What are my chances of being accepted into Phillips Andover?

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
1

Hi!
I’m in 7th grade right now, and I want to go to Phillips Andover for high school

Grades
English: A-
French: A+
Math: A
Social Studies: A
Science: A

I’ve never gotten lower than an A- ever on my report card
My MCAS (standardized test) in 6th grade was a perfect score in English and Math
I do XC and track but I’m not exceptional at either

I don’t do any kind of music

I haven’t taken the SSAT yet but I will

For 8th grade, I’m in honors math and french, and there are only honors classes for those two subjects

Thanks!
-S

2

A few suggestions:

  • research lots of schools and see if you can imagine yourself at them also (not just Andover); you already know that it is super competitive and that only about 15% of applicants are admitted; if you really want to go to boarding school, this is a risky approach and you will miss out on lots of schools just as good as Andover, and maybe even a better "fit" for you
  • read on this forum about other kids with good grades like yours; while that is a great start to an application, pay attention to all the other things that they have highlighted; think about how to paint the whole picture that is "you" other than just grades
  • when you are doing your research, please consider that strong grades are only one component of your application

Good luck!

3

@Kthor626 points are spot on. Remember, the vast majority of kids who apply to a top school have great grades and the AVERAGE SSAT score is close to 90%–which means there are plenty of high-90s score in that bunch.

Once you have cleared the bar in terms of being able to do the work and succeed academically, the #1 thing you need to be able to express at any elite school is how you will contribute to the community. They want to see where your passion lies. If it’s not in sports or the arts, where is it? It’s totally fine if you don’t know the answer yet in life, but recognize that many kids vying for the spot that you are, do. Or at least think they do well enough to articulate it through the process.

If you are truly unique academically–which you could be, but it’s very challenging to know in 7th grade–that may be sufficient–but again, in the case of most elite schools and certainly in the case of Andover, they have the pick of kids with that profile.

4

I agree. I remember thinking I was truly academically unique in 7th and 8th grade when I had a 95% SSAT and was ranked number 1 in my middle school. Safe to say these ideas of intellectual superiority were put to rest when I came to Andover and found out I was exceptionally average. Andover is looking forr the grades and SSAT’s, but also for the x-factor, which is different and unique to every applicant.

5

@MABlue @Mr.Wendal @Kthor626 thx for the info! If you have any other tips please let me, but everything that you’ve told me so far helped a lot!