Chance me please :) (Exeter and Andover)

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
1

Hi! I’m a 10th-grade student applying for Grade 11 Boarding at both Exeter and Andover. I live in South East Asia and go to a French international school (I’m half-french, half-south east Asian, although I’m not specifying which country in particular for privacy reasons) and I’m applying for Financial Aid (partial, although I’ll need at least 1/2). I’m a girl (I don’t know if this matters but everyone seems to be mentioning their gender so I’m guessing it does?).

—Languages:

  • Native Proficiency in English, French and the native language of the country I live in
  • Elementary proficiency in Mandarin (I’ve been studying Mandarin since 8th grade)
  • Latin (I’ve been studying Latin since 7th grade), I don’t speak it but know the declensions and can translate with the help of a Latin dictionary.

I really love learning languages and adore Greek and Roman mythology.

—ISEE:

  • Stanine score of 6 in both Quantitative Reasoning and Math Achievement
  • Stanine score of 8 in both Verbal Reasoning and Reading Comprehension

My ISEE scores are quite mediocre, but I can’t retake it due to financial and timing reasons. Hopefully this won’t completely ruin my chances, but this is definitely one of my major weaknesses.

—TOEFL: 109/120

I had to take the TOEFL since I don’t go to an English/American school.

—Grades (the French system has grade averages out of 20 and they’re unweighted):

  • First trimester grades: English Litterature: 15.38/20 English (World Language 1): 18,60/20 Mandarin (World Language 2): 18.95/20 Math in English: 19.14/20 Physical Education: 19.20/20 French: 17.67/20 History and Geography: 17.63/20 Latin: 18.83/20 Mathematics: 18.93/20 Physics and Chemistry: 18.48/20 Biology: 16.60/20 Extra PE: 13.50/20

I don’t know how to “translate” my French system grades into American ones, but I’m guessing they’re mostly As with a couple of Bs?

My favorite classes are Math, Physics/Chemistry, Literature (both in French and English), and Mandarin!

—Extracurriculars:

Competitive showjumping/Equestrian:

  • 3rd place in Junior A and B categories in National Championships.
  • Galop 7 certified (French riding level).
    I absolutely adore horses!

Debate:

  • debate club member
  • won “best debate trio” award with my team at a world debate and public speaking competition where I was selected to represent Asia (the Asian delegation consisted of 5 people)
  • won “best speaker” in my age group in an Asian debate and public speaking competition

Piano:
I’ve been playing piano for three years and really enjoy it, although I’m not that good.

Student Government/Leadership:

  • Elected student body representative at the School Board
  • Class delegate (I’ve been class delegate every year since the 7th grade)
  • Student representative at the Sports Committee

School newspaper:

  • Co-editor-in-chief of my school newspaper
  • One of its founding members

Volleyball:

  • U16 competitive team member
    I only started playing volleyball this school year but I love it! I’m not that good yet, so I don’t think this will be one of my strong points.

Environmental Club:

  • One of my school’s advocates for a greener future and sustainable development

Charity:

  • Currently helping to collect funding to build a house for an underprivileged family in my country with Habitat For Humanity

International online magazine:

  • Social media manager
  • Journalist/writer
  • Founding member

—Interviews:
Went really well (I think?). My interviewer for Exeter told my mom he hoped I got in and thought I was a good fit for the school (I think that’s a good sign, but maybe this is something cordial they always tell parents).

—Essays:
I think they should be okay. I have two essays left to finalize, but I’m quite content with the rest.

—Recommendations:
Should be pretty good. I’ve had the same Math teacher two years in a row and am pretty close to her so that one should be the best out of all of them.

2

MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Nobody, and that includes the adults, should comment on an international student’s grades if s/he is not familiar with grading in that country. And since we don’t know the country, nobody is qualified to opine on the OP’s grades. The rampant grade inflation (and extra credit and retakes on tests, etc.) that is prevalent in many U.S. middle schools (and beyond) does not exist outside the U.S.

Along the same lines, if the original poster’s grades are using a 0-20 grading system, do not convert to the American alpha system. Admissions officers will understand foreign grading systems.

Having said all that, being an international is a drawback in the admissions process, more so if FA is needed.

3

Consider applying to United World College. Campuses are located in several countries throughout the world. UWC is for juniors & seniors only.

4

Looks good esp. the debate. You have some interesting extracurriculars. With Andover and Exeter most applicants are really competitive, so it’s anyone’s guess. I haven’t seen many posts where the students weren’t outstanding applicants such as yourself.

5

Thank you for your very informative and helpful replies! Regarding UWC, I actually have a close friend applying this year so I just might take your advice :). I saw that Andover is a need-blind school, but what about Exeter? Also, does applying for FA lower my chances of getting accepted, even at Andover?

6

Exeter is need-aware.

Being international lowers your chances. Needing FA lowers your chances. Being intl and needing FA lowers them even more.

7

Thank you again for your quick reply. Although the odds don’t really seem to be in my favor, I’m hoping for the best and what will happen, will happen. I’m still very glad to be applying though, as the process has been very pedagogic and interesting. :slight_smile: Have a good day!

8

@sdanaya being a native Mandarin speaker, I would like to know what a “elementary proficiency” in Mandarin is. I have been speaking for my whole life and I am at a 9th or 10th grade level for my vocab, but my reading and writing levels are only around 6th grade. Apparently, for both these schools, speaking additional languages will not help too much unless you are fluent in many because you can take multiple language courses at both schools. Mainly, however, I’m just curious how god you Mandarin is…

9

In addition, what do you think the “hook” for you is. Admissions officers, apparently (I can’t be sure because I am applying for 9th myself, but this is what people tell me), look for hooks a lot. And being a girl does matter because the school only take so many people of each gender.

10

The upper spots are also really competitive, only accepting around 25ish a year.

11

@ImWaisian I know basic Mandarin vocabulary and can speak as long as it doesn’t get too complicated. I can read and write too, but I only know about 200 or so characters (so my understanding is very limited). I guess you could say that my Mandarin is good for the classroom but not for everyday life. I’m not a fluent speaker. “Elementary proficiency” is the only way I really knew how to describe it, but I’m guessing it’s not

Also, I guess my “hook” would be my awards in debate and the online magazine I’m one of the founding members of. Maybe the fact that I speak three languages fluently (although I think many applicants are at least bilingual so I don’t know)?

Thank you for your replies!

12

@sdanaya no problem!

13

In my opinion, fluency in three languages & significant knowledge in a fourth language (Mandarin/Chinese) is a noteworthy hook.

14

@Publisher Thanks! I’ll be sure to focus on that a bit more in my application, then. :slight_smile:

15

You can tie your language fluency into an appreciation of & curiosity about other cultures. Elite schools look for signs of intellectual curiosity as well as maturity. Both can be expressed in essays as I suggested in this post. For example, your study of languages & other cultures has taught you to respect different perspectives & different value systems.

16

@publisher I 100% agree

17

@Publisher Thank you very much! The online magazine I’m a part of is actually centered around cultural diversity and freedom of speech, so I’ll tie that with my love for languages.

18

@sdanaya You should write about your love for languages in an essay!

19

@cmbyn02 Thanks for the advice! :slight_smile:

20

@sdanaya my pleasure :))