<p>Hi I'm a South Korean. I am currently a sophomore, by US standards. I lived in Colorado for 6 years but I came back to South Korea about 3 months ago. I attended Kent Denver School, which is arguably one of the best private schools in Colorado for all of the middle school and for my freshman year. My grades were mostly all A's with one B or B+ until my freshman year. I was not mentally well because of family issues and my grades slipped to mostly B's.</p>
<p>I am fluent in both Korean and English. I know how to speak Korean and write it. I also took 3 years of Spanish, but I am not very good at it. I can have simple conversations and understand some songs in Spanish, but that's about it. I played clarinet for 3 years, but I have taken a hiatus from it for about a year and a half. The thing I am really, really good at is swimming. I have been swimming for 10 years. Yes, 10 years. I have won countless medals and have been to All-Stars meet 3 times (Top 10 kids in each age group form a team to go compete against other states). I have also left a great impression on all the teachers I have been with at my previous high school.</p>
<p>I am going to start studying for SSAT's now, and I think if I try hard enough, I will score above 95 in all areas. </p>
<p>Before I get all excited, can you guys please tell me if I can get into a boarding school? I am thinking about applying for Deerfield, Cate School, and maybe Phillips Exeter. It would be also helpful if you could tell me if the SSAT's are hard or not. Thank you in advance.</p>
<p>BS’s get a lot of applicants from S Korea. Your will be competing against your countrymen for only a few spaces, so you need to stand out from the crowd of other S Korean applicants. </p>
<p>You should really promote your swimming skills. I would contact the swimming coaches at the BS’s and let them know you want to swim for their team. </p>
<p>The schools on your list are EXTREMELY difficult to get admitted into, so if you are intent on enrolling next fall, I would expand the number of schools and pick some that have more-forgiving admission rates.</p>
<p>Dang a lot of Koreans I see… And I will try to promote my swimming skills. That’s the thing that stands out most about me really. That and the fact that I got to experience elementary school, middle school, and high school in korea as well as America. What other schools do you suggest?</p>
<p>It is late (but still doable) to be just beginning the BS application process at this point in the game. Most top schools have a mid-Jan application deadline. And u will need to complete teachers recs, essays, interview, SSAT, etc. The last possible SSAT date for this admissions cycle is the Jan one. You need to register in advance.</p>
<p>I hope you do not need financial aid.</p>
<p>For other good school options, use the Search feature on the website and look for “hidden gems”</p>
<p>Yeah I do realize its pretty late to start. I can study and take the ssat in about two months. I already asked my teachers if they were willing to write recommendation letters for me and they said they will write it by the due date any time I ask them. Well thanks for helping me man I really hope I can get in to Cate school or Deerfield.</p>
<p>I’d advise widening your horizons. Deerfield and Exeter are some of the most competitive schools out there. Your grades are good enough to give you a shot, but be sure to also emphasize community service and leadership. They want you to be well-rounded</p>
<p>Well in the end, I decided that i will be applying to the Stevenson school in California. It looks like a great boarding school with a more relaxed vibe than other boarding schools in the east coast.</p>
<p>If entering next fall is urgent, then it is prudent to apply to more than just one school. There are plenty of excellent east coast schools w a relaxed vibe.</p>