Which of these boarding schools best fit me

<p>i have an 88 average for 8th grade and I will apply for boarding school for tenth grade. I will get straight A's for the last marking period of 9th grade and straight A's for the 1st marking period in 9th grade. In 9th grade when I apply i will have very good recs and I will have alot of curricular activities. Just to name a few, i will play lacrosse(im black so it will be odd), i will play chess and i will play the violin. I ALSO PLAY FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL and I love to play ultimate frisbee. I will be on the newpaper team in 9th grade, tech squad and will try for atleast another leadership position in 9th grade. I will have about 100-200 hours of community service under my belt and i will probably write an ok-good essay, have a good interview and will score from mid 80's to low 90's on the ssat. I'm an african american kid in nyc who is poor and my dad use to beat my mom when i was young so i will have a good story to tell at my interview. I am VARSITY LEVEL FOOTBALL PLAYER. I will need a full ride most likely. Do I have a chance at these schools:
NMH
Kent school
Brooks school
thacher school
hotchkiss
middlesex
lawrenceville
taft
peddie
choate
milton
loomis chaffe
and concord
PLEASE BE AS HARSH AS POSSIBLE AND TELL THE TRUTH, IM NOT A TROLL</p>

<p>I think you have chosen a very comprehensive list of schools. You have a great shot. You are talented, motivated and “driving the process” (as us parents like to say). Obviously, one can never predict next years scores, but I would stay on track at school and check out an SSAT study guide from the library. </p>

<p>When you say that you “will” do this and that next year, are you saying that you will be starting lax/chess/violin next year, or do you already play them now? </p>

<p>Also:
Since you mention being african american and living in NYC, there is a possibility that A Better Chance could prove to be a valuable resource. They are an organization that basically mentors and advocates for you through the application process. They are very successful in doing so, and I would get in touch with them and see what their suggestion is. I know that they technically only work with students who are applying for the following year, so they can’t sign you up until the end of this school year (at which time you are considered a rising freshman). [A</a> Better Chance : Application Information](<a href=“http://www.abetterchance.org/abetterchance.aspx?pgID=866]A”>http://www.abetterchance.org/abetterchance.aspx?pgID=866)</p>

<p>You should also apply to Cate School</p>

<p>bump 10char</p>

<p>I am biased for Peddie! They are very generous with financial aid and a truly welcoming community.</p>

<p>@anothercrazymom,
do you think my resume fit peedie and do I really have a solid shot to get in there?</p>

<p>Mercersburg Academy offers a 4 year, fully paid scholarship called the Arce scholarship. It is awarded annually to an incoming freshman boarding student who comes from an area where the schools cannot provide the kind of education that the incoming student is capable of acheiving. This year was the first time it was given and it went to a student from NYC. </p>

<p>zp</p>

<p>I know this wasn’t on you list but Andover is need blind so that is something to keep in mind :)</p>

<p>That’s interesting that the Arce award went to a child from a city with some of the best public magnets in the country…doesn’t seem to fit the intent of the scholarship.</p>

<p>this is what Mercersburg states about the Arce scholarship:</p>

<p>The Criteria
Established by Gabriel Hammond '97, the Arce Scholarship is awarded based upon:
students must demonstrate exceptional academic ability identified by standardized testing, grade point average, and teacher recommendations </p>

<p>the family must qualify for full financial aid </p>

<p>students should come from areas where local schools and school districts lack the resources necessary to allow the students to take full advantage of their academic abilities </p>

<p>a short essay responding to the prompt of “How do you hope to define yourself at Mercersburg?”</p>

<p>Who is Eligible</p>

<p>New boarding applicants entering the ninth grade.</p>

<p>The Awards</p>

<p>The winner is awarded full tuition, room, and board for each year that he or she remains in good academic and social standing at Mercersburg.</p>

<p>“In keeping with Mr. Hammond’s vision, the annual Arce Scholarship will address both merit and need, by covering full tuition for a new boarding student who is at once exceptionally academically gifted and who could not attend Mercersburg without total financial assistance. The objective of the Arce Scholarship is to provide academically talented, underprivileged students with a Mercersburg education so they will be prepared for life in college and beyond.”</p>

<p>In my opinion, this is not all that different from ABC. Lots of kids from NYC participate in that program. It is also very difficult to get into some of the magnet schools in NYC, and for some kids, the commute, even within the boroughs, may be too much.</p>

<p>zp</p>

<p>i wont be going for that scholarship as there are some good schools in my area but i want to board</p>

<p>cashcrateaddict, I do think your resume would fit Peddie. They are need blind, and actually increased their financial aid budget when other schools were reducing theirs. It is much more diverse then our local schools. My son has loved all 4 of his years there.</p>

<p>thanks but im really into math/science. is peddie a good math science school? I want to be an engineer</p>

<p>Peddie has an amazing Science department. The Annenberg Science building is state of the art, they even have a DNA lab. The math department is also very strong. My son felt the only area that could have been a bit better was English. The Day School he attended for grade school had an terrific English dept, he claims the 800 he got on CR on the SAT’s was due to his 8th grade lit teacher. </p>

<p>Peddie sends a lot of kids to Cornell every year for engineering.</p>

<p>cool and thank you for the help, i really appreciate it. I’m trying to encourage my friend to apply as well but he dont think he could get in. Here’s his ‘‘resume’’:
african american from nyc
84 average in 8th grade
around an 88-92 average for the 1st semester in 9th grade
play lacrosse, football and basketball at a high level but isnt varsity talent
plays viola and done about 100 hours of community service
will have a good interview and an ok essay with great recs
need finacial aid</p>