<p>Hey you guys! I'm applying to Phillips Academy Andover, Phillips Exeter Academy, Taft School, the Hill School, and St. Paul's School. </p>
<p>I'd really like to know if i have a shot, so here's all the stuff i'm putting on my application. do i have a shot? :)</p>
<p>(I'm in 8th grade by the way)</p>
<p>-basketball for seven years, this is my second year on Beaverton Highschool's Metro team, which is a try-out team.
-five years of soccer
-two summers of swimteam
Writing publications and awards:
-Arts and communication magnet Academy Writing Merit Award
-Arts and Communication Magnet Academy Middle School Poetry award
-two times semi-finalist in Letters about Literature competition
-My poem 'Lucy' published by the League of American Poetry in two of their anthologies: Inspirations and Voices.
-State Test writing essay used as exemplary state essay for teacher's future reference.
-National English Merit Award
-Dance; eight hours a week. (ballet, jazz and tap)
-Theatre: 14 productions. One of which i helped choreograph a chorus member dance in which i also performed in. Three theatre courses in school. (Theatre 1, Theatre 2, and Acting 1)
-Member of Math Club. (I also skipped two grades of math, I'm in Geometry)
-I organised two bake sales (which i also cooked for), earning several hundred dollars for Children's Cancer Association and a Hero Award. I also volunteer in a kindergarten sunday school classroom.</p>
<p>additional information: I go to an Arts Academy, which (obviously) specializes in arts so i've also taken ceramic, filmaking, drawing, book arts, and computer animation. My English and Math reccomendations are very good. on the math one I recieved all "one of the top few i've ever encountered" things and some good notes about leadership. on English one i got really good remars too about leading classroom discussion and stuff. on the SSAT practice tests i've been scoring high 80's and 90's. (I'm taking the december test) I also live in Oregon and these schools don't have many Oregon people so that's good. i've had my Exeter and Andover interviews. When it was my mom's turn to be interviewd by the Exeter lady she told her "i just love your daughter, she's so refreshing, i can totally imagine her on campus." she was the associate director of admissions. At my andover one after he asked my about other schools i was applying to and then said "i think your going to have some really tough decisions to make this march. i'm not making any promises though" and the interviews both seemed to go pretty well.</p>
<p>However, i am going to need pretty darn close to a full scholarship. My parents don't even want me to go. I had to write them seven page letters and set up a whole defense before they FINALLY allowed it late september. But we definitely cannot afford to spend 40,000 dollars a year on a highschool!</p>
<p>so what are my chances? THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i'm really sorry how long this is!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>Hey girl! I must say, you seem to fit the mold for all of these schools but your chances are unpredictable. What I mean is that every single one of your schools are reaches for everyone. EVERYONE! So thats where the water gets a bit murky. Aside for that fact, you have excelled in the arts which I’m sure the schools will take notice of. I’m just hope you know that if your dead set on going to boarding school, you might want to apply to some 2nd tier schools due to the fact that all of those have acceptance rates under 30%</p>
<p>As for the FA, I’ve read that it makes it slightly harder to get in? Don’t quote me on that, though. If thats the case, I suggest you emphasize how you don’t feel challenged in your Oregon school system. DO NOT BASH YOUR SCHOOL, HOWEVER! Be positive and never say anything negative, merley emphasize the positive.</p>
<p>thanks so much crickett! that helped a lot!</p>
<p>i’m really new to this whole pre-school thing, so i just picked the five schools i thought looked best and went from there. i get what your saying about the whole “unpredictable” thing though; i’ve been reading about the people on this site and everybody’s so amazing, it’'s making me really really nervous!</p>
<p>oh deary! ME TOO! Its so intimidating for these honor-everything students and 3 letter varsity players! I’m like “…so these are the people I’m supposed to compete with?”</p>
<p>Choate has an Icahn Scholar program, which provides full tuition to seventeen kids each year (in each grade - 52 in the whole school) so you could apply for that.</p>
<p>Exeter was, and may still be, a “need aware” school. Andover and St. Paul’s are “need blind”, and, therefore, will meet your financial need (as determined by them utilizing financial aid forms filled out by your parents) if you are admitted. It is harder for applicants seeking financial aid to get into “need aware” schools, such as Exeter-- if it is still need aware. Nobody can assess your chances without an actual, recent SSAT score in hand. You should consider the Cate School near Santa Barbera, California. Consider Choate Rosemary Hall as it is a great school and you will already have a friend and mentor in Olivia, who has posted above. Be very sure to more closely examine your other choices and have your parents talk to other parents familiar with these schools. Andover, St. Paul’s, Exeter, Choate, Lawrenceville, St. George’s, Cate School and St. Andrew’s in Delaware are some elite schools to consider if your SSAT scores are good. Hotchkiss is an academic powerhouse worthy of consideration if you are prepared to do serious work akin to the demands of Andover, St. Paul’s and Exeter. If SSAT scores are not as you anticipate, then there are other very generous schools to consider.</p>
<p>After rereading your original post, I would like to share additional info. $40,000 per academic year is not a realistic estimate of the total cost for 9 months at a New England boarding school. That amount will only cover tuition, room & board. You will also need funds for books, personal items, travel and spending money. A more realistic estimate is about $48,000 for nine months, if you budget well. The good news is that all boarding schools are aware of the true cost of attending their school and can be quite generous with financial aid. As you are currently in an arts academy, you may want to consider Interlochen Arts Academy, Idyllwild Arts Academy, Cate School as well as St. Paul’s, Andover and Exeter. St. Andrew’s in Delaware for a 100% boarding school that is excellent for writing and financial aid. Concord Academy is a great school with a substantial arts orientation worth looking into. Deerfield Academy is sports, powerhouse academics and well rounded in the arts. St. Paul’s, Deerfield and Andover are quite difficult re: admissions, but all are worth the effort if you are successful.</p>
<p>An Exeter press release from a week ago says “the Academy is effectively ‘need blind,’” (emphasis added) because it has met 100% of the demonstrated financial aid needs of its students without resorting to loans. (I think that’s an accurate characterization of their position; though I would disagree that that translates into being “need blind” when it comes to deciding who to offer a place to.)</p>
<p>Are you interested in playing basketball or soccer, or swimming at prep school? If so, you should contact the coach and give them the particulars about your skill level. Depending on the sport, coaches can have a lot of pull.</p>
<p>Exeter will be free tuition, room & board, linens, books, technology fees and a free laptop starting with the 2008-2009 school year as their endowment now exceeds one billion dollars, for families with incomes of $75,000 or less. Also offering substantial financial aid to families with incomes up to $200,000 a year, according to a recent news release from the school. This announcement follows a succcessful fundraising drive. Exeter had significant investment losses in the 1980s according to the news release.</p>
<p>Crickett - FA does make it harder to get in, but not for need blind schools, for example. We were discussing this at community lunch a few weeks back.</p>
<p>Need blind - will determine your financial aid depending totally on your need for it, and they’ll give you as much as you need if you’re admitted. I believe this also means that financial aid isn’t a factor in your admittance.</p>
<p>Need aware - the school is aware of your financial need in determing financial aid, but they don’t have the endowment capabilities to provide everyone who is applying for financial aid with as much money as they need. I think this also means that financial aid could factor into a decision.</p>
<p>But make sure to check with people about that last point.</p>
<p>wow you guys! thank you so much for all your help! I LOVED Exeter when i saw it, i’m definitely applying there! and my cousin got a big enough scholarhip for Andover and they’re about the same as us, so i’m applying there to. That’s really interesting about Choate giving out so much aid! that was one of the schools i was considering but then i heard taht it was a “rich kid’s party school” and people were really rich there, could afford lots of drugs and stuff. So i ruled that one out because i’m not a much of a party person! hahaha. icy5998; thanks for the info, i kinda forgot to add all that in. but the schools i’m looking at are generally 36,000 a year, so i rounded up. but your right it would be a lot more.</p>
<p>have you guys heard anything about st’pauls, taft. or the hill’s school’s financial aid stuff? do you know how much they give out?</p>
<p>The Hill School–
2006-2007 Financial Aid Program Profile
Dollars Awarded (grants) $4,245,840
Students Receiving Financial Aid 188
Percent of Student Body Receiving Aid 38%
Average Boarding Grant: $25,850
Average Day Grant: $15,750</p>
<p>St Pauls–</p>
<p>$438 million endowment
34% of students on financial aid
Average aid grant = $31,324</p>
<p>Taft–</p>
<p>% of boarding students receiving aid: 28%
Average boarding student financial aid awarded:29,500
Scholarship Aid: $ 5,011,000 give out
Loan Assistance: $ 180,000 give out</p>
but the schools i’m looking at are generally 36,000 a year, so i rounded up. but your right it would be a lot more.</p>