I am a Brazilian international student currently at 10th grade, but I will apply next year.
Grades:
My grades in middle school weren’t that good, but throughout my high school years I have always been a valedictorian. I don’t know what my GPA is (we don’t have it here).
Extracurricular activities:
I like to tinker with electronics and arduino, my passion always being robotics. I have participated and won many competitions here.
We didn’t have a club system like the one in the U.S in my school, but because of me, now we do. I explained to my principal what I had in mind, he loved it, and we founded five clubs: the discussion club, the math club, which consists of various math Olympiads throughout the year. The literature club, where students can write short stories and the Portuguese teacher reviews the text and gives it a grade. The music club, and the visual arts club, where students paint and can then share their work with others in a public gallery.
I’ve played tennis for two years, but I don’t really like it, it’s just a way for me to stay healthy, really, and I play the piano very well.
Essays:
I wrote about making my school a better place and about my dream of starting a robotics company that will revolutionize the industry, by making them cheaper and better than others (kinda like what Ford did with the Model T). I think it is very good, 8/10.
Recommendations:
My teachers like me very much, but I don’t know if they are any good since they don’t really know how to write in English, so it must have lots of broken grammar.
So, what are my chances? I’ll be applying next year, so what are some things you think I should do this final year to increase my chances?
Thanks.
Brazilian student here too (but applying to college)…
Wow, how incredible it must be having the perspective of applying to Phillips Exeter Academy! I believe you have a good shot, but nothing is guaranteed regarding Exeter. Unless you are a legacy, you should probably have very defined (and visible) interests, near-perfect grades and a record of excellence, curiosity, and leadership. If I were you, I would invest some more time into robotics, if that is really you main interest. And by the way, you can calculate your GPA online (http://www.foreigncredits.com/Resources/GPA-Calculator/Brazil). I have a 4.0 GPA, and my high school grades in Brazil correspond to 9.98 out of 10. I know a friend of mine who has a grade average of 8.2 and a GPA of 3.16. It’s up to you to calculate it, but bear in mind that Exeter probably expects something around a 3.8 unweighted GPA.
But really, staying here or finishing High School there, in the end, does not matter that much. If your plans are to go to college in the US, what matters is that you have pushed yourself to the limits (in whichever school you study), that you made a difference, are involved in extracurriculars, presents a leadership atitute in your school, and are curious but dedicated in your academic endeavors. So just do your best whatever path you choose!
And by the way, I am applying to schools like Harvard and Stanford from Brazil.
Thanks for answering, and good luck getting into Harvard and/or Stanford!
Wrong forum. There is a separate forum for Prep school chances.
Your biggest determinant will be whether you need financial aid or not. Exeter is not need blind.