Chance me on boarding schools please! (big range of schools)

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
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1

hi!
i’m applying to:

reach: exeter, andover, choate, lawrenceville, hotchkiss,
more realistic: concord, blair, peddie, governors, NMH
safety: westtown, williston

i’m a 9th grade girl in seoul, south korea applying for sophomore year
however, i’m not an international applicant since i have dual citizenship and lived in the US for 10 years (i’m a fluent english speaker and have always learned in english so it’s just location)
i’m asian-american (half white) so basically the ORM and the majority ugh

scores
i couldn’t take ssat because at-home testing is not offered, but i submitted my score from dec 2019
overall: 98th percentile

  • math: 92nd
  • reading: 97th
  • verbal: 97th

grades:
all As except 2 A-s in PE and East Asian Studies (no A+ offered in my school)
courses: geometry, spanish III, advanced choir (auditioned), and other required courses (no honors is offered either)
straight A’s in middle school except for one A- in PE (8th grade 2nd sem)

here are my activities and main achievements:

academic: principal list all semesters to date, best student award (i got it in 2 subjects each year of middle school but it isn’t consistent), phoenix pillar scholarship in 7th grade (merit award), section leader in choir 2X

mock trial: my school team placed 2nd nationally in korea last september

debate: octofinalist in an all-asia tournament a couple weeks ago, along with small achievements as well as the top rookie award in my academy

choir: i got gold rank in a solo festival and my choir got gold rank twice as well,

  • i’ve performed at the capital of washington state and famous concert halls in korea as part of out-of-school choirs, also had my lyrics chosen to perform

theatre: leading role in a play, participation in school productions for 3 years

basketball: middle school version of varsity team in 7th grade, but haven’t had a season since due to covid

  • i practice at home with my dad and get lessons whenever it gets safe enough

running: no achievements but started last year at home and have good distances so i’m also putting cross country as a sport (it’s less popular than basketball so coaches might like it esp. at the less selective schools)

leadership: i was one of the founding members of an inclusivity club in 6th and 7th grade (i didn’t start it but the students who did asked me to be one of the members to kickstart it)

  • i was voted in as the leader of the club for my 8th grade year and set up some initiatives for the entire MS

community service (out of school): i’m one of the youngest representatives in Teach North Korean Refugees (the global high school union for the organization)
-i was selected into the program that allowed me to teach student-run english classes
-i was asked to give a speech at a youth forum by the organization
-i have some initiatives being carried out in my school and community to fundraise for the refugees

i am planning to continue all of these activities and can even continue the service since it’s global :)))

essays
i am a strong writer, but i did take some risks with it
mental health-
i’m openly writing about having depression and ADHD- something that i’m doing to just be myself and stand out also might make or break me but i’m taking the risk

  • however, it hasn’t hurt me academically and i have actually been able to help others so my essay is about being a voice through my struggles

service-
i’m writing about a really cool story around my service work that is almost unreal (i also linked a recording of my speech in multimedia)

mock trial-
i wrote about losing to the team that got 1st place but another cool story that talks about sportsmanship (someone on the team that beat us asked to join our team next year)

parent essays- they should be very good because my dad wrote them (he is an educator and knows what good recs look like)
i am also very close to him :DDD

interviews
i’ve done the majority and followed up with my interviewers as well as connecting with students
i’m very friendly and genuine in interviews but maybe not as well spoken as many (i tend to trail off and stutter a little but my english is great)
i would love tips on how to really stand out in interviews

recommendations
i hopefully have good recommendations!
english: i had my teacher in 7th grade as well and i’ve gotten straight 100 on his class this semester- he likes me a lot and likes my work in class

math: i am very close with my teacher and also did well- she knows me even after a semester because my class is very small

others: my teachers are all great :,) and my personal rec is from the teacher that was the supervisor in my 3 years of service club and my spanish teacher for 2 years

please chance me (you can be honest but since i already submitted there’s not much i can do besides staying connected)
i do have a couple more interviews so if you have tips let me know

thank u :DDD

2

clarification:

  • i only have connections to the board of peddie and faculty in exeter but not much else
  • my dad is just aware of the process because he is a harvard grad and was a resident tutor there (he also writes a few recommendations for his students atm)

i will also update this with my results when decisions come out- best of luck to everyone <333

3

I know you mentioned that you’re a citizen and lived in the US for 10+ years, but some schools only look at your address to decide whether or not you’re an international applicant. Maybe email your interviewer and ask them about it.

Assuming that you’re considered a domestic applicant at all these schools on the list, I’d be surprised if you had no options on March 10. Your school list is extremely balanced out.

As for the interview, BE HUMBLE. Also, try connecting every question from the interviewer to yourself and your personal experiences. Do your research on the school as well. After all, the interview is just a process of the school getting to know you, your personality, and whether or not you’re a great fit for the school.

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4

for international applicants there’s like a whole separate form so i think i’m alright but i’ll double check and email someone if i need to.

thank you so much for the advice :,)) i’m usually pretty humble but i’m just not the most professional and i use a lot of filler words ugh

5

Academically you appear to be well qualified for all of your listed schools, but my main concern is that your application essay focuses on your mental health issues which include depression as suicide attempts, suicide, and threatened self-harm is a reality at many boarding schools.

6

yeah it’s a risk i took because i wanted to be genuine and hopefully it doesn’t break me because i’ve done a lot for advocating around it and it has never affected my academic performance (and no serious incidents or anything)
if you know any way to kind of make sure it doesn’t go through badly pls let me know (i already submitted apps but like if an email would help or something)

7

Yeah I’m sorta concerned cuz I’ve heard that schools don’t really like applicants with mental disorders… but I’m not sure. you still have a good chance :D. You can do it!!

8

I am just the Dad of a prospective student like yourself, but I think you are a great applicant and have a strong chance to have options on March 10. Your academics and SSAT are excellent, while your ECs show a broad range and a desire to help others. As for having depression and/or ADHD, so many folks are diagnosed with these conditions these days and are treated effectively that I doubt they will be held against you. And I personally like people who take risks with their writing topics rather than playing it safe. Stay positive, and best of luck.

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thank youu :DDD i hope i will have options and that it won’t hurt me but i want to be open about it either way (if it hurts me too much it just shows the stigma i talk about in my essays HAHA)

10

thank you so much! i hope you’re right because mental illness should not hurt students and it doesn’t measure their capabilities :,)
good luck to your kid and i wish you guys good news on march 10th!

11

@givemeacookie: Please update us regarding your results on or about March 15th.

12

i will! i’ll update the post and reply to your @ as well with hopefully good news then :,)) i’ll probably post it no matter what the results for the people curious

13

You sound extremely qualified! I just wanted to mention that Lville has an extremely strong cross country team. It seems like they aren’t looking for cross country runners, so that may not be helpful on your application. But, good luck to you!

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i will definitely keep that in mind :)) thank you so much!

15

hi! here are my results:

reach:
exeter: rejected
andover: rejected
hotchkiss: waitlisted
choate: rejected
lawrenceville: rejected

more realistic:
concord: waitlisted
peddie: accepted !!!
govs: accepted !
blair: waitlisted
nmh: waitlisted

safety:
westtown: accepted
williston: accepted

i’m pretty happy with the results! i knew it was gonna be hard this year, especially applying as a sophomore. i have a few options which is amazing.

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16

Nice job

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17

Congratulations.

I hope that you are pleased with your options.

You did an excellent job of predicting your results by categorizing schools as “reach”, “more realistic”, and “safeties”.

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18

thank youu! i am pretty happy with my options. let me know if you have any advice as i make decisions :)))