<p>adcoms can see right through you. im certain your essays will be superficial. the only thing you have is a high sat score which 90% of all other applicants to top schools have.</p>
<p>…and there lurking is your sub-par gpa “in one of the top public schools”</p>
<p>@midwestlaxer,</p>
<p>What makes you think that:</p>
<p>1) you can get into one of these elite boarding schools with middling grades and
2) if you got in, you could hit the ground running, as your track record shows only middling performance?</p>
<p>My son goes to one of these schools and the academic rigor & work load are absolutely enormous</p>
<p>FYI
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1444577-repeating-year-boarding-school.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/1444577-repeating-year-boarding-school.html</a></p>
<p>"and what makes you worthy to talk to me like that? "</p>
<p>since when did kids start talking like this?</p>
<p>Dear OP,
Do consider colleges that aren’t in the elusive ‘top 20’ schools. There are plenty of exceptional schools that do not have the huge requirements of the Ivies and are still wonderful. I would suggest doing a search on your intended field of study. A resource like US News can show you the top programs in that field. A link is included below.
[Best</a> Colleges | Find the Best College for You | US News Education](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges]Best”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges)
I also advise you to do the best you can in the rest of the year - AP scores have a lot of weight, because it like a standardized test in that everyone in the nation is equally measured. Also, consider getting involved in things you are genuinely passionate about; stick-on community service credits do nothing unless you have a heart for them. Genuineness will show through in your essays if you do this. : ) </p>
<p>Remember, kindness goes a long way, and good luck in your future endeavors!
<p>Thanks for your positivity</p>
<p>Just about 1 hour ago</p>
<p>what about mine?</p>
<p>i said you had a fabulous SAT score</p>
<p>Of course, Deerfield and Phillips Academy wouldn’t expect your grades to be spotless when applying BECAUSE the point of re-peating a year is to do better academically at their school. They explain it in their websites.</p>
<p>great idea midwestlaxer. go for it</p>
<p>True, they don’t expect your grades to be spotless. But don’t underestimate the difficulty of getting into these schools. A high test score alone will not get you in, the way it will for Stuyvesant.</p>
<p>Suggest you visit this section on CC and judge for yourself.<br>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/</a></p>
<p>If you want to apply to these schools, the deadline is nigh.</p>
<p>My advice to you is to consider applying to top colleges in the United Kingdom.</p>
<p>It is my understanding that they basically go by standardized test scores there.</p>
<p>And grades on your AP exams.</p>
<p>Not Cambridge or Oxford, but perhaps LSE, Edinburgh, UCL, St Andrews, Warwick.</p>
<p>In any case, you seem fixated on getting into a top 20 school.</p>
<p>Your life will not be over if you don’t get into a top 20 school.</p>
<p>Do well academically at a top 50 school, and you will get into the same graduate school that you would have gotten into by attending a top 20 school.</p>
<p>You might not get into a top 20 school even if your “defects” were totally corrected.</p>
<p>I know kids who have gotten into top graduate schools, including medical school, after attending Penn State, University of Florida, and even Nova Southeastern University and Florida International University.</p>
<p>I think it would look wierd and strange if you repeated a year of high school, just to show you can get good grades.</p>
<p>Even if you get the good grades, it probably won’t even matter.</p>
<p>I would suggest schools like Tulane, Baylor, University of Miami, Case Western, University of Rochester, Boston University. </p>
<p>Not top 20, but still very respectable.</p>
<p>My most successful friend did not go to a top 20 school. He went to SUNY Cortland.</p>
<p>I went to Cornell, and in the race of life, he long ago left me in the dust.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>At elite boarding schools, repeating a grade is very common and is a deliberate academic “red-shirting” strategy that parents choose for their kids. Tuition/fees at these schools run 50k. </p>
<p>Colleges do not view repeating at one of these schools the same way as they view repeating at a public school. Kids that repeat a grade, don’t repeat grade material. These schools are more like mini-colleges.</p>
<p>Floridadad is right. The elite UK schools are more likely to accept you than the ivies. </p>
<p>And just don’t be too fixated on which school you go to. It ultimately matters much less than you might expect.</p>
<p>So, would you suggest that I finish off my junior year strong or apply for boarding schools this fall? I mean, would it really matter that much considering my school has a history of sending students to top schools and is one of the best PUBLIC schools in the country?</p>
<p>Please listen to floridadad. Good advice there. </p>
<p>Here’s the good news, adcoms look at the strength of your school. So your B at one of the top schools in the US looks a little better than an A at one of the lowest schools. However what you’re going to have to justify in your essays and hopefully in your letters of rec is your lackluster grades with a strong SAT score. It reads to most adcoms -lazy kid. Capable but unwilling to do the work. You can overcome that with some help.</p>
<p>Best wishes to you.</p>
<p>It’s realistically too late for Deerfield. The application deadline is 15-Jan. Andover’s is 01-Feb. Applying to these schools is no less onerous than applying for college. It involves:</p>
<p>Standardized testing: SSAT, ISEE, PSAT or SAT
Essays
Recs
EC’s
Interviews
Parent Statements</p>
<p>Both schools admit only about 1-in-8. Good luck.</p>
<p>I would truly just stay where I am.</p>
<p>My son had a 2300 SAT, and was in the top 5% of his class, and still did not get into a top 20 college.</p>
<p>He got waitlisted at Emory, Vanderbilt, and Johns Hopkins. A friend of his, with even better academics, didn’t get into a top 20 school either.</p>
<p>The bottom line is that is VERY hard to get into a top 20 school, even if you have a perfect record.</p>
<p>I would concentrate on numbers 20-50.</p>
<p>And apply to some UK schools.</p>
<p>You can apply to five in a single application.</p>
<p>Since they go basically by standardized test scores there, I would apply there. Play in a game where the rules are in your favor.</p>
<p>Seeing as you already are in a “top public school” that typically sends students to top universities, I don’t see why going to boarding school would make you a stronger candidate. The relationships you may or may not have built over the past few years would be severed if you were to move to these places. </p>
<p>Your scores are good, but consider that a lot of schools, Michigan for one, place a lot of emphasis on UW GPA. As other posters noted, you have to serve out of the generosity and passion from your heart. Service isn’t about you; it’s about helping others. Find something you truly love and let it shine in your applications. Kick butt the rest of your HS career. You may get deferred from some schools, but if they see the improvement come senior year, you may still get in. </p>
<p>Also, I can’t quite tell what kind of fit you’re going for. Basing your choice of college off of USNWR rankings will not get you to the place you are best suited for. Actually research the schools, visit, take virtual tours, and learn about the programs you are interested in the schools before you become set on attending. If your attitude doesn’t change by next year, you’ll have a hard time getting into some of the schools you listed.</p>
<p>Anyways, good luck on applications next year.</p>
<p>I don’t think making this thread was a good idea. People are going to voice their strong opinions, and i’m sure you didn’t expect or want to hear these answers. The best advice I can give is to go with you gut feeling, if it tells you do redo this year, then go for it. And I advise you to write about it in an essay. And also, look for the best schools for your major, and you might find that not all of them are ivies. And you could go to a regular, public school and always go to those ivies for grad school, but you can’t have a repeat of high school. Go with your gut feeling and work your hardest! Good luck!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It’s that the whole point of asking for advice here?</p>