could my 8th grade grades greatly affect my chances getting into Woodberry?
I would flip it around and focus on the fact that your 9th grade scores can definitely help your application, especially if you have a good explanation for your lower 8th grade scores, i.e., something like divorce, death in the family, move, and not something like “I didn’t know I wanted to go to Woodberry back then so I wasn’t trying very hard.” That would also be true if your SSAT shows that you have the ability to do the work.
Are you trying to enter as a new boy 10th grader or repeat 9th grader? If you are planning to repeat 9th grade, I doubt the 8th grade scores will matter much at all.
Woodberry is looking for boys who will fit in to the school culture. The interview will matter. Extracurricular activities can be very important. Teacher recommendations or Woodberry alumni recommendations can make a difference. Geographic diversity can help or hurt. Financial aid or not? There are a lot of factors to an application. Don’t spend time worrying about the ones from the past that you cannot control. Just put your best application together and go for it.
Woodberry is not an aggressively academic school. It is definitely more about culture. If you dont play sports I cant imagine you would enjoy Woodberry. A nice low key, highly social school. Much more politically conservative and traditional than NE schools. I know a current 9th grade student, You have nothing to worry about re grades.
@Center
I read your comment and was somewhat offended. Many assume that just because Woodberry is not in New England and its acceptance rate is higher than the average that we are sub-par. I am a current student at Woodberry and I can 100% disagree with your statement. It is certainly academically rigorous, and while our regular level courses are not quite as challenging as the regular courses at NE schools, our Honors and Advanced level courses certainly are. I know this because I have friends at 3 NE schools; Lawrenceville, Deerfield, and Hotchkiss. We often compare and complain about the rigor and workload together, and they could speak for the rigor of Honors and Advanced classes at Woodberry. Our higher acceptance rate is due to the fact that the applicant pool dwindles quickly when a school is single-sex, and also that a handful of southern families would be fine with their children going to BS up north, while a much lower percentage of northern families would allow their children to go south. The thing that I feel sets Woodberry apart is that the students are not competitive, and by that I mean it’s not a cutthroat environment whatsoever. We are certainly competitive with students of other BS’s when it comes to college admissions, but typically our students choose the southern route. Many seniors are accepted to Ivy’s and the such, but end up going to UVa, UNC, Vandy, Davidson, Washington and Lee and other southern schools, that are competitive to those up north, simply because they feel a better fit in the familiar, southern environment.
To address your second statement, those not involved in athletics thrive at the same level as our student-athletes. Our theater productions are top notch, and we also have many other non-athletic afternoon options such as Varsity Art, Varsity Music, and Model UN. I personally am only involved in one sport here, and that’s tennis.
And to @fadezieee, good luck and maybe I’ll see you next year! Don’t stress too much over March 10th, it’ll all turn out okay.
Hi Puck: I am sorry you were offended. I am extremely familiar with the school. In fact I grew up in the South and have friends and relatives who attended and currently attend the school It is a school that has changed dramatically over the years --kicking and screaming. I would only recommend it for a certain type of student and family. I am happy you are happy there. I will refrain from commentIng further .
Hi Puck, thank you for your helpful insight as a WF current student. We are seriously evaluating WF for our rising 8th grader and would appreciate any other views/experiences on WF
Hi Center, please expound on your comment “changed dramatically over the years --kicking and screaming” as any intel would be greatly appreciated