2019 Prep School Stats (2)

Prep School Admissions
1

i just saw these stats even though i’m like 9 months too late but i wanted to share my own experience ! i’m a freshman btw :slight_smile:

  • applied to 10 schools (exeter, andover, l’ville, hotchkiss, deerfield, loomis, hackley, peddie, taft, kent)

accepted: exeter, loomis, peddie, kent
rejected: hotchkiss, andover, deerfield, hackley
waitlisted: l’ville, taft
went to: exeter :))

ssat: 89% (2256)
unweighted gpa: 4.0 (97.46)

interviews:

  1. exeter - the best one out of all of them (LOL!!) AO was really nice, had a 30 min conversation and she “bragged about me to my parents”, or at least that’s what she told me afterwards
  2. andover + deerfield - mediocre, AO was more athletics-oriented and seemed disinterested.
  3. l’ville, hotchkiss, taft, loomis - pretty average.
  4. hackley - spoke with my parents for nearly 40 mins but spoke with me for about 10. haha.
  5. kent + peddie - really nice, stayed in touch a lot afterwards

recommendations:

  • all pretty strong. definitely ask your extracurricular teachers, i asked my art teacher (supports your extracurricular, which they look at a LOT)

essays:

  • honestly they were crap LOL. i wrote them all during winter break and procrastinated a lot. SAO essays are fairly easy and gateway is kinda trash tbh LOL
  • asked teachers to edit lightly (mainly adjusted grammar usage & word choice; do NOT revise content)
  • graded writing sample - ask teacher for your highest scored paper/essay/report and attach it, honestly the easiest part LOL

ssat:

  • math - 791
  • verbal - 749
  • reading - 716
    exeter looks a lot at math so i think that’s why i got in even though my percentile SUCKED

extracurriculars:

  • visual art
  • violin (8 years, taken NYSSMA)
  • robotics
  • little to zero athletics LOL

financial aid: full

overall:
don’t stress too much about the essays and your ssat because the schools mainly look at your interview to see your personality
don’t go on and on about the 1948284828 extracurriculars you do but instead focus on 1 or 2 really great things you’ve accomplished
be calm & confident (but not conceited ofc) at your interview bc tbh that’s what matters most. don’t be shy at exeter because they look at leaders & who fits harkness
find the school that best fits you. if exeter or andover aren’t the most suitable for you then you’re better off not going there anyways

good luck ! :))

2

HIIIII
congratscongratscongrats on getting accepted to Exeter and stuff (tis my top choice)

and thanks so much for posting this

If you don’t mind me asking, what’s it like at Exeter so far?

3

heyyy !!! im so sorry for the late reply!!
I’m going to be frank with you. exeter is really hard and you definitely need to be prepared for the workload you’ll get. everyone told me that with the help of your teachers and upperclassmen its easier to deal with and its true! I was a public school kid so it was quite a changing environment for me but its not that hard to get used to.
exeter really wants you to put yourself out there and show everyone what you’re capable of. dont be shy!!! expect to do homework after study hall ends because its a lot. I’m a freshman so its not that bad YET but i can definitely feel it coming.
overall I really like the environment but academics is definitely rigorous. dont underestimate yourself!!! I believe in you and i honestly did not expect to get in LOL
if you get in i promise its such a unique experience you’ll love it