That’s why I e-mailed all schools I want to apply to with my situation asking, given my situation, if I’m eligible to apply as a repeating 11th-grade student. Some said I can’t, others said I shouldn’t. I thanked all of them and moved on.
I don’t feel safe sharing my school list publicly (I don’t even tell people my college list unless they are extremely close and/or will not apply to US universities, let alone boarding schools).
That’s why I made a general post. I leave all my specific questions to the schools I’m applying to. I could’ve made a “Chance Me” post, but I did not. I just made a post asking a general question regarding admissions. I should’ve definitely worded myself better and mentioned out-of-school leadership activities other than athletics/music/art. People didn’t, and don’t have to reply at all.
Additionally, you don’t have to be passive-aggressive. I really appreciate everyone’s help, as long as their intentions are genuine. I love to help (that’s why I have leadership in community service activities long before I decided to apply to schools), so I recognize easily when someone’s intentions are negative or positive. You don’t have to expect anything from anyone.
If your question centers around community service and how that fits into an application for a given school, then you should probably mention that in your post title, or at the very least the post itself. Along with a list of schools you’re applying to and more info about your background and what you bring to the table and how those things may overlap.
I’d also add that defensiveness is definitely not a characteristic sought by boarding schools. They screen for nice.
My daughter had been planning to apply as a Senior this past year. I had no idea about repeating a grade and at first we were hesitant. She emailed her list and was told by 3 top schools that you can apply as a senior, and by a 4th top one that you cannot. Of the 3 that said you can apply, 2 admitted that they hadn’t accepted any seniors (only post grads- whose numbers are often combined with seniors). So she decided to apply as a repeat Junior. She applied to 3 top schools. Excellent grades, PSAT, ACT and SAT scores, some but not a lot of volunteer activity, no real leadership roles, not a recruited athlete, but a pre-professional level dancer. The school that accepted her has the best dance program of the three she applied to so I assume that is why she was accepted there but not the other two. That said, I would recommend finding out if your passions, whatever they may be, fit in at the schools you apply to. Her school accepted 19 or so Juniors and about 50 sophomores. See if you can find the number of acceptances by grade for the schools you are interested in to help with the repeat question. Good luck.
If you don’t want to be specific due to privacy you need to know it’s really hard to help you. Top schools look for outstanding kids. Kids that are admitted are often top of the academic heap at their current schools, they are often superb athletes or musicians, they are often committed to one or two community service ventures. Many of the kids admitted have ALL those characteristics. Plus they are curious and independent, they have shown that they can persevere when the going gets tough, they are generally nice kids with open minds, they are excited about entering an entirely new community and contributing to it.
What people don’t understand is that for elite schools kids are talented in many areas and have the grit to pursue them all. People don’t like that answer but from what I have seen it is true. Yes it is true that for the larger elite schools more kids whom you might consider to be more ordinary get accepted. Those kids often have outstanding essays that really convey to the school why they would make a great addition to the community. If you don’t think this is your profile you need to look at some less elite schools.
P.S. Being international or being an American living abroad just isn’t a big deal anymore. Plenty of schools have plenty of kids from all over the globe.
hey, i’m a current sophomore at choate and i would love to help you if you’re planning to apply here. i don’t really want to be spewing my stats and resume out into the general public but feel free to pm me if you’d like
I have been reading this forum, and I must say that the people who are responding are trying to help you. Just because you may not like the truth does not mean that they are criticizing you. I do not mean to be rude, but in your comment you said that you are not ignorant. However, the paragraphs after that show just how ignorant you are. Top schools do not like these types of people. The purpose of asking something is to get constructive advice. If no one gives you true advice, then you will not have an accurate view of yourself.
However, I still hope that you will be able to get into a school that you like! The application process ended for most schools, how are you doing now?
