I’m currently a junior and I go to a very lacking public school, and due to conflicts last year, I wasn’t able to fully apply to Exeter. This year, I will be able to apply, but is it really worth it? Exeter has always been a dream of mine, and I’m willing to work for it, but how does it affect college admissions? Will it be a boost for me? I’m #1 at current school, taken all the APs offered, etc, so I think Exeter will help me in taking more courses. But I still can’t help but feel like attending a school for one year will look weird on Ivy applications and whatnot.
I think it will probably be a boost. Going to Exeter will show that you want to be challenged. Getting involved with clubs/activities will show that you can engage yourselves in new communities. I really don’t think Ivys will consider it weird or hold it against you.
A concern, however, is that at Exeter it will be a lot harder to do well, especially because most of the other students have the benefit of 3 years of Exeter education and dealing with a heavy workload behind them, so you have got to be willing to work really hard if you want to maintain good grades. It certainly won’t be impossible though. I think you should go for it!
You realize that if you were to transfer in as a senior, then you’d literally be filing your college applications within a few weeks after stepping foot on the campus? The recommendation letters you get from any Exeter teachers will therefore not be in depth.
Exeter and other similar schools have great college counseling departments. But they tend to favor the kids who have been there an entire 4 years, and have built up a good resume at that school. Transfers are probably lower down on their list. You will also be at a disadvantage because all the choice leadership positions in clubs will be filled with students who have been there for 1-2 years already.
If you really want to go to boarding school, consider applying as a repeat junior. This way you would get a 2 year time horizon to work with.
Now having said all this, unless you have a serious hook, it is probably better to simply stay at your public school and continue to shine. Transferring to Exeter won’t make you more appealing to college admissions committees. In fact some may argue that it will probably hurt you.
I don’t believe you can attend for just senior year.
It looks like you can, please see: http://www.exeter.edu/admissions/109_1317.aspx
@AppleNotFar ah thanks.
I would try and repeat junior year. You have a better chance of getting accepted.
I guess you can. We only know of some repeat Juniors and PGs. Personally I would be cautious. It is a very hard school and the transition can be very hard. You wouldn’t want it to hurt your GPA . Further, you will be in a very competitive pool perhaps more so than where you are currently in school. Could hurt you for college
How would your GPA be converted if you should transfer? What if you were not to do well after the transfer? You would get a better education, but you would still struggle the first year even if you were a strong student. Right now what you should focus on is getting into the best college possible where you could get a top tier education. By being #1 at your current school will give you a lot more options when it comes to admission and possible merit aids.