Chances for 11th Grader to Andover, Choate, Hotchkiss, L'ville, and Cate?

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
1

<p>I got my SSAT scores back today and they were REALLY REALLY BAD.
I received a 69% or total score of 2127....
Is it possible for me to get into any of these boarding schools?</p>

<p>ACADEMICS:
-Almost straight A's except a B in Algebra II (not good at math)
-AP World History A-(:
-Received first place in science fair, english and math excellence awards</p>

<p>EXTRACURRICULARS:
-Flute and Piccolo- best musician award and first chair in symphonic
-JV and Travel Field Hockey-Goalie
-Soccer
-Snowboarding
-Volunteer at Hospital
-Student Body Government
-Red Cross Club
-FBLA
-Key Club
-Church Volunteer
-Youth Group
-published writer</p>

<p>I also had my interview with andover and it went REALLY REALLY well(:
PLUS i also went to the summer program this summer</p>

2

<p>Keep in mind that the average SSAT percentile for a school is an AVERAGE. For high scores above the average, there will be low scores below the average. </p>

<p>That said, having a score below the average puts you at a competitive disadvantage for admissions. A viable candidate with low SSAT scores should have some other great attribute to offset the disappointing test stat.</p>

<p>A larger issue is: having SSAT scores out of line with the avg of those of the schools on your list, why would you want to enter these particular schools in the junior or senior year when there is little time to assimilate & perform well to impress for college admissions.</p>

3

<p>GMTplus7, I agree with you.
I know that Junior year is probably the most rigorous (and competitive) year to apply for boarding school. However, I am really bad at taking tests in general. BUT, I do have my PSAT score (which I will find out in a few weeks) and I will be taking the SSATs again in December.</p>

<p>So basically I am at a real disadvantage (with little to no chance of getting in)? I was pretty crushed when I received my score. I NEVER have done this poorly on a standardized test.</p>

<p>Thanks for all of your help!</p>

4

<p>If attending BS is your dream, then does it have to be Andover, Choate, Hotchkiss, etc? These schools are particularly hard to be admitted into.</p>

<p>There are a lot of great schools out there that are truly wonderful but don’t have the name hype.</p>

5

<p>Oh i do know that.
But my parents don’t see the point in spending $50,000 for education at a second tier school.
So basically, I don’t think I have any chance of getting in.
Do you see the point in applying?</p>

6

<p>This sort of situation is why I think many parents on the board are pro-“Hidden Gem”/Look beyond the Most Famous Schools". It’s certainly one reason why I am.</p>

<p>TOO MANY prospective students and parents, IMO, focus exclusively on the “brand name schools” (meaning the names everyone has heard of and which may impress certain types of people on name alone) because they think that the “non brand name” schools offer some sort of inferior education. Hence the moniker “second tier”.</p>

<p>To all those prospects, I offer the following thought (one of many I have on the subject):
If you are looking for a great, challenging high school education, there are dozens of private boarding schools in America (and abroad!) that can offer that. </p>

<p>Not 5. Dozens. </p>

<p>And in some cases, these less well known schools may offer a better environment for you/your child than the “name brand” schools.</p>

<p>Additionally, you may have a better chance to get into one of these schools than one of the brand names, which are generally among the most selective. And rest assured that many of these schools have lots of FA to give out to qualified candidates.</p>

<p>I can think of at least 4 families represented on this board whose children turned down offers at the “HADES” schools for one of the lesser-known schools over the past couple of years. And as far as I know, none of them are regretting their choices so far.</p>

<p>Listen, the schools on your short list are great schools. You should apply there if you want to…if you don’t apply, you’ll never know if you could get in, right? Just don’t think (and don’t let your parents think) that they are the only schools worth going to.</p>

<p>To put things more bluntly, if I think a non-ACRONYM school is good enough for my 99th percentile daughter, I think it’s good enough for most applicants. I certainly don’t think she’s getting a “second-tier” education or HS experience.</p>

7

<p>SevenDad I see your point. I have been continually asking myself why I can only apply to the “top notch” schools. But the reason I even thought about going to boarding school is that I went to Andover’s summer program. I absolutely fell in love with the idea of going to boarding school and decided to apply for the regular year (makes sense for me to apply to Andover).</p>

<p>However, I do like other schools that are not HADES. For example, I really like Stevenson School in California, but it has an averages SSAT score of 65% and about 45% of the students receive admissions. I think that I would be very happy there. They are located within walking distance to the beach and the campus looks gorgeous and the classes are very small and discussion based. HOWEVER, I do go to a very good public school right now, one of the best public school systems in the country.</p>

<p>But there is the problem with financial aid. A lot of these “second tier” schools don’t have large endowments so they don’t have the luxury of giving generous financial aid. I am completely stuck!!</p>

8

<p>I think the more you (and others) look at the the so-called “second tier schools”, the more you’ll be impressed.</p>

<p>Here’s a link to the BoardingSchoolReview “endowment per student” ranking:
[Boarding</a> Schools with the Highest Endowment Per Student | BoardingSchoolReview.com](<a href=“http://www.boardingschoolreview.com/endowment_per_student/sort/1]Boarding”>Boarding Schools with the Highest Endowment Per Student (2023))</p>

<p>The school I am most familiar with, St. Andrew’s in Delaware (Go Saints!), has a very strong endowment $ per student ratio, and a generous FA program. A quick check of the SAS site shows they give out about $5 million in aid a year to over 40% of the student body…with the average grant being around $38k. That average grant number is higher than Andover’s published number for boarding students (SAS is 100% boarding).</p>

<p>This is just one example of how a “second tier” school offers “first tier” support for its students.</p>

<p>That said, if you do have a good back up locally, it can make sense to “go big or stay home”. I’d say apply to the schools on your original list and see what happens. Also, if you took the “flex” version of the test, apparently there is a statistical anomaly in the results…so SSAT is offering a free retest for any affected student.</p>

<p>Just keep in mind that the applicant pool for schools like Andover is both strong and deep (and I’m guessing stronger and deeper than the summer program applicant pool). Kids with straight As and 99%-ile scores get rejected every year. Full pays and legacies, too. I think most prospective applicants and their parents (especially those who may be less familiar with BS) are deluded about just how difficult it is to get in to the most selective (what I prefer to call the “top tier” schools, because it reflects a reality but not any implied superiority) boarding schools.</p>

<p>I encourage you (and all other prospects) to think very hard about what it is you want from your boarding school experience. Is it a great education? A supportive environment where you can be yourself and try new things and maybe even fail at a few? A leg up for Ivy admissions?* A chance to be surrounded by some of the brightest students in the world and taught by some of the greatest teachers?</p>

<p>BTW, if you like Stevenson and think you could be happy there, why isn’t it on your “apply to” list?</p>

<p>*Note that “Ivy admission” is, in my opinion, the second worst reason to apply to boarding school. After seeing valedictorian after valedictorian at our decidedly sub par local public HS go to Ivies, I’m convinced that kids who get into Ivies can get into them regardless of where they go to HS.</p>

<p>At the risk of sounding antagonistic (I assure you I’m not trying to be) I’ll close with this: Are you and your parents going to apply a similar filter on the college application process? Will your parents think a schools Williams or University of Chicago to be “second tier” and support only applications to Harvard, Yale, and Princeton?</p>

<hr>

<p>If you are a possible frosh starter in goal, and a school needs a goalie, that will up your chances considerably. Reach out to the coaches. Also, if you are first chair…be sure to send an audition DVD or a link to an online video of you playing.</p>

9

<p>My parents absolutely do not expect me to get into a “first tier” college.
You see, the thing is that I am the one that REALLY wants to go to boarding school.
The only reason that they don’t see the point in applying to a “second tier” bs is for the money aspect of it. They think I can get into a great college where I am right now.</p>

<p>And I do realize how competitive Andover is. I completely understand that even the most amazing kids get rejected. I mean I will only really know if I’m not good enough if I apply. Anyways, pretty much I really have no chance at the most prestigious schools. I just feel like if I give up now, I will would have wasted a lot of my money and time.</p>

<p>I think I will apply to Stevenson. Funny that you mention St. Andrews, I was planning on applying there but decided not to. I didn’t put Stevenson on my apply list because I was still debating.</p>

<p>The MAIN reason that I want to attend boarding school is for the amazing academics (i love to learn in smaller classes), intriguing classes, and intellectual environment. I think I will look at the other schools out there. I really shouldn’t have my heart set on only the top schools. </p>

<p>I think I have discovered that I need to find the RIGHT school for me. A school that will help me grow as a student and person. I have now altered my list of schools to be more realistic:
-Andover (REACH)
-Hotchkiss (reach)
-L’ville (reach)
-Blair Academy (maybe)
-Stevenson (probably/ maybe)
-Peddie (maybe)</p>

10

<p>Would you consider an all-girls BS? Emma Willard is excellent and is generous with awarding FA. And your SSAT scores would not put you in a disadvantage there.</p>

<p>I think it is Girlgeekmom who has a daughter there and has glowing things to say about the school and about the generousness of the FA. Was is their family that turned down a HADES offer because they liked Emma Willard better and got more FA from EWS?</p>

11

<p>“I think I will look at the other schools out there.”</p>

<p>Then my work is done (for today ;-P).</p>

<p>If only more kids started with lists like your revised one…best of luck.</p>

12

<p>SevenDad: thank you for all of your help! I really appreciate it</p>

<p>GMTPlus7: I’m not exactly sure if I would like an all girl’s boarding school. There is the sort of connotation of it being extremely cut throat and too competitive. What is Emma Willard like? How are the academics there?</p>