What are my chances of getting into Phillips Exeter and Phillips Andover

EEB2864 · November 2019

In 7th grades I had straight A’s for one quarter ( 4 in a year) but for their others I had B’s in math and Science (the rest we’re A’s) I’m in honors math and honors language arts and for this year (8th grade) I have straight A’s for quarter one. For extracurriculars I play tennis and volunteer by raising guide dogs for blind people. (I know not many). I got a 91 percentile on the SSAT. My interviews all said I did great and surprised them on the interview. I’m applying for boarding and financial aid. I’m Hispanic so I know that’s like a minority so maybe that will help me? Be honest do you think I can get in? Do I have a chance?

one1ofeach · November 2019

My gut says you have a chance, albeit a limited one. Are you applying to other schools as well?

The raising guide dogs for the blind is really interesting but how rich of an ec is it really? There’s a big difference between raising 10 dogs and raising 1. Also is it you doing all the work and training or your parents? If it’s 10 dogs and you actually doing the work (as known to someone running the program) I’d strongly suggest that someone from that program writes a rec for you.

Yes I think being an urm will help but I’m not sure any of us know how much. Urm plus pretty good test score is very good. So you are competing against other kids in that bucket. If you luck out none of them are star athletes. That’s where the luck comes in.

Good luck!

EEB2864 · November 2019

Yeah it’s me doing all the work and I’ve raised 4 so far we can’t have 2 at a time and we keep them for 1 year each

one1ofeach · November 2019

Sounds very cool. Good luck, I think you are a strong candidate. Don't slack now though! Your essays need to well written and engaging to round out your good scores. If you are close enough to the schools, I recommend attending some sporting events at each, and meeting with the tennis coach if you plan to play.

At the advice of posters in an archived thread we went to several games at each of the schools my son was really interested in. I think the interest was noted - it's pretty easy to see people across a basketball court - and we often got emails from coaches or admin after attending games. Can't hurt to show you are really interested in the schools.

It's also an interesting way to get a sense of school spirit and how the kids support, or don't support, each other. One school really stood out to us during our game visits.

PrepDad2018 · November 2019

Agree with @one1ofeach. Maybe in the conversation for acceptance but a really light resume. What about school based activities? Student Council, NJHS? How are you involved in the school community? These schools want engaged students. What is your tennis level? Are you on track for varsity freshman year?

CaliMex · November 2019

So many awesome schools to consider. Why are you fixated on those two?

southernboyal34 · December 2019

I think the raising dogs is very interesting, but the people applying to these schools have very good grades, so having a b might not be a good sign.

one1ofeach · December 2019

I think a B here or there is ok. Schools know that the grading varies wildly amount middle schools, that’s why the ssat exists. Look at all the kids on this thread with straight As and very low ssat scores.

Also regarding ec’s kids are too focused on having a lot. That is not important if the ec’s they have are time consuming and substantial.

What are my chances of getting into Phillips Exeter and Phillips Andover

Replies to: What are my chances of getting into Phillips Exeter and Phillips Andover

Recent Activity