Accepted: Milton, NMH, Mercersburg, Peddie, Hill, St. Mark’s, Emma Willard
Rejected: Andover, Lawrenceville, Groton
Wait-listed: Choate, Deerfield, Exeter, Hotchkiss, Middlesex, Kent, St. Andrew’s, Taft, Loomis Chaffee, Blair
Likely Attending: Milton
Stats:
• SSAT: 2181 (85th Percentile)
• No GPA. Our grading system followed: Exemplary, Meets, Approaching, Below, and Failing. They don’t round your grades for finals, they just put in the latest grades. I got more than half/most Meets Expectations and a couple of Approaches. A fair amount of Exemplaries. My English, Science, and Social Studies teachers put in excellent words on my report card. My math teacher kinda dissed me on the report card, said that I doubt myself too much.
• Rank: None
• Other stats:
Class Selection:
- Advanced Math
- Advanced Social Studies
- Advanced Orchestra
- Advanced Chinese
- Regular English
- Regular Science
- Regular PE
(I was accepted into every single advanced course offered. My grade has a total of 350 students, only two students managed to accomplish this.)
Subjective:
• Interviews: Excellent for every school, with the exception of Groton. I am, generally speaking, a great communicator. I love bringing up interesting topics and sharing my thoughts about the world. I also managed to sound enthusiastic and excited for every interview. I wrote down a list of questions for each school at the end of every interview. I semi-rehearsed for my first couple of interviews. I was outgoing and comfortable for every conversation.
• Essays: Crammed all of them for the last week. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS. I really wished I had started them earlier so more of my voice could come through. I’m a writer so the process was a bit easier even when I was approaching the deadline. Some of them were kinda bad, to be honest. Some of them were decent. I wrote about my tumor and relationship with health sciences, as well as living in a country from where I was not from and neither were my parents.
• Math Rec: I don’t know, obviously. I’m not rude during math class or interfere with the teacher’s lessons. I put in effort even though I’m not at the top of my class. My math teacher, however, is very critical and blunt. My SSAT Math score was above average, though, so that might’ve said something.
• English Rec: I had met my English teacher before I started eighth grade through my school’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion planning team. She’s loved me since then. English class is somewhere I feel safe and intellectually challenged. I’ve attended college-level courses for creative writing in the past and it’s what I’m most praised for out of all my passions and interests. I’ve never won any writing contests or competitions as I don’t believe in them. To put it shortly, my English Teacher and I have a great relationship.
• Personal/Extracurricular Rec: I did my Science teacher and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chair for this one. My science teacher really likes me and is enthusiastic about my learning. He helped foster my interest in astronomy and evolutionary biology and is currently encouraging me to pursue a career in science. I’ve never gotten anything other than an Exemplary in his class. My DEI Planning Team Chair was my sixth-grade social studies teacher and is currently a deputy principal at my school. He and I have an excellent relationship as we share a lot in common. In sixth grade, he let me attend high school social studies courses once a week because he knew I was interested in AP US Government and Politics.
• Principal/Counselor Rec: My counselor, is also the leader of my school’s Student Government. Our Student Gov consists of 110 students. I, alongside four other students, was elected as an official leader. He interviewed me for his rec and knows me personally, so I expect it would be strong.
• Sports (if any): Basketball for 6 years. I joined in with a bunch of girls who were older than me several years ago so I’m kind of advanced for my age. I play with high schoolers and my team won the championship twice in a row. I submitted a video compilation of myself playing.
• Instruments (if any): Cello (3 years) Piano (like a million, Grade 6 ABRSM Practical and Grade 5 ABRSM Music Theory)
• Other ECs (if any):
- Founded the Mental Health Club at my school (Did a lot of stuff for that)
- Nominated and Elected leader of my middle school’s Student Government
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Planning Team (Youngest member and only middle schooler, faculty selected applicant)
- Creative Writer
- Community Service for Mental Health and Health Sciences
• Hook: I don’t have the most extracurriculars or the best test scores, but I really let myself come through and stated clearly why I wanted to attend boarding school. I have a strong sense of direction and showed that I had a lot of potential and talent as a person.
Location/Person:
• State or Country: Singapore, Singapore
• Current School Type: Private, International (kind of the best international school in my country)
• Ethnicity: Bi-Racial. Italian and Malaysian Descent.
• Gender: I put female but I don’t really identify with any gender. Also not out yet haha.
• Grade Applying For 9
• Age: 14
• Financial Aid/Full Pay: Full-pay
Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted?
Here’s why I think I was accepted (some advice):
- Listen, if I’m being honest, I don’t think I was that strong of an applicant. My grades weren’t amazing. My test score wasn’t that great. I have little to no academic accomplishments, even though I care about my ECs. I got in because I showed character, and my recommendations proved that. I know what I want to do with my life and I know how boarding school is going to help me achieve that. I’m naturally quite intelligent and have been thinking outside the box for most of my life. I notice things about the world that most people don’t notice. I enjoy concepts for the sake of being concepts. I made sure AOs saw who I was.
- I cast a wide net
- I maintained a relationship with my interviewers and asked questions.
Here’s why I think I was rejected/waitlisted:
- My essays could’ve been a lot better
- I’m an international student and about 50+ kids apply to GLADCHEMMs every year from my country
my grades (partially), beginning of 7th grade was rough (i had a 74 in math) but i eventually got my grades up to all 90s by the end of that school year.
