<p>Hi everyone, I know you all are caught up in the leftover excitement of March 10 (congrats to everyone who got into the schools they wanted to) so this post definitely is going to stand out a little amongst all the chaos. I actually will be starting my application process this fall for Deerfield, Exeter, Andover, Choate and Lawrenceville (that isn't the final list, there are more schools I'm still looking into). I reeaaallly want to end up at one of these schools, and I want to make sure I do everything I can to get into one! I figured since I still have a long amount of time left before applications have to be in, I might as well start now in making sure I have what I need on my application. If you guys could help me out with telling me what areas need work, it would be much appreciated :) (by the way, I'm applying for my junior year to these schools, I'm currently a freshman and will be applying the fall of my sophomore year)</p>
<p>I got a 3.8 (unweighted) GPA last semester, and am currently in only one honors class (as a freshman, there are only two available honors classes I could even be taking). Next year, I will be in two honors and one AP class.</p>
<p>My extracurricular activities: volunteering at the local animal shelter, piano, art class, on the editorial staff of the award-winning literature/art magazine at my school, and I volunteer in helping to restore an ancient hawaiian fishpond. I am doing a 2 week homestay program in France this summer, where I will be taking intensive french courses at a school during the day. I also have done 4 BWCA canoe trips (the longest was 2 weeks long) which is basically a camping/hiking trip in which you are fully and totally immersed in wilderness, carrying only the basic needs of survival with you. </p>
<p>I have been meeting with an SAT tutor weekly to prepare for taking the PSATs, and my tutor says my practice test scores are in the 99th percentile for my age group. </p>
<p>One more thing is that I live in Hawaii. I'm not really sure if that will give me an advantage, I have heard from some it might and from others that it won't. </p>
<p>Any help would be really appreciated, thanks so much! :)</p>
<p>Oops, I just realized this is probably in the wrong thread, I didn’t even notice there was a “prep school chances” section! Sorry, I’m new to this :)</p>
<p>Hawaii is typically an underrepresented state in most boarding schools. That could give you a boost, but applying for junior year is usually the hardest.</p>
<p>Living in Hawaii definitely gives you an advantage in the admissions game. However, the schools you are looking into are all incredibly selective and difficult to get into- you’ll want to add a safety or two if you don’t have a viable option at home. One tip is to figure out how you will brand yourself. Use this in interviews and essays and make sure to include relative accomplishments and future wishes.</p>
<p>Prep & Testing: I’m not sure why you’re taking the PSAT. You’ll have to take the SSAT for most prep school admissions grades, like ninth, tenth, and maybe eleventh. Get some prep books and distinguish your areas of strengths and weaknesses. Work on your weaknesses. Arrange for a test date in October or November so you can take a second or third in January if needed. Get good sleep for a few nights before the test, and arrive with a good breakfast and healthful snacks.</p>
<p>Interview & Visit: Schedule your interviews as early as possible- you’ll want the optimal slots. If you can’t get to campus in the fall or wintertime, plan for a Skype interview or with an alumni. Meeting in person or as close to it is always best. If you can, go on a tour and/or take a roadtrip through your schools in the summer or fall to get a sense of it. Request to meet with the coaches of your sports, or drop by if possible. After your interview, send a thank-you to everyone you saw or met with and follow up with any questions you have.</p>
<p>Application & ECs: Stay organized with your applications. Create a folder for each school and put a copy of every piece of paper received into it. Begin to write rough drafts of your essays in the early fall and edit them towards the end of December. Give teacher recommendations around Thanksgiving to ensure plenty of time; I’d recommend a hard copy with verbal instructions and a follow-up email with the link to the online site and more detailed instructions. At Christmas or around there, maybe give a small gift or send a thank-you note. Above all, make sure everything is turned in and received by the school. Stay on top of recommendations and transcripts- check application sites every day. Begin rounding out your ECs. Add a sport maybe, or collect all your awards. Start practicing a piece of music to send in as a supplementary video. Now is the time to start.</p>
<p>March 10 & Beyond Come March 10, you might receive bad news all-around or good news all-around. You never know. Most likely, it’ll fall somewhere in the middle. You need to be prepared for this. Have a school already prepared with schedules at home. Know where you want to remain on the waitlist and where you don’t. After M10, if you’re accepted, you’ll get your financial aid packages, if applicable, and your invites to revisits. Make your list of top schools and attend the revisit of as many as are viable. </p>
<p>@pdl100 wow thanks so much! this is great advice</p>
<p>I am taking the PSAT because all schools accept PSAT test scores for applicants to the 11th grade, and at my school it is required for sophomores to take the PSAT so I wouldn’t have to do any extra testing. </p>
<p>Also, I actually played sports in middle school but unfortunately I’ve been out of action this whole year because of injury. I may be able to start again next year depending on the state of my injury. Is this something I should mention in an interview or something like that? </p>
<p>That makes a lot of sense- I just didn’t know what grade you were applying into.</p>
<p>I would mention it. They love to see people play sports, so having background would be great. Just say you were injured and are looking forward to picking it up again, or something like that.</p>
<p>I’m honestly not in the mood to write a whole book on how to apply (I’ve been through it twice now, and I’ll be attending Exeter this fall), but definitely message me if you have any questions. No question is stupid and I’ll try my best to give you as much insight as I have.
But also consider maybe applying as a repeat tenth grader to some of the schools (even though who wants an extra year of schooling?). I know Exeter has a tiny 9th grade class, so maybe that might help you there? (I don’t know honestly)</p>
<p>All prep schools admit freshmen. For applicants applying to grades above freshman year, it is critical to look at how many kids for that particular grade the school typically admits. I see so many students applying willy-nilly for sophomore, junior & senior admission to schools that don’t admit many kids after freshman year—these kids are wasting their time. You need to see how many kids are in each grade and what proportion of the school is boarding vs. day to determine how many available slots you are actually chasing. </p>
<p>Be aware that junior year is typically the most academically demanding year, prep school or public school. At the elite prep schools, junior year is academically crushing. Consider whether this is really when you want to start at a new school. Entering in junior year will give you no margin of error to “smooth out” GPA bumps before you apply to college in the fall of senior year. GMTson has seen many new juniors & seniors crash & burn, then drop out.</p>
<p>There are 2 ways to mitigate for this issue: </p>
<p>2) Be open to a wider range of schools. You will have a blast at many excellent boarding schools beside the handful of schools with the most famous names that you list in your original post. In Hawaii, I suspect most people there haven’t heard of any of the famous boarding schools, so don’t get caught up in the prestige hype. </p>
<p>Being from Hawaii may get your application a second look, but don’t count on it getting you into the most selective schools. </p>