<p>My student is a really bright kid and has strong extra currics in the arts (music/drama/school leadership). his grades are pretty strong in the top 10% of his class. BUT he completely screwed up his SSATs (20th percentile - partially because he is grade 11 app - so I imagine the scores ramp up fast at that group). </p>
<p>Originally, he was targetting a few of the top schools Choate, Loomis, Middlesex, Peddie and St. Georges, now with that SSAT score..that is pretty much a very distant miracle-search. </p>
<p>Any suggestions for the next range of schools? I need to underline my personal faith in this student. I really believe this kid has got the stuff to go far both academically and in the future, but I think he just wasn't prepared well for the SSAT (that was another school's job). He is an international app from asia (not korea/jap - so figure that one out;) ). </p>
<p>I would love some suggestions for strong rep schools that are consistent feeders to top schools. I have already suggested he tell every school he will consider repeating the grade to get immersed.</p>
<p>Last year there was a girl on this board from Korea. She was strong in the Arts, but would not give her SSAT score because she felt it was too low. She applied to Blair Academy and got in – is going there now. Blair is a great school with strong college matriculation [Blair</a> Academy - College Counseling](<a href=“http://www.blair.edu/College_Counseling/cc_mat_list.shtm]Blair”>http://www.blair.edu/College_Counseling/cc_mat_list.shtm) . They have been building their arts programs over the last decade or so.</p>
<p>Other schools you might consider are Mercersburg, Hill, Pomfret, The Masters School – there are many more. Once you go outside of the most competitive schools I think the there is a broad range of SSAT scores. Of the schools on your original list, you might still consider Loomis and possibly Peddie. </p>
<p>I think a 20% SSAT is projected to be around an 1800 SAT. Is that correct? You can look for schools with SATs in the projected range, with strong arts programs. For college matriculation, take a look at where the top 10% of the class goes. If he can continue to stay at the top of his class, then his prospects will be in this group. If verbal scores brought down his SSAT scores, then he has some time to improve his English in the US.</p>
<p>I think those scores would be a problem for any student applying for any school that is a "consistent feeder to top schools (colleges.) For an asia non-athlete… In contrast to the usual advice, I would be looking at non-top schools that have a decent % of day students (may have higher academic profile than boarders at non-“top” schools) and consistently send a few kids a year to competitive LACs. However, you need to make sure they don’t just send the athletes.</p>
<p>Very few schools, even private schools, prepare kids for the SSAT. The SSAT is so different than school work. Artsy kids often don’t score as well overall on the test as more math oriented kids. </p>
<p>But why did the student not take the test earlier. The SSAT is the only test I know of that you can just take over and over, even 3 or 4 times, and only send the scores you like. Why would anyone not take it by Nov?</p>
<p>Burb parent: Thanks for the insigh. At the moment, Hill and Pomfret may be considered as well as Blair. </p>
<p>Inquiring Mind: The issue of preparing for SSAT’s is a difficult one. Not many parents have the foresight to get their kids in special programs to prepare them earlier. Most parents tihnk a 2 week course at Kaplan or TPR will solve it all but they don’t realize that the test - up to a certain point - is not trainable through anything but time investment. I own a niche education center that works with kids at a young age and get them into debate programs and also reading/vocab programs early. And the SSAT/SAT are one of the key reasons for the latter program. </p>
<p>But again, I am quite disappointed for this student as he is a fantastically gifted student. I thnk about my own classmates during my school time and i can say with confidence that he would be someone that I would say to myself “wow, he definitely belongs here.” Oh well..another student killed by the SSATs i guess.</p>
<p>One thing to keep in mind is that if he didn’t test well on the SSAT, the SAT is likely to be a problem, too, and the competition for students from where I suspect he’s from is heating up at the college admissions stage. Being at a school where the college counseling goes deeper than the top schools may be important.</p>
<p>Which country does he come from? It can be a hook or huge disadvantage for him. If he got a 20% on the SSAT test, it shows he doesn’t ready for the top prep schools yet. Even though he got into any of top 20 boarding schools, his English level will be far behind other students.</p>
<p>Did your student take the TOEFL? I think a high TOEFL can sometimes offset a low SSAT score. That in turn might expand the student’s options. Just a thought…</p>
<p>You may want to try The Gunnery - while they say that they look for 50% on the ssat - I think that they really look at the whole student. My son recently interviewed there - we were very impressed with the individual attention and the focus on developing all facets of their students. Also, my son is taking the SSAT for the first time this weekend. While he has done well on the practice test, who knows. Our interviewer at Hotchkiss suggested that we sign up for the February test - just in case. He said that usually the kids do better the second time around, and that the schools are likely to get the scores before final decisions are made. Not sure if that is possible there.</p>
<p>Another school you can consider is NMH – Northfield Mt. Herman (sp?). It has a strong arts program, high international student body, and I am under the impression that they have a broad range of SSAT scores. There are MANY more. </p>
<p>Please note that I really don’t know how the schools I suggested would respond to a 20% SSAT. However, if a 20% SSAT is approximately an 1800 SAT or just under that, then there are many schools that have average SATs of around 1800. I also suspect that a high achieving student who is well-spoken and talented in arts would be of interest to many schools. The most competitive would have these same attributes in applicants but higher SSAT scores from which to make a selection.</p>
<p>If he didn’t do that well on the verbal and reading sections, I think it is a good strategy to offer to repeat 10th grade. This will give some time to improve his English before the schools have to work on his college prospects.</p>
<p>His english is actually quite good. I think we need to keep some context on what the SSAT exam is. It is an exam - on the Verb/Reading sides - that is highly dependant on vocabulary retention and reading speed. you can write fluid sentences, read advanced books (becaues you can understand words through context), and still not do well on the SSATs (and he certainly fits the bill). I am now trying to get him to fly over to visit the schools in person, I want them to see his English ability in person, because he is definitely capable.</p>
<p>Lexima, he did not do the TOEFL, but that is a fantastic idea. Although the new TOEFL IBT isn’t an easy exam as the time constraints and the computer format makes it a bit tougher than the standard paper and pencil tests which lets people jump around.</p>
<p>As most people well know, the competitiveness of the international student pool is much higher than the domestic school pool, given the recent surge in interest from overseas.</p>
<p>I might suggest calling the admissions directors of some of the schools you alread applied to (especially the ones where your student may have interviewed and may have done especially well) and explain your situation with the test scores and ask them for a recommendation for a safety school. </p>
<p>Often these admissions directors are well networked and a recommendation from one of them may go a long ways towards getting your student admitted at another school.</p>
<p>Yep, he should take toefl. Also, the scores of the SSAT’s change of course year to year but, not by that much. They probably drop around 5-10 percent on average. However, if the schoosl don’t have someone from his home country it could be a hook.</p>
<p>He should look at Tabor and Gunnery. Both are fabulous schools with great environments.</p>
<p>I am an Indian parent that has taken a hard look at international admissions at boarding schools and colleges.</p>
<p>First, I must say, with a 20% SSAT he has little chance against the Asian competition which is growing fast at these schools, but which has quotas at the better schools. I also think he has little chance if he and his parents do not visit a school. They do not take these applications seriously from internationals from what I see. Financial aid need would also probably mean it’s going to be impossible.</p>
<p>If the family can afford a consultant they really need a counselor. For the level of school he’ll probably need to look at, the counselor will arrange things. Though throw in that this is for grade 11, the hardest at which to enter, I’m not sure the effort and money would pay off.</p>
<p>Chances of someone with a 20% SSAT getting into a top US college 2 years later is extremely small. If he’s going for this reason he should stay home.</p>
<p>In that case, I think ceebrown has the right idea. An educational consultant with a track record of placing applicants from your country would be helpful. I imagine that it is not unusual for internationals to get lower scores, especially on the verbal portion.</p>
<p>Most prep schools require the SAT for Grade 11 applicants. A 20% is the lowest score that I have ever come across. Your student should retake the test, and he should take the SAT, not the SSAT. Most successful international applicants from Asia that are admitted to the top 15 boarding schools score in the 90s. Most likely, the student made an error in filling in the blanks on the standardized test form. It is quite difficult for an able student to score below the 40s on the SSAT.</p>