Hi,
I am currently a freshman in 9th grade and intend to enter Groton or Middlesex as a sophomore in 10th grade.
I would like to know what I can do to improve my chances of getting in, and if anyone who was accepted into Middlesex or Groton could share their stats. I don’t have any siblings who went to both of these schools and I have more interest in Middlesex than Groton.
About me:
I am Vietnamese and live in Massachusetts. My family immigrated here and my brothers both went to boarding schools. I am Catholic and very religious; I help out the community sometimes during the holidays. I am fluent in Vietnamese and am also currently learning Spanish right now. I go to a public school in Massachusetts with around 400 students. This year I’m taking all honors classes and barely maintaining an A in some classes. I’m applying for financial aid and boarding at both of these schools.
Grades and Transcript:
For past transcripts I’ve only had 2 Bs last year and all A’s this year. My grades this year range from 90-95. In 8th grade, I was in an accelerated math class as well as an advanced algebra concepts class. This year in 9th grade, I am taking geometry. I don’t know if being in high level classes are good for my application, but I will include it anyway.
SSAT:
I have taken the SSAT and placed in the 84 percentile (don’t know if I should submit)
Interviews and tours:
My interviews and tours are in a week and I am very nervous. I hope to leave a good impression and show the AO who I am.
Essays:
I’ve been struggling to write my essays because of procrastination, but I have spent a good amount of time reviewing and editing the ones I’ve finished. I think my essays are ok since my brother helped peer edit and gave great advice.
Extra-Curriculars:
I’d say my athletics are my strongest suit because I would say I am a good runner. I’ve medaled in some XC meets and a track meet. My times are good for my age and I’ve submitted athletic interests forms with my stats. I want to run at Middlesex because they have a strong team. I saw on social media that there were some Middlesex athletes that committed to Ivy League colleges this year.
Varsity XC (2 years)
Varsity Track (2 years)
Ski Club (1 year)
Worries:
Compared to other applicants, I don’t think my application is on the same level as theirs. The acceptance rates of both these schools are very low and it’s super hard to get in. I’m scared of being rejected, but I will be fine if I do. I hope my SSAT score isn’t too slow as I’ve seen some applicants range in the 90 percentile. Also, do early applications give you an advantage? I plan to submit my applications around December and I’m scared that is considered late.
Do you need financial aid? If you need quite a bit that’ll make admissions more difficult.
You have a great resume! This post feels very defensive—no reason to be ashamed of your record, it looks very strong. Make sure you are confident and comfortable during your interviews.
Finally, I would add more schools if you definitely want a boarding school.
You may want to edit your handle here if it’s your real name.
I suppose you asked only for advice on how to improve your chances, so I’ll get that out of the way:
Stress to the schools that you are absolutely committed to doing everything you can to help the XC and track programs.
As far as the SSAT score, the 84th percentile will not help you. Some very wise people on these boards will say it’s a fine score and you should submit. Perhaps I am not wise, but I would not have advised my child to submit that score. I think anything in the high 80s and above should be submitted for “top” schools. I think most of the Asians who get admitted to the “top” schools have scores in the 90s.
With all of that said, I ask the following: as a very religious Catholic, why would you want to attend Groton or especially Middlesex anyway, except that they are prestigious nearby schools? Perhaps I am making an incorrect assumption about what you mean by “very religious Catholic,” but I suspect you’d be a fish out of water at either school. Middlesex, especially, is extremely “progressive” and likely simply not a fit for a very religious Catholic. You may want to check out some Catholic day schools within driving distance of your home (likely many great ones in your state) or extend your boarding school list either to expressly Catholic schools or to schools that, while likely progressive, are perhaps not as extreme that way or are at least bigger and so more likely to have a few kids who share your values. In other words, widen your net to schools that are likely a better fit for you.
I don’t think the SSAT score will strengthen your application.
I’m really scratching my head at your school choices. I don’t think a very religious Catholic will feel comfortable at either school. Have you looked at Catholic boarding schools? Have you looked for boarding schools with a more conservative culture?
You really need to expand you application pool in general, and particularly if you need aid.
Where did your brothers go to school and did they like it?
Would you be open to attending other schools?
You have said it yourself - the acceptance rates for these two schools are low. Groton in particular probably has one of the lowest acceptance rates of any boarding school (8%-9%) in part because it is the smallest school in the top tier.
As others have said, if you are truly interested in the boarding school experience, then I would cast a wider net.
In my estimation, none of these schools are particularly religious and they all generally welcome students of any faith; I would not be worried about that at all (one person’s opinion). I would again be interested in where your brothers went and whether they (if applicable) felt out of place at a non-Catholic school.
Also, to answer your last question: applying early does not give any measureable advantage.
I don’t believe the previous posters were concerned that the schools were religious, but that they were far more progressive in their thought which typically means their morals and convictions butt heads with the Catholic faith which in turn may lead to some issues for the OP’s personal morals and convictions.
In my opinion, none of the “morals and convictions” of any of these schools would “butt heads” with the Catholic faith. Complete non-issue (in my opinion).
OP has yet to weigh in since the original post, so this is all probably moot anyway.
I think you go into your interviews without fear. Both schools get applications with lower scores than your ssat.
What do you love about each school- and how do you see yourself engaging in the community? Share this in your interview with enthusiasm and hope and excitement about possibilities. I agree with other posters- you do want to look at other schools. Would you look at St.Marks? Or Milton? Or St. George’s?
Review the websites and watch the videos of the schools. Keep a notebook of how you are drawn to the school and what excites you. They want to know more about who you are and how you make connections and build relationships and reflect. In the end, it is not what happens but how you respond. Keep striving towards your goal. You might shoot for one and end up somewhere else that could prove to be even better than you had imagined. Good luck
OP can I ask why you want to go to groton and Middlesex? I will caution you that barely pulling A’s at your current school may translate into an 85/88 average at groton. Will you be happy with that? The grade deflation and intensity is very real there. On average, at groton, fewer than 10 kids per grade have an average of 93 or over. Will you be happy not being one of those kids?
I don’t think the ssat score is terrible but it doesn’t support an accelerated courses narrative. Accelerated for these schools is kids taking pre calc or calc in 9th grade.
For interviews consider:
Where have you shown academic curiosity outside of the classroom
What do you do to help other people?
Describe a situation where something was difficult and you persevered and overcame.
Can you talk about yourself and your accomplishments while remaining humble?
Sorry, looking back I don’t know why I added that I am a religious Catholic. I chose Middlesex for their athletics and community. I chose Groton because of the education; I know it will be extremely rigorous, but I feel like when I’m challenged I learn better. My parents gave me the option of applying to schools so I decided to choose non-Catholic schools because I feel like the athletics and education will be better at Groton and Middlesex. Thank you for the advice.
I’ve taken a look at Central Catholic High School, but I wanted to be a boarder. I didn’t want to apply to St. John’s Prep because it is an all-boys school. I know there are other great Catholic BS, but I chose to apply to the more prestigious schools.
My brothers went to Concord Academy and I really wanted to go there. Unfortunately, both of my brother’s experiences were not that great so my parents wouldn’t let me apply. I am open to applying to other schools, but a big factor is financial aid. Brooks used to be my #1 school, but their financial aid program isn’t strong enough. Thanks for the advice.
Since both schools are very rigorous I do not expect that I will be getting straight A’s. I know the schoolwork and test will be way more challenging. I will be fine with my grades as long as I can maintain honors. Thank you for the interview advice.
I don’t really think that you can speculate on financial aid. Schools give money to candidates they want. Yes, they have limited funds. But smaller schools can be generous too. If you are applying for aid, the best advice is to apply to many schools including schools with higher acceptance rates.
Both of my nieces went to religious schools that were not as competitive as their stats would have indicated. But they had very good experiences, terrific social lives, and were comfortable. And they were happy with the education.