Chance me (for an very average international applicant)!

awang124
Sat, 07 Jan 2023 15:59:59 +0000

Hi! So sorry to bother you all. However, as the application season for prep schools comes to an end, I’m beginning to doubt my chances of getting into some schools I have applied to due to my very average scores, grades, ec’s, etc. I would much appreciate it if anyone could offer any advice, or chance me for some of the schools I have applied to.

As an international applicant from China applying for 10th-grade admission, I have only applied to two schools this year. Mercersburg Academy (28% acceptance rate) and The Webb Schools (15% acceptance rate).

Somehow when I applied last year with no SSAT and areally average (if not below average), it came to my surprise as I was waitlisted by The Webb Schools.

Here were some of my scores from the first semester last year (with 1 being the worst and 4 being the best).

English: 3

Integrated Math: 4

Social Studies: 3

Science: 3

Chinese: 2

Strings: 3

Physical Education: 3

Art: 3

Drama: 3

Multi-Media: 3

Although my grades were not the best, some of my classmates with average scores like me have gone to prestigious prep schools like Lawrenceville and Polytechnic School and have received straight A’s on their reports.

Here are some of my grades as a freshman this year:

English: A- [submitted a research paper on the affection of AI towards climate change to Mercersburg Academy with an “A” grade (only person in my whole class)]

Math Honors (28 students chosen to attend by previous 8th-grade teacher out of our grade consisting of 84 students): B+

Social Studies: A-

Science: A-

Strings: A

Chinese: B+

total: 3.62 gpa or a 91% average

Here are some of the activities I wrote on my application this year:

Soccer: 9 years, Guangzhou city team, MS division 1 team, varsity team

Violin: 5 years, co-founded a band, Asia pacific activities conference (varsity for performing arts), MS concertmaster

Coding: 5 years, learned C++, python, Scratch, 123Design, microbit

Piano: 9 years, performed at major school events, ABRSM grade 6

Volleyball: 5 years, MS division 1 team, main outside hitter

Boy Scouts: 5 years, assistant patrol leader, tenderfoot rank

Touch Rugby: 3 years, MS division 1 team

Debate: 1 year, learned public forum and British parliamentary

Robotics: 3 years, school team, team leader

Awards/Achievements:

1st place at 2022 Jingfeng League soccer tournament (Ranked as top 10 players)

Outstanding speaker at 2022 TOC Fall Public Forum High School Novice Debate

Runner-up at 2022 TOC Fall Public Forum High School Novice Debate

Octo-Finalist at 2022 TOC Summer Invitational Public Forum Middle School Debate

Most valuable player (MVP) in soccer season 2021

Most valuable player (MVP) in touch rugby season 2021

2nd place at 2021 Southern Delta Region Conference (SDRC) soccer tournament

2nd place at 2021 Guangzhou Cup U14 soccer

1st place at 2020 Guangzhou City Trio soccer tournament

1st place at 2019 Pearl River Conference (PRC) soccer tournament

ABRSM Piano Grade 6 Merit

2nd place at 2021 Southern Delta Region Conference (SDRC) touch rugby tournament

Runner-up in 2018 China National Youth Creative Programming and Intelligent Design Competition

I also just took the upper-level SSAT today but I doubt that I would be submitting the scores because I absolutely failed the verbal and reading section (quantitative was pretty easy though). It was the hardest test I completed out of the 7 past papers I reviewed (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018).

My interviews and essays have gone pretty well so far, so it isn’t a point I am too worried about.

With my scores and activities (no SSAT), what are the chances of me getting into these 2 schools? I would much appreciate any advice, comment, or suggestion regarding my application. Thank you all so much!

P.S. I have attended the American International School of Guangzhou for 9 years now (so no required toefl and vericant interview), and I have an Australian passport.