Hi!
I’m from Nigeria but I currently live in Canada (Ontario). I attended U.T.O.L. a British Montessori School in Ogun State from grade 1-6 (ages 4-9) , and then transferred to a Canadian school where I went back to grade 4 (because of my age)
Then another for grade 5 and another for grade 6 and Gr.7. which is where I currently am.
Now I am a 7th grade student and I want to apply to Phillips Exeter Academy for my highschool year which begins in 2021. I am very nervous because I think that my achievements aren’t enough compared to all the other applicants and I don’t have many extracurriculars.
So here’s a brief overview:
- I speak French, Yoruba, and English fluently. (3 languages). I want to pick up another language from now till January.
-I’ve always been top 5 in my class since a very early age always getting higher grades than my peers who were 2-3 year older than me back home
-I enjoy playing tennis and participating in Track and Field, Cross-Country and Swimming.
-I am very passionate about politics and world religions and I plan on going to do finance.
-I applied to several Nigerian highschool during the ages 7-9 and I got B+ and A-.
-Near perfect score on the E.Q.A.O.
-And I have 6 years of private tutoring under my belt.
I still don’t know how my SSAT’s are going to go.
So overall what do you think my chances are of getting into PEA?
and
Do you have any essay ideas?
All answers are greatly appreciated.
Or should I wait to get more achivements in Highschool
@ChoatieMom do you have any other tips?
I’ll jump in! First of all, congratulations on caring enough about your future that you are thinking about your high school plans in 7th grade, which gives you plenty of time to find the right school, and to get your application in order.
This early on, if you were my daughter, I would suggest:
- Researching schools and casting the net wider than just Andover and Exeter. (You didn't mention if you will be FP or FA, but this is extra important if you are seeking FA.) There are MANY truly fantastic schools out there! So spend a couple of months just poking around here to read about different schools and then check out their websites and see what appeals to you. Get a sense for what you are looking for, and who might offer that. My strong suggestion: keep your mind super open right now!
- Maybe try to take a sample SSAT to get a ballpark sense of where you are, so you know if you have a week of studying ahead of you or six months of studying ahead of you in order to have your best score. (My strong suggestion: take the SSAT early fall of 8th grade just so it's locked and loaded and you can cross it off your list if you score well. And if you don't, then you have some time to study again and retake.)
- I would steer you away from getting too specific about essay ideas right now, because the essay prompts will be released in late summer, so you have lots of time there. And, the prompts will vary by school. That said, if you are brimming with ideas about what makes you special and unique, then why not open up a document and save some brainstorm thoughts there as they come to you now. No harm there and you might be really happy to have some thoughts saved when it comes to essay writing time. But I would not prioritize thinking about essay ideas now.
Also: there is no way we could possibly brainstorm your essay ideas for you because
- Essay prompts are by school, and not released yet and
- Your essays should really be personal and about YOU, and what makes you special and wonderful so how could we possibly be the best people to tell you about you?! and
- I’ll show my mom colors here and say: considering not asking others to do the work for you. You are smart and can do this. I believe in you. Help is always available in life, but do your own very best work first before you ask someone else to do your heavy lifting. (said with love, I promise.)
I hope this is somewhat helpful. Your background sounds really interesting and I’ll bet you’ll be a fantastic candidate!
@Calliemomofgirls
Thank you for the compliment.
If by “F.A.” you mean financial aid then yes.
Sorry, @XxMoonChildxX. I never post here because I don’t believe anyone can chance anyone for any boarding school based on any resume posted because the process is more complicated than that and, if you read here long enough, you will see too many high-stats kids who don’t make it in as well as the opposite scenario. Like everyone else, you will know your chances on M10. In the meantime, apply to schools where your stat profile falls above the mid-range for that school, present your best self on the application, and then let the chips fall where they may. That’s all you or anyone can do. This forum is just a parlor game, IMO.
@Calliemomofgirls advice on the essay is spot on, so I don’t need to repeat. Roll up your sleeves and get to work – your OWN work. 
(So ends my first and last post on this forum. I accidentally hit this thread from Latest Posts and stopped reading after I saw that the OP used his real name and reported it.)
Thank both of you very much!!!
I’m guessing FA stands for Financial Aid but what does FP stand for?