What are my chances to get into a top high school like Exeter

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
1

Here is my current resume

Going into 8th grade

  1. I am currently in the midst of moving from the United States to Saudi Arabia.
  2. I am a competitive swimmer and will most likely be ranked 1st in almost all individual events at the Saudi Arabian Nationals.
  3. In middle school, I was part of our competitive lego robotics team and we were able to make it to state.
  4. Throughout Elementary and Middle School, I have been straight a student and been at the top of my advanced classes every year. This includes Map testing and all other standardized tests.
  5. I started playing the Tenor Saxophone in 6th grade and I am still currently playing.
  6. There is a lot of drive to learn math and coding. At this point in time, I am learning pre-calc and java at the age of 13. Note - I have not partaken in any competitive math or coding competitions.

Any advice for the SSAT and how to improve my resume?

2

Make sure you understand and practice SSAT. A top MAP compares you to a much less selective group of students. My son had 99% MAP and perfect state scores and still had to learn to take ISEE and SSAT. He did crack it but it took work.

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3

I can’t chance you since I’m no admission officer but I’ll give it my best shot. I’m an incoming student at Exeter.

I agree with SweetBoy1 here. Even a 99% MAP score or any school score doesn’t correlate to high SSAT scores. I would recommend taking many SSAT practice tests to learn the format and tricks. If boarding school is really really important to you, I would recommend even taking the SSAT 2-3 times so you can pick your best score to send.

Take what I say with a grain of salt however most kids applying to these top schools have had straight A’s all their lives. It wouldn’t make a huge difference.

Unfortunately, I don’t know much about international applicants. I do believe there is a thread about that though.

Always play to your strengths. You mention you play tenor sax. If you are serious about playing sax, email the head of the tenor sax or music department. Include a video link and a short description. You also mentioned you swim. Could I ask where you would fall on the “National Age Group Motivational Times” (essentially BB, B … AAA, AAAA) scale? Fill out the prospective athlete form and if a coach doesn’t contact you, I would try and contact them. However don’t bombard them with emails and messages, that might hurt more than help. If they think your skills would benefit their section of the school, they will push for you in the admissions which makes a big difference.