Hey, I am a student from India 10th Grade, applying to Andover and equivalent HCs.(Full financial aid needed)
Here are my ECs:
50k website deal (January 2025) and 20k website deal (July 2025). Handled 100+ users and payments of over ₹2 lakhs. Both were full-stack projects involving custom payment gateways, login systems, and more complex features.
Built a DIY web-page-controlled car using ESP32-CAM.
Multiple well-documented projects on GitHub, including Python cybersecurity tools and a custom-made programming language that was able to penetrate a home-grade firewall, with the process also well documented. Also remotely hacked a Windows 7 VM and deeply know kali linux.
Intra-school MUN (December): created the brochure and handled all technical work and was usg for technological affairs.
Interschool MUN: built the website with registration integrated, designed the brochure, Instagram assets, and certificate designs. Served as USG for Technological Affairs. Event had 100+ delegates from 7 schools. It was also recognized by national government.
Won 2 Best Delegate award with one of them being at a national level MUN conference.
Won Best Secretariat award at the interschool MUN.
Attended 6 MUNs in total.
Been the Literary Captain of the house (300+ students).
Managed and trained students for 50+ activities throughout the year.
House finished 1st among 4 other.
Founded and was Editor in Chief of annual school magazine: released last year, under editing this year.
founded and organized an interschool coding competition.
Wrote a self-written research paper on a CS topic and obtained feedback from a professor at the best CS related collage in India(IIT).
Achieved around 95%+ in finals in 10th and 9th but 87% in 8th.
Reached top 100 in the country and top 1 in the city on Codeforces.
Mentored students on programming/cybersecurity, with a total reach of around 50+ people.
Published some blogs covering CS topics.
Built a personal website featuring achievements.
Secured strong recommendation recommendations from the principal and teachers.
SSAT 98%ile
Became a moderator at a 100k-member coding Discord community.
In my very unofficial opinion, your chance for admission to any of Andover, Exeter, St. Paul’s, and Groton is average at best.
Based on your shared profile, it seems like you spend an inordinate amount of time on your computer. Typically, this is not attractive to the most selective boarding schools as this is a solitary activity that adds very little, if anything, to the campus community life.
As I stated earlier, sitting at a computer is a solitary activity. Of course, it may well benefit the community, but elite prep boarding schools want well-rounded students who participate in campus activities in a manner that involves interaction with other students & faculty.
I mean, aside from my computer-y achievements, as I mentioned I founded interschool coding comp and school magazine. As well as winning a national level MUN with a few other things such as 300 hours volunteer work and student council.
What else do you think I would need for a well-rounded profile? The only thing I feel is missing is athletics, which I do, just not competitive.
Competitive athletics, performing arts (acting and/or music), volunteer activity unrelated to one’s computer activity, a compelling personal narrative, and something more distinctive than computer related activity.
Apply and see what happens, but be sure to have back-up plans.
I think the message is to not emphasize all of the cool stuff you’ve done, but rather how that stuff has impacted others. As was said, these places are about community, and the thing you need to demonstrate is that and how you can be accretive to that community.
So show them you’ve done your homework on the culture of the schools and demonstrate how you’re a fit. If you do that, I think your chances are better than average.