Hello,
I plan to apply to a number of boarding schools for my junior year, and am wondering about my chances in getting in. I’m a freshman this year and attend a well-known TN high school, and have gotten mostly As and Bs. I have gotten a C in science this year, I’m afraid that because of that, schools won’t consider me. I do quite a bit of extracurriculars and my family has a couple of connections around the boarding school world, do I still have a chance of getting into HADES, or any of the other top schools?
There are no absolutes. It all depends on the specifics of your situation, how your test scores are, and the quality of both your ECs and of course your connections. Be prepared to explain it.
That said, by junior year, they will have a very clear picture of your academic capabilities and there are far fewer junior slots relative to freshman or sophomore year slots at top schools. But you are correct in assuming that “mostly As and Bs” with a C in science isn’t a highly competitive starting position. Junior year is the hardest year in any high school setting, and transferring for that year to a more rigorous institution only increases the degree of difficulty.
The AOs will generally want to be abundantly sure that you will succeed academically. You goal should getting them comfortable that you will be able to do the work.