I was very panicked when I sent in my applications a month ago.
mostly because of my terrible, terrible, actually horrifying grades.
I do not believe the assumption that my high ssat score (a 96 turned 98 percentile) fills/balances out the gap that are my grades.
yeah, I ended my first semester with three Bs and a C+.
I’m incredibly worried about this. boarding school is a huge topic, and as part of a very low-income family struggling to find jobs in an especially concentrated part of the West Coast, I’m not sure the schools will accept me, much less offer me financial aid.
but I believe I wrote the essays from my heart and they detailed my passions highly. I demonstrated my passion for the community. my area is sort of famous for producing the most academically talented kids in the nation, with the ability to juggle community service, sports, clubs, and the most demanding school (ranked by students) in the state and still get straight As and a free ticket to Harvard.
maybe this is a sob story but I want people to chance me on getting in:
I applied for Choate, Culver, and Taft in the end
3 Bs, one C+, all honors possible
idk recommendations, my counselor likes me but I don't know her too well, my English teacher may have judged me unfairly due to her biased opinions about me, and my Math teacher currently holds some sort of intention to make me publicly humiliated
Asian, born in America, eighth grade applying for ninth
sports: I included volleyball and fencing, though the latter was only for two years
comm service: eco club (trash cleanup), senior home help, assistance with mentally disabled kids, volunteer volleyball coach at the local community center
clubs: GSA ( gender sexuality alliance, but I am straight)
in need of FA
one of my good friends is applying to Choate with me but she's in ballet, fencing, Stanford online prep, with straight As and she's also from my school
Culver just called me on behalf of their Roberts Scholarship and I don't know what they want
@sonamoo8 a common notion on this site is that low grades + high ssat scores = rejection. This was probably made under the assumption that a high-scoring applicant is more than capable of earning high marks at their school and failure to do so is an indication of laziness.
Boarding schools DO NOT want to accept lazy students. You don’t seem to be lazy. You’re involved within your community. As long as you’re able to prove that you aren’t academically incompetent, you’re fine.
How difficult were your classes? How many classes did you take?
It really depends on the factors that led to your grades and if/how well you explained these factors to the schools. If it was due to laziness (which given your profile it seems not to be), then honestly you don’t really have a chance. If your school is incredibly competitive and has a harsh grading system, schools will look at you in the context of your class and you will not be penalized. If you have extenuating circumstances that led to your low grades, this will also be taken into consideration.
Yes, my school is known for its competitiveness. Not necessarily nation-wide famous, but we have beaten high school teams in competitions such as Quiz and Science Bowl. Our grading system is very harsh; we do not have curves and the atmosphere is a little toxic in the bragging about grades, accuracy and quickness. That said, we have incredibly smart people who have won national spelling bees, geography bees, history bees, and most notably our school is famous for having a college-level Science Bowl team. So in the context of my class, I may be penalized.
Everyone is telling me that scores do not reflect your academic potential and competency, but I am worried. A factor in my comprehension of learning includes the fact I am slow to understand new concepts, which often results in a lower grade. All of my classes are Honors, which basically just means we learn concepts faster and earlier than other classes.
Another factor is that I may be too young. In Cali, our cutoff date is in mid-December. However I’ve heard that the cutoff date is nearly four to five months earlier at Culver. I’m not too sure about the East Coast, but one of my friends attends Culver and is already the youngest in her grade despite being born in September (whereas I was born in November).
Also I believe I have already been rejected by Milton because my official transcripts are released in February, not the 1/15 deadline most schools need.
I applied to Choate, Culver, Milton and Taft because I felt they fit my interests more than the others. Taft and Culver were originally of second or third tier importance to me, but they have since become the schools I hope to get into. My backup option if I don’t get in to any of them would be my local high school. It’s nationally ranked Top 100, but on Niche it also has one of the worst reputations and teachers as commented by students, alumni and parents.
The AOs know that you are smart (hence the 98 percentile SSAT) but was too lazy during the school year to get good grades." That will decrease your chances but if you have strong, touching, andwell-written essays then maybe that will balance the grades out. I had similar grades to you in the first quarter, but in the second quarter I improved to no Cs and a B was my lowest grade. My school is known as one of the best public schools in NY and located in a certain town ranked in Bloomberg’s wealthiest places I’m sure if the AOs know your school is academically rigorous then you will be fine. Good luck!! Please report back on M9
@CaliMex Culver fits my ideals of leadership and rigor. Choate does not have AP classes, so I thought it was a beautiful quirk to their lovely sports programs, and besides the interviewer really clicked with me and he was so polite, nice and funny. Milton’s architecture was amazing and it seemed a straightforward, classic school with a 50 50 boarding-day ratio. Taft was my safety school, but indeed their volleyball clubs are outstanding in addition to the great food
@sonamoo8 In that case, you may suffer a bit from your grades. Keep in mind you are applying to schools that house some of the best and brightest kids in the entire world, and if you are struggling in the context of your class in your current school, this struggle is likely to continue into high school.
I totally understand that. However, as I’ve mentioned before: I do not think my grades represent my character. I will definitely continue to struggle with workload and difficulties in school life.
That being said, I just don’t think I’m conventionally smart enough - that’s the biggest problem. I have difficulty understanding new concepts - which was the point of me going to boarding school, where I could have better access to teachers who are more willing to help (for me, it is unlikely since most of the teachers in my school are going on strike). Yes. I’m not cookie-cutter perfect. But I wrote the essays from my heart and what I really saw from my viewpoint - which is everything I could do. My grades are terrible, but I was hoping my involvement within the community, my interest in leadership, and my extracurriculars and morals would balance this out.
Of course, there’s no perfect equation.
BTW, I read a book on tagging a student as A (accepted), R (Rejected), and W (waitlisted). The Ws are sent to the ‘council’ of sorts, where they vote majority-wise as to whether they should be accepted or not. Is this the case with boarding schools?
@sonamoo8 Wishing you best of luck this admissions season, though the qualities you are looking for in a school are not unique to the schools you mentioned… Lots of schools have honors classes instead of APs… most have “lovely” sports programs, Milton’s architecture is nice, but so is Mercersburg’s, Berkshire’s, Emma Willard’s, St Andrew’s School’s, Middlesex’s, Loomis Chafee’s, etc. Finally, Taft is not really considered a “safety” school.
If you don’t get the result you want and decide to reapply next year, I would highly recommend you spend time really thinking about what kind of environment might inspire and support you in becoming your best self…
You will be compared to your friend with straight A’s, and the schools will probably choose her, but they might need someone who is very active in community service. There’s still a chance!
I’m sure if the AOs know your school is academically rigorous then you will be fine. Good luck!! Please report back on M9