What are my chances of getting into Phillips Academy Andover?

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
1

I’m in eighth grade and I’ve been hoping to go to Andover for high school. Could someone tell me if there’s a chance I could get in?
My grades are as follows:
English: 94
Science: 93
Latin: 98
History: 99
Literature: 98
Math: 92
Band: 99
I got a total score of 99 on my SSATs (individuals were 99 for verbal, 99 for reading comprehension, 86 for math.) I play the piano, but very seriously. I’ve been playing for almost nine years, and have won many competitions, local, national, and international. I’ve played at Carnegie Hall three times for winners recitals. I also do composition. I’ve written five pieces and won some competitions, including one where I was invited to play my piece in Vienna. I’m involved in a chamber music program at UNC called MYCO. I’ve won the school spelling bee five years in a row, and have placed as high as fourth in the state bee. I’m involved in National Junior Honors Society at school, and do various volunteering projects with them. I also did ballet for several years, but am currently taking a break because there’s not enough time for it. I’ve tried to convey to Andover that I’m not just an overachieving grind, but that I have a deep passion for what I do, and that I’m a creative type of person.

I’m also a double legacy (my father and grandfather both went to Andover). I’m half Taiwanese and I live in North Carolina. I will be requiring quite a bit of financial aid.

2

I think your chances are excellent. You have the academic qualifications and are a double legacy. THat helps.

3

You would get in even without legacy given those scores, grades and from NC. There are not that many students at prep schools in NE from NC at all. The FA is the only thing that’s tough. But the legacy should kick in at that point. And schools like multi generational legacies.

4

Thanks. I heard that Andover was need-blind. Am I naive to assume that’s true? I’ve heard so many people on this site saying that financial aid will negatively impact the decision.

5

You don’t need to worry about that as a double legacy with high stats.

There are more high stats kids applying to Andover than there are spots, so having high stats is no guaranty of admission, with or without aid. Being a double legacy could be a key tie breaker for you.

6

Thanks for the weigh-in, I hope so.

7

You are a very competitive candidate for admission to Andover. But why Andover ? And did you apply elsewhere ? I ask because nothing is guaranteed.

For example, St.Paul’s School offers free tuition, fees, room & board to all accepted students from families with less than $125,000 of annual income.

8

I applied to Andover, Exeter, Choate, Deerfield, and a local arts boarding school. I applied there because my father has been telling me about it and it’s my dream. If I don’t get into those schools, I’ll go to the local high school. We’re not rich, and as you go down the line, the schools get worse and it’s not worth it to move from home and shell out money.

9

In what ways do the schools get worse?

Are the teachers less qualified? I doubt it.

Maybe the marketing budgets are smaller and the facilities less new?

Does that make a school “worse”?

If you end up making it to Yale, Harvard, Princeton, or Stanford, be prepared to meet lots of kids from “worse” boarding schools who are convinced they got an amazing education and one as good as any Andover graduate.

Will you tell them that they are wrong and that their schools were “worse”?

10

@ffsophiar As a gifted musician, was Hotchkiss not on your radar at all? It’s very strong. Nevertheless, excellent chances and good luck!

11

It’s really not my decision. i wanted to apply to more schools, but my father seems to think it’s not worth it. He’s determined that I go to a top five boarding school or no boarding school at all. It’s crazy, but it’s too late now.

12

I considered applying there, but there wasn’t much time and I was already rushing to complete the essays for the other four schools. Maybe if I don’t get into any schools, I’ll try Hotchkiss next year.

13

“Top Five” according to whom and what criteria?

Average SAT scores? (There are schools with higher averages).

Acceptance rates? (Our daughter’s school is tougher to get into than most of the schools on your list).

Endowment size? (Not sure how that affects students beyond fancier facilities. Our most generous FA offer did not come from the wealthiest school.)

14

I think we should go a little easy on the 8th grader, particularly since it appears that is the 8th-grader’s father, not the student, who is driving the school selection decision.

15

Good point. But I imagine they will be having similar conversations when it is time to apply to college!

I used to have a job publicizing the results of different rankings and lists. The dirty little secret is that you have to change the criteria or weighting fairly often to make the list change from time to time so it can be publicized and grab headlines.

Rankings can be so unreliable and arbitrary.

16

Since your father went to andover I am surprised that he, as a boarding school alum, trusts rankings such as niche or boarding school review. I agree with @CaliMex these sites can be good for basic research but DO NOT rely on them to pick your list of schools. Regardless, it is too late for you to change your list now, but I wish you luck on M9.

17

Dad probably graduated Andover in the late 80’s/early 90’s. The admissions process was much much different back then. Wait until he finds out how different the college admissions game is.

Anyway, good luck to the OP.

18

I could only apply to so many schools. As you may know, the essay questions are different for every school, making it more difficult to apply to many. We just picked the most stereotypically famous.

19

I i also especially chose Andover, because of my dad talking about it and saying how much he loved it. When I visited it, it was beautiful.

20

He doesn’t necessarily trust the rankings, I think that he picked the schools that he visited and was familiar with. I want to go to