<p>Okay, I am typing this on a terrible bluetooth keyboard so please bear with me.
I am currently in seventh grade, and I am going to apply to Saint Paul's School, Exeter and Andover as soon as I can.
Unfortunately I haven't taken the SSAT yet so... there's that.
So far this year I have stayed in the range of 92-103 as final scores (two quarters done).
That 103 was in science, I will get into that later.
So, here are a few of my achievements. I don't mean to sound pretentious by listing these off, but they are obviously important to know.
Being asked by multiple teachers over the past 3 years to read poems and stories at assemblies, meetings, etc.
11th place in a national French competition last year (Le Grand Concours)
Building computers and writing JavaScript proficiently (not a big deal but I figured I would throw it in)
Recent poem published in local newspaper
Acting in school plays, film projects etc.
Nuclear fusion reactor. This is my big one. I really love nuclear fusion and physics, so my friend and I started a group of physics-lovers (most nerdy thing, I know) and we are building a small scale fusion reactor. I won't get into science too much, but this would use ion guns, shooting deuterium particles into a high vacuum to create energy and oxygen.</p>
<p>I'm currently in pre-algebra, but I plan to complete alg 1 over the summer and enroll in honours geometry next year.
I am VERY good at science (as you may have figured out). I'm not full of myself, I am once again simply stating that I excel in science. My current teacher said that she would willingly write me a recommendation for honours
methods, a high school honours course.
I get mostly As and A plusses, with a few A minuses here and there.
I feel like I could get a 95+ on SSAT.
Iwould, however, need a significant amount of financial aid.Divorced parents, one is unemployed, alimony. You get the idea. Also, charity work and sports
martial arts
competitive ski racing
mountain biking
tennis
golf
and hopefully crew sometime in HS
I am going to start writing essays very soon, hoping that they do not change prompts this year. :) I think i could write these very well, and I believe that I would also do well at the interview, as I have had many auditions (yes, I know it's not the same but I think it will help to have that).</p>
<p>So, guys, what do you think my chances are? Any feedback would be great. Thanks.</p>
<p>It’s really early on in the process. Have you decided for sure that these schools are the places you want to apply? There’s lots of other “hidden gems” you might want to consider, as well as other top tier schools. Three schools is a good number, but for someone who would need a lot of financial aid (I did as well) the more schools you can apply to, the better (I applied to seven). The competitiveness in your applicant pool can be extremely tough when you need money. Race and applicant location can have a lot to do with your chances as well. If you are a Caucasian from New England, for example, you would be among an over represented population. If you are a Jamaican living in Iowa, for example, you would be among an underrepresented population. The applicant pool is more competitive for over represented populations and less competitive for underrepresented populations (I am a Caucasian from an underrepresented mid-Atlantic state, so that partially worked in my favor). </p>
<p>Not trying to deter you here or anything, just wanted to pass along some helpful info. </p>
<p>Btw:
Essay questions can change from year to year, but not always. Usually by the summer they’ve been finalized, definitely by September.<br>
Interviews are huge. People get really nervous for interviews sometimes and I never understand why. You just go in and talk about yourself and let your personality shine through. There’s never any trick questions.
Grades are more important than the SSAT. The SSAT matters to an extent, but if you bomb or if your score is not as high as you had hoped, it’s not the end of the world. You can take it again, but I wouldn’t take it more than twice. People get rejected with really high SSAT scores, people get accepted with lower ones (I got accepted with a 76 percentile - not awful but not the greatest). It really varies.
Extracurriculars are important, and being well rounded is important. You already seem pretty well rounded (acting - arts, several sports, lots of school activities,) so keep it up.
A HOOK - a hook is something that makes you different and sets you apart from other applicants. A hook is a great thing to have, and I’m telling you this now because you still have time to develop one. You’re science experiments and such could be a hook, but you can have other hooks as well. For example, if you’re 14 you can look into getting a job, you can hold a fundraiser at school or at home, you can get really good at a sport, etc. A hook is just something that is unique.</p>
<p>Haha Caucasian from New Hampshire. Thanks for the advice though! I know people who go to Exeter who scored 99th percentile on the SSAT but they said that they know people who got in around 75th. This helps a lot.</p>
<p>Glad I could help! New Hampshire - I’d say that’s over represented, but it’s not as over represented as Connecticut or Massachussetts - WAY over represented population there as far as boarding schools go. Yes, SSAT scores can vary, just don’t get too freaked out about them.</p>
<p>I live about 2 hours from Exeter, not a fun drive to make each day.
SPS is only boarding, so that’s not a concern.
(Basically paraphrasing your comment) :)</p>
<p>Your stats are impressive, so you have as good a chance as anyone for getting in. However all 3 schools have very low admissions rates.So one never knows.</p>
<p>That being said, the questions you need to ask yourself are: “Why boarding school?” and “Why Andover/Exeter/SPS?” You need to ask yourself those questions so you can formulate articulate answers, because someone else will ask those questions so you want to be prepared.</p>
<p>Why Andover/Exeter/SPS? Is it because they are perceived, by some, as the 3 most “prestigious” boarding schools? Have you been to all three? I have, and I can tell you that the vibe, at least for me, among each of the 3 is very different.</p>
<p>I would suggest you do more research about various schools in addition to these 3 to see which is a strong fit for you. I went through the process, as have many us us here, either as students, or parents, or both. For me, I ended up not applying to 2 of those schools, because they were not right for me. They are great schools with wonderful facilities and are a great match for somebody, but each school is not a match for everybody.</p>
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