<p>Okay, so I see that people are starting to get in the applying "mode". I love cc and it was super useful to me while I was applying. Just an fyi I'm going to Andover this year as a ninth grader if any of you have questions. But I guess I will start this thread by just some obvious pointers.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Don't study too hard for the SSAT. Most people on this forum get great scores anyways and if you do well in school it won't be too hard. Just do a practice test to learn the "ropes" of the SSAT before taking it. If you get really nervous about taking standardized tests then do a little extra practice so you feel confident.</p></li>
<li><p>Be yourself during your interview because schools don't want someone who tries too hard to please the interviewer. Just be confident while you talk to them.</p></li>
<li><p>Edit your essays ATLEAST three times before you submit them. You want what they have in writing to be your best work. Because while they can only interview you once, they can look over your work an infinite number of times. Again, be yourself. You don't want to try to "please" them with your answers. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Basically, I will give my input on anything else you all want to know. This is was just off of the top of my head.</p>
<p>@candidate123,
How long before taking the SSAT do you recommend studying for it? I’ve been studying for a few weeks and I’m taking the October SSAT. And also, is it hard to fit in your study time during the school year? I participate in a lot of EC’s so it might be hard. Thanks and I have a few more questions. Did you apply for FA and are you a legacy? Thanks and I really want to go to Andover.</p>
<p>i was a real slacker with the ssats i basically took one practice test one week before i took it. basically i started the application process in november (eeks)…dont worry about it. ssats are the least of your worries. try to get a 93 percentile or above and good grades to match. i had a 93 percentile overall. i only took it once. i studied on the weekends. i had a rigorous ballet schedule, so i understand your worries. dont freak, do everything in chunks. if you already started now then you have nothing to worry about. i applied for FA, though i didnt really need it, so i didnt get any from andover, and i am not a legacy. p.s. DONT APPLY FOR FA IF YOU DONT NEED IT. if you have any more questions feel free to ask.</p>
<p>@candidate123,
I took the SSAT last spring and kinda slacked with studying as well. But surprisingly I got a 93 on it. I’m applying for a lot of FA (>75%) and I think that will affect my chances of admission at some schools. But at least Andover is need-blind. And what questions did they ask during the interview? Thanks.</p>
<p>yea dont stress too much about the ssat. i think they use it kind of as a mass “measurement” to see how people are academically. as long as you are 93 + overall you are fine. also, what i meant by not applying for FA is for people who dont really need it but decide to apply for it anyways. it can kind of degrade you if you can pay but you apply anyways. so you should definitely apply. lets see…basically the interview was a conversation. my interviewer took notes but it wasnt exactly a questionnaire. certain questions are ; why you wanted to apply, what your favorite subject is, what your ecs are and what youre passionate about, what your favorite book is. etc. dont exactly plan your answers because it’s not going to work in a set fashion, it’s just like any formal conversation. also, know your parent’s occupation! my interviewer for andover asked that and i think that it’s an easy way to see whether or not the applicant is aware of what their parents/guardians do. so dont psych yourself out, just go with the flow and enjoy what you are talking about. p.s. andover is the only school i applied to that didnt interview the parents.</p>
<p>@candidate123,
Thanks I’m interviewing at Andover in a week so I’m pretty nervous. And Andover doesn’t interview parents? I was hoping that during my parent’s interview I’d be able to find out how well I did on the interview. Ah well. Thanks for all your advice, it’s been really helpful. And congratulations on getting in at Andover. I hopefully will be there in the fall of 2011.</p>
<p>My daughter applied to (and now attends) PA and they did sit down with me after her interview, which was also in the summer. So don’t assume that they won’t talk to your parents. They may indeed have the chance to chat with them. However, they’re pretty noncommittal.</p>
<p>I believe that Andover always interviews the parent(s) immediately after interviewing the student. Unless the student is clearly a strikingly weak candidate, I don’t believe the admissions officer will say anything except pleasantries about the student.</p>
<p>That’s strange, candidate123. Were your parents there? Was the admissions staff running behind schedule and maybe they needed to catch up on their appointments?</p>
<p>ssat’s don’t matter as much as everyone else thinks it does. i got in with a 91%, good extra curriculars, etc. what’s key is your application - your essays and your teacher recommendations, and your interview. i’m a legacy, but that played no part in my denial from exeter last year nor did it play a part in my acceptance to exeter, choate, and kent this year.</p>
<p>@aaeroplanes,
I don’t think rec’s have a ton to do with admission. Most kids have amazing recommendations, so I doubt that they help too much. They probably help a tiny bit at most. But I could be wrong.</p>
<p>If your SSAT is within the 25%-75% of accepted applicants, then it doesn’t count for that much. If it is below or above, then I think it is given additional consideration. If you have a 99% SSAT, and the school has a high SSAT average, then you are within range and should not consider the high SSAT to give your application extra consideration.</p>
<p>I believe that recommendations are important. While teachers are probably reluctant to give poor recommendations, they can give a good but not great recommendation. Not everyone can be given the highest rating.</p>
<p>Teacher’s recommendations can make a big difference, if the teacher cares enough to write one that really shows what they know about you. These schools want to know that you are different from the pack–and HOW you are different may help determine which schools accept and which waitlist or reject you. So when you can choose, pick those recommenders carefully–not just someone who knows you well, but someone who will take the time to write a meaningful recommendation.</p>
<p>My dad was there but they didnt interview him.</p>
<p>Does exeter interview the parents? At both of my visits, they never interviewed my parent.</p>
<p>At our son’s interview, on a very busy day just before Christmas, my wife and I were both “interviewed” - as were the parents of all the other students we met there that day.</p>
<p>Well my teachers have known me for three years and all of them said that they put “top few I have ever encountered” in every category so I guess that might help a bit, but I assume most of the applicants have at least decent recommendations.</p>
<p>i would just like to say… DON"T STRESS. i didn’t know i was taking ssat until my mom told me adn took me to a private testing center right after schhol. i got a 99 on math 68 on vocab and 98 on the other section(forgot what it was) totally b.s.ed my essay and that was that. i applied by myself(no help from parents or a counselor) and STARTED looking at shools in december. I am going to st. paul’s next year and there was a 14 percent acceptance rate. so pretty mucha s long as you want it and it is something that you are willing to do on your own no matter what the admissions will see that and will love you. oh and i never visited schools i did skype interviews</p>
<p>At my interview, the admissions officer interviewed my mom right after interviewing me but hers was much shorter then mine.</p>
<p>One thing an applicant must do is make sure that the school interviews him or her on campus. When my son applied to BS’s last year, he was accepted by every school that interviewed him on campus, but he was either rejected or WL’ed by every school, but one, that formally interviewed him off campus. Lesson learned: visit every school to which you apply and make sure that each school, through one of its AO’s, interviews you on its campus. No exceptions, unless you are a foreign student or you ready don’t care whether or not a certain school accepts you.</p>