Australian Exeter Hopeful!

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Hello All! </p>

<p>I am an Australian student who is applying to Phillips Exeter Academy for entry into Year 10 in 2007. As I am not familiar with benchmarks and general academic ranking systems in the United States I am wondering if you could provide any suggestions/help. </p>

<p>I recently took the SSAT test (11/11/06): </p>

<p>Verbal - 740 | 86%
Math - 797 | 95%
Reading - 713 | 87%</p>

<p>TOTAL - 2250 | 93%</p>

<p>My Reccomendations are all reasonably strong, except for my mathematics teacher who, being unfamiliar with the protocol decided to give ‘‘one word’’ or ‘‘single sentence answers’’ </p>

<p>Grades - (last report) </p>

<p>Art - B+ average
English - straight A+
Math - straight A+
Science - straight A+
History - B+ average
Geography - A/B+ average
P.E - B/B+ average</p>

<p>*my schools reporting system - 95+ = A+ | 90+ = A | 85+ = B+ | 80+ = B+</p>

<p>In National Standardized testing I have recieved several ‘‘top 3%’’ certificates for Math, English and Science. I have been awarded the school drama prize for backstage work.
I take part in Interschool Debating and a special (5 in year level) British Parlimentary Debate group. I have been selected to be in a school Biological water testing unit, and have been a part of the school Leadership forum (20std in year level). I have also represented my school twice in reigonal athletics competitions. </p>

<p>Any help would be greatly appreciated! </p>

<p>Thanks in Advance!</p>

2

<p>hj - </p>

<p>Your SSAT test scores are well within the acceptance range, but of course are not everything.</p>

<p>The Math teacher’s single word answers are not particularly helpful. Have you considered asking for another letter from him/her?</p>

<p>I think your biggest challenge/opportunity is to best describe how your extracurricular activities and grades stack up against your peers and how your peers at your local school stack up against the national average.</p>

<p>Say if you have the 5th highest grade point average in a class of 100, that is good. If your school is the 2nd highest rated school in your province/state that says even more about your 5th highest grade point average.</p>

<p>This would give the admissions people a context to judge your achivement by normalized against a wider population. You can’t be sure that the admissions people will know this, so it is a good idea to provide this information without coming off as conceited. So any supportive facts you can provide must be provided “to help them in assessing my qualifications”.</p>

<p>Being a non-US applicant puts you in a pool for a limited number of slots that most schools allocate for international cultural diversity. You will be judged against students from other countries, so it is important that you demonstrate where you rank within your home country as comparisons between Australians and Koreans or Germans are not easily done. But if you are a top x% of Australians, it does remove doubts that the admissions people might have about your suitability for a top school.</p>

<p>I also think demonstrating (in your essay as well as interview) your interest in things American as well as a desire to share in your Aussie experience would be a positive.</p>

<p>I’m sure others will have ideas, but since we are on a different time zone, it may take a while for them to chime in.</p>

<p>Good luck and feel free to ask more questions!</p>

3

<p>I think you have a chance. Are there schools other than Exeter that appeal to you? Admissions has become very competitive at certain schools. The majority of applicants are qualified for acceptance but the number of spots are limited. Good luck!</p>

4

<p>That sounds like you have fair chances. Very nice test scores. Your grades are a little lower than some other applicants, but the Australian curriculum is different than the American (it is ahead), so that may not be an issue. I like your extracurriculars. Do you have any candidates besides Exeter?</p>

5

<p>Hi All, </p>

<p>Thank you for all your help! </p>

<p>goaliedad - </p>

<p>Our school, and for the most part all Australian high schools don’t have the American ‘Grade Point Average’ (G.P.A?) marking/assesment system. We are not ranked in anyway when compared to peers. Regarding the school I attend; It is one of the top 5 private schools in my state, and one of the top 10~15 in Australia. (slightly off topic - we do have some form of link to Exeter, we have 3 ‘Harkness Tables’ at my school, and all are in classrooms with Plaques and posters about ‘Phillips Exeter’ and the like…) Would this be useful in any way to include? </p>

<p>I am flying up to ‘Queensland’ from ‘Victoria’ (if any of you know about Australian geography) to take my off-campus interview in a few weeks… a 3 1/2hr flight for a half hour interview? </p>

<p>Burb Parent - </p>

<p>I have only applied/am only applying to Exeter</p>

<p>prettyckitty - </p>

<p>Yes, I do have a feeling that the Australian curriculum is slightly ahead of the American one… If, by chance I am accepted into Exeter, I will have already completed half of my sophomore year due to the time differnences (is this an issue or irrevelant?)</p>

<p>**I forgot to add in my original post - Over the American summer this year I attended the Summer Session at P.E.A, having only completed half of my freshman year. (I was supposed to have at least completed my freshman year to be a part of the Upper School program.)</p>

<p>For the P.E.A summer I obtained the grades; </p>

<p>Introduction to Biology - Honours
Modern European History - Satisfactory
Debate and Argumentation - Satisfactory </p>

<p>*keep in mind that the classes are open to students of all ages, and I was attending the program as a ‘not yet graduated freshman’</p>

<p>Once again, thank you for all your responses!</p>

6

<p>Adding on to my previous post; (these may sound like dumb questions but…)</p>

<p>With an application, do you have to strictly follow the guidelines? eg… can you send copies of prizes, certificates and previous standardized testing results? Should I include information about my school (b/c non-USA?) Should I include an ‘about me’ (< explaining about my school etc… introductory letter?)</p>

<p>Are sports teams and musical endeavours considered ‘Extracurriculars’ in the USA? (In Australia EC’s are only academic) </p>

<p>What should I prepare for in the interview? (TOTALLY NEW experience for me!)
Should I send a thank you note after the interview, or would this be considered ‘sucking-up’?</p>

<p>Thanks once again, your knowledge is invaluable and I do appreciate it!</p>

7

<p>When you have the interview and on your application, be sure to let Admissions know that Exeter is the only school you are applying to and that you will attend if accepted. One of the factors Admissions gets judged on is yield (# of accepted students who attend). You should let them know about the Harkness tables at your school (and how much you love learning this way), the posters on Exeter, and the fact that you were so intrigued by the school to travel to the US for the summer school (don’t supply grades unless requested). Let them know how much you enjoyed the summer school and learning the Exeter way. You should send a thank you note after the interview. Make sure the interviewer knows how far you came to get the interview because it will show the commitment you and your family have to the school. I’m not sure about your other questions. </p>

<p>You really don’t need to prepare for the interview. If you search “interview” on this board, you will find other threads about it. There are some questions that are asked, and these are usually the same questions you will find on applications. </p>

<p>Be yourself. Let your eagerness to go to Exeter show, and be sure have reasons for why you really want to go to Exeter. Good luck!</p>

8

<p>

Including this type of information (in a subtle 3rd party way if possible - for example including a newspaper article that mentions such a ranking) would be very helpful to the admissions people in understanding where you rank academically.</p>

<p><a href=“slightly%20off%20topic%20-%20we%20do%20have%20some%20form%20of%20link%20to%20Exeter,%20we%20have%203%20’Harkness%20Tables’%20at%20my%20school,%20and%20all%20are%20in%20classrooms%20with%20Plaques%20and%20posters%20about%20’Phillips%20Exeter’%20and%20the%20like…”>quote</a> Would this be useful in any way to include?

[/quote]
It may be a bit too much considering…

because they would know that you are familiar with and are comfortable with the harkness method.</p>

<p>And now that you mention that previous expeience at Exeter, I’m sure the application has a place for you to mention it (if not do mention it somewhere), so they will pull up your file from that experience as part of your review.</p>

<p>

I hope you will stay there for dinner at least. LOL Seriously, that is dedication for you. We did a 3 1/2 hour (each way) drive to the school my daughter attends on a snowy/sleet showered day after a hockey tournament in Connecticut. It may seem a bit crazy, but not that unusual for people applying to prep schools.</p>

<p>

I don’t think it will hurt. As to the prizes and certificates, the best thing you can do is provide documentation about the level of the competition (local/statewide/national) and a little bit about your entry. I think I covered the question about giving some background on your school earlier. Giving factual information about the context of your achievements is always a good idea.</p>

<p>A personal introductory letter, if well-mannered, is a nice touch, although probably not necessary.</p>

<p>

If the application doesn’t have a separate area for athletic activities/achievements or artistic activities/achievements, they yes, include athletic and musical endeavours under Extracurriculars.</p>

<p>

A thank you note is a very good thing, pointing out what you enjoyed about your visit. You might want to check with others but Email has become acceptable (as opposed to to hand written on stationary). If you find the visit exceptionally good, and you are praising the event, a carbon copy of the email to the admissions director is a nice touch. As long as you don’t go into overkill on praising people or the school, it won’t be considered sucking up.</p>

<p>Hope this answers your questions. If not, keep trying! We’ll get it right eventually!</p>

9

<p>Once again, thank you all for your help!</p>

<p>Regarding my interview: </p>

<p>(obivously!) It is an off-campus interview with an Alum (sp?), and I would imagine it would be an informal meeting? I recieved a letter from Exeter today giving me the address and telephone number of my interviewer, and they requested I contact him ASAP. Now, given the fact that I live in Australia, would the interview be less formal? I am under the impression that I am the only prospective student from Australia, as the letter from Exeter was worded in a way to suggest that my interviewer had to be ‘informed of his duties’. Would this arrangement have any bearing on my application? Would the interview be less formal? Clothing, what to expect? </p>

<p>And also; I am wondering how exactaly I inform Exeter of ‘who I am’. What I am trying to say is; how do I let them know that I was in my schools Math Olympiad Team (junior school)? How do I detail my Extracurricular involvments? How do I let them know why I want to attend Exeter? How do I tell them that I am only applying to Exeter? Should I let them know that I have a network of close contacts in the United States? Should I let them know that I know several current Exeter students, including one who I have known for years? </p>

<p>How can I convey to them the differences in the American and Australian school systems? Eg… Extracurriculars in Australia tend to be more informal, and have infrequent meetings etc, in comparison to American ones (<If they didn’t know that, would they think that my 5~6 EC’s with +/-3hrs a week were weak?) Another major difference is the Australian system lacking ‘clubs’. I have read these forums, and there seems to be numerous mentions of ‘club’ and ‘organization’ leadership positions etc… would they be expecting something like that? We don’t have any sort of clubs nor organizations at my school. </p>

<p>^ Is the above information even necessary? </p>

<p>*On a side note - would it be good to include a newspaper article which I featured in about my school’s ‘leadership forum’? I have an article which has a picture of me, and I have ben quoted several times… </p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

<p>hj</p>

10

<p><a href=“obivously!”>quote</a> It is an off-campus interview with an Alum (sp?), and I would imagine it would be an informal meeting? I recieved a letter from Exeter today giving me the address and telephone number of my interviewer, and they requested I contact him ASAP. Now, given the fact that I live in Australia, would the interview be less formal? I am under the impression that I am the only prospective student from Australia, as the letter from Exeter was worded in a way to suggest that my interviewer had to be ‘informed of his duties’. Would this arrangement have any bearing on my application? Would the interview be less formal? Clothing, what to expect?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I wouldn’t go as far as to assume that you are the only Australian candidate, but I would guess that it wouldn’t be more than a handful. </p>

<p>As to the interview, I would suggest dressing as you would for a normal school day at Exeter, as even though your interviewer is Australian and perhaps Australians are a bit more informal, s/he still attended Exeter and knows the formality of the dress code from personal experience and would probably feel better recommending you if you appeared to be comfortable with the dress code (by dressing accordingly).

</p>

<p>Not knowing myself the degree of difference in student activity traditions between the two countries, I would assume the persons reviewing your applications may not be aware either, so an explanation of your participation in your activities would probably be a good idea (a paragraph or 2 for each describing what you did/accomplished, how long, etc.) . I would do this on a separate page and have an introductory paragraph explaining that “not knowing your familiarity with our local school extracurricular traditions, I thought I’d provide you more information so that you are beter able to understand my background. These activities may very well be similar to American traditions, but clarity in these matters is always a good thing.” I think that would be an honest way of getting across your point without looking like you need to brag about your achievement. Do fill in the information on the application form as well as you can and make an asterisk note directing them to your separate explanation. </p>

<p>

I think including a photocopy of the article would be an excellent thing. It validates your participation and level of involvement. I’d staple it to the sheet I mentioned earlier. Explanation shouldn’t be necessary.</p>

<p>

I think letting them know about your previous exposure to Exeter through acquaintances who currently attend and your participation in their summer program is probably a good thing. It wouldn’t be a good thing to name individual persons, though. </p>

<p>Letting them know that you have a network of close contacts in the US is probably a good thing as they always want to know that you have a support system (a place to spend Thanksgiving and other short breaks) that far away from home. I’d include that information someplace near where you explain why you want to attend Exeter (and the fact that it is the only school you are considering). I don’t know enough about the application (not having specific experience with them) to tell you exactly where (will an Exeter student please help here) to do that.</p>

<p>hj - You have some excellent questions and do show a thoughtful consideration of your candidacy. Your attention to detail about tradition differences serves you well. If you handle yourself this well in your interview, you will do fine.</p>

11

<p>Your applying to Exeter is very interesting, a team of australian athletes visited the PEA this fall!</p>

12

<p>rbupe - I heard about that, girl students from MLC in Sydney apparantly… interesting!</p>

<p>Do you currently attend Exeter? Are there any Australians there?</p>

13

<p>Hello again everybody! </p>

<p>I know I am becoming a nuisance, but I have one more question which will determine whether I take the leap of faith and apply to P.E.A…</p>

<p>As I have said, Australia does not use a ‘G.P.A’ system, we have no sort of marking scheme like that. What I am worried about is how the Exeter admissions board are going to view my school report given the differences in marking and assesment systems. </p>

<p>For example, in Australia, and more specifically at my school we only use A/A+, B/B+ etc… with no ‘- grades’. As far as I am aware, a G.P.A is calculated as… A+/A/A- = 4, B+/B/B- = 3 etc… </p>

<p>My question is, will the admissions staff take this into consideration when reviewing my school reports? I am very nervous because in Australia obtaining a B+ grade is considered to be very good, as opposed to America, where it would be classed as the equivalent of an A- grade. </p>

<p>Therefore, if I ‘calculate’ my G.P.A as A+/A = 4, B+/B = 3 my hypothetical G.P.A is around the rather low 3.41, but if I use ‘‘what it should be’’ A+/A/B+ = 4, B/C+ = 3, C/D+ = 2, E/E+ = 1… my G.P.A hovers around the more respectable 3.85 mark. (btw: Honours are not available in the Australian system…)</p>

<p>This is a ‘make or break’ for me I think - I would imagine the difference between a 3.41 and a 3.85 on my application will play a part in determining the final decision… What do you reccomend I do? </p>

<p>Will Exeter take this into account? What should I do?
Is there any chance at all of getting in with a G.P.A as low as 3.41 with SSAT scores of 2250 / 93rd%?</p>

14

<p>Your SSAT and GPA are great and you know it.</p>

<p>Stop fishing…</p>

15

<p>If you look at the application, you will see that the recommenders will be asked to rank you in several ways. I think the School Report asks the recommender to rank you relative to the rest of your class. As a result, they will have a relative measure of your grades.</p>

16

<p>There is at least one student from Afghanistan at Exeter. If the Admissions Office can figure out whether a student from Afghanistan can do the work, a student from Australia should be a piece of cake.</p>

17

<p>I’ll agree with Burb Parent about the rank relative to the rest of your class.<br>
Relative rank within your class together with the rank of your particular school in relationship to other schools is the best measure of academic achievement in the classroom.</p>

<p>In the US, not all schools use the same grading system either, so schools already have methods for normalizing this information. I don’t think you have to worry too much as long as your school includes class rank (4th out of 150 or top 5% for example) with your transcripts.</p>

18

<p>My school doesn’t rank, at least not that I know of. We have honor roll and high honor roll, but that’s all.</p>

19

<p>I think the biggest weakness you present is the grades you got at Exeter’s summer program. I think I’d leave those off, being a little young doesn’t matter and if they don’t know much about your school that will become an important evaluation element.</p>

<p>Australia will help as would a coach wanting you, so work that!</p>