<p>It’s just the interviewer being polite. And it might actually be true that you are a good fit.</p>
<p>But they take very few students at the 11th or 12th grade and, frankly, there are a lot of “good fits” in the pile. And the interviewer may or may not be making the decisions in the end. An entire committee filled with people who haven’t met you are going to be expressing their opinions as well.</p>
<p>SevenDad is correct - that phrase is often said to qualified students who just as often go on to be rejected because of the low admit rate. So don’t read anything into it.</p>
<p>Yeah, sounds like you passed the first test, but there are more to come, when they review your whole application. One interviewer recently said exactly the same thing to my daughter, but we’ve advised her not to count her chickens just yet. Many applicants would be a “good fit” for a given school, but they cannot accept all of them. The interview must have gone well, though, so you should feel good about that. Good luck.</p>
<p>On the application, don’t you have to specify explicitly what grade you are applying for? I.e. don’t you have to apply for either the senior class or the junior class? </p>
<p>It’s not a decision you make after you are accepted.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your help. I will apply as a repeat upper at Exeter. I understand that my interview may not have rejected me, but it has neither ushered me into Exeter either. I have taken the ACT (34), and am president and founder of a science club at my school. Also, I have won awards that would identify me to anybody that read this post. Also, how big is recruiting at Exeter? I currently run cross country at a state-ranked school, and would be able to bring my talents for the Lions.</p>
<p>If you are academically competent which you seem to be, I suggest not repeating a grade as there is only so much you can do in high school and you’ll be bored. That year can be put to good use in college.</p>
<p>dasdui, I don’t agree with SEWinter’s advice.</p>
<p>The odds of you being bored at Exeter are slim, no mater what intellectual gifts you bring to the table. There is no reason not to repeat a year if you feel it will be beneficial to you. Many students who attend boarding schools do so as same-grade repeats. It is not the least uncommon.</p>
<p>That said, if you are intent on attending boarding school, i.e. you are not of the “go big or go home” school, you might want to broaden your search. If it’s Exeter or stay where you are, then best of luck to you…</p>
<p>OP: There are many posters here who work as recruiters for BS or Parents that pump their own schools. Their job is to get as many kids as possible to apply. If you have an ACT score of 34, you are ready to graduate from High School. Most of the repeaters at BS are athletes. If you end up repeating a year at BS, please come back and post us your experience as to how engaging it was.</p>
Many of the BS parents on this board (myself included) do NOT identify what school their child attends. And many of the parents with kids in the most selective schools strongly urge applicants to consider applying to the less famous schools, because they appreciate firsthand what a crapshoot it was for their own kid to get in. Many parents on this board have gently offered “reality check” advice to kids with middling academic credentials/resumes regarding their chances of getting into the most famous schools.</p>
<p>@dasdui, </p>
<p>You will NOT be bored at any of the top BS. You cannot max out on any of the academic subjects there. You are more like to be bored by your first year in college. </p>
<p>To improve your chances at Exeter, if you are a good cross country runner you should contact the coach and really promote yourself. You should promote ANYTHING that will help you stand out positively from the crowd of a thousand-plus other smart, well-rounded applicants.</p>
<p>Lastly, if you are intent on attending a BS next fall, you should cast a wider net than just Exeter.</p>
<p>Thanks everybody. I understand that mostly athletes repeat the grades, but I am an athlete. I have sent emails to the coaches of the schools I am applying to, but no reply? Any reason for that?</p>
<p>Did you give your running times in the email? The coaches probably get many, many solicitations from student athletes who are solidly good, but not truly exceptional. If you have elite-level running times, you will definitely hear from the coaches.</p>
<p>No…they don’t play hard to get. I know for a fact that coaches respond to athletes. If you do a little research on the team sections of the websites, you should be able to get to articles or result sheets with the times of the varsity runners on the teams. That will give you a sense of whether you are a viable athletic recruit or not.</p>
<p>While getting a coach’s attention will help your admissions file, it doesn’t carry the same kind of weight that it might in college applications–or, I’m guessing, the same weight as it might were you a hockey, basketball, or football player.</p>
<p>Contacted by coach. He was very encouraging, and my times fall in the top varsity range for my prospective boarding school. How much sway can a coach have on the admissions committee or a particular application?</p>
<p>PS. GMTplus is correct. At the big schools, you will not hit a ceiling in the curriculum. There will always be more offered. The first year of college may seem easy in comparison.</p>