Chance a transfer URM for top prep schools?

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
1

<p>Alrighty. So, I’m a freshman at a public school in Maine, and these are my grades. I took the hardest courses a freshman can possibly take and these are my grades. Um, my school offers no A+'s just in case you wanted to know…hah. I will apply as a junior
Oh, and if this helps any I am of Somali decent, my parents were both refugees, and I’ve pretty much faced a life of discrimination… I only have my first semester grades and my 3rd quarter grades which are:</p>

<p>S1:
Honors Algebra 2 (11th grade math): C+ 83 :frowning:
Honors English: B- 85
Honors Government: B 87
Honors Science: B- 86
Career Studies: A 98
Health: A 95
Spanish: B+ 92</p>

<p>Q3:
Honors Algebra 2: A 96
Honors English: A- 93
Honors Government: A 95
Honors Science: A- 94
Art: A 98
Physical Education: A 96
Spanish: A 100</p>

<p>I WILL GET STRAIGHT A’S SOPHOMORE YEAR!!!</p>

<p>I took the practice PSAT test and got a perfect score of 240.
Um, I took the practice SAT and got a 2300, M:700 W:800 CR:800
I will take my SSAT next year, I guess, shouldn’t be bad.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Freshman year:
Class president!
Speech and Debate (National Forensics League): State Champion for Oratorical Declamation and National Qualifier, I currently have about 260 NFL Points!
Mock Trial
Field Hockey
Tennis
Recycle Club
I plan on continuing all of these and adding these:
Indoor Track
Teen Court
Academic Decathlon
Big Brothers Big Sisters
Spanish & French Club</p>

<p>Volunteering: NAACP, Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence</p>

<p>This summer I will volunteer for these above organizations, attend Field Hockey and Tennis Camp, and start an organization for Somali teens to be better leaders and better people. ! :)</p>

<p>thanks for your time and please give me some chances! peace and love.</p>

<p>Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Academy
Deerfield
Hotchkiss
Lawrenceville
St. Paul’s
Middlesex
Groton
Taft
Peddie
Kent</p>

2

<p>Your grades look decent and will be fine if you keep up the work you’ve done in your 3rd quarter. However applying to any school as a junior is very very competitive. Schools will obviously want to see that you are comfortable socially with new people (if you’re relaxed in your interview and they can see that you are comfortable I’m sure it will help). Your EC’s look good, especially the speech/debate part, but I would say to get you a leg up you should focus on and become really good at one sport. Especially if you want to apply as a junior. Obviously you have a very interesting story that you can explain to schools and some added value in the fact that you are of color (always helps with statistics). If you work hard at it and keep in contact with a coach or someone from the school I am sure you will get into at least one of those schools. I say this because I am (or was) in a similar situation. I am Chinese, have around the same grades (possibly a little lower), have lots of EC’s, and applied to SPS for junior year. The thing that separated me from the other applicants however was the fact that the lacrosse coach at SPS was recruiting me and I had beyond a great interview. Again applying as a junior is really hard. To get accepted I think the best strategy is to be extremely good at something that is of value to the school and let the school know that you love and are committed to that activity.</p>

3

<p>thanks!</p>

<p>BUMP.</p>

4

<p>You’re going to have to pull straight A’s in the next semester or two to overcome the C and B- grades. Some kids are good at standardized tests which is why a great score will not overcome weak grades, but strong grades will overcome a weak score.</p>

<p>Getting in as a junior is very, very tough. A sport or hook will help. But the slots are very few.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

5

<p>thanks so much :slight_smile: um, can i get more replies? haha 2 replies and 73 view, C’MON! I just want to know if I RUINED my chance because of that C and the B-'s.</p>

6

<p>This is going to sound like the earlier responses, but applying as a Junior is VERY difficult. But you do have a very compelling story, and being a URM should be helpful (or at least people have said that to me)and the class president should be considered leadership which is liked. I don’t think that B’s will kill your chances…but anyway, Best of Luck!</p>

7

<p>I will say this much about the B’s and C’s. I have gotten about three C+'s (in english) because my schools english curriculum is insane(although a school wont really be able to know that) and a fair share of B’s throughout high school. I was in your position thinking that my grades would never get me in but I got into SPS. There is definitely hope. One of my favorite quotes from any piece of literature has to be “The jungle is dark but full of diamonds” (cookie to anybody who can guess the play, shouldn’t be too hard). If you don’t like metaphors then I’ll put it this way, its not going to be easy but if you put your nose to the grindstone good things will happen.</p>

8

<p>Your S1 grades are kinda on the low side, but I think everything else including your rising grades and leadership will pull you through. Eh I think… 7/10 chance.
I’m not sure if you heard this already, but we on CC are very unreliable for chancing. :p</p>

9

<p>thanks so much for the chances!! :slight_smile:
um, i was also wondering if in my application they would want to see my middle school grades?</p>

10

<p>BUMP BUMP BUMP BUMP BUMP BUMP </p>

<p>please i have more than 100 views, but 5 replies… I’m not trying to be like praised or anything. I want more criticism. And I want people to let me know if I have a chance AT ALL in getting in.</p>

<p>some more schools:</p>

<p>choate
loomis chaffee
milton
…</p>

<p>thankssssss</p>

11

<p>It depends. The school will wonder about the C and B-'s because if you can’t master the work at your current school, will you be able to do the work at Boarding Schools? (which are often a lot more rigorous.)</p>

<p>Also - being a Somalian native who has faced “adversity” is only going to get you so far so don’t count on playing the “race” card (I say that as a URM). </p>

<p>And frankly - applying for junior year at boarding school is going to take an extraordinary app given how few spaces each school has for that and how often those slots are given to athletes with an extraordinary skill the schools are lacking.</p>

<p>Having said that - you won’t know unless you try and no one on this board can tell you if you do - or do not - have a chance…C</p>

12

<p>honestly i got into middlesex with 1 C+ and 2 B-, 1 B and a B+ in addition to gym which was an A :slight_smile: but i had hook in addition to my transcript applying and getting in junior year is quite difficult as at least at ISL schools they are looking to bring in athletes please note that i go to a very rigorous NYC prep school. also i was a full-pay student so that does factor in although i do think that schools would love to have a child of somali refugees.</p>

13

<p>woah, an 83 for you is a C+? here, that’s a high B… :S</p>

14

<p>yeah i was thinking the same thing her schools grading system is very weird</p>

15

<p>Oops - didn’t notice your scale. My oldest daughter went to an evil school with a harsh grading curve like that. Make sure your transcript clearly indicates the grading scale. Your C is the equivalent of a lot of other school’s B’s.</p>

16

<p>seriously?! soooo lucky HIGH B? My high C would be a high B??? wow. that’s kinda… exciting. Well, thanks for all the help!</p>

17

<p>An 83 would be a B- at my school.</p>

18

<p>At my school, we don’t do B+s or B-s so it would be a B.</p>

19

<p>73-85 is a B… hahaha our school grades way too easily, i know :slight_smile: i guess i’m lucky, kind of. if the schools look at percentage, though, i’m doomed :|</p>

20

<p>wow!!! okay a 73 would be a D- and it’s only a couple points away from failing</p>