Chances of getting in Hotchkiss or Philips Academy Andover?

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
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<p>I'm an 8th Grader, and I'm applying for 2 boarding schools (hotchiss and philips academy andover) in the states, and I hope i get in... i just want to know what my chances are, and what i can do to increase those chances. thanks!</p>

<p>i go to an international school in china, so i don't know a lot about the states/boarding schools. any help would be appreciated!</p>

<p>my background:
i was born in usa, but i grew up in hong kong. then we moved to beijing, where i went to a chinese local school for 2 years. (i gained a lot of experiences from those two years). right now i'm at an international school. i have a chinese background.</p>

<p>grades:
i'm still in middle school so our grades aren't in percentiles. we have our grades on a scale of 1-5. i usually get most 5's, it's just my PE that isn't that strong. however in our school, the students who are stronger in math can take a grade 9 algebra course, which is a high school course that is actually recorded for GPA's and stuff. I'm getting straight 5's (A's) for that. i'm also participating in the math olympiad. i've taken a mock SAT exam (not SSAT) before, and with no preparation, i (somehow) scored around 1800. but i've never taken SSAT's before.</p>

<p>talents:
my strongest talent would be art. i love drawing, and i am very good at it. you can have a look at some of my work here: vivsters on deviantART. at school, i've designed and made banners for school events, and i am currently working on a middle school mural to go in one of the hallways. however i haven't really participated in any big art contests. i could try setting up my own art gallery/exhibition though, would that be a good thing?
i can also play violin, and i'm learning viola.</p>

<p>service/activities:
i'm very active with community service groups. (roots and shoots). I am also part of a student-led/created group called Greenkeepers (environment), and I am one of the main founders. our group has been interviewed by CCTV before about the activities we do to save the environment. i'm also part of the beijing student press association. we write newspaper or magazine articles. we do a lot of interviews, and i've been to the shanghai world expo and the china open 2010 for interviewing.</p>

<p>personality:
i'm generally a quiet, serious person.. but with close friends, i am much more open. i'm hardworking, very responsible... i guess im a typical good student. but i have to admit im shy around strangers when talking face to face. so i'm not sure how i'll do on the interviews. it's not like i don't talk at all, i just can't think of the best thing to say.</p>

<p>for a personality test, i got 'ISTJ' (Introverted Sensing Thinking Judging) - Serious and quiet, interested in security and peaceful living. Extremely thorough, responsible, and dependable. Well-developed powers of concentration. Usually interested in supporting and promoting traditions and establishments. Well-organized and hard working, they work steadily towards identified goals. They can usually accomplish any task once they have set their mind to it.</p>

<p>other good things:
i think i can get my teachers to write good recommendation letters. they praise me a lot. and even though i am not a member of student council, i still help out with a lot of events. i can speak very fluent chinese, and i can read and write pretty well too.</p>

<p>my weaknesses:
i don't do any sports at the moment. (i'm just not the sporty type) should i join a sport, or is it not that important?
apart from drawing, i dont think i have anything that will really stand out to them. do you think they would look at my work if i gave them a link or attached a few samples?</p>

<p>anyways, i pretty much just found out today that i might be going to boarding school in the usa, which is a really big thing for me, so i would really really appreciate your help! i just want to make sure that i can do my best to get in.</p>

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<p>I’m a student in China too(Shanghai), and I’m going to apply for to some of the top high schools in the US. I’ve been going back and forth between China and America all my life. I’ve been to schools on both sides. I was born in the US too. I’m in the same situation as you… I don’t know what your chances will be though, because I haven’t got in yet. But you must take the SSAT in order to get in. The SSAT is a huge part of your application process. I would love to talk to you more… Haha, I don’t have anything that stands out either… I don’t play an instrument, or do any sports. But I’ve won a ton of awards and trophies throughout these years. I got straight A’s in middle school, and I skipped a grade in math. </p>

<p>Talk to you soon,
angela2010peace</p>

3

<p>I’m from Thailand. I go to an international school in Bangkok. My school is full IB, and the scale is 1-7. Also applying for Andover >< and also Choate. My grades are satisfactory, not great</p>

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<p>Yeah, I just realized… do you know how much I should be scoring if I want to get into a good school? Math should be no problem, it’s mainly my reading and vocabulary…</p>

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<p>more than 80% should be great. I also have no problems with math, expecting a 95% plus for this section. I’m pretty good at math. My vocabulary is okay, expecting an 80%. I think i’ll have a big problem with the reading section because of the time limit. I’m also not a strong reader, but expecting a 70% plus. I’m expecting a mid 80s for my SSAT, hoping it’ll replace my poor grades.
Just to let you know. The SSAT is a just a part of the application. scoring a 70% wouldn’t make them throw away your application. Most boarding schools are looking for diversity. International students like us are likely to have more chances. You might not be qualified based on your grades and SSAT, but they might be interested in where you are from and the culture you’re in. I think many chinese are applying for these schools, so maybe it’s going to be extremely competitive. Not many Thai students go to or apply for the top boarding schools, so it might improve my chances.</p>

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<p>Hey vivsters, it’s me again! What do you usually get on the practice tests? When are you taking the SSAT anyways? But for schools like Andover you need SUPER high scores on the SSAT. Mainly reading and vocab for me too! And technically we’re American, so we’re not competing with Chinese people.</p>

<p>Good luck!
angela2010peace</p>

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<p>Practice test (Princeton Review)
Verbal: 720
Math: 800
Reading: 655</p>

<p>I ave to increase my reading score! ><</p>

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<p>Typical CHINESE/ KOREAN internationals get no favor at all. You have to be the best or have a better personality than all the others.</p>

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<p>To Snapepotter:
International students get it way harder than others. They need to be way better than others. But not unless you’re American. </p>

<p>To imymemine:
Hey which practice test did you get those scores on? And don’t worry, my weakest part is reading too… Math as the best section, and vocabulary is ok. How are you feeling about the essay?</p>

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<p>To imymemine again:
What private schools in the US are you applying to and when are you take the SSAT?</p>

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<p>Sorry I meant to type ‘taking’</p>

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<p>I’m taking it in December (I have one month to prepare…)</p>

<p>My scores are still pretty low (verbal around 670-ish, reading around 700, math will probably be 790-800)</p>

<p>but… a month should be enough to prepare, right…?</p>

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<p>Omg vivsters!!! I’m taking it in December too!!! Is it on the eighth? Well anyways I only have a month to prepare too… Is there a place to take it in Beijing? I’m taking it in Shanghai… My scores are about the same as yours.</p>

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<p>Not to be mean, but your chances are mediocre AT BEST. Like snapepotter said, you’re Asian. It doesn’t matter that you are an American citizen, there is so much discrimination against Asians, ESPECIALLY those who do nothing to deviate from the stereotype [which, unfortunately, is you…advanced math, art…you haven’t done much to break the mold]. Moreover, your lack of sports is an issue. There is no point in joining a team now, there is not enough time, it will look like you are merely padding your application, and aren’t truly devoted [which you aren’t]. Taking part in sports over a long time shows that you are well-rounded, and committed to what you do. Also, you don’t seem to have any awards, and you have set low standards for your ssat exam. So, sorry if I come off as mean, not trying to be. Best of luck!</p>

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<p>Shanghai American School?</p>

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<p>To vivsters:
What?</p>

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<p>i think all of u guys’ll be fine
im applying for andover, exeter, some other schools too and i took the ssat in nov without any practice and got into 97th percentile
im korean and i live on guam
i get straight a’s and i went to the nationals mathcounts competition last year
i can play piano, violin, viola, handbells all pretty well
i luv to run and im in varsity xc and thinking of joining track
i do a lot of community service too
@vivsters: man u draw rly well~ and yah u can give them some samples of ur drawings in a cd
and also the ssat is different from sat
ive taken some mock sat tests before too and my best overall score was 2350 which i got twice but i got a lower score in the ssat
but dont worry too much abt one thing since there r a lot of factors to the admissions process</p>

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<p>00000% chance. I am american, i play aaa hockey, selects lacrosse and competetive golf, i am a second class boy scout(3rd ranking), i play the piano and the trumpet, i have gotten straight A’s my whole life, i did algebra 2 in 8th grade and algebra 1 seventh grade i go to the second best private school in Rhode Island and i got put on the wait list in andover, its time for you to wake up and realize that youre a regular asian</p>

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<p>Sorry, i got a 94 on the ssat</p>

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<p>everbladeshockey, rhode island is a pretty irrelevant state. :smiley: And maybe they didn’t like your personality, who knows? Yeah, just got a chance to look at your app, vivsters. Acing your essays is the only thing you can do at this point in time…get your teachers to look them over.
Wait, I lie. Andover’s app is due in February, so you can still do something with your art. I’m a part of the high school yearbook team, submit some of your art and try and get it onto the high school yearbook cover. That sounds good, and is the only thing artsy that comes out of the top of my head.</p>