Not at all. If the application wasn’t serious then the spot should have gone to someone who put a ton of work into their application.
And that’s not judging - its understanding that every year, thousands of applicants pour their time and heart into this application process… It’s unfair to them to have someone who is “winging” it be accepted while they are not.
Why not? That’s life. Some people have to work harder than others to achieve something that comes easy for someone else.
I didn’t mean to start something - I just thought it was incredibly insensitive and not helpful in the slightest to say that to a kid who had received disappointing news two days before.
Why not? Well, the people vying to get into Andover and Exeter are the cream of the crop in the first place. If the level of qualification is the same, then the person who works harder on their essays, puts more thought into the interview, etc. is the one who deserves to be accepted.
If OP did not
do this, then the result should surprise no one.
If you’ve looked at the other posts made, perhaps in the freak out thread, then you’d notice that there are indeed people with top notch applications who poured their soul into these apps that got denied.
Considering that, I believe my previous statement to be completely justified.
And insensitive? I prefer the term tough love.
I’m not saying OPs result is unexpected. I’m saying that you could have shown a little restraint and not piled on two days after decisions. You call it tough love - I call it insensitive. My guess is we’ll never agree on the distinction. So let’s move on. Where’s a moderator when you need one?
It’s not piling on. It’s a simple reminder to OP that if it didn’t mean that much to him/her in the first place, then there are better things to do with his/her time.
excuse me but I did pour a lot of time and effort into my appications and I admit that I didn’t study to my full capacity for the SSAT’s…there’s no need to assume
It did mean a lot to me, and I regret not being serious about it in the first place, and with all due respect, who are you to tell people that they should be spending their time more wisely?
The main issue here was a lack of clarification, @andover101. When you said “Im probably going to try next year and actually be serious”, it sounded like you didn’t put any effort into your application at all and decided to just “wing it”, but as you said in the post above, you were only referring to the SSATs.
@mrnephew was making his point not to sound condescending, but to stick up for those who pour their heart and soul into their applications. It’s incredibly disheartening to hear if someone didn’t value the same process (which you say you did value) as much as those who worked incredibly hard, yet some of them yielded the same results (waitlist/rejection).
Starting to sound like a broken record here, but this doesn’t sound like a person pouring themselves into their apps.
And as for your question, I’m a person who was in your EXACT position three years ago, rejected by Andover after a half-assed application, and berated my not caring for another year, and came to the realization that applying in that manner was a stupid and pointless thing to do.
Well, I did put a lot of thought and effort into my applications, but I did not study hard enough for the SSAT’s. I meant to say that I should have been more proactive in studying for the test, not that I should have actually tried on my application, because on my application, I spent a ton of time making sure it was perfect. It was just a misunderstanding. The only thing that I did not put in too much work into was the SSAT’s, and I really regret that. I did get accepted to Brooks in the end, but declined and now go to AHS. And yes, I agree, it was a stupid thing to do and a waste of my parents’ money if I did not put in effort to study for my SSAT’s.
@andover101 are you already attending a prep school or are you gonna retake you ssat and apply again? I’m sorry if that was a dumb qeustion as I dont the fulll form of ‘AHS’.
I just looked it up, did you mean ‘American Heritage School’( thats what showed up and i found out it is a private school)
haha no its Andover High School and currently, I am not planning to apply to any other school, and no that wasn’t a dumb question because I was actually considering it before.
Hey @andover101, I just wanted to applaud your courage for putting out your dream of getting into Andover and/or Brooks and share a little bit of perspective. (Sorry I did not see your original post until today…)
First, how awesome that you are a ranked squash player! :-bd Squash, as you know, is not a super popular sport, but can be a real feather in your cap (so to speak) when it comes to college and sometimes prep school admissions. Keep it up! If you can remain nationally ranked and keep up your grades and work on your test scores–assuming you want to continue playing in college–you will be very well positioned! Most of the NESCAC and Ivy League colleges field squash teams. It’s one of those sports for which a college needs to recruit, but there is not a huge pool of candidates from which to choose. This will give you a huge edge come college time!
Secondly, I saw you got some “flack” for not giving it your all when it came to your SSAT scores. It is for sure not the end of the world! I know of kids that didn’t have stellar scores and gained admissions to Andover. But, they did have great grades and something else going for them. Like I mentioned, you already do when it comes to squash ;).
SSAT tests are kind of like a litmus test for college SATs. Think of your scores like a baseline–no more, no less. As you approach college, the time and energy you put into studying and preparing for the standardized tests will most likely be well worth it. At the end of the day, they are just like a game, and you are good at games. You just have to become proficient at the tricks and strokes, so to speak. Practice may not make perfect, but you will improve. And, the higher that you can increase your test scores, the better you improve your chances for college admissions. SATs (and ACTS) are just a way for a college to be able to assess a candidate wherever they go to school–be it Andover High School or PEA.
You are showing leadership and self learning and initiative and honesty and courage. Awesome stuff! Way to go! =D>
@CallieMom wow thank you so much I really dont know what to say :"> 
:(|) . It was so sweet of you to respond to my post like that and i really appreciate your comment:) Thank you so much!!
@andover101-- I, too, just read through the entire thread and have to say that I think you are an impressive person! You completely owned your process–and being a college instructor, I can tell you that that is quite unique in this day and age! You will be very successful no matter WHERE you go to school. Good luck to you and Happy 2016!
For PA, your score are significantly below average (PA overall average is 95%), although knowing the headmaster and his son might help some. I think if your essays stand out and your recs are good, you could have a chance (although the SSAT scores make it a bit of a dice roll).
@thelittleswimmer
I love it! Andover time…