Unfortunately, I found out about boarding schools really late into the process (like January 7th IIRC) so I only ended up applying to Exeter. I’ve looked over my application in hopes to see what I was missing but I can’t specifically pinpoint anything terrible. I’d like for another pair of eyes to look over it and give me any advice or criticism
Stats:
• PSAT: 1370 (620 R&W, 650 Math)
• GPA Unweighted/Weighted: 3.9385/4.0348
• Rank: Top 3
• Other stats:
Subjective:
• Interviews:
I feel as if I really connected with the alumni that interviewed me. We talked a lot about my hobbies and passions as well as how she liked Exeter and how attending PEA has helped her get to where she is. The interview lasted a good 45 minutes or so. She said that she believed I would be a perfect fit for the school.
• Essays:
The first essay was a narrative about fitting into our society that I based on my personal experiences. I had my AP Literature & Comp teacher read over it and he said that I had a very interesting narrative voice and that he didn’t see any issues so it was probably like a 9/10.
The second essay was about combating global warming and how we should use this common problem to unite people and help promote peace. I wrote a bit about the interactions between the political system and the scientific community but other than that I think it might’ve sounded a bit generic. I’d say it was a 7/10 or 7.5/10.
• Math Rec:
I’ve known my AP Calculus teacher for a while through extracurriculars and we have a strong bond. There’s no question it’s a 10/10
• English Rec:
I’ve only met my AP Literature & Comp teacher this year so we didn’t have a super strong relationship. I’m usually one of the strongest participants in his class but I fall asleep sometimes so I’m not sure how it went. I’m guessing that he probably wrote something about how I have high potential but I’m not utilizing my ability to the fullest. 6.5/10 or 7/10
• Personal/Extracurricular Rec:
I didn’t submit one (WHY IS PAST ME SO DUMB)
• Principal/Counselor Rec:
This was handled by my counselor which I barely know but I’ve frequently visited her office. She said that she was familiar with the Common App so I think she based most of it off of my grades and teacher comments on my report card. 8/10
• Sports (if any):
I played varsity soccer but I didn’t mention it on the extracurricular activities since there were only 8 EC slots and it wasn’t important to me as the ones I listed
• Instruments (if any):
Alto Saxophone, 6 years of experience
• Other ECs (if any):
(Listed in order of interest)
Robotics Club - member (2 years)
Competitive Math Club - founder and president (1 year)
Aquaponics Club - co-founder and vice president (2 years)
Science Olympiad - vice president (2 years)
Key Club - editor and webmaster (2 years)
Student Government - class representative (2 years)
Foreign Culture Club - member (2 years)
• Hook:
My parents are both immigrants who speak broken English and I’m a 1.5 generation immigrant as I immigrated when I was young. This wasn’t explicitly stated in my application as I have received my U.S. citizenship but I did speak to the alumni that interviewed me about the struggles my family face as immigrants. I’m not sure if this really counts as a hook to be honest because it seems that Exeter accepts a lot of international students.
Another possible hook is that I started an aquaponics system at my middle school and high school through a partnership with an engineering firm in order to provide additional food for the school cafeteria as well as revenue (from selling the produce and fish). The engineering firm we partnered with also sent some engineers out to Africa in order to install aquaponic systems there as a way of sustainable farming (less water usage). We communicated with them using our aquaponic system as a controlled test environment in order to simulate how it would perform in Africa. The king of Ghana himself visited us in order to give thanks.
Location/Person:
• State or Country: Pennsylvania
• Current School Type: Public
• Ethnicity: Chinese
• Gender: Male
• Grade Applying For: 11th
• Age: 16
• Financial Aid/Full Pay: Full Pay
I’ve read that Exeter is need-blind so I don’t think that my financial aid status was what got me waitlisted. I think it was probably the fact that I didn’t submit an EC rec or that my GPA was lower compared to other applicants. My GPA from my freshman year is screwed up because I took honors classes that weren’t counted as honors but instead as regular classes. My GPA this year (I’m a sophomore if I didn’t mention that previously) is a 4.3294.
I’m taken the highest level of course classes at my school as a sophomore (AP Calc, AP Lit & Comp, APUSH, AP Psych, Honors Spanish II {Spanish is the only foreign language my school offers}, Honors Physics) so I applied to Exeter because of their amazing academics, staff, and facility in order to pursue higher education next year. I plan to write an email mentioning this passion for learning along with the fact that Exeter was my first choice, and that I would fit in well with the school’s culture based on their motto of “Non Sibi” and my passion for service (Key Club).
Even if I write the email, it wouldn’t help if no spaces open up 
If I don’t get off the waitlist, I’m planning to apply next year as a junior and repeat 11th grade in order to have 2 years to build my relationships with teachers there. I’ll also make sure to cast a wider net this time and apply earlier. Any suggestions for other boarding schools?
Not sure if this is off topic or not, but for next year should I take more AP courses (that aren’t related to my interest in STEM fields), or dual-enroll and take college classes in STEM? I’m thinking the college classes will let me develop the strong pinpoint interest that Exeter looks for.
Thank you very much for reading through all of this! I’m looking forward to the advice and criticism.