Chance me! (Phillips Exeter, Phillips Andover, St. Pauls, and Groton)

Do you need financial aid?

First post says financial aid.

It is hard to tell what you’re looking for in a school from your list as you have both large schools that feel like college campuses and smaller schools that offer a very different experience. How did you arrive at your target list? What are your criteria?

If you like St. Paul’s 100% boarding community and Groton’s small size, you should probably add St. Andrew’s School in Delaware to the list.

If you want your application to stand out enough to warrant admission with generous financial aid, perhaps you should consider schools like Brewster, Berkshire, or even all-girls schools like Emma Willard and Westover.

@squ1rrel I’ll be boarding, unfortunately. I thought it would be a good experience before college and a way to find more friends out of class.

@CaliMex So my criteria for schools at the moment is small, community type schools, but I included the other three because of the fact that they’re so rigorous and I think I would enjoy various aspects of each of the schools. Like Exeter - Harkness method. Discussions are the way I learn best, I think. Andover - I don’t think it matters anymore because of how horribly my interview went. St. Pauls - the campus just drew me in, plus it’s in NH

So… Harkness is not exclusive to Exeter and neither is academic rigor. Nearly every boarding school has small, discussion-based classes, too, whether or not they actually sit around an oval-shaped table.

If being part of a small, tightly-knit community is important to you and you need financial aid, I would focus on schools that are known for that. St. Andrew’s School and Thacher are two that are incredibly purposeful about building a strong community, but they are just as competitive (or more!) as the other schools on your list. Mercersburg might be another one to consider (the campus is gorgeous), along with Berkshire. All-girls schools could be a really good option for you, too… Check out Emma Willard.

@CaliMex Ah, I see! Thank you for letting me know. I’ll definitely add these schools to my list to check out.

Maybe check out Millbrook and Tabor, too?

Middlesex, Groton, and Concord Academy fit your criteria as well. Small, intense sense of community at both, academically rigorous. If you do indeed score around a 90% those are likely good fits for you. They all have a slightly different vibe so definitely visit all! (I am sticking to mostly MA schools because it seems like you want to board but not go too far from home)

Andover and Exeter are very large schools, like college campuses. I am sure there is a sense of community but it is definitely different from the community you get at a smaller school.

Thank you @CaliMex and @one1ofeach!!
Here’s the list of all the schools I want to look at besides the ones I already started applying too:
Thayer
Tabor
Lawrence Academy
Brooks
Governors
St Marks
Concord Academy
St. Andrews
Mercersburg
Berkshire
Emma Williard
Middlesex
Millbrook

Anything I should add/take off?

How about you get an actual ssat score and then narrow the list a bit. Are you able to visit them all? If yes then after you get a score you can take off a few that you didn’t love.

@one1ofeach Sounds good, thank you so much for everything so far!

Hello! I’m with @B1ackUnicorn who turned out to be my roommate (kinda crazy lol) as well as my friend who also goes to exeter! We think you have a decent chance and the right credentials, but your an overrepresented majority. As a tour guide i have seen some impressive applicants this seasonn! GOOD LUCK

@flowergirl1214 Woah!! Do you have any pointers on how I could increase my chances? Probably the essays, I’m guessing. Is there a chance you may have been my tour guide haha?

@mondaydevil Ha! I could have very well been your tour guide, as I usually give 5-7 tours a week!

@flowergirl1214 Wow! That’s a lot. Do you ever remember who you toured long after the tour? If so, who were some of your most memorable tours? Also, do you fill out a report on the student you give tours to?

Two points:

Your listed schools are essentially/about half of the top-30 schools. It would help your readers to know/discuss/advise if you could elaborate a bit as to why you include these vs. why you exclude the others.

Separately, I would like to run a poll: how many schools people tend to apply for these days?

3~4 (vote: agree), vs. 7~8 (vote: like), vs. 10+ (vote: helpful) . Thanks to all.

There is no magic number in terms of how many schools one should apply to.
If you don’t need financial aid and have a great local option as back up, you need only apply to 1-3.
If you need financial aid and/or don’t have a strong local back up, you need to apply to many more – especially if you don’t have a hook and don’t have outstanding stats.

@Heading2HS These schools are mainly just the ones in my area that I was drawn to. I feel like I’d fit in at them and will be challenged. That’s all, to be honest. I also have since posting this added three schools to my list: Choate Rosemary Hall, St. Mark’s, and Concord Academy.

No, at Exeter we personally don’t give any feedback after our tours. As for how many I remember, I have had some very memorable tours but I generally don’t remember everyone I tour.

UPDATE: I got a 95 %ile on the SSAT!! I’m still scheduled for a retake but I think I’m going to mainly work on my essays now.