What are my chances of getting into Choate?

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
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Race: White, Indian
State: Connecticut
Gender: M

Applying to Choate Rosemary Hall (10th Grade)
Test: SSAT (97th percentile overall, 88 verbal 89 quantitative 99 reading)

Grades: Last year (8th grade) All A (90+) mostly A+, this year (9th grade) All A (90+) First honors throughout grades 7, 8, and 9
Going to one of the best public schools in state right now
Don’t know about financial aid

Interview: 9/10, talked about passion for environmental science and fencing, how I am interested in greenhouse at CRH

ECs
Sports: Fencing for about 3 years, fence nationally, qualified for 2022 Junior Olympics, coached by Olympians, top 50 in US for my age
Volunteering: Tutored underprivileged refugee children for three years now, youngest tutor in national organization’s history
Created a local chess club with brother (50ish members) and teach chess, as well as hosting online tournaments
Currently doing original research on genetic modification in agricultural crops through science research program at school (interested in Choate science research program as well as environmental science)
Have done videography for the last four years (created videos of reading children’s books as supplements for volunteering, also have entered Breakthrough Junior Challenge for last 3 years and have gotten top 20% for last two)
Member of two clubs through school: Science Olympiad and JSA
Advocated heavily to stop the implementation of a carcinogenic turf field at high school (turf
would not just affect athletes, but chemicals seep into well water of the town)
Represented middle school at MathCounts in 2020 (not to much success)

Essay and short answer questions: Tied them to extracurriculars as well as family background (father was an immigrant), strong approval from mom (award winning novelist) and teachers that I have reached out to

Recommendation letters:
Math: Confident in this, good relationship with teacher, he is very nice
English: Somewhat worried, not sure if the teacher likes me or dislikes me, contribute often to discussions
Counselor: I honestly have no clue, we have had only a few talks, but they were all very positive and friendly
Personal: Asked my fencing coach for this, we have had a very strong relationship, very confident in the recommendation letter
Third teacher: Don’t know if I should send one in

Thank you!

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New here to CC. I find it interesting that applicants (or their parents) post requests from random folks (who are not admissions officers at the schools they’re inquiring about) to gauge their chance of admittance at a particular school or schools. I understand the admissions process is stressful and full of question marks, but is it really useful to ask people to look into their amateur crystal balls and hazard a guess? Does a “yes” or “no” answer from a random person reduce their anxiety or really mean anything? I guess it may be akin to laying down on a therapist’s couch and unloading all the thoughts racing through their head. FWIF, my advice is to simply put your best self out there and let the chips fall where they may. You’ll end up where you’re supposed to be.

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Are you applying for financial aid?

Have you contacted the fencing coach? What did he say? Will they be supporting your application?

Are you applying as a day student or boarder?

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I’m applying as a day student. Choate sadly doesn’t have a fencing team right now. Also, I most likely will be applying for financial aid.

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Your test scores and grades look fine. However applying for FA and also as a day student will make things more difficult. If you had a coach pushing for your admission, then it might help.

Is Choate the only school you’re applying to? Have you thought about others? Your chances are greater by applying to other schools (especially those with fencing programs).

Are you planning on continuing your fencing in high school? If so how would you do that at Choate, given that they don’t have a team currently?

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I did write this all out on a whim, and I was very stressed at the time. But the primary purpose of it for me was just to find any things that I did, especially in the controllable sections (essays, recommendations), that may need improvement, and seek that type of guidance from people that may be more knowledgeable. I appreciate the advice and I am finding time now to de-stress myself.

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The Kohler Environmental Center/Program might be a good angle on why you’re interested in Choate

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Just a nugget for you to consider…

My son was a competitive fencer and was WL at several schools that did not have a fencing program. Our high school placement coordinator at our k-8 school told us that the admissions contacts all expressed doubt that DS would choose attend given how enthusiastic he was about fencing, despite the fact that he said it didn’t necessarily matter and that he would get involved in a diff sport.

So, if you’re going to spend time talking about how important fencing is to you and how it’s shaped your life, I would give some thought to how you’re going to make the case that you’re not only willing, but you want to pivot toward a new sport.

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Great point. The yield game is real.

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That makes a lot of sense. Do you think me applying as a day student may alter their opinions? If not, I’ll try to stay away from this topic in terms of essays. I appreciate it!

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Thanks for the tip, I’ll mention it in my essay

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Ah forgot you’re a day student. That will help because you can fence on the weekends (does Choate have weekend classes?). They may be willing to offer a waiver for a term so that you can fence to fulfill their requirement. Still, you want to show how you want to use your athletic/artistic talents to contribute to the school community so I would find something they offer and focus on that. This isn’t necessarily for the essay, but for the interview especially.

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I don’t think Choate has weekend classes, but I’m not sure. I had my interview a few months ago, and I feel as it went mostly well. I didn’t talk a ton about fencing, and more about my interest in the environmental program and environmental center. Also, I think that they may restart the fencing program as according to my interviewer, several people expressed interest in it.

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Choate does not have weekend classes aside from parents’ weekend, so that shouldn’t be a problem. I would hesitate about talking at length about fencing, but it’s still okay to mention it as an interest.

Definitely play the KEC/environmental angle if it’s something you’re interested in. Outside of the EIP there’s also the C-Proctor and Eco-Rep programs, the Environmental Action Coalition, and a whole bunch of school-wide sustainability challenges. Even if you don’t end up doing the EIP, you still have plenty of sustainability options here.

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I don’t think it’ll be such a big issue for Choate if you have a reasonable plan for continuing to fence, particularlyas a day student. Nor do I see this so much as a “yield game” as the school feeling you might not thrive without something that matters so much to you. I suspect you can make a case for Choate as it’s a place where you can continue to fence at a high level with the rest of your life “compressed” into CRH. At a school further from home, this would be a challenge.

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I just quickly looked into those programs, and they seem really cool. I’ll definitely make sure to research more about them and talk to friends about them. Thank you so much

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Hey! Choate Class of 2024 here!

I think that your application is quite strong. Being one of the best in the country for fencing is quite an accomplishment and that would definitely spark interest in the admissions room. Even though Choate, as you said, does not have a fencing team, I think that your athleticism would impress admissions officers and increase your odds of getting in, especially because you plan on pursuing it throughout high school.

Conducting original research and being involved in sustainability at a young age would also excite admission officers. SRP and EIP (or KEC, as some call it) would be great signature program options. I’m also one of the cabinet members for the EAC (Environmental Action Coalition) and I must say that we have never thought about the environmental detriment that artificial turfs cause, so kudos to the original idea! I love that you’re already giving back to your community through voluntary service, and I’m sure the AOs would love it too.

From what you have told, your essays are pretty strong, so I can’t say much about that.

Overall, you have a pretty strong chance. If you haven’t done an interview yet, make sure to do research on the opportunities that Choate provides and why you want to be a part of the student community (what you can contribute, what sets it apart from other schools, what you wish to gain). Don’t hesitate to ask me more about Choate!

Good luck and perhaps we will meet next year on campus!