Getting into GLADCHEMMS with low SSAT?

Did any of you guys get in or know someone who went to a GLADCHEMMS school with a really low SSAT score?

what is really low?

Like anything below 60th percentile

Sometimes students get a low score on a particular subtest. As many wise parents on CC will tell you, cast a wide net and don’t focus on the name, history, SAT scores, ranking, etc… Please think about a school where your student will thrive, make friends, feel confident and bee happy :bz

I think anything’s possible if you have a true hook (impact athlete in sport important to school, major donor, URM, etc.) but without those, I am thinking it’s unlikely.

And think about it this way…would a school where you are at the bottom (at least the bottom half) of the applicant pool be a good fit for you? I know that there are people who argue that it’s fine, doable, maybe even good for a kid…but having been through this rodeo a few times, I’d rather let a kid’s scores dictate the range of schools s/he considers rather than having some very selective but better known schools in mind then hoping for an SSAT in the ballpark.

FWIW, the ACRONYMs used to describe certain groups of schools are sort of arbitrary, and seem to have mostly fallen out of fashion here on the BS forums…

@SevenDad: You are and always have been the voice of reason around here.

My DD got into a gladchemms school with a low ssat score. I must add that her public school grades were excellent, recommendations excellent and she interviewed excellent. And to be honest her hook was a nitch position on an athletic team. She is currently a sophomore and loves prep school. A month into her freshmen yes stated “I could not imagine going back to public school.”

Yes, the GLADCHEMMS acronym, as close to verbal ipecac as possible, represents a mindset that is never in the best interest of the applicant. I urge you as strongly as possible to think broadly. Narrow thinking sharply increases the chance for NEEDLESS disappointment.

@ThacherParent couldn’t have said it better myself…and I, too, look to @SevenDad 's contributions here, @CaliMex Along with @GoatMama @gardenstategal @twinsmama with many others I can’t think of at this given moment. Y’all have gotten me through several rough patches!! And I’m using that advice for round two in the next few years! ^:)^

Mostly this involves someone with ABSURD athletic talent. Combination of these 3:

  1. Decent/good grades
  2. Good teacher recs
  3. Interesting person/EC’s
    4 (Not required). Reputable school
  4. (not required). Big donor/legacy [EDIT]

I know a kid who got into a very top school with a 30 percent SSAT…kid was a legacy but still. I say just make yourself interesting and you have a great chance.

Yes it is possible if everything else (grades, ecs, essays, etc) is stellar, and while I agree with most of what is above, especially cast a wide net, it is also true that some exceptional students are just not good at taking standardized tests and schools do recognize this. This does not mean they are not as or more academically capable as higher scoring students. You are not your scores. My daughter’s math score hovered around the 50th percentile and she was a straight A student in BS who graduated in top 10% of a very talented class. My scores were even worse and I did just fine at Taft. My best advice is take the SSAT again and see what happens - my daughter’s scores went up dramatically on her 2nd test, and if there is a reason why your scores are low (family situation, illness, a learning difference, not strong in one subject in spite of good efforts) make sure that information makes it into your applications.

Yes I know of people who got int Exeter with 50-70%but that’s due to the fact that they are of color, and their parents never attended college