Basic info.:
I am a boy studying in a prominent school in hongkong which has a barely 10% acceptance rate. Here are my stats
Grades: School can’t distribute transcripts before 15th Jan and school doesn’t rank
SSAT: 90% overall(mock paper ?) Going to take the test in Nov or Dec
ECS: Class President, member of the physics club, biology and chemistry, debating team, model united nations team, olympiad math, battle of the books, hongkong air cadet corps
Awards: 2nd runner up in a Chinese ink painting competition, Gold in a national science competition, a finalist+bronze in hua xia cup(the Chinese version of usamo xD)x3 and a couple of awards in Olympiad math competitions
Arts: Chinese ink painting
Passions: Science, olympiad maths, Chinese ink painting( NOT WESTERN ARTS) and debating
Financial aid/Full Pay: 90% Financial aid
Grade applying to: 9th grade
Schools applying to: Phillips Exeter Academy, Choate Rosemary Hall, Phillips Academy, Hotchkiss, L’ville, etc.
PS Musical Instruments: Piano, Recorder, trumpet, ukulele
Nobody can give you meaningful feedback without knowing your grades and actual test scores.
My school can’t distribute my transcript by 15th Jan (the exam is in december). Nevertheless, is getting a 90% overall in ssat decent?
Will applying without a transcript hurt my chances? (I can’t obtain it before 15th Jan, I have inquired the school)
Yes. In fact, no transcript = incomplete application which means it will not be reviewed.
They need to send what they have, and send an update later if the school wants.
Ask again when you have your actual score. Nobody should advise you based on your wishing-and-hoping score, even if it’s a practice test.
90% SSAT? I doubt it would be sufficient for these schools
Should I contact the admission officers?
To say that I cannot send my transcript before the deadline with proof
@PrincetonRealtor On what basis would you say you doubt 90% would be enough for these schools (CRH, PEA, PA)? There is no empirical data to support such a statement, which further reinforces why anyone asking for advice/opinion in the Prep School Chances sub-Forum is really asking for trouble. (SSAT averages for these schools - CRH>85, PEA/PA~94, If these averages are medians, then just as many admitted students score below these figures as above).
Maybe because this is an unhooked international applicant in need of almost 100% financial aid ?
Also, a below median SSAT score might call into question the applicant’s claims regarding success in intensive math competitions.
@Publisher I see you love stats and maybe are in the camp that believes an SSAT score of 90 suggests an aptitude far different than a 95 or 99. Other school of thought for elite schools thinks “above 85? Great, Good enough. Now show us the rest of your candidacy”.
Perhaps when you say “international” you really mean Chinese or Korean. Many other internationals getting into top BS with less than 95 from what I have heard. South America for sure.
@Boarding2019: No, I meant unhooked international in need of almost 100% financial aid.
As for SSAT scores, they are an important part of the application process regardless of what you or I “think”.
Since nobody here is an AO, it is perhaps better not to bandy around phrases like “for sure.” Regardless of whether one thinks an 85 or a 90 or a 95 is sufficient, the OP has none of these nor is he from South America, so perhaps agree to disagree instead of throwing the conversation off-topic into a debate.
@skieurope Thanks for moderating. I have to say, though, just because I am not an AO doesn’t preclude me from saying “for sure” as I actually have first hand knowledge of several such SA students. That is, of course, unless the students misled me by declaring lower scores than they had in actuality. Pretty doubtful.
Nobody is preventing you from saying it; I’m advising that your credibility will be questioned. As another such example when responding to a chance threads for PEA, Andover, Choate, etc., you stated, " you have a great chance at your current reach/target schools." Without being an AO, nobody can say anybody has a “great” chance to that tier of schools.
You’re certainly welcome to express your opinion. Just be aware that while a parent of a BS student/alum is not the font of all knowledge (nor is a moderator for that matter), they generally have more experience than a current applicant.
As I am fond of saying, the plural of anecdote is not data. Regardless, discussion of SA students has no bearing on the OP, who is form Hong Kong.