Philips Academy @ Andover

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
1

<p>Hi, </p>

<p>I'm a rising sophomore and I want to apply to Philips Academy @ Andover for my junior and senior years (11th and 12th) of high school. I'm a high school in Atlanta, Georgia (in a good school). There's a problem though: I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT TESTS AND WHAT TO TAKE. I read on their website that you have to take the SSAT and SAT in order to apply. Could someone explain the difference and what I should take? </p>

<p>Note- I've taken the PSAT and got a 187 (76 in math, 58 in reading and 53 in writing). I've also taken three or four practice math SAT's and i've gotten from 730-800. </p>

<p>Apart from tests, my grades are decent. I estimate myself to be in the top 15/20 of my class/grade. Here they are: </p>

<p>(Class- Semester 1 Grade: Semester 2 Grade)</p>

<p>French- 98: 98
Honors Literature- 95:96
Engineering: 95:98
Honors Pre-Calculus 97:100
Advanced Placement Government 93:95
Honors Biology 92:94
Health 92</p>

<p>As you can see, math is my strong suit and i love it. Next year i will be taking three Advanced Placement courses (World History, Calculus BC and Biology) and the rest honors (Literature, French and Chemistry). Apart from that, I play Junior Varsity Tennis and i'm working really hard on making Varsity. I'm the treasurer of Key Club, an organization like Beta Club that is growing in numbers. I'm also on the Math Team, our team won various trophies this year, and Mu Alpha Theta, a national volunteer organization from the honors society. Next year, I plan on joining my school's debate or fencing team. </p>

<p>So, my question is what is the difference between the two tests mentioned above and am I on the right track for admission into Andover. Is there anything else you would reccommend doing to further enhance my chances. I really appreciate this.</p>

<p>Thanks </p>

2

<p>They are all aptitude tests. SSAT is for admission to secondary schools. SAT is primarily for admission to colleges. PSAT is preliminary SAT to kind of gauge the way as to how you would perform on the SAT, as well as being used for NMSF qualifications.</p>

<p>Applicants to 11th grade have the option of submitting PSAT or SAT in lieu of SSAT. Applicants to 10th grade do not have that option.</p>

<p>A 187 PSAT is in the 85-90 percentile range. The average SSAT percentile for accepted Andover applicants is 93, so you’re slightly below, but I think you realize that the non-math areas is where you should strive to improve.</p>

<p>As Andover matriculate abouts 85 new 10th graders and only 20-25 new 11th graders, you might look to apply as a repeat 10th grader to improve your odds. Also, 11th grade is notoriously difficult academically at Andover, and being that this is the last full year colleges will see prior to admissions decisions, it’s a year one cannot afford to mess up.</p>

<p>What you have not addressed, and will need to, is “Why Andover?” If you and your parents are intent on boarding school, you will have to cast a wider net. Good luck.</p>

<p>I’ve also asked that this be moved to prep school chances.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the helpful information skieurope. Because of a possible course i would take in 11th grade, if i decided not to attend boarding school, i will have to take the SAT in my sophomore year (a.k.a fall or winter 2014). Thus, i will already have a SAT score so i need not worry about the SSAT. </p>

<p>I don’t really have the intention of repeating a year at Andover, or any other private academy for that matter. However, I’ve asked my parents too look into more than one. Could anyone name a few more renouned ones, apart from Exeter? My desired college course is Engineering at a top school (i.e. Stanford, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkley, Georgia Tech etc.)</p>

<p>My main question which I was hoping to get answered is “Am I on the right track for an admission at Andover or any private school rival to it? If not, is there anyway to enhance my chances?” My only fear right now is I may be too late for an admission. Thanks so much and thanks once again skieurope. </p>

4

<p>There’s no one here who can answer that. Your stats might be impressive, but there’s so many people that get rejected from these schools, and especially for eleventh grade, your chances aren’t great. Have you considered repeating sophomore year?</p>

5

<p>I already suggested that and he rejected the idea.</p>

<p>As to what other schools to look for, check out this thread.
<a href=“Thinking Broadly - School Suggestions - How to Create the List? - Prep School Admissions - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1640043-thinking-broadly-school-suggestions-how-to-create-the-list-p1.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Also,
<a href=“http://www.boardingschoolreview.com/”>http://www.boardingschoolreview.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

6

<p>Oops, my bad.</p>

<p>There’s only about 25 people joining for junior year. Competition is going to be ridiculous, and it’s going to be very difficult.</p>

7

<p>As I said earlier, Andover adds 20-25 11th graders each year, Exeter is about the same. Deerfield, Lawrenceville, Milton, Hotchkiss are all approximately 15, and it goes downhill from there. Now divide those numbers by 2, since they will admit an equal number of boys and girls. That is why both @mrnephew and I suggested applying as a repeat sophomore. You would not be repeating any of your previous coursework and the course offerings are beyond the pale. The competition for 11th grade is fierce, so you will really need to stand out. You’re on your way, but much higher numbers on the CR and writing sections of the SAT will be needed.</p>

<p>You have time. Application deadline is 1/15. Note that Andover, and most if not all boarding schools, require an interview, either on-campus or with an alumni rep. If visiting on-campus, it’s best to book your appointment sooner rather than later.</p>

8

<p>Definitely sooner. Schools like Andover book up really quickly.</p>

9

<p>Though, what will I do repeating sophomore year. For example, I’m taking AP Calculus BC. Does that mean I will have to repeat that course? </p>

10

<p>Not really. These schools are unbelievably flexible, but they’re also incredibly challenging. Since you were taking an AP course (a course that’s typically taught similarly across the board because of the test), you can probably test out. If you test out of Calc BC, you can take the next level of mathematics. They’ll place you where you need to be. But, if you take a second to glance at the course listings, you’d see that it’s basically impossible to exhaust the course selections, and Andover (being an urban school) has the tools to put you in college classes should you need them. For language, it’d be the same type of thing. In history, English, and other courses, you’d probably be placed in their typical sophomore class, as most schools don’t open those to electives until junior and senior years. I think, however, that your experience with the interesting, challenging courses and Harkness would be different enough from a day or public school that you wouldn’t ever be bored. </p>

<p>Repeating tenth grade is a really good idea, and it’s something a lot of applicants do, so you wouldn’t be alone. It allows you to find more new student friends, which isn’t the goal, but is nice to have to share experiences with. It also gives you a year to adjust, and that’s important before junior year- widely regarded as the hardest high school year and which, at Andover, should be terrifyingly difficult. Having three years at a school is always also better than just two, and many boarding school alumni look back and recognize it as the most formative and best experience of their life. It is a personal decision, as you would be in high school for an extra year, and that’s another year of expensive tuition and emotional sacrifice for your family, but for many it’s well worth it; certainly, it’s something to look into and give lots of careful thought. Talk to the admissions officers at Andover about it, as they can give you advice and maybe even crunch some numbers for you. </p>

<p>About your question on the top schools, why only look there? If you’re happy at your day school and only want to, that’s one thing, but you certainly need either a day or boarding safety or two. Anyways, the top schools are completely subjective, and there’s not really a way to go about listing them. If you Google a list, you will see that they are very different. On CC in particular, there are many advocates for many different schools, whether they are hidden gems or the most famous. Two acronyms, however, do float around and are widely regarded as some of the best. These would be HADES (Hotchkiss, Andover, Deerfield, Exeter, and St. Paul’s) and GLADCHEMMS (Groton, Lawrenceville, Andover, Deerfeld, Choate, Hotchkiss, Exeter, Milton, Middlesex, and St. Paul’s). I am in no way trying to tell you that these are the top schools, as they will be different for everyone, but often those could be considered the Ivies of prep schools: well known, good academically, extremely selective.</p>

11

<p>ALE. LSA. PHLEGMS. LOL.</p>

12

<p>There are plenty of other options and acronyms; I was just mentioning the very top brand-names, as that seems to be what the OP is looking for. Sorry if that didn’t come off in my post.</p>

13

<p>That’s why the Lol was there, :slight_smile: .</p>

<p>It also stood for Lawrenceville, Old Farms, and Loomis.</p>

14

<p>Thanks so much for the help. I’ll look into those schools. </p>

15

<p>Yes, I would definitely say to widen your options. Another thing I might consider is looking some slightly smaller schools where you could really stand out at, such as Loomis, Taft, and Episcopal. These schools are incredibly competitive yet you’ll still be able to be on top, since that seems to be what you want.
Again, it’s your decision and ultimately you have to decide what you want (I know I decided to go to a bigger school rather than quite a few smaller schools, but I know that it’ll be me who will sleep better at the end of the day).
Good luck and I hope you have a great and not too stressful application process! :)</p>