What are my chances of getting into Phillips Academy Andover?

<p>Hi I would like to know my chances of getting into Andover, I'm in 8th grade, and I've been in love with it since I first saw it.
My SSAT scores are
Verbal- 99%
Reading- 99%
Math- 96%
My current grades are
History- A
Math- A-
English- A
PE- A
Art- A
Science- B+
Music- A
I play two instruments: Viola and Piano
I am in the school's high level orchestra and choir.
I volunteer for community services often.
I also am currently an international student, but before I moved to my current country, I was a straight A student in the honors class in the USA.
I am on the basketball team at my school.
At my old school, I was co-captain spirit leader, class president, and in Art for experienced students.
I take separate lessons for hip hop.
I have won many awards: the UCFL Writing Essay, Alley Pond Park Art Contest 2nd place, won an award for leadership, an award for best art student in school.
What are my chances of getting in?
Please help!
Also, if there are any people who go to Andover, could you tell me if it will be different if I apply for sophomore year instead of freshman year?</p>

<p>I think you have a good chance of getting in. Your grades are really good, esp. on the SSAT. But you never know what they look for in a student each year. Good luck!</p>

<p>are you applying as a late applicant or for 10th grade?</p>

<p>You have a great chance given your grades and all. I have a lot of friends who have gotten in with lower scores, some with higher. But you should have a great chance, but remember, personality counts. Schools do not want brainiacs who only do academics. They want well-rounded, good personality type kids, which it looks like you are. good luck</p>

<p>You seem like a perfect applicant at almost any boarding school, but you never know with Andover. It is just so competitive.</p>

<p>Ctswim8042: Thank you so much! (:
Alixindigo: I will be applying for 10th grade next year!
vcelts123: Thank you!! I really appreciate it!!
Prepschooler2011: Haha, thank you! I really do hope I can get in despite all the competition!</p>

<p>There are many good quality schools that have similar programs, facilities, etc. as Andover. Hopefully, you will explore and apply to some of those schools and not just Andover for back ups. I am not saying that you won’t get in. Honestly, you probably have a better chance than most applicants. It is just that admissions is so unpredictable, so even if you are qualified at a school, you might not get in. I have a friend that got into Milton and Andover, but got rejected by Choate. In my opinion, if someone is qualified for Milton and Andover, I am preety sure they are qualified for Choate as well. The only way to save yourself from not getting into any school is applying to a couple more schools. It is not a guarantee, but you should get in if your interview goes good, etc, etc. 1 of them (as a safety) should have an acceptance rate above 25%.</p>

<p>Yeah, I am also applying to Choate, St. Paul’s, and Deerfield. Hopefully I will be able get into one of these schools. Thanks a bunch for all this information and advise.</p>

<p>possible to get into andover with 86 percent overall ssat?</p>

<p>Are you a US citizen, or an international applicant?
Are you a full pay student or applying for financial aid?
Those will also be big factors for your admission to any boarding school.</p>

<p>I copied and pasted my post from another thread. I hope this is helpful. The admission process is far more complex than checking off a list of stats. Andover in particular looks at the character of the applicants as much as their “Stats” and you have no control over whether you match what they are looking for. I will tell you that the academics are intense and even the most accomplished middle school students go through a big adjustment once they arrive on campus.</p>

<p>SSAT scores do not predict whether a kid will survive at an ultra selective boarding school. I have a relative that scored near perfect on the ssat, but the kid was lazy and did not do very well. A kid survives at these schools because they have the drive to apply themselves and the discipline to manage their time. It also takes a certain amount of maturity to live away from home at the age of 14/15. The admission process is very complex because there are many factors that have to be taken into consideration with the ultimate goal being a diverse student body that has the baseline skills to succeed. Applicants who are fixated on SSAT scores do not see the forest for the trees. Transcripts from middle school with teacher comments about the student, teacher recommendations from the english and math teachers, school administrator recommendation and the answers to the essay questions provide much more insight into the applicant than an ssat score. The essay questions are not random, they are chosen specifically to search for qualities in the applicants response. I also think that applicants underestimate the importance of the recommendation process. Recommendations are confidential and the teachers are usually very frank about a students strengths, weaknesses and general character. When all of the information is compiled together, a narrative develops and that determines whether a student is offered admission. Admission officers are well aware that the ssat scores can be manipulated with prep courses. Athletes have to prove that they can do the work. None of these top school have remedial programs, everyone has to complete the core work. Some kids despite their academic credentials, are not ready for the boarding school experience. </p>

<p>I am not an admission officer but I do have a child who went through the process last year and is now in 9th grade at Andover. I wish you well but don’t get over confident based on the comments people make about your stats. You may set yourself up for the big fall when you limit yourself to 3 or 4 schools that are ultra competitive to get into. The comments you receive from random people will have no bearing on whethter you are accepted. Again, Good Luck.</p>

<p>Andover’s kind of like a crapshoot, in a way. Even if you’re super qualified, with great recs, test scores, and grades, there’s still a good chance that you won’t get in. </p>

<p>Have a couple of safeties, like the others suggested. Just in case.</p>

@smithsteve1: 86 percentile is lower than average (94), but if you are “hooked” (alumni/rich faculty, play an unusual instrument like tuba, etc.), or you just have good grades (A is the average for incoming students), or your essays/interview are really good, you could get in.

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