<p>As an Andover student I've come across some information I thought would be helpful to people applying to Andover. One of my teachers told my class a bit more about the admissions process, how they actually evaluate you as a person. She has read lots of applications for the admissions office in recent years so she knows all about the process. Basically you get two scores on a scale from 1 to 7 (1 being the worst 7 being the best), one score for your academic success and one for your personality. If your scores don't surpass a certain number when added together then you aren't considered further. Even if you have a very good academic score, if anyone reading your file thinks you aren't a good person then you are immediately rejected.
Another tip she gave was that for the short answer question, always answer the roommate question not the time management one. She said in all the years she has been reading applications no one has ever answered the time management question 'correct', so it's best to go with the roommate one, even if you are a day student.
She also said that extra recommendations do not do you much good. She has read ones from senators, ambassadors, and CEOs of companies, and she says it doesn't increase you're chances at all. She says the teacher recommendations are far more important.
Feel free to ask me any other questions about the admissions process or the school in these days leading up to the application deadline. Good luck!</p>
<p>Do they take into account how hard your current school is? I go to a very tough school, with a heavy workload and a tough grading system. A C at my school would usually be a B+, for example. Also, do you have any more advice for the essays? And last one, do re-appliers get looked at any differently?(favored or not?)</p>
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<p>And one more (i know, i know), will a CD of me playing my instrument, which very few people play, help my application, even if it isnt on the same level as a prodigy?</p>
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<p>They don’t judge your academic skills as much from your letter grades, but more from your recommendations and your writing skills. They will understand if your school has a harder grading system. With the essays, just try to be yourself and really show your passions and writing skills. Choose a deep question that can have an infinite amount of answers. I chose the one that was like “talk about one thing you use to be sure about, but aren’t anymore”. I talked a lot about life and death and suffering and the purpose of life, and apparently they liked it. And definitely send that CD, they love unique interests and variety so that’s definitely a good idea. As for a reapplying student, I don’t really know. I could ask my teacher about it Monday and get back to you. And I don’t mind answering any questions you have, I like being helpful ;)</p>
<p>Did she say anything about what makes candidates stand out in a positive way aside from the teacher recommendations, grades, and standardized test scores?</p>
<p>Mostly just if you seem like a good moral person who cooperates well and isn’t a pain to have in class. the exact phrase she used was someone who wasn’t a little ‘rhymes with fit’</p>
<p>HA! Well, that makes sense. Obviously, they’re not going to want to admit someone who’s going to cause problems in the community.</p>
<p>I’m guessing that goes doubly for the parents. The only thing worse for teachers than having to deal with a little “**it” is dealing with the parents who made them that way.</p>
<p>Yeah, even if you’re a genius they wont admit you unless you’re nice ;)</p>
<p>So should you go with the deep route when writing you short answers/essay or the funny route?</p>
<p>Beeba,</p>
<p>I know your question is directed to andover2016, but if I can put my two cents in…</p>
<p>I would advise against purposely choosing so-called “routes,” because it can make the whole short answer look forced and calculated. If you are feeling sentimental or humorous, it’s fine to insert a few insightful remarks or so, but don’t overdo it; you want the adcoms to leave with an impression other than merely “deep” or “funny.” Try to show a more versatile facet of you.</p>
<p>Does each application get read by more than one person? I learned Exeter assigned three independent judges and generated a composite score for each candidate.</p>
<p>What does Andover think about SSAT scores ?</p>
<p>Hi, andover2016. I am applying to Andover for 10th grade, and I have just about completed all of my applications, but you got me verrryyyy nervous about the time-management question. I answered that one, and I think I did a pretty good job of going away from the normal route of how that question is typically answered, but now I’m not so sure. I’ll PM you with more details about my answer for more advice… gahhh I’m freaking out right now!</p>
<p>beeba: I agree with neoncitylightsx, you want to make it seem natural and genuine.</p>
<p>sharinggift: yes, the applications are read by several people, I’m not sure by exactly how many, but by people both in and out of the admissions office.</p>
<p>endthestars: They don’t consider them as much as your schoolwork and essay work. They are very understanding that some people just don’t do well on those types of tests.</p>
<p>ballerina22: I PMed you ;)</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone in these final days of applications :D</p>
<p>Thanks, andover2016. Your answer made sense.</p>
<p>Re: time management question, I wonder why Andover would keep the question among its essay choices if no one has seemed to answer correctly. Could it simply reflect personal bias on your teacher’s part? I would think Andover gets thousands of applications every year, but, no disrespect, your teacher would only read a fraction of all completed applications. Then, it would be reasonable to think that there could have been many admitted applicants who had written on the time management topic.</p>
<p>Hey I was wondering about the significance of the Parent Statement. My parents wrote about 50 words for each question. Do you think i should get them to right more, or is that enough?</p>
<p>Did you find out from your teacher about the re applicant question?</p>
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<p>I’m a parent, working on Andover application for my hopeful lower-mid… Questions 1 & 2 on the Andover app can be answered in 50 words… "yes s/he can attend full weekends; and "no, s/he has never repeated a grade, basically. Question 3 is about an example of how the student has stepped up to some sort of challenging environment; that is where a thoughtful, detailed answer will show Andover how you ‘shine’ and won’t crumble under the rigorous pressure. I just polished that answer today, and it is near the 2,000 word limit. Question 4 asks what my son can contribute to Andover, and I chose 2 special attributes, his ‘hooks’, to explain, again, coming close to the 2,000 word limit. I used some ideas from HIS essays to other schools, not included in his Andover essay, for inspiration. The ideas are general life themes, OUR life history, that has made him stronger, and personal academic habits that contribute to his knowledge (like reading non fiction in free time instead of playing video games.) So, yes, 2 questions are ok at 50 words, they might re-work and add depth to questions 3 & 4. Good luck, maybe we’ll see you there???</p>
<p>I am applying for Andover next year, and sent out all my electronic recommendation requests to my teachers, personal recommender, and counselor. However, my counselor was more comfortable mailing the school report and his own recommendation, which he did almost a month ago. On the Gateway application website, it still shows that the School Report is “in progress.” Does that mean the Office didn’t receive it, or is it just because he mailed it instead of electronically submitting it?</p>