<p>I'm applying to HW for grade 9. I'm an international student and I'm applying for financial aid. I graduated valedictorian from a rigorous grade school in my home country--the Philippines. I won a full college scholarship to a very good university in the PH at the age of 11. I was the president of the Grade School Student Council. I won 8 medals during graduation. I'm still learning to play both the violin and the soccer. I am the leader of the grade school majorettes and am part of the school paper. I skipped grade 7. I am yet to take the ISEE and I want to believe that my recommendation letters are good because I did a very good job in English and Math. Do I have a chance of getting in? And more importantly, would I last at HW? </p>
<p>Like everybody else, I want to go to a school where I would excel. I just don't know if HW is the place for me.</p>
<p>Contact the admissions office first and ask if the school offers financial aid to foreign students. They state on their website that the financial aid is completely need-based and that if you apply for the aid, your chance will be reduced. </p>
<p>I am not sure if H-W is the best place for an international student who skipped a grade. Academically, you will be fine. I believe that the school has some accommodation for international students, as far as boarding goes. However, Harvard-Westlake has two separate campuses (7th through 9th grade, then 10 - 12), and it is predominantly a Day School. For example, when you sign up for the ISEE, there is no Day/Boarding choice- “Day” is preselected. There are no dormitories, and I do not believe any domestic boarding students are accepted- if you cannot commute daily, you do not go there. Given this, I suspect that internationals are viewed as revenue-generators, not Financial Aid recipients. Harvard-Westlake is very demanding, but you sound like you have done well for yourself so far. I do not know where you went to school, but I know many graduates of IS who did well in elite US colleges, so if you are competitive with IS, you would do fine.</p>
<p>If I were you, especially if I were going to be 13 years old or younger when I showed up, I would definitely have more traditional Boarding School options lined up as potential alternatives. Intellectually, H-W is really excellent. I would be more concerned about emotional growth and isolation/loneliness in the middle of Los Angeles’ power elite, with few fellow boarders and no deep boarding infrastructure. I am kind of surprised your parents are looking to send a 13 year old girl over to a Day School alone. There must be more to the story?</p>
<p>Ask admissions about financial aid, and about room and board arrangements, and how they change, if at all, from the middle school campus to the upper school campus. Ask if there are faculty advisors who live in the student housing, and if there are activities for boarders. Ask about proximity to campus, and about transportation to both campuses.</p>
<p>Of course, if you have relatives in the Studio City area, it is a different story altogether.</p>