One of my students is applying to Exeter, Hotchkiss, Putney, Lake Forest, and Oregon Episcopal School. She just got her SSAT results: 53rd percentile (V = 16%, Q = ~75%, R = ~ 72%). She is a Vietnamese student studying at one of the top international schools in Ho Chi Minh City. Any insight into chances at getting into these schools with her scores? I’m assuming her chances at the first two are quite slim to say the least.
Also, she took the ISEE previously with these stanine scores: Verbal = 4, Reading = 4, QR = 7, MA = 7. Do these scores look any better or worse than her SSAT scores? Should she send those as well as/instead of the SSAT scores?
I would say that she has an okay chance at the schools. I don’t know if being Vietnamese is a URM or ORM. Just know that the schools don’t only look at the scores. they also look at EC’s. Take the last one in January and tell her to start studying word roots for the verbal section.
You should for sure have her retaken it if that’s an option. If she is from Vietnam she is an ORM, which makes it harder to get in and is a disadvantage. She should probably consider Exeter as a no-go at this point if she is going to submit her current scores
ISEE appears to be stronger. Do you have the specific percentiles for the four sub-tests?
I’d add some of the all girls schools to her list (Emma Willard, Westover, Ethel Walker, Chatham Hall)…
I’d focus on schools that have robust ELL programs. They will be able to understand the scores as well as provide appropriate curriculum while she progresses. Hotchkiss, for example, doesn’t have any ESL and "expects all students to be fluent in English ". Given that many native speakers find the transition to so much reading and writing a challenge, it seems like a particularly huge obstacle for someone who is still learning the language.
@sfSTEM
her percentiles for ISEE:
verbal = 30
reading = 32
QA = 85
MA = 83
Also, it may be worth noting that she skipped 16 of the synonym questions (and got 8 wrong of the ones she answered) on the SSAT. Is it generally ok to send SSAT scores a little bit after the deadline? If she takes it again in mid/late January, the schools won’t receive the results before the deadlines.
@amadrid617 Without knowing the specifics of the school to which you’re applying, I’d hazard a guess that those dates are still eligible for submission. Probably good to confirm with the schools. ISEE percentiles improve Verbal and Math, but Reading dropped. But given that English is not her first language, that seems understandable. In total, not sure if ISEE is worth after all. The difference in Verbal isn’t that dramatic (both at lower end), the improvement is nice for Math. But the Reading drop is concerning (SSAT 72 to ISEE 32). Because of that, I’d say don’t send the ISEE. SSAT is actually better than the ISEE.
Unless she has a hook (ex.recruited athlete, legacy), she probably won’t be considered for admission at Exeter or Hotchkiss.
it might or it might not rly depends
Her bigger issue is her TOEFL. If she isnt completely fluent in english the very top schools are not even a possibility.
A lot of the girls schools have support for those still mastering English to help them prepare for college in the US.