Hi guys! I know this is super common but the decision letter day seems so far away and I just need some opinions, so without further ado, here we go!
Grade applying for - ninth grade
Ethnicity - Asian American
School type: Large public school
Financial aid: I think we need about 40-45 percent of FA
SSAT - 95% overall, 96% for total girls, 99 math, 88 reading, 90 verbal. (This is actually what I’m kind of worried about because so many people on here get 99 overall and I feel discouraged)
Grades - my most troublesome part. My school grades super harshly, so I have a b this quarter and a b plus last quarter, none in 7th grade and two in sixth. Will this disqualify me, or put me down? I hope not and have been desperately trying to raise my grades.
Math Rec- 8.5/10 - should be pretty good. He’s done this a lot before, so he’s good at writing these and he likes me, or at least enough to write these for me and he said he’s going to take care of it.
English and Science Rec- 9,5/10, they should be great because both of these teachers support me fully and although they haven’t known me for long, I have faith that they’ll write good ones.
Personal Rec- 11/10 (lol just kidding) no but really, she knows me super well, FYI she is my piano teacher and has seen me grow as a person for the last two years. I’m hoping her recommendation has some credit because she’s a teacher at Juilliard? Will that even help? Maybe because it’s a well-known school.
Counseler Rec thing - not really sure, but she seemed really into getting me into this school, although the truth is I don’t know her well and neither does she, she did say she would so her best and seemed genuine about it.
Essays - They’re pretty solid, but if I’m being honest, there’s nothing super eye catching. My life isn’t very dramatic, so I had nothing crazy to write about, but I was honest and I think my personality and interests were able to shine through my writing and I wrote about moments important to me instead of something that’ll stand out, so I hope that helps. Did I do the right thing?
Interviews - 12/10 - Interviews have always been my strongest point. I’m super good at talking with people, and I’m hoping it’ll give me an edge over other strong applicants. My Exeter interviewer said I was a good fit for this school and that my social skills were amazing and that I was one of the easiest kids she had ever interviewed, and my Andover interviewer told me father afterwards that he would advocate for me and that I was very clear and diligent and organized with my thoughts. Pretty much the same for other interiews, but Exeter’s and Andover’s were really my best and I have confidence that they really liked me.
Hooks (?): High -ish (?) SSAT scores, good recs, possible music recruit (read below)
EC’s:
- Piano, (ten years.) Entered and won many international competitions, went to Manhattan school of music precollege, The lead pianist for the school band and orchestra. (Fun fact: Many of the schools I applied to I sent a link of my piano playing and all of them were incredibly impressed, Andover and Deerfield especially. The Andover music teacher wanted to meet me but coudn't due to the interview dates, but I was able to meet with two Deerfield music teachers and they talked to me and they really liked me, in fact, they stayed after longer to talk with me about my musical career if I went to Deerfield. Most other schools liked my music, but those two schools really seemed to like my piano playing.)
- Violin, (seven years) Entered only two competitions (one interantional) and is the concert master (first chair) at my school.
- School math club, which is for students who want to study more advanced things outside of classroom -A non profit music organization which plays for people in nursing homes, I play both piano and violin in this orchestra. Also adds to my community service hours. -On the Mathcounts team, which is selected through tryouts rounds. -Don't do sports, which could hurt me but I mentioned in all of my interviews that I'm always willing to try a new sport. -Won silver and the Scholastic Writing Awards in seventh grade with my short story.
Other than that, I don’t have much else to say. I’m super passionate about what I do, and I made sure that part of me came out during interviews and my essays. Although I do know so many students even on this thread alone that are way more qualified than I am :neutral: So, what do you guys think? Any response at all would be greatly appreciated, because I’m so anxious I can’t even go to sleep right now even though it’s bedtime.
