Chances for 11th Grade!

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
1

<p>Hey, dudes and dudettes! I thought that I could steer away from the appeal of chances, but I really want a third-person perspective on my chances of applying. I know that my chances already are greatly limited as a junior-year applicant, but no regrets!</p>

<p>Applying to: Andover, Deerfield, Exeter
Current Grade: 10th
Current School: Semi-competitive IB/IBMYP School
Area: Virginia (but not a NOVA kid...)
Ethnicity: Asian-American
Applying for Financial Aid</p>

<p>Frosh Course Load: MYP curriculum, 4 AP classes (earned 5s on all), most rigorous by far and got all A's
Sophomore Course Load: MYP curriculum, 4 AP classes, very rigorous and getting all A's
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.2
Rank: 1/400-ish (unofficially - highest GPA in class, but rank not yet disclosed)
SAT: 2320</p>

<p>EC:
Play violin in two community orchestras (8-10)
Latin Club (9-10)
School Orchestra (9-10)
Student Council (9-10)
Quiz Bowl (9-10)
Staff Member for Leadership Workshops (9-10)</p>

<p>Awards/Recognition:
AP Scholar with Honor (9)
Maureen O'Donnell Classical Oxford Dictionary Book Award (for 4 gold medals on NLE) (9)
Concerto Competition Winner for community youth orchestra (10)
2nd chair, 2nd violin in All-Regional Orchestra (9)
2nd chair, 1st violin in All-Regional Orchestra (10)
11th chair, 1st violin in All-State Orchestra (9)</p>

<p>Leadership:
Co-concertmaster at school orchestra (10)
Historian in Latin Club (10)
Secretary in school orchestra (10)
One of Committee Chairs for Student Council (10)
Chosen as class-wide representative to attend HOBY leadership seminar (10)
Staff Member for Leadership Workshops - teach young kids vital leadership skills (9-10)</p>

<p>Other:
Chosen to perform for a REALLY big violinist in master class
Essays going to highlight my focuses on Latin and music
Recommendations hopefully good (???), should be at least a 7/10
Interviews will be over Skype, so no on-campus tours/interviews :(</p>

<p>I'm happy with my objective stats, but the thing is that I feel kinda too cookie-cutter. That, along with my ethnicity and my needing FA, will hurt me in admissions, wouldn't it? sigh.</p>

<p>Chance away please :)</p>

2

<p>you have a good chance but remember that 11 grade is one of the hardest years to enter into any boarding schools, if not the hardest. At Exeter, Andover, and Deerfield it is going to be really tough to get in so think lower than the posted admission rates. That is because these schools have already filled up most of their spots in 9th and 10th grade and 11th grade is the year that maybe 20 students max are accepted out of about 250 applicants. I am estimating so don’t think of these facts as proven. I am not saying that you have no chance but your road is going to be a lot harder. Have you thought about applying as a repeat sophomore? Also if you have any kind of unique hook that would help your case a lot!</p>

3

<p>Your stats look good. Financial aid should not be a problem at these schools, and especially not at Exeter. Try to focus your essays on even different things about yourself. Still do some on Latin or Music, but show them even more about you. If you desire to stick out from others in your ethnic group, show them the qualities that make you unique. SInce junior year is so hard, I would suggest adding a few safety schools that all take the same common app. That is only if boarding school is an absolute necessity or huge desire for you.</p>

4

<p>It’s a given that the admitted applicants to those schools will have solid grades & scores-- it is not required that they have perfect grades & scores. What sets students apart is ECs & personal interests. Timing is also important. One year a school may need violin players and another year they may not.</p>

5

<p>funnygirl1200 - Thanks for the input! I unfortunately acknowledge that these schools have dishearteningly low acceptance rates/available spots for juniors :frowning: I’ve asked my parents if I could apply as a repeat sophomore, but my mom threw a fit… Not sure why she did, seeing how if I get in as a repeat sophomore, then we would get a healthy amount of FA, and she wouldn’t have to worry much about paying an excessive amount.</p>

<p>Do you know, for any of the three schools, if I can be considered for acceptance as a sophomore if I end up not being accepted? Could I ask in the interview, or is too brash?</p>

6

<p>prepschoolhopes - Thanks for the info! I’m really hoping that needing FA won’t be the thing that could push me off the acceptance list. :confused: And definitely true about the essays. I’m writing about my passions for Latin and Music as vehicles for my personality and my uniqueness :smiley: fingers crossed! Also, I’m pretty happy at my current school, so I wouldn’t be ruined if I’m not accepted to any school. All or nothing!</p>

7

<p>GMTplus7 - Definitely! I’m for sure not getting my hopes up and being too cocky just because of my test scores and grades. Hopefully, my personality can make an impact through the essays, ECs, and interview. About the timing, I know that that can be a pretty big factor - my friend who is applying to college is concerned about the number of vacant musician spots at his school of choice! It’s all up in the air, for all we know…</p>

8

<p>If music is a “hook” for you and you haven’t already done so, send a DVD with a couple of pieces when you apply AND contact the head of the music program (or orchestra conductor or chamber music director) directly by email, describing your interest in playing in the program, describing your background, and asking how they think you’d fit in. Make sure you tell them you’re also sending the DVD ( or attach a link to the email). They might not be interested (depending on violinists there and where you fit), but, if they ARE interested in, they’ll flag your file for the AO. Sometimes, they also have a little say in FA funding as well.</p>

9

<p>Daykidmom is right. They’ll come in to the AO to advocate for you. This “system” is honestly crazy.</p>

10

<p>limsanity- you could ask one of your parents to ask what repeating as a sophomore would imply. Also in an interview the AO’s want to hear from you and want to hear your questions. If you subtly hint at repeating a year. Also Ive heard some stories from my friends who go to boarding school that they have been accepted into a repeat year even if they didn’t apply for that year.</p>

11

<p>Got good news from all three schools… Still in absolute shock. I’m so thankful for the CC community for all the input and advice! For future eleventh-grade applicants, just remember that anything’s possible with time, hard work, and a little bit of luck! </p>

12

<p>@limsanity Make sure to come back and tell us which you choose!</p>