<p>I really want to go to boarding school. I'm a freshman now an the deadline for applications for next year has passed, so I would be applying for 11th grade. What are my chances of getting into a boarding school such as Andover, Exeter, Choate, Groton, etc? I have received high honors for the past three years and am quite strong in both math and reading. My "r</p>
<p>I think your chances are high as long as you don’t ask for financial aid. Getting into the schools you mentioned as an eleventh grader is already hard enough as it is, but by adding financial aid you are totally killing your chances. I mean, you could probably still have a good chance depending on your SSAT score and if you add some more extracurricular activities on to your resumee. And, just to ensure that your application will shine, I’d advise you to try and kiss your teachers butts (at least those that are going to give you letter of recommendations). As for the interview, I don’t know if that will matter that much. I’m usually not that talkative, but during the interview, I dont know, I just let loose and was able to be just myself. Now, since you’re applying as an 11th grader, most of the schools you mentioned might also want your PSAT score, and if possible an SAT score report. I know that when I applied to Choate (I got wiatlisted :D) they asked me for my PSAT score report. So, you could start to study for those. And, well. You still have like 9 months to make your application shine, so don’t waste them. </p>
<p>Oh, and also, what are your plans for this summer? That questions appeared in every single one of my interviews. Schools want to see that you make your summer useful. Try getting a job, or taking some summer courses, or even going to a summer course at a college like Brown (Summer@Brown looks amazing :)).</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks, that helps. But we will need financial aid…we’re not paying $40,000 out of pocket. Would that really hurt my chances? I thought schools were supposed to be need-blind? I know most of those schools give a free ride to <80,000/yr households, which we are higher than, but still, it seems they give a lot of financial aid.<br>
Thanks for the summer tip… I will definitely try to do some good stuff with my time this summer.</p>
<p>Oh and how competitive is getting into 11th grade compared to 9th grade, 10th grade, and 12th grade? Thanks.</p>
<p>You have an OK chance even though your grades are good, if you wanted to turn that into a very good chance then apply as a repeat sophomore. Jr boarding schools go until 9th grade so most boarding schools enroll a lot of new sophomores. I would suggest also doing extra curriculars, just do one or two easy things like student council. As far as picking the right school you are right in that only the “elite” prep schools are worth while. I would suggest applying to 3 or more schools. Some schools to consider would be, Andover, Exeter, Taft, St. Pauls, Choate, Deerfield, Milton, Groton, and a few others. If you want a “safety” school I would go with something along the lines of Tabor, Kent, Loomis, Brooks. Boarding school is a great decision, but make sure you do things correctly. Be a well rounded person, keep up your grades, do well on the SSAT, and do other things. Once again it will also help your chances if you apply as a sophomore not all, but most people repeat a year if they come in late.</p>
<p>hey! look at the bright side here!! I applied for 11th grade this year and asked for financial aid. I got into Deerfield and one other schools with generous FA offerings from both. Be confident about yourself, and work hard to represent a well-rounded YOU in the application and interview.
Remember, if you prove to the schools that you are very capable and that they will feel bad if they don’t accept you, they will let you in AND give you fa. So if you are indeed good enough, don’t worry so much about fa. good luck !</p>
<p>Thanks, lots of help. I’m considering repeating 10th grade, but I have a twin sister and it might be weird…I don’t know. One question, though…How can I make the school feel bad if the don’t accept me without sounding passive agressive or pushy? And congratz, exoveerotch on your acceptances</p>
<p>if you truly standout from the crows, they will regret their decision of not accepting you becasue they know that you are a potentially big contribution to their school. You just have to standout, in a good way, that’s all</p>
<p>It is certainly possible. I applied to SPS as a repeat 11th grader and asked for FA. My grades are not nearly as good as yours and I was accepted. I did however have a hook and interviewed exceptionally. I would say work on your interview and apply for 10th grade. It is very hard to get into 11th grade seeing as there are very few spots and a good interview can really seperate you. I am fairly confident that with a good interview/essay you can get into at least one of these schools (as a 10th grader).</p>
<p>Exeter has a student section on their website where you can ask a current Exeter student questions and they will respond via email. I would suggest you try this, as you will get answers from current students that are familiar with the school and may know other students with similar situations. I too am a freshman that didn’t know of the deadline before it was too late, and will be applying for my junior year. Hope we get accepted.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t urge against asking students at Exeter, but you see, most, if not all, of the people on this board include parents, current and former students, admissions people( a few), and if you want to see a complete picture about the whole BS application process, this board is really a treasure. Most of the people on here have first-hand experience on applying to BS, and what more can you ask for?
I started this process last year knowing absolutely nothing about BS, and ended up in one of the best (Deerfield) on March 10. I think that shows you how much valuable information this board has given me and I am very very thankful for people’s advice and opinions. I applied for junior year too, btw.
Have fun and good luck!!</p>
<p>Thanks again for the great advice, everyone. Exoveerotch, can you just tell me sort of what your application looked like in terms of grades and extracurriculars, etc, just so I can see how good my application has to be? That would be very helpful. Thanks again everyone!</p>
<p>competition is very high especially for eleventh grade some schools dont even accept applications for twelfth grade my sister tried exeter and andover in 10th but she didn’t make it plus financial aid would be the last thing i would be worrying about right now schools like the ones you mentioned hav a bunch of rich alumnis that donate a whole bunch of money each year i myself am trying to get into andover or exeter for ninth grade i am currently in seventh grade so if you hav any tips for me please help me as well just lik you im not big on extracuricular and i was wondering if they look at the quantity of extracuriccular activites or the contests you won of the applications…
hope i helped</p>
<p>moonbeam: remember, you don’t want your app to look cookie-cutter perfect, because that won’t make you stand out, or even worse yet, get completely thrown out. Try to present the real “you” in the apps, show some passion for the school, show’em your best when it comes to interviews and such, and I don’t really know what else you’ll need. :)</p>
<p>cskang: the schools values quality over quantity, they want to see passion in few areas rather than tidbits here and there.
You are in 7th grade, WOW. Enjoy life! that’s just about the best advice I can give you, don’t want to sound condescending, but I’m a sophomore in HS now, and gosh I wish I could be in 7th grade again, free time+little hw+no worry about college and tests…heaven!!! You don’t get much time before you have to dive into trmendous amount of work and experience pressure constantly being put on you. Make the best of it. (Got inspired by Le Petit Prince) :D</p>
<p>Some would say the same about HS as opposed to being in the workforce.</p>
<p>le petit prince great book</p>
<p>Andover doesn’t discrimate against people who need financial aid do they? Are there any other schools that don’t?</p>
<p>Hey, I thought that people applying as anything but 9th grade had to really, really, really stand out to get in.</p>