<p>Ok, I am in 8th grade, and I will be applying for my 10th grade year. I have had about a 3.6/3.8 GPA and it mostly because I don't do all of the busy work the teachers assign. I don't know what I am going to score on my SSAT. What percent correct would I have to get to get in the 90th percentile? As well, I am from California, I am Mexican/Hispanic and white. I have chose these schools because they have the best financial aid, my family makes like 60,000 a year. I am not socially awkward to much, I have a lot of friends. I think I could do really well on the essay, I am pretty good at writing. Also, which school do I have the best chance of getting into, and what other schools have FULL financial aid? Also, I have never gotten a C, and I play tennis and I play clarinet in the all district honor band. Give me some good feedback please. Thank you.</p>
<p>Honestly, I don’t really think you have a good chance right now. I would work on my extra curriculars and try to volunteer. You have a good academic record, however, do you happen to have any academic awards? I understand that you choose those schools because they have the best FA, however, other schools can provide FA for your parents’ salary. Maybe you do a lot right now, but I don’t know if it’s important to you as you didn’t mention it. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I would be happy to know more about what you do.
Currently, I think you have the best chance of getting into Groton… at this point. You still have time to add an “interest” to your life. It will be a little late, as they look for commitment, but it won’t hurt. Good Luck, I’ll be here till 12:00am… so you can ask me as many questions as you want.</p>
<p>What do you means when you say improve my extra curricular activities. I mean are these schools looking for me to save the world, all before I apply. And from what you said I DO have a good academic record? That is a shocker to me, I thought that was going to be my biggest setback. Help me please!</p>
<p>Well, I don’t want to be mean or anything, but having a lot of friends isn’t going to help you, pretty good isn’t good enough for these schools, you must be near excellent, also I didn’t see any ECs: Sports, clubs, etc. But am not the admissions office am I? So, give it a chance and see what happens, good luck :).</p>
<p>No, the aren’t looking for anyone to save the world, however, they want you to be passionate about something. Like the post above me said, you need to do a sport, club, etc. I know you said you do tennis, but have you won any awards for it?? Do you volunteer?? Your academic record may be “alright”, but that’s not good enough. Are you part of a math team? Are you top in your grade at your school? You NEED something.</p>
<p>Thank you, but would doing a lot of volunteering right now make me look better? I have played clarinet for 5 years, does the admissions office look at that? I don’t mean to sound narcissistic, but I think if they met me in an interview they would kind of be impressed. Of course this is compared to my peers, who aren’t all that amazing. I said I wasn’t socially awkward because people talked about that in other posts, and that admissions wants someone who can be somewhat social. As well, I have gotten awards for A LOT of classes, but would they really look at that certificate and value it? What can I do in the next 6-7 months that will set me apart. Thank you for all being so honest.</p>
<p>I think you have as good enough chance as anyone. It is really important that you nail the interview and the essays. Also, study hard for the SSATs.</p>
<p>@overandover98 "I think you have the best chance of getting into Groton… " ???
Grotons is probably the most academically competitive school in the country. And unlike Exeter and Andover they do not care where you are from or you ethnic background. (meaning dcsheeran you probably have a better chance of getting into Exeter or Andover considering you are from California and are Hispanic. Good luck)</p>
<p>I agree with nsn, you may not have a lot of Ecs, but if your absouletly impress the interviewer that will help you A LOT. Theres a difference if your the interviewer hearing someone that says my favorite color is blue, than a person expresses themselves thoroughly and really touches the interviewer, if you do this your chances will increase.</p>
<p>Also don’t be discouraged by anyones answer, none of us are in the admissions office (I think) so we don’t know what they think about you.</p>
<p>Thank you, you give me some hope. Just some basic questions, what do they ask in the interview? And does Groton have Harkness? And now a stupid question, how do you pronounce Groton? I am not sure, I have only seen it written. Everyone has given me such constructive feedback, and I thank you for that.</p>
<p>scsheeran- Groton is pronounced as though the o’s are a’s- kind of like Gratan. It’s kind of hard to explain… I was pronouncing it incorrectly until I went to the website and saw all of the admissions videos! I’ve heard a lot of Massachusett towns are pronounced oddly though. :)</p>
<p>And yes, Groton has harkness. As do most boarding schools, I believe.</p>
<p>Actually not many schools use the Harkness method of teaching, I love this method because the teachers tell you the assignment and the students take over from there. It helps your arguing and social skills.</p>
<p>Thanks, that’s how I thought it was pronounced. I would hate to get to the interview and pronounce it wrong. So does anyone know about the questions they ask during the interviews?</p>
<p>Groton is pronounced like “Graw-ton”.</p>
<p>I was giving my honest opinion, but I really don’t think you should be worrying about the interview right now. You didn’t mention that you have been playing the clarinet for 6 years, which makes a big difference instead of just saying that you play the clarinet. How long have you been playing tennis? From what you have said, you don’t volunteer. I wouldn’t do anything just to impress the AO’s, certainly not volunteering. Think of it this way, everything you do for your application should benefit you even if you don’t get it. It may be a little late to start for the application process unless you start like a charity, lol. </p>
<p>@nsn444
I’m sorry for that comment. I was really never interested in Groton, because I didn’t want to go to a religious school (even if you don’t have to be part of their religion to get in). I am truely very sorry, but I would think that Groton is on par with Andover and Exeter’s academics.</p>
<p>@ OverandAndover I have been playing tennis for about 3 or 4 years. I am not awesome at it, but I am not just like I started playing yesterday (obviously). As well, I have been playing clarinet for a while now, I would plan on being part of some sort of ensemble if I were to get excepted, and I am one of the best in my district. Would it help if I sent along with my application a CD of one of our performances, or should I tape my own solo? When you talk about volunteering, should I start now? Would it help if I start doing more in my community? What would be something these schools would look for? As well, do you know any schools that can offer me full financial aid? It would be WAY to much of a financial strain for my family to even pay 1/3 of the tuition. Thanks, I want exactly what you keep giving me, your honest opinion.</p>
<p>@dcsheeran</p>
<p>I don’t know about the clarinet, but I play the piano and I would send in a solo. I think a solo would actually be better (music isn’t my department, so I suggest contacting the school). I would start volunteering, because it does make me feel awesome when I go. If you can do more in your community, go for it. Look for things that you have personally experienced and make a change; for example, if you see bullying, set up a martial arts class for kids. Have a police officer or a martial arts place help out. Charge a few dollars and have little workshops once a month or so, send the money to a charity.
Andover is need-blind, meaning they accept you before they even look at the financial situation. I know what your saying when you are just looking for big schools with lots of money, but that doesn’t mean that little schools don’t have any money. There FA goes to people who can’t afford it, but are accomplished (like you).</p>
<p>Thanks. I see you go to Andover. (I wonder what gave it away, lol.) Is Andover elitist? Well, at least more than other schools? It seems like an old place where affluent WASPS send there children, not the smartest, or the most diverse. Would it be possible to get a full scholarship like I could at Exeter or St. Pauls.</p>
<p>I actually don’t attend Andover, but would love to. I can tell you that the stereotypes are not true. Because of it’s need-blind FA and international population, Andover is not an Elitist school. Ofcourse, there are rich kids, but most of them have the sense to act down to earth. From the impression I have got, it is looked down at kids who flaunt their money. If you want to know alot about Andover, I suggest contacting TomTheCat.
You can get a full scholarship to Exeter and St.Pauls. To see the average amount of FA your family might recieve, go to these two sites for both Exeter and St.Pauls FA calculators.
Exeter:
[Phillips</a> Exeter Academy |](<a href=“http://www.exeter.edu/admissions/1286.aspx]Phillips”>http://www.exeter.edu/admissions/1286.aspx) </p>
<p>St. Pauls:
[St</a>. Paul’s School ~ Financial Aid Estimator](<a href=“http://www.sps.edu/podium/default.aspx?t=114046]St”>http://www.sps.edu/podium/default.aspx?t=114046)</p>
<p>@overandover98- no hard feelings. I was just clarifying because Groton being a small school doesn’t generally get the reputation it deserves.</p>
<p>@dcsheeran- don’t do any EC’s just for your application, but find something that you think you’d be interested in (volunteering, sport, club, etc) and stick to it. They won’t care about your EC’s that much unless you show passion and dedication for them. It’s not about quantity. And don’t be nervous for your interviews. I was really nervous for my first and I didn’t do too well, but after that I realized just to relax and act like I’m having a conversation with my best friend’s parent, and I ended up doing very well on the rest of my interviews. All these schools are the best of the best, so put your heart into these applications. Good luck! :)</p>