<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I'm going into 10th grade in September at a private day school in Canada. I missed the application deadline for grade 10, so I was thinking of applying to some boarding schools in the U.S. (Exeter, Deerfield, Andover, Lawrenceville, Choate etc.) for grade 11. I was wondering if (based on my circumstances) it is "so hard that there is no point in trying." Also, does financial aid greatly affect your chances? I don't think I can pay for $50,000 per year.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>Wrong forum. Should be in prep school admissions.</p>
<p>11th grade is the most difficult year to gain admissions. Andover adds only 20-25 11th graders each year, Exeter is about the same. Deerfield, Lawrenceville, Choate are all approximately 15, and it goes downhill from there. Now divide those numbers by 2, since they will admit an fairly equal number of boys and girls. You are better off applying as a repeat sophomore where the competition is not as rough. You would not be repeating any of your previous coursework and the course offerings are beyond the pale.</p>
<p>Andover is need-blind, although I think in all cases applying for FA will hurt your chances.</p>
<p>A very high percentage of students admitted to the larger, elite schools as 11th-graders are recruited varsity athletes, often repeating their junior year. Those schools are almost as selective as elite colleges. You should move this query to the Prep School section, nevertheless.</p>
<p>if you are very confident in your stats and your competitiveness as an applicant to those schools, i think you shoukd apply for 11th grade. it’s not impossible, i was admitted this year to exeter and deerfield for 11th grade. (2nd time applying to exeter and 1st time to deerfield). but if you not, and you are comfortable with the idea of repeating a grade (I wasn’t, which was why i went ahead and applied for 11th) then apply for 10th. lots of kids repeat though, it’s not uncommon at all.
as for financial aid, i do think it lowers your chances, but hey, you need it, so…</p>
<p>Unless u walk on water or are certifiably destitute (orphan) your chances of getting admitted as an int’l w FA to PEA or DA are probably zero.</p>
<p>Problem w giving money to int’ls is the school has no way to validate yr family’s overseas income & assets, using US tax returns. I rolled my eyes when i had to interview some int’l candidates who were asking for FA, who lived in some mega expensive addresses and who mentioned annual holidays to the US.</p>
<p>I’m a bit late to this forum, but I want to throw in my own two cents. I was an int’l applicant in the 2013-14 application season, and I applied to six schools. I was accepted into four of them and waitlisted at two. I have decided to attend Phillips Exeter Academy for my upper/11th grade year.</p>
<p>Applying for your junior year is already incredibly difficult; in my interview with Lawrenceville, they told me that they only accepted 3 juniors for the 2013-14 school year. The bigger schools like Exeter/Andover accept around 20 something, but considering their increased number of applicants, it does not make your admission chances significantly better. If you are confident in your statistics (i.e. you think you could get in if you WEREN’T applying for financial aid) then Andover is your best bet due to their need blind admission. Although, I don’t believe that schools like Exeter and Lawrenceville––which have enormous endowments––would really be overly concerned with assisting you a couple thousand USD, although it is a factor.</p>
<p>And this is a small thing, but Exeter and Andover are slightly less expensive than most of the other schools. Exeter’s tuition is around 46,000 and Andover’s 47,000. While still pricey, compared to Lawrenceville or Deerfield, which are 51,000+ USD, it’s much better. When it comes down to it, a saving of 5000 USD is still significant.</p>
<p>All in all, applying as an int’l applicant, a financial aid applicant, AND for your junior year significantly decreases your chances. It’s not impossible, though. Don’t put too much stock into the schools with admission rates in the teens; find a gem school or a safety school as well. Think of application as practice for the upcoming college apps. You’ll get something out of it either way.</p>