Chance Me For Boarding Schools

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
1

Hello!

I understand that predicting my chances of admission to Phillips Academy (Andover), Choate Rosemary, and The Lawrenceville School can be difficult. However, if someone could provide me with an estimation of my chances for admission, I would greatly appreciate it. For your reference, I am applying for the 9th grade.

Here is a summary of my whole application:

Ethnicity, race, gender:

I am a male of Russian and Middle Eastern descent. I live in the UAE, and my parents are from Turkmenistan and Israel.

Extracurricular Activities:

Regarding my extracurricular activities, I was a member of an advanced math club and a swimming team in Russia. Although it may seem like a lack of extracurricular activities, opportunities for such activities were scarce in Russia.

Grades:

While in Russia, I attended an advanced math school and managed to maintain straight As in all subjects except for Geography, where I received a B. However, in Russian schools, a B in one subject is okay since the curriculum doesnā€™t offer any electives, and all classes are mandatory. Later on, after moving to Dubai, I enrolled in an American school where I continued to achieve straight As in all subjects except for PE, where I got a B. Similar to my Russian schools, my school in Dubai doesnā€™t use the plus or minus grading system.

Achievements:

  1. For the academic year 2023-2024, I was selected to be a member of the Dubai American Academyā€™s Middle School Innovation Robotics Team, which required passing a rigorous selection process.

  2. During the academic year of 2023-2024, I moved from a school in Moscow, where I was in 6th grade, to Dubai American Academy, where I joined the 8th grade. While this may not be considered a significant achievement, I am proud to say that I got into 8th grade based on my excellent performance on the CAT test.

  3. I won the prize for the All-Russian Olympiad of Schoolchildren in English Language in 2022.

  4. All-Russian Olympiad of schoolchildren in Mathematics, 2020 prize winner. Itā€™s a tough competition. For instance, I would have qualified for the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) if I were a bit older (9th grade).

Passion Project:

I am developing an iOS app called ā€˜Sustainable Citizensā€™ for COP28. For your information, COP28 is a UN conference on climate change.

Recommendations:

  1. Math: My math teacher has informed me that she would write an outstanding recommendation for me. I am taking Integrated Math 1. Itā€™s considered highest-level math course in Grade 8 and an honors course.

  2. English: My English Language Arts teacher will likely write a positive recommendation for me. I actively engage in class discussions and work diligently in her classes. Additionally, she can see that I am making good progress in English as a non-native speaker.

  3. Third Teacher (Choate only): I expect the third teacherā€™s recommendation to be excellent. I consistently receive high grades in this teacherā€™s subject and demonstrate a keen interest in the subject matter.

  4. Personal: My aunt, who knows me well, wrote my recommendation. It should be great.

  5. Counselor: I am unsure about my counselorā€™s recommendation since she doesnā€™t know me well. However, I believe that she has a positive impression of me based on the information she has.

Legacy:

I donā€™t have a legacy.

Test Scores:

My MAP test scores were in the 99th percentile for Math and Language Usage and 95th and 93rd percentiles for reading and science.

On the ISEE, I scored in the 98th percentile for Math Achievement, 92nd percentile for Reading Comprehension, 90th percentile for Quantitative Reasoning, and 76th percentile for Verbal Reasoning.

My TOEFL IBT scores were 110/120: 30/30 in Reading and Listening, 28/30 in Writing, and 22/30 in Speaking.

Interviews:

Itā€™s difficult for me to determine the outcome of my interviews, even though I think they went well.

Volunteering:

In Russia, I helped an orphanage by purchasing clothes and toys as gifts for the New Year. In Dubai, I offer free math tutoring to my classmates whenever possible. Additionally, I created a TikTok channel to share fun math content with my classmates, hoping to spark their interest in the subject.

Short Answers and Essays:

I believe I have written a well-developed essay about my experience with self-censorship in Russia. Additionally, my short answers seem to be well-written too.

Additional Information:

By the way, I want to let you know that English is not my native language. I was born and raised in Russia and have only lived in Dubai for a few months.Dubai is the first city I have lived in where the society primarily speaks English.

All in all, thank you for any assistance you can provide, and best of luck to everyone applying to these schools and others!

2

You seem like an amazing young man! I think itā€™s so impressive that you did so well in the ISEE without English as your first language, and that you have apparently adapted so successfully to an entirely different country, culture and school.

That being said, I think you probably know that the acceptance rates are low at the trio of schools you mentioned. Most candidates are qualified, and even then, only 10% to perhaps 15% of applicants are accepted. Many factors play into an applicantā€™s chances, including athletic ability and the need for financial aid (at Choate and Lawrenceville, though not Andover), but especially the potential to thrive in and contribute to the school community. Personally, I think your compelling personal story, as well as the impression that you are a nice person, will come across and increase your chances a bit above the average. However, even if your chances increase by five percentage points, they are still low in absolute terms.

I also wonder: if you went from 6th grade to 8th grade, perhaps you are quite young to leave your family to attend school halfway around the world!

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Thank you for your kind words! You mentioned financial aid. I want to clarify that I did not apply for it. Additionally, I agree with you that leaving my family at a young age may seem like a difficult decision. However, I believe that stepping out of my comfort zone and experiencing something new is valuable, especially when it comes to attending schools that I love so much.

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You seem like a great applicant!

Itā€™s very hard to predict a schoolā€™s decision and thereā€™s no way to give a completely accurate percentage or anything like that, but you seem like a competitive applicant. Iā€™m also pretty sure Middle Eastern is considered an underrepresented minority (someone can correct me on this if Iā€™m wrong). As @ameridad said, since your age is in the 7th (?) grade range now, I would seriously consider whether or not you actually want to go to boarding school, especially since your family is going to live far away from all of these schools.

Best of luck!

By the way-- itā€™s very cool that you live in the UAE. I lived there for a little bit a few years ago, and itā€™s incredibly beautiful.

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Thank you!

6

As others have said it is hard to chance anyone since the AOs look at all the factors and are trying to build a well-rounded class. But your credentials look very good and also you have some unique aspects that may help your candidacy. At the same time, the schools you are applying to are very competitive. How old are you if I may ask? If you are too young it may weigh against you. Good Luck!

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Thank you! Addressing the question about my age, I turned 13 at the end of November.

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Good lord, yours is the best-written and most clearly articulated post/thread by a 13 year old that I have ever read on CC. For that reason alone, I say you are a strong candidate (that is, I think the excellence of your post correlates with other parts of your application). Also it is helpful that you bring diversity and are not from an over-represented country. Of course, admit rates are low, so no one can really give you an estimate of your chances. Good luck!

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9

Good luck to you! Iā€™m also middle eastern and eastern european :slightly_smiling_face:

I echo what everyone else has said. I was also 13 going into my freshman year, so youā€™ll definitely be younger than most but know itā€™s not super unusual or an issue imo.

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This is between you, your parents and the schools, but if you were my child, I would not let you go away to school halfway around the world at 13. The only potential exception to that would be if you had close family relatives who lived near the school and could serve as surrogate parents if need be. But even then, I would be very reluctant to let you go.

11

13 is still a bit too young for BS IMO. Not sure about other schools but for Andover its ~30% reclassed students who are 15 or is gonna turn 15 during their freshmen year.

12

In my opinion: it depends on the kid.

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13

One hopes that the OP realizes that some comments, like this, are being made by those who are also applying.

Which means 70% will be 14. While the OP is 13 now, he will turn 14 in the fall.

Agreed. Admissions is better able to judge than anonymous people on the Internet.

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You seem like a good candidate, but as others have said, we canā€™t really say if you will be accepted. I would say that if you presented yourself in your application and interviews as well as you have here that you have just as much of a chance as any highly-qualified student.

To address the issue of age, my daughter turned 14 the summer before attending boarding school (we are 8000+ miles away although she does have family within three hours - we insisted on that), so a few months older than this student. We have not noticed any issues with her age so far this year. Her dorm is only 9th and 10th graders, so no one older than 16 at the beginning of the year. Her classes are mostly 9th and 10th graders as well with the exception of her arts classes where there are juniors and seniors.

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15

My son was a young 14 and slow in puberty when he went to BS. His Freshman year was a bit rough but he managed and it was a good growing experience. He has kids in his grade 2-3 years older with redshirting and how their birthdays fell. Itā€™s doable but you need to be prepared for the difference in maturity. Good luck.

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16

Hi, you seem like an awesome candidate, but as others mentioned, the process can be really unpredictable.
Iā€™m passionate about climate change too! What is iOS? Iā€™ve heard about it in ads and such but idk what it really is lol.
Iā€™m sorry if you provided this information already, but did you mention needing aid? That might alter your chances. (Edit: I just realized you wrote you didnā€™t apply for aid later in the thread, sorry)
As per the subject of age, I feel like it really depends on the kid. For example, there are kids ready to go to bs at age 11 (my uncle- which is a special case, but he was also international!) and kids who are just not mature enough to handle being away from home at age 16 (which isnā€™t a bad thing). So, op, do you think you are ready? Have you experienced something like bs before? From the writing you seem mature but I think you are the best judge of yourself.

P.S. Iā€™m applying 9th too, good luck!!

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iOS is the ā€œiPhone Operating Systemā€ and is basically the technology that runs iPhones and iPads. So, this person is developing an app to run on that operating system platform.

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Ah, thank you. I guess Iā€™m not that tech savvy, my parents even work tech jobs!

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My daughter just turned 14 yrs old and there are a few (very few) 13 yr olds in her 9th grade with some turning 16 and 17. That is crazy to me, but she has not felt her age to be a hindrance as she was ready for BS. She is at Lawrenceville and loving it. Happy to answer Any questions you might have about the school. And I agree with Cinnamom1212 - if only all students wrote as well as you. Good luck!

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Thank you all for your comments!