<p>Okay, I'm new to CC and need some help...
I'm currently in 10th grade and am planning to apply as a junior. My grades are fine(staight As) but I was not taking very challenging classes in my freshman year, mostly because it was the first year I studied in US(yes, I am an asian.)
I am taking all honor classes in my sophomore year but none of them are APs. I played basketball in school and have played the piano for nine years.
ECs- volunteering thoughout this summer(nothing else but this :(
I plan to take SSAT and TOEFL in Oct and Nov. I'm pretty much a normal applicant, but I work hard. I am looking at Andover, Loomis Chaffee, St. Mark's, SPS, Cate, and Thacher. And I need financial aid.
I am fluent in English but still has some accent.
Do I have any chance to get into these schools? Or do I have ABSOLUTELY no chance at all?</p>
<p>I like schools that have strong academics and have a variety of classes. Also, schools that have friendly faculty and kids and have a good atmosphere, preferably in NE or California.
Do you guys know schools like this?</p>
<p>Any advice would be helpful.
Thanks in advance :)</p>
<p>Hmm. Lack of sports or theatre/fine arts (apart from piano, I mean) may work against you.
But, see, here's the kicker!
The "perfect" applicant (great EC's, amazing grades, perfect SSAT, etc) that doesn't interview well, or writes crappy essays, WILL NOT GET IN (99% of the time).
You are average, normal, as you said, but remember to shine in your interviews and essays and you will do fine and become even stronger than someone with better ECs or grades.
There are some people with both or none- don't worry about it. Chancing people is crappy because no one will know for sure! If someone tells you you will get in no problem, they are getting your hopes up. If someone says you have ABSOLUTELY no chance, then they're stopping you from trying your best.</p>
<p>The admission depends on many factors: not only good school report, recommendation letter, SSAT, sports, extra curriculars, geographical location(if you are from over represented area, you may have some disadvantage), legacy, interview, and etc. I have seen friends who have a perfect records
but were not successful in getting admission. What I am saying is that
it is very difficlut to guarantee that a student will get an admission no matter hwo good the candidate is. But I am not trying to discourage you since I believe you still have good chances.</p>
<p>Thanks Saer and erkybk!! :)
I've heard that international kids applying for FA have almost no chance to get accepted. I am a permanent resident of US and have lived in US for one and a half year. Am I considered international? I really need FA...</p>
<p>Permanent resident, as in Green card/visa/idk what I'm talking about or an actual social security, legal citizen, etc?
Cause if you're a citizen... You're not international lol</p>
<p>Green card holders are international since they are not US citizen.
They have their own countries' passport, which means they are international(not US citizen) even though they have SSN.</p>
<p>I am not sure about that. I am just trying to clarify the citizenship question.
But I guess it will tough for international students to receive FA since BS does not accept international students very much, either.</p>
<p>No, to my knowledge no prep schools which you are applying, at least officially, do not give financial aid. Truthfully, you're looking at difficult circumstances here. First of all, 11th grade is an extremely difficult year for anyone to apply in. Applicants from Asia are frequently of the highest standards, with high-pressure parents and extremely rigorous schools. Because International and Asian will go on their records (their stats), schools will consider you of those qualities. It is extremely competitive to gain admission coming from that background, or any background, for that matter, without strong extracurriculars and high grades.
I do not want to crush your hopes entirely; I think you stand a chance at several of those schools, especially with very strong essays and interviews, but financial aid from St. Marks and Loomis, for example, will be difficult. A major benefit from Andover is that if you get in, and you are applicable for FA, you will receive it. I believe St. Paul's has a similar but slightly less comprehensive system. I am less familiar with Thacher and Cate in that respect; I would say, at least competition wise, they are around Loomis and St. Mark's.
Unfortunately I have to disagree with Saer's statement. Many of those kids do get in, because interviews and essays are only a part of it. Granted, an astonishing combination of the two can grant admission, but poor ones do not rescind it "99% of the time." I'm not trying to put you off; I think you should apply, and you may get in. I just want to make sure you have a realistic picture. I do firmly agree however that chancing people is crap. No one here really knows for sure.
Certainly you do not have "no chance." You are up against a lot, and your chances are difficult. The best you can do is write superb essays, have great interviews, and score extremely well on your tests. Plus, you do have volunteering and almost a decade of piano. That isn't nothing; just demonstrate how important they are to you. Don't talk yourself into thinking you have nothing.</p>
<p>sorry to hijack the thread... but i read something above about SSN, and being a US citizen would determine your status as an "international" student</p>
<p>ok, my permanent location of residency is in east asia, but what I don't get is that would i be considered an international student if I have a SSN, are (is this the right grammar? LOL) a US citizen, but permanently reside outside the US? because as far as i know i thought international student relies on where you live lol</p>
<p>In the applicatio, there is a space to fill about your nationality. If you are not US citizen, you have to provide your nationality. SSN does not provide any information. If students went to private middle school in US, some of them have SSN. Sometimes, if they familty stayed in US for a year due to their parents job temporarily, they can get SSN. So they cannot tell anything from SSN.</p>