Chances for a repeat sophomore (as compared to a junior applicant)

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
1

Hiya everyone. I’m a current sophomore applying as a repeat 10th grader to Hotchkiss, Choate, Loomis Chaffee, Exeter, Andover, and Concord. I’ve finally slimmed down my list to this 6 after visiting Hotchkiss, Choate, and Loomis.

Profile:

Age: 15
Gender: Transgender male
Race: White
State: Indiana
School type: 2000 student urban public school
Income: Below 75k, almost no assets
GPA: 3.9 UW/W, will be 4.0~ weighted after current term
SAT: 1420, but I understand I’ll need to take the SSAT as a repeat soph. Hopefully I’ll do well, I did well on the SAT so I’m hoping my score transfers over well.

Current courses and grades-

Spanish 3 (94), Hon. World History (97), Hon. Chemistry (97), Health and Wellness (97), AP Psychology (94), Dual-Credit Pre-Calculus (85), Hon. English 10 (98)

Previous courses and grades:

Algebra 1 (97, 100), Geometry (96, 96), Intro to 2D Art (96), Spanish 1 (96, 97), Hon. English 10 (95, 97), Physical Education 1 (93), Digital Applications and Responsibility (100), Hon. Earth Science (106, 89), Hon. Algebra 2 (97, 83), Hon. Biology 1 (97, 95), Spanish 2 (100, 100), Theatre Arts (100, 89)

Extracurricular activities:

JV/V Bowling (10)
Student Council (9, 10)
DECA (9, 10)
Spell Bowl (10)
Team member @ Taco Bell (10)
Academic team (9, 10)
Student ambassador (10)
Currently in process for getting position with pro sports team (10)
Spanish Club (9)
NJHS President (8)
JV/V Track and Field (7, 8, 10)
Cross Country (7, 8)
Geography Bowl Conference Runner-Up (8)
Scripps Area Spelling Bee Champion (8)
Administrator of 2000 member forum (8, 9, 10)
Self-teaching Python and CS projects (10)
Piano (6, 7, 8, 9, 10) (Not good, just for fun)
Built computer, CS related fun stuff (9, 10)
Helped Dad lay floor (7, 8, 9)

Awards:

Varsity letter in Academics and Bowling (10)
School Distinguished Scholar (9, very likely 10)
Top Ten Scholar (Semester 1 Grade 9)
Excellence in Spanish (8)
Excellence in Speech (8)
Excellence in Tech (6, 7)? Might not include
Geography Bowl 2nd in conference (8)
Scripps Area Champion, Regional qualifier (8)
Discus throw and shot put conference qualifier (8)

Subjective stuff:

English rec- 8/10 ish. I know she likes me a lot, she’s told me I’m her favorite, and we’ve bonded over having dysfunctional families lol

Math rec- 4/10. My math teacher and I have a very little relationship, just because he has Asperger’s and, while he’s a good teacher, he isn’t really personal with any student. He’s a nice guy, though, and he’s talked about my work ethic in the past.

Personal rec- 10/10. A family friend is writing it and I can guarantee it’ll be fantastic.

Essays: No clue lol I’m trying my best but I can’t judge my own essays

Other info:

My grades last semester dropped cause my mom attempted suicide and was arrested twice. Last week, she was arrested again and it looks like she’s going to prison forreal this time. I’ve mentioned this to all my interviewers.

2

I forgot to mention how my interviews went (this acts as a bump lol)

Brooks-

My Brooks interview was my first interview since Culver and my first Skype interview ever. It was a pain to get it started, but once we got it up, it was very pleasant- nothing too special, but it was nice. My interviewer was a very understanding woman, but I don’t remember many special things about my interview.

Concord-

Concord was a Skype interview and I had to do it in my school guidance office while people walked in and out of the room, so it really lacked personality. My interviewer was nice and I wouldn’t call the interview bad, but it was sort of impersonal and we didn’t really connect or discuss my interests.

Choate-

My Choate interview was my first in-person interview since Culver in 8th grade. I was a little bit wet from my tour (it rained) but I was very excited about it. My interviewer was really nice and, for some reason, was super impressed by us driving from Indiana- claimed it was commitment, so maybe I’ve got that going for me. It was really pleasant- we talked about my interests, especially my job. He said it was good for a teenager to have a job and that I was really learning stuff. We both expressed how much we loved Choate’s environment and stuff. He told me I did a fantastic job during the interview. My dad also spoke to him during the parent interview and said he thought I was a good kid. We talked about computer science, too, and how Indiana is very different from Wallingford.

Loomis Chaffee-

My Loomis interview was good but not great, if that makes sense? I enjoyed my interviewer, she was a very nice and sympathetic lady. We talked about working, again, and discussed the computer science and neuroscientific opportunities I could find at Loomis. We also talked about Psychology and what we found interesting. My dad also spoke to her and mentioned my SAT score and apparently she was impressed, but oh well.

Hotchkiss-

I thoroughly enjoyed my Hotchkiss interview. My interviewer was a wonderful guy. We discussed my interests and my familial circumstances and all that. We had a solid 5-10 minute conversation about how much people need sleep and stuff. We also discussed my job and the difference of Indiana and Connecticut. My dad really liked the guy and they had their parent interview for like… 30 minutes. Apparently the interviewer was really impressed by my SAT score because my dad mentioned I didn’t really study for it. During the parent’s interview, I played Uno with a few others. I loved my Hotchkiss visit.

I have my Exeter Skype interview on Thursday, and I really hope that goes well. I still need to schedule my Andover interview. I think I am going to reapply to Culver (for a safety), The Hill School, Governor’s Academy, and maybe Peddie. We’ll see how that goes.

3

Have you considered United World Colleges? If you are selected by the national committee, you could attend tuition-free…

4

@CaliMex I haven’t really. How difficult is it to be selected?

5

It is highly competitive and you truly get to go to school with the best in all the world since each country picks its strongest candidates. But it is specifically a two-year program (most people attend for junior and senior year or senior year plus one post grad year) so there is no drawback to applying as a sophomore or junior as there is for most boarding schools.

6

Bump?

7

Oh, I took my first SSAT practice test (in years) tonight and scored a 2340, which according to the test is a 98th-99th percentile score, I think.

8

Bump

9

Are you currently attending a private school? If you’re not, why is there an absence of Advanced Placement courses?

10

@Flamentix I’m in AP Psych and Dual-Credit Pre-Calculus. Those are the only AP/DC courses sophomores can take. My school doesn’t offer the freshman/sophomore APs, we have Psych, Lit, Lang, APUSH, Bio, Chem, Physics 1, Calc AB, Gov, Econ, and Stats, none of which my school allows underclassmen to take (except for Psych).

11

I just won a city-wide business competition and was awarded a $15k scholarship to a local uni- how much will this help me?

12

Personally, I think you need to stick it out where you are. The courses and opportunities you have there dont necessary exist in BS. there are trade offs. Additionally you would do better to apply as a Junior. Being a repeat 10th will mean 3 years of much harder courses and the resulting grades. That will in turn make your college applications/admissions more difficult.

13

@Center I don’t want to come off as hostile at all, but I do have my reasons for applying to boarding schools.

For one, I’m transgender. My current school is less than accepting. The only other schools in my district are the same or worse. There are private Catholic schools here but, as expected from Christian schools, they aren’t the best for someone like me. I’m in agony everyday because I have to put on some persona of a happy girl. I want to get away to a situation in which I can express myself.

As for courses, I don’t particularly care about AP classes. I’ve looked at the courses offered at these schools- Choate, for example, has courses in cognitive neuroscience, independent studies, et cetera. They have an amazing robotics team. Hotchkiss has a full on DNA sequencer and a plethora of computer science courses. Loomis Chaffee has a brand new innovation lab. My school has AP Computer Science A in an old computer lab. I don’t care about having the “AP” “DC” labels on my classes. I want to have enriching educational experiences. I know if I wanted to have the AP race I’d stay at home. But I don’t want that.

College admissions aren’t an end-all be-all for me. If I go to some local U, I’ll still be getting a degree. Yeah, my dream school is Vanderbilt, but I know I’ll like almost any other college I go to. I’m not too worried about a prestigious degree. I want to get the best education I can, of course, but the prestige of my college isn’t a big deal to me. I just want a good high school experience.

My school doesn’t really have as many opportunities as you may think. We have DECA, which is dope, and AP classes, yeah, but otherwise we’re sort of lacking in what I want. We’re too overcrowded- 2000 students in a building meant for 1200. My smallest class has 31 students, my biggest has 46. It’s just not an environment conducive to learning.

Also about the not repeating 10th grade thing- all of the admissions officers I spoke to (with the exception of Concord) said it would be much smarter for me to repeat 10th grade- not only for admission, but being able to take advantage of all the opportunities. Heck, even a lot of people on CC recommend repeating. I think it’d be better for me- three years to take more classes, do independent studies, etc.

14

I think you have a lot of things you need to work through–based on your communication on CC. I dont think being transgender is a qualification. Other than that I dont what you bring to the table for the top schools you aspire to over say any other candidate.I never mentioned AP classes so I dont know what you are referring to-. Yes many people say to repeat but there is a distinct down side to repeating. Just because people you dont know on CC say to repeat doesnt mean and more than me saying you should do it. If you dont want to hear anything you dont agree with then you may not be mature enough to go away to BS

15

@Center I apologize, I thought you meant opportunities by AP classes and stuff. I have so much to work through, mentally, but my dad agrees that sending me physically away from my stressors (being my mom and other triggers) might be better for me. I don’t know what you mean by “transgender being a qualification”, I just was saying I would feel more comfortable presenting myself as myself in another environment- not that it would give me better chances. And it was AOs telling me specifically it would be better to repeat- my Hotchkiss interviewer said I would not only have a considerably better chance but I would have a considerably better time there- obviously it differs per person, though.

I don’t mean to squish dissenting opinions- rather, I was explaining my reasoning. My school isn’t great, it makes me kind of anxious even going there- too many kids in too tight a space. When I typed my last post, I was sitting in the library. Just after I typed it, two kids started fighting. It’s not as though it scare scared me, but made me anxious, if that makes sense. Thank you for your comments, they are helpful :slight_smile:

16

To me, it sounds like you have very good reasons to want to leave your current situation at home and could thrive at boarding school. I think you sound like a strong candidate and probably wouldn’t have to repeat. Perhaps just leave it as you are open to the possibility. I know a few kids who did that after coming back to the states from abroad and worked out nicely for them.

It sounds like you are going through a lot. Good luck with everything.

17

@PetraMC Thank you! I spoke to the schools and told them I’d definitely do either, but sort of am leaning to the repeat option just from what adcoms have told me about having more time to explore and form relationships. I appreciate the comment. :slight_smile:

18

Have you asked the schools if they have experience welcoming trans kids? Not sure you’d want to be their first?

19

Certainly a valid question to ask, but I will tell you he would not be the first at Andover or Exeter anyway.

20

@CaliMex @skieurope I asked Choate and Hotchkiss and they both seemed very accepting! Hotchkiss has a pretty new gender-inclusive dorm which excited me. I’ve not asked the rest- I know Exeter and Andover will be pretty accepting, I’m banking on that lol, I’ve heard NMH is accepting too! The rest seemed nice enough but I didn’t ask directly- they had to have noticed I was transgender, though, and nobody had an issue.