Hi! I am a 9th grader looking to apply to Exeter only (I am an international student, and the high school I go to in my country is one of the most prestigious and hard-to-get-in schools).
Due to the the academically demanding and rigorous nature of my school, I have a few B’s that I hope I will be able to turn into A’s by the time I send my transcripts.
I recently took the SSAT and scored in the 90th percentile (82nd Verbal, 84th Quantitative and 96th reading - 2244).
My extracurriculars are somehow fine: Been Sailing for the last 6 years: School Sailing Club President, during which I tripled my club’s membership, lowered the costs and etc, and recently founded a Confederation of High School Sailing Clubs & Teams, in which I reached out to several other schools in my country and united them to promote High school sailing and organize competitions
And Model UN- out of the 5 conferences I’ve been to, I earned 3 best delegate awards and 1 outstanding delegate award (2nd place)
What worries me mainly is my SSAT scores- especially the Quantitative section. I heard that Exeter gave specific importance to math section, and my percentile seems to be rather low. Should I be re-taking the SSAT this December? And if I don’t will it be harming my application?
Thank you very much in advance for replying.
If you have time to study and you are able to retest I probably would.
Thanks for replying. How do you see the chances if I succeed in getting a higher score?
As mentioned often, accurate chances are impossible to predict BUT I believe that the closer your score is to the school’s average (94% for Exeter) the less likely your score will be a cause for your application to be rejected. Good luck!
My DD scored in that range and was admitted to Exeter (chose not to attend); however, she is not an international student and that applicant pool is very, very competitive. They also seek to fill spots on teams and for other extra curricular activities.
Why are you only considering Exeter? From looking at their website, it seems like they do not offer competitive sailing which would be a hook for you. Why are you not looking at Hotchkiss, Portsmouth Abbey, Milton, or Tabor Academy? If expanding the number of schools for which you apply is not an option, then by all means you should take the test again. Also, if you come from a country that receives a huge number of applicants, the competition is even more fierce I tend to believe.
Great advice @MAandMEmom
I almost added above that I sure would miss sailing if I was that good at it!
Hotchkiss is an excellent school with gorgeous buildings and gathering spaces plus a very picturesque location. My DH LOVED Hotchkiss, it was hard to tear him away after the revisit. One of the Hotchkiss kids we spent some time with during the revisit was a sailor who spoke very highly of the sailing program.
I also want to say the Model UN team is highly-regarded at Hotchkiss and has won lots of awards. Not my DD’s area of interest, so maybe someone else can chime in…
I see, but this summer when I went to Exeter’s Summer School, I loved it- beyond limits. I also maintained contacts with an amazing instructor who teaches History at Exeter, and he offered to write a recommendation for me if I decided to apply to Exeter.
The main reason I don’t really consider other schools is that I don’t necessarily want to study in the US (for high school, at least). So most likely, if I don’t get accepted to Exeter, I will be staying where I am.
PS: I am applying from Turkey.
Hey kuzey! I think you have a great chance if you just raise your school grades up as well as write good essays. You r ssat is ok but you can retake it if you want. It shouldn’t hurt to do so. Going to the summer school is definitely a plus. Good luck!