What happens if a boarding school applicant has both a very high GPA and top percentile SSAT scores (98-99 percentile)?
To your point, @SculptorDad, I feel a lack of appropriately challenging curriculum in elementary school can set up a pattern of underachieving, an Underachiever Syndrome. The very bright kid skates by with very little effort never having learned study skills and good work habits. They never challenge themselves later on because of fear of failure. It’s definitely an issue and I’ve seen it quite commonly in more rural areas where magnet schools are not available.
@Razingscholar A lot of candidates fit that profile. So, at that point, all the other factors weigh in - recs, ECs, interviews, etc. Unfortunately, many qualified applicants get turned down as there are too few spots to take everyone who is qualified.
@doschicos, Yes and it can also be an issue in cities at a good school with bright and hard working peers. It is relative brightness to peers that matters. Some are saved by magnet schools in cities, but many are not identified early and/or not given an access even if their neighborhood has one.
doschicos - I’m confused by your comment to Razingscholar. I’ve seen such comments in many other posts on CC. If a lot of candidates fit that profile of high gpa and high test scores than BS have spots for, then how would anyone with lower SSAT and less than straight A’s get a spot? I really am asking because I don’t know … It sounds like students with SSATs in the 70% and 80% get into the top BS if they have high GPAs, so is that student admitted over the student with the 99% and 4.0 GPA? or is it that 99% and 4.0 GPA student may not have interesting ECs and thus not contribute to the diverse student body? In which case, I guess I am answering my own question - each class make-up has a variety of students with varying combinations of test scores, grades, ECs and hooks so unless you have all of these, there’s no telling what your chances are… back to square one, nothing to do but wait until M10.
@CLNMOM, if you read last year’s acceptance thread you will find many students with perfect or near perfect SSAT and GPA as well as decent EC being turned down everywhere, 10 out of 10. So yes, there is no telling what your chances are, unless you also have a hook and/or are full pay.
It seems as though (from reading here the last six months or so) many schools seek multi-dimensional students to fill their classes. They want a good student who will socially participate in the life of the institution, be it through performing arts, athletics, and service. Preferably some of each it seems. That laser-focused academic student with 99% across the board “might” be one-dimensional. I use the word might as there are students that do in fact do it all.
Boarding school admissions are not a 100% meritocracy, at least not based on academics. The schools aren’t going to take kids that they don’t think will be successful (nobody there wants to see a kid fail out) but not all will be 99%/4.0 kids. Exceptions are made for kids with hooks.
Another thought on the whole SSAT score thing - many kids are lopsided being better at math/quantitative stuff or better at writing/reading/non-quantitative stuff. I had one of those kids. You can be high achieving in one area and not so much in another making a 99% SSAT score hard to achieve. BS understand that and there is space for some of these kids as their skills in one area outweighs their mediocrity in another.
Yup, nothing to do but wait until M10.
@MAandMEmom, perhaps not do it all, but they usually are not so one-dimensional either. Parents these days, especially of those 99% students, are usually rather well informed of importance of EC. Hence another pressure to elementary school children crying, “my parents tell me I need that one thing to go to Stanford. What is my one thing?” or “My sister has her one thing. I don’t have one yet. But I am trying many ECs and my parents are helping me to find my one thing.”
And don’t forget the importance of the emotional and soft skills needed to be successful living away from home at a young age. Those are other qualities that are very important and that test scores and grades don’t assess.
I agree to some extent @SculptorDad. I think that those parents who’ve helped their student understand the perceived importance are doing it all; however, many parents of your typical very bright student who goes to your run of the mill public school may continue to believe that grades are everything. Like they used to be…
@MAandMEmom, maybe. My experience is really limited to my neighborhood.
doschicos, you make a good point about the whole math vs. verbal on the SSAT - maybe the student is strong in math and scores 99% but weaker in verbal so as not to achieve 99% overall … didn’t really think of that. I suppose a top mathathlete can have a hook in that regard and get accepted without the 99%
Or a wonderful writer, great artist, debater… 
Pursuant to our discussion on this thread re: grades, test scores, teacher’s recs, etc. I thought this bit from a release published on the SPS website would be helpful to the discussion:
"As a fully residential school, SPS looks beyond academic talent, and passionate interests in sports, theatre, or community involvement, and teacher recommendations are a significant part of the selection process.
“We want to hear that this student is a leader, values excellence and works hard for it, is one who helps others at practice or with their course work,” said Bohan. “And, we want to hear that this is the nicest kid that teacher has met in the past 10 years. These are the kids who will be at our dinner tables, the ones we will be applauding in Memorial Hall, and cheering on in our athletic program. We want to be sure that St. Paul’s is the right fit for them and their families.”"
I thought there was only one school in the world that used the word “nice” to describe their prospective students! Kidding aside, I think it is indeed important to find nice kids and keep them nice while they are in BS. “nicest kid that teacher has met in the past 10 years”? Make sure you send the above post to the teachers who are to write your LOR.
“These are the kids who will be at our dinner tables, the ones we will be applauding in Memorial Hall, and cheering on in our athletic program. We want to be sure that St. Paul’s is the right fit for them and their families.”” – Because only nice kids have a senior salute!
doschicos, thanks for your post. i work with people with pedigree who are not nice, especially under pressure/stress situations. i am glad to see that BS are aware that “nice” is an important trait that should be valued.
There are kids who are very, very good at appearing “nice” to teachers.
@twinsmama I have seen a fair number of Eddie Haskells in my kids classes