<p>I'm applying to Hotchkiss, Exeter, Andover, St Pauls School, Deerfield, and Miss Porters (my mom wants me to...).</p>
<p>I REALLY want to get into Exeter/Andover but I realize I fit right into the typical asian stereotype.</p>
<p>Chinese
Straight A's
Piano Lessons
Flute in Band
Art Classes
Chinese Calligraphy
Tennis
Color Guard</p>
<p>I'm VERY passionate about attending a boarding school though...However, I will be applying for Financial Aid, which may hurt my chances at some schools already. What are some ways...such as in the interview...I can make myself stand out above all the other candidates who pretty much look identical to me on paper?</p>
<p>I think a top-notch essay will really go a long way to making the difference in your case. Go for that.</p>
<p>Why not learn a little bit of latin and apply to their classical honours programme? Even from a standing start you can probably learn enough latin to write the entrance scholarship exam and it will get you noticed which is what you want</p>
<p>The book "The price of admission", uses the term "Rambunctious" I believe the spelling is correct. This was the word to describe an asian who will stick out above all others. In other words, let go of the reserve nature that they have come to know and stereotype asians. I'm not sure that's good advice. My advice is that you be honest and true to yourself and let the chips fall where they ay. I believe your passion will shine for you at your interview. That is how you feel, right? Let them feel your passion.</p>
<p>I'm not sure that there is much of a stereotypical asian at these boarding schools. My experience, albeit at second hand, is that the asian kids rapidly converge to the norm and are just as rambunctious or non-rambunctious as everybody else. My suggestion would be for lovelyskye to accept that the kids she will be in competition with are extra-ordinarily talented and many of them are exremely high achievers. So to stand out, develop or at least evince a passion for ideas, for mathematics, for music, for humanities. Obviously, St. Paul's and Exeter are very different schools, and to my taste Exeter is a great deal more intellectual than Andover. You cannot possibly fit these equally well. What is it about you that leads you to prefer Andover to Exeter or St. Paul's. If you don't know, find out. Tell them why you want to go to a particular place. The only bit you can control is how your teachers write about you and how you present yourself in the essay. If I were to apply to Exeter because of the mathematics programme for example, I'd make sure they knew I had gone to mathcamp. The music departments of these places are always looking for cellists or viola players but I suppose you could tell them you are a pretty good singer if that should happen to be true. Straight A's by itself won't get you very much. That is pretty well the qualifying condition for everybody. Anyway, as prepparent told you, tell them you are enthusiastic about ideas, about the chance of being in a community of peers, about embarking on perhaps the greatest transforming experience of your life.</p>