<p>Hi there! I am an 8th grader. I'll be applying to Mercersburg, Hotchkiss, Choate, Asheville, and Lawrenceville. I'm an Asian American (chinese) and I can't speak Mandarin. Will this hurt my chances? I used to attend Chinese School, but it became too time consuming. I know there are a lot of asian candidates that can speak their native language. Is this a large disadvantage for me? Will they ask about it during my interview? I'm used to being looked down upon by my relatives and family friends because I can't speak Mandarin, but I live in the states so it's not exactly a necessity. I DO speak three other languages. I don't speak two of them fluently, but I can definitely hold basic conversations. </p>
<p>for the elite BS, not speaking Mandarin won’t hurt your chances for being admitted, but being ethnic Chinese may, because Asians are an over-represented demographic group.</p>
<p>There is a boy at my boarding school who cannot speak Mandarin, and the Chinese internationals sometimes joke with him about that, but it is in good humor, and it clearly did not keep him from getting in.</p>
<p>You have a mix of schools on your list, with at least 2 that are not part of the admissions arms race, and yet are fantastic schools. Obviously, your chances are going to be much better at Mercersburg and Asheville, and those are both wonderful schools.</p>
<p>No one, regardless of ethnicity or any factor has a very good chance of getting into the hyper competitive schools. We had an example last year of a kid who had perfect grades, scores, and a jaw dropping list of accomplishments who wound up rejected or waitlisted by every school. If someone told you that there was an 8O% to 85% chance that something would happen, you would be thrilled, because that is very, very, likely. And yet, when that 8O% to 85% applies to being rejected from boarding schools…</p>
<p>Dont worry about one language. Celebrate the other 3. Especially Yay Latin!</p>