HI, I am an 8th grade girl applying for Andover, Choate, Exeter, St. Paul’s, Hotchkiss, and Milton Academy. I have been playing field hockey for about 5 years, and have been on a club team for 2 years. I am trilingual; I can speak and write in German, Chinese, and English fluently. I have been playing piano for about 8 years, and have won a few regional competitions. I am currently in a program at my school where I am learning 2 grades ahead, so I am taking 10th grade courses; Math 2, English 2, Latin 2, etc. I get pretty good grades for someone who is taking courses 2 grades ahead: my grade averages for each class are usually high to middle A’s. I’m not 100% sure yet, but I think I want to be a diplomat when I grow up; it is the most logical career for me considering the fact that I am really into languages. In my free time I like to watch documentaries, decode secret messages, and play outside with my dog. In high school, I want to take Russian, and continue Latin. I also am looking for a school where i am able to continue my piano studies at the same level I am currently; preferably somewhere near a music conservatory or with good piano teachers. I am also looking for a school with a good field hockey team, so I can continue to improve my skills. I like to say that I am a considerate person, very driven, but I can get a little snappy sometimes. I stay calm in most situations and don’t have much stage fright. I am a member of NJHS, where I do weekly community service work; I like working with habitats for humanity and the inter-faith council. My family is pretty well-off financially, and will be able to afford my tuition, but it still would be a big investment for them. I want to get into a school that my parents think is worth it and where I feel at home. Which school do you think I should aim to get into? What are my chances of getting in to each school? What is special about each one?
You could probably get accepted by any of the schools you’ve listed solely based on your grades and ECs, but those two things aren’t the only factors involved with getting accepted at a prep school. Schools also need to take into account your essays, SSAT scores, interviews, location, race, gender, family background, recommendations and a whole lot of other things. There’s also a lot of luck involved. For example, SPS might already have two trilingual pianists, while Choate might have none. As such, it’s hard to calculate your chances of getting in. In terms of the schools, each one is great in it’s own way! What is special about them is for you to decide. For me, school x has a very admirable STEM program, but I don’t particularly care about their amazing football team. You also might want to consider some other schools to add to your list. Though GLADCHEMMS are all very prestigious, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t consider other schools. I digress. What you’ve written makes me think that your chances are neither particularly auspicious nor particularly dismal - probably about average, unless there is some key factor that you haven’t written down. I’m also an eighth grader applying to a couple of the schools you listed, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. Best of luck! If you have any more questions, go ahead and ask me (or someone more qualified 
) or scroll through the forums.
It definitely depends on what they need this year and whether you can contribute in the way they need now. Good Luck. All these top BSs are great. Can’t go wrong at any of them.
It may be worth researching which schools have strong programs for Russian?
The Russian teacher at Exeter is amazing and I had hoped my DD would choose the school based simply on her ability to take the language for four years! She’s happily taking Arabic at her school but she has a connection to Russian that would have made it extra special.
Hotchkiss offers Russian, has one of the strongest field hockey teams, and emphasizes piano (20ish Steinways and a Fazioli concert grand). A top piano student (as well as the alternate) is representing the state of CT in a national competition this year. All are great schools though and you’ll probably need to visit to get a feel for fit.
I believe that Hotchkiss offers just one year of Russian. Andover and Exeter offer at least four and not sure about SPS or Milton.
Could well be true, MAandMEmom, I only noted that they list Russian as an option.
No Russian at SPS.
@jade234, you will need to spend some time on the schools’ websites to research the relative strengths and weaknesses of each. You can also use www.boardingschoolreview.com to filter schools based on features that are important to you.