<p>Hello,</p>
<p>I've been reading CC posts for A LONG TIME, and now I have a question of my own. Can you guys please chance me? It's my dream to attend PEA (Phillips Exeter Academy), and my backup is Andover. I'm an 8th grader with a 4.0 GPA, Outstanding Citizenship, and perfect attendance. I have a passion for The Performing Arts. I'm a singer and actress with a nice resume. I did submit a Musician Supplement Form (I think it's called) for Exeter and Andover. I received an email from one of Exeter's Voice Directors. They told me they enjoyed listening to my materials on Youtube (that I submitted to them), and asked me if I had any questions about Music at Exeter. </p>
<p>The girl that told me about Exeter is currently a Senior at PEA. She's good friends with the AI that interviewed me. He had already heard about me before our interview. The interview went amazing and he told my mother I was a "Stylish, conversational, and charming young lady". My teachers and I have very solid relationships, so I'm not worried about the teacher recommendations or school report. I'm a very creative and "deep" writer, and I poured my heart into my essays. THE ONLY THING that troubles me now is my SSAT score.</p>
<p>SSAT Scaled Score Personal Score Range SSAT Percentile
Verbal 632 611 - 653 32
Math 641 620 - 662 35
Reading 632 611 - 653 33
Total 1905 30</p>
<p>The scary thing about this is that I honestly tried my best. I've never even studied so hard for a test before, till the SSAT. Looking at my test scores was like receiving a strong slap on my face! What do you guys recommend I should do? And do you think I'm still a perfect package?</p>
<p>
- Andover is not a safety school.</p>
<p>2) You will not get into either school with SSAT scores in the 30s, period, because the schools will doubt that you will be able to keep up academically w the other students-- these are not principally performing-arts schools.</p>
<p>3) You are doing yourself a disservice by not considering schools besides Andover & Exeter.</p>
<p>1) Trust me, if I had a choice to apply to 15 other schools…I would. The problem is financial aid. My teachers are very kind, but not the most reliable people. They take FOREVER to get 1 recommendation done. </p>
<p>2) So are you saying that my SSAT score automatically cancels out the rest of my application materials?</p>
<p>Exeter is need-aware. To be awarded FA you must have a competitive profile. The average SSAT score at Exeter is 94. A 30ish score would be high hurdle to overcome for a full-pay applicant, even for a candidate whose parents are ready to donate a new science building to the school. A 30ish SSAT score for a FA candidate makes the bar even higher. </p>
<p>If you are restricted to the number of schools you can apply to, my personal opinion (and other posters may argue that you should apply to Exeter anyway) is that it is a better strategy to apply to schools where you will be a more competitive candidate. </p>
<p>One of the parents in this thread has a daughter w an interest in the performing arts:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-parents/1580725-not-looking-hades-not-targeting-hypsm.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-parents/1580725-not-looking-hades-not-targeting-hypsm.html</a></p>
<p>Regarding teachers recs-- the form is very similar for different schools. It is best to hand out all the forms for multiple schools at the came time to the teachers, so they can cut-n-paste. It is common for applicants to apply to several schools. If you give the teachers the forms by early Dec, that gives them a generous amount of time to fill them out.</p>
<p>Andover & St. Andrews School in Deleware are the only 2 schools I know of that are entirely need-blind, and both are VERY competitive to get into. At all the other schools, needing significant FA will lower your chance of admission.</p>
<p>Have you considered all-girls schools? They tend to have a higher emphasis on the performing arts, as compared to the coed schools, and they are more-forgiving on SSAT scores. Emma Willard is ESPECIALLY generous w FA.</p>
<p>Thanks for your honest opinion. I think I’m going to go ahead and take the December SSAT. I can just consider this SSAT as a practice. I will still try and look into college prep boarding schools that accept a lower range of scores. My parents dissaprove of me attending an all-girls school because of my mother’s experience at one. Does being a minority applicant improve my chances of admission? Once again, thank you for your consistent help.</p>
<p>Thanks, I’ll check out the thread. What would you consider a safe score on the SSAT to apply to any top college prep boarding schools?</p>
<p>I would aim for around +/- 20% around the school’s mean. If you have a strong hook, you might get admitted w an even lower score. </p>
<p>This is a useful data sorting tool
[Sort</a> Boarding Schools by Key Criteria | BoardingSchoolReview.com](<a href=“http://www.boardingschoolreview.com/school_ranking.php]Sort”>Sort Boarding Schools by Key Criteria)
click on the box for “Average SSAT percentile”</p>
<p>You mentioned your mother had a bad experience w going to an all-girls school. Was this at a day school or a boarding school?</p>
<p>If u need substantial FA, it is better to keep your options open. I would at least look at the websites of the all-girls schools first, before entirely discarding them as a possibility. They are very strong in performing arts.</p>
<p>Walnut Hill? Interlochen?</p>
<p>She went to a catholic all-girls boarding school. Do you know of any boarding schools that are strong in Performing Arts and have the SYA program?</p>
<p>I’ll definitely add them to my list!</p>
<p>This is precisely why the ssat is used in the admission process. A 4.0 is not necessarily a 4.0. The only way to validate a grade point average is by using a objective test like the ssat. Rigor and quality vary from school to school. I think that there are many more options out there other than exeter and andover. The last thing you want is to end up in a school where you are overwhelmed and fail.</p>
<p>You have no problem with your score</p>
<p>fady- that might be a good score for some BS, but definitely not Exeter or Andover.</p>
<p>fady2013- I’m shocked. Why do you think I have no problem with my score? :)</p>
<p>WishStar12- What weight does the SSAT have on my overall application?And what should I do…send it and pray for God to help me or retake the test and pray for God to help me get a good version? This is really heartbreaking, because I know how much I’ve improved as a student and person this year. What about my standardized test scores? In Nevada we take the CRTs and Exeter requires that I send that to them. My Math was average (close to above) and my Reading was above average. So if my CRTs are saying that my math is average and my reading is above average in the state of Nevada…does that change anything?</p>
<p>@aspirexeter I’m sorry the test was such a letdown. I would just try to rock the rest of the application, and if possible try again. Good luck!</p>
<p>I forgot to mention some things that may be “hooks”. I also work for an online news network. I’m a news anchor and host for their talk show. My geography teacher recommended me to be the host for a Nationwide History documentary. I also told my AI that I auditioned for the X factor earlier this year. I wrote and recorded one of my songs over the summer, and I tutor students and babysit little kids. I’m an African-American applicant (parents are Nigerian but I was born here). I’ve won several awards for Drama and my Good Character. I showed my AI two notes from my previous English teacher. She praised me for auditioning for the X factor, and for helping 2 students in my school doing drugs get back on the right track.</p>